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Riverstar's Home

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Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
"We are one Clan once more. I will never leave you again, and I hope from now on, you have enough faith in me and in RiverClan to stay and uphold the values we've come to believe in. Loyalty, honor, courage, and faith in StarClan. These are the values of a warrior. Peace, community, and kinship. These are the values of RiverClan."
— Riverstar to his Clanmates in Riverstar's Home, page 474



Riverstar's Home is the sixteenth Super Edition.[7]

Blurb

A thrilling standalone adventure in Erin Hunter's #1 nationally bestselling Warriors series!
In this Super Edition, discover the origins of the first leader of RiverClan—a mysterious cat whose desire for peace would help shape the dawn of the warrior Clans.
When a storm-tossed river sweeps Ripple away from the park he's always known, he commits himself to the life of a peaceful loner. Still, as his new island home starts to become a sanctuary for other rogues, he can't help but feel responsible for their safety, and for the community—and Clan—they are beginning to build. But when an old friend from the park resurfaces with terrible news just as the forest cats' fights begin to escalate into bloodshed, the cat now known as Riverstar will have to decide which home he is truly committed to protecting: his new Clan or his old family.
Join the legion of fans who have discovered the epic adventures, fierce warrior cats, and the wild fantasy world of the mega-bestselling Warriors series. This stand-alone entry is perfect for new readers and dedicated fans alike.

The praise

"Feeding, feuding, and fan service: sure to please the felines' legion of followers."
-Kirkus Reviews[8]

Detailed plot description

Monsters start to tear the park where Ripple and the Cats of the Park live, much to the horror of the inhabitants. Arc orders Ripple back as the monsters and Twoleg corner the cats. Most of the Cats of the Park are captured, leaving just Arc and Ripple. Ripple is terrified, especially because his love interest, Flutter, was one of the cats taken. A monster runs towards Ripple, and the silver tom falls into the river, riding onto a log, down towards the shore.
Ripple finds a home near the riverbank and tries to accustom himself to life by the river. He tries to teach himself to fish, which fails miserably, and he meets Night. Ripple introduces himself to her as River Ripple, and Night teaches him how to fish, with the help of Night's brother, Mist. River Ripple explains the circumstances of his living situation to Night, noting that he misses Flutter, and asks if Night has a mate. Night replies that she used to, and asks why River Ripple wants to go back. River Ripple replies that he wants to find his parkmates, including Flutter, but Night suggests it is best to let them go.
River Ripple is later injured by falling off the waterfall in an attempt to search for his campmates, and is forced to delay his journey back to the park. While he waits to heal, River Ripple meets a rogue named Hawk, and despite River Ripple's attempts to be cordial with the rogue, Hawk brings a few of his rogues to attack the silver tom. River Ripple, injured and scared, chooses to scavenge from Twolegs instead of returning to the river. He eventually becomes a kittypet, but when his Twolegs bring a dog into the house, River Ripple escapes and returns to the river.
Night greets him excitedly, and River Ripple confides in her about his worries about the park and Flutter. As the days go by, River Ripple finds himself thinking about the pale orange cat, wishing he was with her and reminiscing on what their life could have been like together. River Ripple meets Gray Wing, Turtle Tail, Wind, and Gorse. He thinks of the cats as odd, but does not pay much mind to it. Later on, he runs into Clear Sky, who, because of his aggressive attitude, reminds River Ripple of Hawk. Clear Sky reprimands River Ripple harshly, saying that his brother warned him about him and that he does not allow trespassers on his territory. River Ripple is dumbfounded by Clear Sky's attitude, and retreats.
Back at the river, River Ripple tells Night about Gray Wing and Clear Sky. Although hurt by Clear Sky's tone, River Ripple expresses interest in the idea of the "groups" that the mountain cats have, indicating to Night that he wishes he could have the same concept near the riverbank. Night is confused, thinking that they already share the same ideas, but River Ripple wants them to be closer. Night agrees to try it, but insists she is not promising anything. She teaches River Ripple how to swim, and later on, River Ripple teaches her how to meditate.
As the moons drag on, River Ripple meets new cats near the river who flock to him, including Whistle, Hollow, Sage, Silver, Woodlouse, and Croak. Despite the abundance of cats, River Ripple still notices that they do not adhere to the groups like the mountain cats have, instead thinking of his rivermates as more of a cohesive organized ranks of loners that come and go, much to his chagrin. He longs for the unity that Gray Wing's group has, but the river cats seem uncomfortable when he brings this up. Despite this, he is still happy that he lives with many cats, thinking of it similar to when he lived with his parkmates.
River Ripple meets a queen and two kits, Cleo, Scout, and Hunter. Cleo explains that she was driven away from the forest by Clear Sky, and River Ripple offers her sanctuary in his island camp. Night is uncomfortable at the addition of so many new cats, but River Ripple enjoys it, although he keeps Night's feelings in mind as his group begins to grow and adapt. Casper, Cleo's mate, comes upon them, and sees Night teaching Cleo how to swim. Casper mistakenly believes that Night is trying to drown Cleo, and attacks Night. River Ripple explains that Night was just teaching Cleo to swim, and Casper says that he has returned to bring Cleo and the kits back to their Twoleg den. Night is treated by Dappled Pelt from the mountain cats, and River Ripple hopes that this incident will not deter her from accepting more cats into the group. He believes that all cats are good at heart, despite Night's pessimistic outlook.
A fire rages through the woods, and River Ripple helps the moor cats evacuate Clear Sky's group. He assists Jackdaw's Cry and Thunder in helping Moon Shadow escape, impressed with how brave the orange tom is, and reprimanding Gray Wing silently for not appreciating his nephew's courage. When the fire is over, River Ripple goes to the moor camp to check on Gray Wing and his cats, and realizes that Moon Shadow is dead. He comforts Tall Shadow in her den, telling her that with every loss, she can see how valuable life is. He teaches her how to meditate, and explains to Tall Shadow the workings of his group, and how it is different from her group and Clear Sky's.
Back at the island camp, Hollow tells River Ripple that they should not have left their prey in the forest - prior to River Ripple meeting Tall Shadow in her camp, the river cats had hunted in the forest but were forced by the remains of Clear Sky's group to leave it in the forest. River Ripple tells Hollow it is too risky to fetch the prey, but the tom insists anyway, and River Ripple is forced to go with him. They run into Thunder, who attacks Hollow. River Ripple is baffled by Thunder's attitude, and they come across Clear Sky, who clearly instigated the fight. River Ripple confronts Clear Sky about his attitude, telling them that he cannot tell other cats what to do. Thunder tries to interrupt, but Clear Sky says that Thunder has no opinion. River Ripple is affronted by the attitude of the mountain cats, and leaves them behind, thinking that it is for the best that he is a loner.
River Ripple notices how the cats in his camp tend to roam, coming and go as they please, a stark difference from the cats in Tall Shadow and Clear Sky's camps, who live there. At night, River Ripple dreams, and notices ghostlike cats watching him with sadness in their eyes. They lead him towards the four trees, where a massive battle is breaking out. River Ripple watches in horror as the mountain cats attack each other, as cats kill other cats, and he pleads for the bloodshed to stop, but the spirit cats insist that River Ripple must not interfere, for he will be killed if he does. They tell River Ripple that he is the spirit cats' only way to reach the mountain cats, and River Ripple watches helplessly as Clear Sky nearly kills Gray Wing.
As the battle comes to an end, River Ripple confronts the mountain cats, telling them that they brought death to the forest. The spirit cats fall down from the sky, urging the mountain cats to unite or die. River Ripple wonders if it was his destiny to unite the mountain cats with their dead ancestors. The mountain cats bury their dead, and River Ripple offers his island home to any cat who chooses it, but his hopes are crushed when the cats pick between Tall Shadow and Clear Sky. Back at the island camp, River Ripple notices Night, and is slightly perturbed when he realizes that she did not worry about him when he was gone. River Ripple explains the outcome of the battle to Night, saying that the mountain cats promised not to fight over land again, and he tells her that they wanted him to be a leader of one of the groups. Although Night is affronted at first, eventually she accepts the idea.
Days of peace pass until River Ripple meets One Eye, a heartless rogue who terrorizes the forest with his cruelty. As One Eye lives in the forest, River Ripple allows more cats to join his group, although he is hesitant about letting rogues in. River Ripple finds Gray Wing sitting at the grave where the dead cats from the battle at the four trees were buried, and he tries to encourage Gray Wing to cease his visits to the grave. Back at the island, River Ripple is alerted to the fact that both Tall Shadow and Clear Sky are training their cats to fight, and he realizes that he must train his cats as well. Despite this, he is uncomfortable that he may not live the peaceful, quiet life he wanted to.
Once more, River Ripple finds Gray Wing at the four trees, and he invites Gray Wing to stay with him at his island camp for a while. Gray Wing accepts, and the two toms bond. They discuss the events that unfolded in the last moon, including Star Flower's arrival to the forest, and Thunder's obvious feelings for her. River Ripple notes how ill Gray Wing looks, and prays that he will heal. Gray Wing decides that he must go home, and thanks River Ripple for his kindness.
River Ripple joins the mountain cats in their final attack on One Eye after the truth of his cruelty is revealed. They defeat the orange rogue, and his ruthlessness makes River Ripple glad that he is dead. He notes that, as much as he loves peace, survival must be fought for, especially in the forest. Later on, River Ripple dreams with the other leaders, and he meets Petal and Fox, who tell them that he must do whatever it takes to grow and spread or else he will lose everything he had fought so hard to gain.
Shattered Ice and Dappled Pelt end up joining River Ripple's group, much to the silver tom's delight. River Ripple and Dappled Pelt come across a queen kitting, named Kite. Dappled Pelt and River Ripple help her through her kitting, and River Ripple takes Kite and her kits in. River Ripple is ecstatic that his group is growing, but he still feels pain and regret that he never got the chance to look for his parkmates.
Later on, River Ripple is present when Slash makes his demands after kidnapping a pregnant Star Flower. The other leaders purposely show a callous disregard for Star Flower's life, as a ploy for Gray Wing and the others to rescue her while the leaders keep Slash busy by bargaining with him. Back at camp, River Ripple notes how his group had grown - Kite had taken the name of Kite Wing and had named her kits Snow Tail, Trout Fur, and Willow Stream. He also reflects on the addition of Pine and Drizzle, who had joined his camp with their parents, Dawn and Moss. River Ripple watches his camp and debates with Night about what senior cats might make a good match for the younger cats in terms of teaching them about hunting and fighting.
Night points out that Moss and Dawn were hunting for themselves again, not for the group, and River Ripple confronts the two former rogues, telling them that the river cats take care of each other, and that they are safe in the camp. He tells them that they can live as loners if they like, but if they did, they would have to leave River Ripple's group. Dawn and Moss apologize, and say that they will add what they hunt to the prey pile. River Ripple is relieved and hopes that one day the river cats will see each other as close to kin.
River Ripple is alerted of Gray Wing's death by Clear Sky and Thunder, who tell him that, with his dying words, Gray Wing had given official names to the groups that each cat lived in, referring to River Ripple's group as RiverClan. River Ripple mourns the gray tom deeply, for a special bond had formed between them. River Ripple thinks of the word Clan fitting indeed. Moons later, River Ripple receives his nine lives at the Moonstone with Dappled Pelt. He reunites with Flutter, and finds out that she was the only park cat who died, being hit by a Twoleg monster when she escaped from her captors. River Ripple mourns his loss as Flutter bestows him his new name, Riverstar. At the ceremony, Gray Wing tells Riverstar that Night is to be his new deputy, and that she will be a leader after him.
Adjusting to his new life as a leader, Riverstar is on patrol with Spider Paw and a few other of his Clanmates when Lightning Tail and Cloud Spots approach the RiverClan cats, carrying with them a badly beaten Arc. Riverstar is shocked at the arrival of his old mentor, and notes that Arc had been a paternal figure to him, more so than his own parents. Arc recovers from his injuries, and when he comes to, he mentions that Skystar had given them to him. Arc explains to Riverstar that the Cats in the Park had relocated, and in their new home, Slash had taken over with the remainder of his rogues. He asks Riverstar to come help him, and Riverstar gives the matter much thought. He finally agrees to help Arc, the decision met with a heavy barrage of disappointment from his Clanmates. Riverstar tells Night that if he is not back within two moons, that she must go to the Moonstone and receive her nine lives.
Riverstar travels with Arc through the forest until they notice a drowning cat. Riverstar recognizes Drizzle, and runs into the river to save her, sacrificing one of his own lives in the process. When he comes to, he scolds Drizzle and tries to send her home, but eventually relents and allows the young cat to come. The three cats navigate rough terrain until they end up being trapped in a shopping mall, where they escape dozens of Twolegs before finally reaching Arc's new home. Riverstar realizes that Slash had taken over, and retained most of his rogues from when he lived in the forest, such as Ember, Snake, and Bee. As Riverstar and Arc formulate a plan, Riverstar meets Finch, and is captivated by her. The Cats of the Park, with Riverstar and Drizzle's help, start a coup d'é tat against Slash. In the battle, Riverstar loses a life, and while he recovers, is warned by Gray Wing to not be so careless with his lives. When he comes to, he, Finch, Drizzle, and Arc corner Slash against the waterfall, where Riverstar taunts Slash relentlessly, who is shocked at Riverstar's sudden revival. Slash holds Owl hostage, threatening to drop him over the waterfall, but Finch rescues Owl just in time, and Slash loses his footing, falling into the waterfall. His death results in the rogues' loss of control over the Park, and the rest of the cats retreat.
Riverstar stays with the Park cats for a while, due to the rain making the river heavy, and his increasing affection for Finch. Drizzle, irritated with how long Riverstar is taking, tries to take the log home by herself, nearly resulting in her demise. Riverstar realizes his mistake in dallying and tells Finch that he is leaving. He pleads for Finch to come with him, but Finch refuses to, despite telling him that she is pregnant with his kits. Riverstar acknowledges her decision reluctantly, but just as Riverstar is about to ride the log with Drizzle, Finch changes her mind and joins them. The three cats travel back to RiverClan territory, where they meet a WindClan patrol and are told of Skystar's actions.
Back at the RiverClan camp, Riverstar greets his Clanmates and apologizes for his absence, promising he will never leave his Clan again. Night explains that, while he was gone, the heavy rainfall caused a tree to fall from SkyClan territory into RiverClan territory, and that Skystar and his Clanmates were using the tree as a pretense to trespass and steal prey. He finds out that Dawn Mist, fearful of Skystar's increasing aggression, has also left RiverClan with Pine Needle and Moss Tail, heading towards the Twolegplace. Riverstar vows that he will get his Clanmates back, and he will not allow Skystar take over RiverClan. Riverstar goes to the waste ground and retrieves Dawn Mist, Pine Needle, and Moss Tail. He reminds them that they are warriors now, and that warriors do not walk away from a challenge. The former rogues agree to come back, much to Riverstar's relief. Back at camp, Riverstar tells his Clanmates that they are one Clan once more, and that he will never leave them. He assures his Clanmates that peace, community, and kinship are the values of RiverClan. He appoints Pine Needle and Drizzle as warriors, and makes Kite Wing's kits apprentices, giving them official mentors.
At the next Gathering, Riverstar explains to the other leaders that he was gone dealing with Slash, and informs them of Slash's demise. Riverstar announces that Skystar is trespassing on RiverClan territory, despite Skystar claiming that his actions are approved by StarClan. Riverstar asks the other leaders for support, but they are reluctant to back him up and cause any more strife with the notoriously aggressive leader. Riverstar eventually realizes that Skystar's aggression will not wane, and he will be forced to engage in a fight. At camp, Finch gives birth to Riverstar's kits, Arc Shadow, Ripple Shine, and Dusk Smoke. Riverstar is proud of her and is elated to know that the entire Clan is excited to meet the kits. Finch promises to Riverstar that she will become a warrior right after the kits are apprenticed. Riverstar assures her that she will be a great warrior, and he thinks about how he used to resent the river for bringing him to the forest. He realizes that the river brought him to the island for a reason, thinking that it made him the best version of himself - a leader, a warrior, and a mate.
Skystar's aggression reaches a point where Riverstar is forced to fight him, after a round of previous negotiations fail to work. The RiverClan cats face off against the SkyClan cats, using the water to their advantage in the battle. The fight is fierce and violent, yet the RiverClan cats overpower the SkyClan cats, and Skystar is forced to retreat. Riverstar watches him go, but he realizes that the tree still provides a path to RiverClan territory. He and the rest of his Clanmates force the tree away from land and watch as it plunges into the river, being taken away by the current. When it disappears into the water, Riverstar announces that it is time to go home.

Trivia

Interesting facts

  • The featured character was chosen by the fans via a poll on the Warrior Cats website. Riverstar, Ivypool, and Mistystar were the options generated by fan feedback.[9] The poll originated controversy as it was quickly botted in the favor of Riverstar, and over 200,000 inauthentic votes were removed.[10] Riverstar was eventually named the winner.[11] This is the second instance where fans have chosen the featured character for a Super Edition, the first being Leopardstar's Honor.[blog 1][12]
  • Riverstar's Home was pushed to 2023 with Onestar's Confession taking its spot. This was a mistake on the website's part.[13]
  • The title was first revealed in a video on Kate's Facebook where she advertises the new Warriors Instagram account.[14]
  • Riverstar's Home is the only other Super Edition in addition to Firestar's Quest and Ivypool's Heart that does not contain an exclusive comic at the end of the book.[15][16][17]
  • Riverstar's Home was originally called Riverstar's Clan.[18]

Mistakes

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

Publication history

  • Riverstar's Home (EN), HarperCollins (hardcover), 5 September 2023[4]
  • Riverstar's Home (EN), HarperCollins (e-book), 5 September 2023[4]
  • Riverstar's Home (EN), HarperAudio (audiobook), 5 September 2023, narrated by Kirby Heyborne[4]
  • Riverstar's Home (EN), HarperCollins B and Blackstone Publishing (audio CD), 5 September 2023, narrated by Kirby Heyborne[5]
  • Riverstar's Home (EN), HarperCollins (paperback), 3 September 2024[6]
  • 河星的家园 (CN), China Juvenile and Children's Publishing House (unknown), July 2025, translated by Lang Yu[19]

Gallery

US covers

Foreign covers

External links

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Revealed on the dedication page of Riverstar's Home
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Revealed on the inside right flap of Riverstar's Home
  3. ↑ Revealed on play.google.com
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Revealed on barnesandnobles.com
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Revealed on amazon.com
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Revealed on Edelweiss.com
  7. ↑ Exclusive Title and Cover Reveal: Super Edition #16 on Warriors official website (backup link)
  8. ↑ Revealed on Kirkus Reviews (backup link)
  9. ↑ 2021 Super Edition character vote on Warriors official website (backup link)
  10. ↑ Revealed on twitter.com (backup link)
  11. ↑ 2021 Super Edition character vote on Warriors official website (backup link)
  12. ↑ Revealed on Which cat should the next Super Edition focus on? poll (backup link)
  13. ↑ Choose a cover - Super Edition 2022 on Warriors official website (backup link) (screenshot)
  14. ↑ Revealed in a video on Kate's Facebook
  15. ↑ Revealed in Riverstar's Home
  16. ↑ Revealed in Firestar's Quest
  17. ↑ Revealed in Ivypool's Heart
  18. ↑ Choosing Warriors titles: what's in a name? on Warriors official website (backup link)
  19. ↑ Revealed on xiaohongshu.com (screenshot)

Author references

  1. ↑ James Noble, April 16th, 2020. Leopardstar poll winner, revealed through email.
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