Sky

The saga of feral cats trying to survive in a complex world continues. This entry will please intrepid readers of the subplots in River (2022), the first installment of the series. Two cats from different clans--Sunbeam and Nightheart--who had been feeling uncomfortable with their respective clan members for strikingly different reasons begin a warm relationship. Frostpaw, who lost her mother in the first volume, moves closer to self-realization as she continues trying to find a new leader for her vulnerable RiverClan. The primary plot notably presents some of the issues that arose in the human world when Covid-19 first surfaced, including xenophobia. Faced with the dreaded, contagious greencough, cat leaders make the admirable choice to send a coalition of warriors and medicine cats from each clan to brave a journey to the Twolegs' gardens to acquire necessary, healing catmint. Their journey includes a funny, feline look at a carnival. There are also plenty of unpleasant rumors, actions, and occurrences, culminating in a literal catfight when Tigerstar of ShadowClan shows up at the still leaderless RiverClan with several warriors. The text skillfully uses the cats' conversations to fill in gaps for readers unfamiliar with the series, making this work broadly accessible, and it effortlessly balances character traits and job descriptions equally among genders and ages. One mother-daughter dialogue is particularly poignant. Uneasy alliances and uncertain decisions demand another installment. Put your paws together for this one. (lists of clan members, maps) (Fantasy. 9-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.