Fire and Ice (Warriors Series #2) by Erin Hunter

From the Publisher

Book Two of WARRIORS continues Fireheart's quest to be a true warrior, when he finds new danger lurking in the woods as the chill of winter sets in.

WindClan is missing, and hostilities between the remaining three clans place all the cats in peril. Illness and tragic accidents weaken the camp, and ThunderClan needs all its warriors to defent itself … but Fireheart suspects that certain cats may not be as loyal as they appear.

Barbara L. Talcroft - Children's Literature

In a wooded area through which both a river and a highway run, live four rival clans of feral cats, who spend most of their time training, fighting, and killing prey. The main enemies of each clan are the other clans and a few rogue cats who want revenge, but we never see any other animals that can't be eaten by a cat, except for some brief glimpses of humans. In this second book of the "Warriors" series, the furry hero is Fireheart, recently become a warrior, but born a pet cat and trying to prove his loyalty to the wild clan. A feline Romeo-and-Juliet romance develops, Fireheart visits his pet kitty sister, while each camp keeps a "medicine cat," who gathers herbs and looks after the kits. Where all the kittens come from is something of a mystery, since we never see any sexual activity in the crowded dens. Favoring idioms like "Hi," "Okay," and "Nice moves," the cats talk a great deal, kill a prodigious number of birds, mice and moles, and go on endless patrols, generally behaving more like human guerillas than wild cats. The story is flat, repetitious, much too long, and in the end unsatisfying except perhaps to devoted cat lovers or readers who revel in invented worlds (there is even an otherworldly "Star Clan"). Despite its elaborately worked out environment (with maps) and a detailed cat hierarchy, this tale falls far short of being a feline Watership Down. 2003, HarperCollins, Ages 10 to 14.

Lynn Rutan <%ISBN%>0060000031 - VOYA

The premise of this series is that cats prefer the free life in the wild to that of being a house cat. As a reviewer who has been acquired by five stray cats determined to leave the wild, that idea is a major hurdle. Another hurdle is reading sentences such as, "'Mrrrrr! It feels nice!' mewed Cinderpaw," or enduring Fireheart's conflicted loyalty to his "kittypet" roots. If readers can overcome those obstacles, they will find that this second book in the Warriors series is a fast-paced animal adventure. In the first book, Into the Wild (HarperCollins, 2003), the young cat Fireheart left his life as a kittypet and joined the wild ThunderClan cats. Having completed his apprenticeship, Fireheart now assumes the responsibilities of a full-fledged warrior cat, facing such challenges as rescuing another Clan living in a hostile area, crossing the Thunderpath, surviving the time of leaf bare, and fighting rival Clans in fierce battles. Fireheart struggles both to prove that he is as good as any Clan-born cat despite his roots and to define where his loyalties lie. Hunter works hard at incorporating authentic cat mannerisms and behaviors. Although more sophisticated teens might be put off by the coy dialogue attributes, younger readers probably will not notice and will be caught up in Fireheart's adventures. Recommend this series to fans of animal fantasies such as Redwall and Dark Portal. VOYA CODES: 3Q 4P M J (Readable without serious defects; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2003, HarperCollins, 336p,

School Library Journal

Gr 5 Up-After having left his life as a kittypet, apprentice Firepaw of the ThunderClan has been given his warrior name of Fireheart and his first mission-to find the WindClan and assist them back to their traditional hunting grounds. While he and his friend Graystripe are successful in their quest, Fireheart knows that trouble is brewing, and he isn't sure that the ThunderClan's deputy can be trusted. As events escalate, a warrior from RiverClan is accidentally killed, an apprentice is injured, and Fireheart brings into the Clan a kittypet kitten-his nephew-without thinking of the consequences. Finally, he must decide who to trust and who to fight. Readers not familiar with the first book may find this one hard to follow. Hunter provides a directory that tells which cats are in which clans, but it is cumbersome to flip back and forth. The characterizations of the animals are somewhat flat, although it is possible to tell them apart, and the plot's twists and turns seem mapped out and predictable. Librarians with a readership for Into the Wild (HarperCollins, 2003) will probably want this volume; others can pass.-Lisa Prolman, Greenfield Public Library, MA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Hunter ratchets up the tension in the return of the house pet turned feral warrior. Renamed Fireheart, the brave feline has little time to revel in his acceptance by Thunderclan before he and his best friend Graystripe must retrieve the refugee WindClan cats. But success leads to tragedy as Graystripe inadvertently kills a RiverClan warrior. Bad feelings are exacerbated by rumors of poaching in rival territories. Clan discord has private echoes as Graystripe falls for a RiverClan warrior, while Fireheart is torn between duty to his Clan and affection for his "kittypet" kin. Beneath this swirl of clashing loyalties runs the dark thread of Fireheart’s continuing suspicions of ThunderClan’s ambitious deputy leader. Hunter’s world keeps getting more finely drawn, and her characters more complex. While the focus is upon inner turmoil and inter-Clan intrigue, Fireheart still appreciates the pleasures of the hunt and the fury of battle, although readers may share his disappointment that combat fails to resolve his conflicting responsibilities. With enough backstory for newcomers to find their way, established fans will be on edge for the next title. (chart of allegiances) (Fantasy. 11+)

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Warriors #2: Fire and Ice Chapter One

Fireheart shivered. His flame-colored fur was still greenleaf-light; it would be a few moons before it was thick enough to keep out cold like this. He shuffled his forepaws on the hard earth. The sky was finally growing light as dawn crept slowly in. But even though his paws were cold, Fireheart could not suppress a glow of pride. After many moons as an apprentice, he was a warrior at last.

In his mind, he replayed yesterday's victory at the ShadowClan camp: Brokenstar's glittering eyes as the ShadowClan leader backed away, hissing threats, before fleeing into the trees after his traitorous companions. The remaining ShadowClan cats had been grateful to ThunderClan for helping them to get rid of their cruel leader, and for the peace ThunderClan had promised them while they recovered. Brokenstar had not just brought chaos to his own Clan — he had driven the whole of WindClan from their camp, right out of Clan territory. He had been a dark shadow in the forest since before Fireheart had left his kittypet life to join ThunderClan.

But for Fireheart, there was another shadow troubling his mind: Tigerclaw, ThunderClan's deputy. Fireheart shivered as he thought of the great ThunderClan warrior who had terrorized his apprentice, Ravenpaw. In the end, Fireheart and his best friend, Graystripe, had helped the frightened apprentice to escape into the Twoleg territory beyond the uplands. Afterward, Fireheart had told the Clan that Ravenpaw had been killed by ShadowClan.

If what Ravenpaw said about Tigerclaw was true, it was best if the ThunderClan deputy believed his apprentice had died, for heknew a secret Tigerclaw would do anything to conceal. Ravenpaw had told Fireheart that the mighty tabby warrior had murdered Redtail, the old ThunderClan deputy, in the hope that he would become the new deputy . . . which, eventually, he had.

Fireheart shook his head to clear it of these dark thoughts and turned to glance at Graystripe sitting beside him. Graystripe's thick gray fur was ruffled up against the cold. Fireheart guessed he was looking forward to the first rays of sunshine too, but he didn't say this out loud. Clan tradition demanded silence on this night. This was their vigil — the night when a new warrior guarded the Clan and reflected on his new name and status. Until last night, Fireheart had been known by his apprentice name of Firepaw.

Halftail was one of the first cats to wake. Fireheart could see the old cat moving among the shadows in the elders' den. He glanced toward the warriors' den at the other side of the clearing. Through the branches that sheltered the den, he recognized the broad shoulders of Tigerclaw as he slept.

At the foot of Highrock, the lichen that draped the entrance to Bluestar's den twitched, and Fireheart saw his Clan leader push her way out. She stopped and lifted her head to sniff the air. Then she padded silently out of Highrock's shadow, her long fur glowing blue-gray in the dawn light. I must warn her about Tigerclaw, thought Fireheart. Bluestar had mourned Redtail's death with the rest of the Clan, believing him to have been killed in battle by Oakheart, the deputy of RiverClan. Fireheart had hesitated before, knowing how important Tigerclaw was to her, but the danger was too great. Bluestar needed to know that her Clan was harboring a cold-blooded murderer.

Tigerclaw emerged from the warriors' den and met Bluestar at the edge of the clearing. He murmured something to her, his tail flicking urgently.

Fireheart stifled his instinctive meow of greeting. The sky was growing light, but until he knew for sure that the sun was above the horizon, he dared not break his silence. Impatience fluttered in his chest like a trapped bird. He must speak with Bluestar as soon as he could. But for now, all he could do was nod respectfully at the two cats as they passed him.

Beside him, Graystripe nudged Fireheart and pointed upward with his nose. An orange glow was just visible on the horizon.

"Glad to see the dawn, you two?" Whitestorm's deep meow took Fireheart by surprise. He had not noticed the white warrior approaching. Fireheart and Graystripe nodded together.

"It's all right; you may speak now. Your vigil is over." Whitestorm's voice was kind. Yesterday he had fought side by side with Fireheart and Graystripe in the battle with ShadowClan. There was a new respect in his eyes as he looked at them.

"Thank you, Whitestorm," Fireheart meowed gratefully. He stood and stretched his stiff legs one at a time.

Graystripe pushed himself up too. "Brrrrr!" he meowed, shaking the chill from his fur. "I thought the sun would never come up!"

A scornful voice mewed from outside the apprentices' den. "The great warrior speaks!"

It was Sandpaw, her pale orange coat fluffed up with hostility. Dustpaw was sitting beside her. With his dark tabby pelt, he looked like Sandpaw's shadow. He puffed out his chest importantly and mocked, "I'm surprised such heroes even feel the cold!" Sandpaw purred with amusement.

Whitestorm shot them a stern look. "Go and find something to eat; then rest," he ordered Fireheart and Graystripe. The older warrior turned away and padded toward the apprentices' den. "Come on, you two," he meowed to Sandpaw and Dustpaw. "It's time for your training."

"I hope he has them chasing blue squirrels all day!" Graystripe hissed to Fireheart as they headed toward the corner where a few pieces of fresh-kill remained from last night.

"But there aren't any blue squirrels," Fireheart mewed in confusion.

"Precisely!" Graystripe's amber eyes gleamed.

"You can't exactly blame them. They did begin their training before us," Fireheart pointed out mildly. "If they'd fought in the battle yesterday, they'd probably have been made warriors too."

"I suppose." Graystripe shrugged. "Hey, look!" They'd reached the fresh-kill pile. "One mouse each and a chaffinch to share!"