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"Home...Every cat knows where their home is, don't they? Or at least where they belong. Every cat...except me. This is RiverClan. It's supposed to be my home. But if you put claws to my throat and demanded I tell you where I belong? I couldn't give you an honest answer."
Feathertail in A Shadow in RiverClan, pages 1-4

A Shadow in RiverClan is the second stand-alone Warriors graphic novel, the first of which to be in full color.[2] It features Feathertail as the main protagonist.

Blurb[]

The warrior cats leap off the page in their first-ever original full-color adventure—a stand-alone graphic novel set in the wild world of Erin Hunter's #1 bestselling Warriors series.
When RiverClan fell under the rule of the vicious Tigerstar, Feathertail barely escaped with her life. Now RiverClan is trying to rebuild in unity and peace—even if Feathertail isn't ready to forgive her Clanmates.
But when RiverClan takes in a rogue cat named Sasha and her two kits, Feathertail must find a way to escape the shadows of the past if she is to be a part of her Clan's future.
Set after the events of Warriors: The Prophecies Begin, this action-packed, stand-alone adventure is perfect for longtime Erin Hunter fans and new readers alike.

Detailed plot description[]

Moons after the battle against BloodClan, Featherpaw and Stormpaw receive their warrior names, Feathertail and Stormfur. However, Feathertail is hesitant to fully dedicate herself to RiverClan due to what had happened. During their vigil, Feathertail reflects on how Tigerstar convinced Leopardstar to form TigerClan, and he ordered Stonefur to kill Featherpaw and Stormpaw for being half-Clan. However, Stonefur refused, and Darkstripe and Blackfoot killed him. Featherpaw, Stormpaw and Mistyfoot were rescued by their father, Graystripe, and brought to ThunderClan. After Scourge and BloodClan were defeated and Tigerstar was killed, Leopardstar invited Mistyfoot, Featherpaw and Stormpaw to help rebuild RiverClan. However, Feathertail has difficulties trusting Leopardstar and her Clanmates for not intervening during Tigerstar's reign and wanting her dead.
Despite keeping up with her warrior duties, Feathertail begins to distance herself from her Clanmates, and wonders how her brother can fit in so easily with their Clanmates. While on a patrol with Heavystep and Blackclaw, Feathertail reunites with Ferncloud, one of her friends from ThunderClan, who chased a squirrel over the stepping-stones. Feathertail defends Ferncloud from Heavystep and Blackclaw who threaten to punish Ferncloud for stealing prey, and they angrily report to Leopardstar. The Clan leader punishes Feathertail with apprentice duties for the next half-moon. Blackclaw bursts into camp with news of trespassers near the border, and Leopardstar leads a patrol to confront a she-cat and her two kits at the stepping stones. The she-cat asks for herself and her kits to join RiverClan, and after Feathertail and Stormfur's persistence, Leopardstar agrees.
A quarter-moon later, Sasha and her kits, Hawk and Moth, are beginning to fit better into RiverClan than Feathertail ever has despite being former rogues. While playing with the other kits, Hawk falls into the river and Feathertail rescues him. Sasha thanks Feathertail for rescuing her son, revealing how Hawk and Moth had witnessed their brother, Tadpole, drown earlier in new-leaf, and the hardships the family persisted through. Feathertail and Sasha quickly become fast friends, and she even teaches the kits how to swim, aspiring to be one of their mentors. Sasha asks about Feathertail's distance with her Clanmates, and Feathertail confides with her Tigerstar's treachery. Sasha is surprised to learn of Tigerstar's influence, and asks if RiverClan is safe. Feathertail, surprising even herself, reveals RiverClan has changed and Hawk and Moth will be safe.
Hawk and Moth are named apprentices, Hawkpaw and Mothpaw, with Leopardstar and Mistyfoot as their mentors respectively. Despite reassuring Sasha that her kits are in safe paws with both the leader and deputy mentoring them, Feathertail still doesn't trust Leopardstar and keeps watch on the apprentices' training. After witnessing Sasha's strange reaction to hearing Tigerstar's name, Feathertail confronts Sasha on her behavior and Sasha admits Tigerstar is the father of her kits. She desperately urges Feathertail to keep it a secret or else her kits would be punished, and stresses that Feathertail was also punished because of her parents. Hurt, Feathertail agrees to keep her secret but splits ties with Sasha. At the Gathering, Graystripe congratulates his kits for becoming warriors, but notices Feathertail's behavior. She admits she's having doubts about her Clanmates, particularly Leopardstar, and Graystripe offers for her and Stormfur to join ThunderClan, but she declines.
The next morning, Sasha confronts Feathertail that she's leaving RiverClan since Leopardstar keeps pushing for her to become a proper warrior; however, she worries ShadowClan might recognize her and jeopardize the safety of her kits. Feathertail angrily promises to keep her secret, and watches Sasha bid her kits farewell and leave. Feathertail realizes that Hawkpaw is beginning to resemble his father, and begins to distance herself from the apprentices. While confronting a WindClan patrol for trespassing, Hawkpaw instigates a fight that results in WindClan's retreat. While Leopardstar scolds her apprentice for rushing into battle unprompted, Feathertail worries Hawkpaw might inherit his father's battle-hungry instincts.
Leaf-bare arrives, resulting in prey being scarce and the river freezing over. One night, a starving fox attacks the camp and nearly overpowers RiverClan's warriors. Hawkpaw saves Feathertail from the fox and the warriors manage to drive it away. The next morning, Leopardstar develops a plan to lead a small patrol of warriors to track down the fox's den so a larger patrol made of up of all four Clans can destroy it. Leopardstar announces that Hawkpaw will be joining due to his battle prowess; Feathertail volunteers since she'd promised Sasha to keep her kits safe, and Stormfur also agrees to join to keep his sister safe. The patrol ventures in the snow beyond Clan territory, and takes shelter for the night. Feathertail experiences a nightmare of Leopardstar and RiverClan ordering their deaths at the Bonehill, and turns down Leopardstar's offer to share prey the following morning.
The patrol discovers the fox's den, but are cornered by the creature. Leopardstar orders Hawkpaw to stay back while she and her warriors attack the fox. However, Hawkpaw intervenes, and Leopardstar is severely bitten trying to save her apprentice. She begs for her Clanmates to leave her behind, but Feathertail, realizing her Clan leader is willing to sacrifice her life, manages to kill the fox with Stormfur and Hawkpaw. While heading back to RiverClan, Leopardstar apologizes for failing to protect them during Tigerstar's treachery but is proud of them nonetheless. Feathertail, realizing she is no longer angry at Leopardstar, forgives her and reaffirms her vows to RiverClan. At the Gathering, Leopardstar credits Feathertail and Stormfur for saving her life and tells Graystripe they plan on staying in RiverClan. As new-leaf approaches, Feathertail integrates herself back into her Clan and improves her relationships with her Clanmates, including Stormfur, Hawkpaw and Mothpaw. One night, Oakheart visits her dreams and warns that she has been chosen to fulfill a new prophecy to protect the future of her Clan, one she may not survive. Feathertail reflects about her newfound dedication to her Clan before affirming to Oakheart that she's ready.

Trivia[]

Author statements[]

  • James Barry revealed that Heavystep is the brown tabby who appears unnamed throughout the book.[blog 1]

Mistakes[]

  • A compiled list of the errors present in A Shadow in RiverClan can be found here.

Publication history[]

  • A Shadow in RiverClan (EN), HarperCollins (hardcover), 2 June 2020[2]
  • A Shadow in RiverClan (EN), HarperCollins (paperback), 2 June 2020[2]
  • A Shadow in RiverClan (EN), HarperCollins (e-book), 2 June 2020[2]
  • En skygge i Elveklanen, volume 1, Mørke minner (NO), Juritzen jr. (hardcover), 21 September 2020[6]
  • En skygge i Elveklanen, volume 2, Sashas hemmelighet (NO), Jurizten jr. (hardcover), 21 September 2020[7]
  • En skygge i Elveklanen, volume 3, Nye fiender (NO), Juritzen jr. (hardcover), 21 September 2020[8]
  • Schatten über dem FlussClan (DE), Beltz & Gelberg (paperback), 20 July 2022[9]
  • Une ombre au Clan de la Rivière (FR), Pocket Jeunesse, 31 August 2023[10]

Gallery[]

US covers[]

Foreign covers[]

External links[]

Notes and references[]

  1. Revealed on the copyright page of A Shadow in RiverClan
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Revealed on harpercollins.com
  3. Revealed on the inside right flap of A Shadow in RiverClan
  4. Revealed on the back cover of A Shadow in RiverClan
  5. Revealed on edelweiss.plus
  6. Revealed on adlibris.com
  7. Revealed on adlibris.com
  8. Revealed on adlibris.com
  9. Revealed on beltz.de
  10. Revealed on fnac.com

Author references

  1. James Barry, June 17 2020. James confirms Heavystep is the tabby, revealed through an Instagram direct message.
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