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Ivypool's Heart

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Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
"As she spoke, Ivypool heard rustling on the other side of the stream, and motion caught her eye. Turning, she saw a magnificent white stag emerge from the undergrowth; it picked its way slowly up to the water's edge and lowered its head to drink. Its hide shone in the sunlight, and its antlers were like snow-covered branches tipped with frost. Ivypool froze, half alarmed, half wondering. She had never seen a creature as huge or as spectacular as this. It must be kin to the small brown deer that she spotted now and again in the forest, and yet it was nothing like them. The stag lifted its head and looked at her, and for a moment she was reminded of Bristlefrost's calm, contented gaze. She realized that the creature was not a threat; she could draw a relaxing breath and admire its beauty. Perhaps it's the most beautiful of all the new things I've seen on this journey. After another long look at the two cats, the stag turned away and disappeared into the trees. Ivypool's breath caught in her throat as she suddenly believed, wholeheartedly and without a doubt, that the wildcats were right: Bristlefrost was not lost. She was everywhere. Seeing the stag was a gift from Bristlefrost to her and Rootspring, to let them know that something of her still survived."
— Ivypool finally accepting Bristlefrost's death in Ivypool's Heart, page 373-374



Ivypool's Heart is the seventeenth Super Edition.[5]

Dedication[]

For Roberta

Blurb[]

Fan favorite Ivypool takes center stage in Ivypool's Heart—a thrilling, super-long standalone adventure in Erin Hunter's #1 nationally bestselling Warriors series!
It's been many moons since Ivypool lost her daughter, Bristlefrost, to the Dark Forest, yet Ivypool can't bear to move on. Even being named Deputy of ThunderClan feels meaningless in her grief.
When Whistlepaw has a disturbing vision—one that could spell disaster for all the Clans—a group of cats is selected to go on a quest to investigate. Ivypool is happy to join their mission. Perhaps being away from her daily responsibilities will help her escape the painful memory of Bristlefrost's death.
The cats set out on an arduous journey, facing everything from painful hunger to bloodthirsty dogs. But nothing can prepare them for what they find: a disgusting twoleg den that's caging a series of strange animals, including two who may have surprising ties to the Clans.
In order to complete their quest and right a terrible wrong that goes back generations, the five Clan cats must help these creatures find their true home. But first, Ivypool must let go of the past, and her grief, if she is to have any hope of ensuring a future for the Clans—and for herself.

The praise[]

"A setup volume, ending abruptly in midcourse with dangers aplenty faced and more, plainly, to come."
-Kirkus Reviews[6]

Detailed plot description[]

Whistlepaw dreams of kits trapped near the sun-drown-place during a storm while a group of cats beg a tabby tom that they must continue on. The tabby tells Whistlepaw that she must make things right, and Whistlepaw's dream morphs into RiverClan's territory where the river runs with blood. Mistystar warns her that the debt must be repaid.
Near dawn, ThunderClan's deputy Ivypool meets with Rootspring to lament about Bristlefrost's death moons prior. Ivypool is finding it difficult to cope with her grief over her daughter's death, despite becoming ThunderClan's new deputy. Ivypool especially laments that she will never get to see her daughter's spirit in StarClan because she died in the Dark Forest, a place Ivypool knows far too well. After Kestrelflight calls for an emergency medicine cat meeting at the Moonpool to discuss Whistlepaw's dream, the Clan leaders meet at the island. Whistlepaw sketches out the symbol she saw in her dream: a cloud with lightning surrounded by vines. Urged by StarClan's vague familiarity with the symbol, the Clan leaders agree to send a patrol with a cat from each Clan to the fox-headed mountain Whistlepaw saw in her dream. Ivypool volunteers, along with her sister Dovewing, Rootspring, and Whistlepaw. Icewing from RiverClan later meets up with them on their journey, having heard about the mission from Tigerstar after she was exiled from RiverClan by Splashtail.
After some prompting, Ivypool confides with her sister about her grief over Bristlefrost's death, and Dovewing shares her own experiences grieving for Rowankit. Icewing also provides insight on the death of her son Beetlewhisker, whose spirit is also gone forever after Brokenstar killed him in the Dark Forest. While scouting a nearby barn for fresh-kill, Ivypool, Dovewing, and Rootspring are attacked by the kittypets Zeke, Curry, and Pumpernickel, who yowl for nearby dogs to chase the Clan cats away. After they manage to escape, Ivypool finds humor in their prior predicament, but her laughter stops when she worries she's violating Bristlefrost's memory by being happy. The following morning, the patrol meets Beach and Slate, two young tom-cats who agree to guide them to the Sisters for directions. While passing the barn, the dogs attack. Ivypool's grief manifests into fury as she instinctively uses fighting techniques from the Dark Forest to save Slate.
At the Sisters' camp, Slate and Beach reunite with their mother Flurry and her new litter while the Clan cats speak with Snow about their mission. The Sisters hold a ceremony for Graystripe and Bristlefrost, though they are unable to summon Bristlefrost. The following morning, Snow provides directions to the fox-headed mountain towards the sun-drown-place. Before they leave, Ivypool overhears Snow attempting to convince Rootspring to move on from Bristlefrost. Three days later, Whistlepaw has a dream urging them to follow the white feather, which they eventually find on a Twoleg sign which leads them to the sun-drown-place by following the gulls. Whistlepaw recognizes the place from her dreams. They are confronted by a loner named Jake for trespassing onto his territory, though Jake warns them about crabs before leaving. When they are attacked by a flock of gulls, the cats hide in a cliff amongst the cracks, though they are forced to flee when the tide rises.
After leaving the sun-drown-place, the Clan cats discover a giant Twoleg nest that smells of strange animals and a large dirtplace. Whistlepaw believes the place feels familiar, and the cats explore it the following morning. Ivypool continues to experience nightmares about Bristlefrost. In the low Twoleg den, they spot strange animals in cages. To their surprise, the Clan cats are able to understand two large solid tabbies with bushy, blunt-tipped tails. They introduce themselves as Tumble Leap and Stalk Purr, two wildcats separated from their group. They recognize Whistlepaw's drawing as the symbol for StormClan, the ancestors for their group. Stalk Purr tells them of the Star Tree, a place where their elders communicated with their ancestors. Ivypool urges the wildcats to escape, but Stalk Purr and Tumble Leap are hesitant since their two previous litters died and Stalk Purr is currently expecting. Wanting to learn more about StormClan, the Clan cats set out to find the Star Tree from Stalk Purr's directions, and they eventually find a burned tree in a clearing. Ivypool, Whistlepaw, Rootspring, and Icewing climb inside the hollow tree and end up in the ancestors' eternal hunting grounds. A Clan cat named Galestar greets them, having sent Whistlepaw the dream that prompted this mission.
Galestar explains how StormClan came to be: many moons ago, she was the leader of WindClan and fell in love with Stripestar, the leader of ThunderClan. The two cats merged their Clans so they could be together, forming StormClan and the symbol to unite them. However, the other three Clans were wary of their alliance. Despite Twolegs causing trouble, the other Clans blamed StormClan for the scarcity of prey, and StormClan eventually left the forest in search of a new home. However, some cats returned to the forest, eventually reforming ThunderClan and WindClan. During their journey, Galestar gave birth to Stripestar's kits, though ThunderClan's warriors pressured Stripestar that they must find a new home before leaf-bare. Galestar and her kits became separated from StormClan in a storm, and StormClan eventually moved on. Galestar and her kits were rescued by the wildcats, and Galestar had a litter with a wildcat named Bound Hunt. Galestar urges the Clan cats that Stalk Purr and Tumble Leap's litter must reunite with the remaining wild cats beyond the mountains. The Clan cats return to the strange Twoleg den and rescue Stalk Purr and Tumble Leap by releasing all the animals from their cages.
Following Galestar's directions, the patrol heads back to the sun-drown-place to find a trail leading through the mountains. At the sun-drown-place, Stalk Purr and Tumble Leap explain how they believe their ancestors reside in the water, earth, and air. A few days later, the group manages to cross the mountains, finding a lush woodland on the other side. Ivypool confides with Stalk Purr about Bristlefrost, though Stalk Purr prompts Ivypool that Clan cats might not know everything about the afterlife. Instead of grief, Ivypool feels gratitude for having known Bristlefrost. Arriving at a Thunderpath, Rootspring hurriedly stops them from crossing, explaining that several ghost cats are warning him about the danger. Several ghosts have died on this Thunderpath, and one of them guides the group to a safer crossing. Two days later, Stalk Purr gives birth three kits, and Whistlepaw helps to resuscitate the final kit. In spite of Dovewing's happiness for the new family, she is reminded of watching Rowankit slowly die from greencough, and Ivypool comforts her sister.
The Clan cats experience a shared dream of devastation to RiverClan's camp, prompting Icewing to worry about her Clan under Splashtail's schemes. Icewing and Ivypool decide to find the wildcat group themselves, and they encounter a wildcat named Strike Slash the next day. Strike Slash is hesitant about their story, but he agrees to take them to their camp. He and Wish Stalk bring Ivypool and Icewing to their elders, who are both leaders and healers. Prowl Sleek, Hunt Growl, and Spring Claw listen to their story, but they eventually conclude not to believe them, as Galestar felt betrayed by the Clans for abandoning her and her kits. However, the elders change their mind after witnessing Ivypool and Icewing bravely help them defend against the foxes when they are attacked. They communicate with their ancestors, who agree that Tumble Leap, Stalk Purr, and their kits must join their group. Icewing and Ivypool are brought to a special hollow log where they can visit the ancestors' eternal hunting grounds to speak with the ancestors. Realizing that they must reunite StormClan with StarClan, Ivypool convinces Galestar to travel to StarClan to find Stripestar. Galestar eventually agrees, and the three she-cats ride a log on the River of Spirits to the other afterlives, eventually arriving in StarClan.
Tallstar, Windstar, Mistystar, Thunderstar, Ferncloud, Rowankit, and Riverstar welcome them and admit they had forgotten about StormClan as no living cat remembers them. As Galestar tells her story to the StarClan spirits, the faded spirits of StormClan materialize, including Stripestar. Stripestar reveals their spirits were fragmented in the wind, grass, and trees. He and Galestar reconcile, and Galestar reunites with her lost Clanmates. With StormClan reunited with StarClan, Stripestar hopes their wisdom will save the living Clans. Back in the living world, Prowl Sleek, Strike Slash, Wish Stalk, and Claw Stretch accompany Icewing and Ivypool back to the rest of their group. After reuniting with the others, Ivypool tells Dovewing about seeing Rowankit in StarClan, happy that her sister will one day reunite with her kit. That night, Prowl Sleek summons the ancestors so they can bless the kits—Pounce, Stretch, and Hunt—with a spirit guide. The kits are renamed Pounce Whisper, Stretch Blink, and Hunt Leap. Tumble Leap and Stalk Purr thank the Clan cats for their help before they head off to their new home.
With StarClan's ominous warning about RiverClan in mind, the Clan cats are eager to return home to the lake. Ivypool dreams of Bristlefrost, who promises her mother that she is always with her. Rootspring also had the same dream. Next to a stream, the two cats spot a magnificent white stag, and both cats realize it was a sign from Bristlefrost. Rootspring admits that he's open to finding a mate one day, though only one worthy of Bristlefrost. Ivypool feels pleased at the thought of returning home, now knowing that Bristlefrost would always be with her.

Trivia[]

Interesting facts[]

  • On September 14th, 2023, the Warrior Cats website revealed that Cherith was revising her manuscript for this book. The website also revealed that the book would take place during Star, and it would set the stage for StormClan's Folly.[1]
  • On October 24th, the Story Team published an article talking about the twentieth anniversary of Warriors. They teased the plot of the seventeenth Super Edition as "[…] earlier this year, the team worked on a storyline for our seventeenth super edition, which takes place in the present day. It involves a group of cats being tasked by StarClan with a very important quest. In exploring the reasons for this quest, and why it held such significance to the present-day cats, we began fleshing out a backstory that will form the basis of our eighteenth super edition, which we are very eager to begin plotting next year."[7]
  • On January 31st, 2024, the Warrior Cats website teased that they were hard at work writing Ivypool's Heart, which they hoped would be "Stage One of our Very Ambitious Plan to try to tell an epic story sweeping across two separate super editions, introducing a forgotten generation of warriors."[8]
  • Fans were invited to select the audiobook narrator for this book, choosing between Katie Anvil Rich, Steve Corona, Tara Sands, Kirt Graves, and Kirby Heyborne,[9] with Katie Anvil Rich being the winner.[4]
  • Ivypool's Heart is the only other Super Edition in addition to Firestar's Quest and Riverstar's Home that does not contain an exclusive comic at the end of the book.[10][11][12]

Mistakes[]

A compiled list of the errors present in Ivypool's Heart can be found here.
End of spoiler warning

Publication history[]

  • Ivypool's Heart (EN), HarperCollins (hardcover), 3 September 2024[4]
  • Ivypool's Heart (EN), HarperCollins (e-book), 3 September 2024[4]
  • Ivypool's Heart (EN), HarperCollins (audiobook), 3 September 2024[4]
  • Ivypool's Heart (EN), HarperCollins (paperback), 12 August 2025[13]

Gallery[]

External links[]

Notes and references[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Warrior Cats HQ answers your questions on the Warriors official website (backup link)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Revealed on the inside right flap of Ivypool's Heart
  3. ↑ Revealed on the copyright page of Ivypool's Heart
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Revealed on harpercollins.com
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Revealed on amazon.com (backup link)
  6. ↑ Revealed on Kirkus Reviews (backup link)
  7. ↑ The story team on "20 years of Warrior Cats" on the Warriors official website (backup link)
  8. ↑ New Year's resolutions from the Story Team on the Warriors official website (backup link)
  9. ↑ Fan vote: Choose a narrator for Ivypool's Heart audiobook on the Warriors official website (backup link)
  10. ↑ Revealed in Ivypool's Heart
  11. ↑ Revealed in Firestar's Quest
  12. ↑ Revealed in Riverstar's Home
  13. ↑ Revealed on amazon.com (backup link)
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