Customer Reviews

Ratha and Thistle-Chaser: The Third Book of the Named

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I always thought Ratha could just as easily be a villain as a hero. She is rash, uncompromising, and ruthless in her upholding of the law, and never hesitates to use the Red Tongue. However, in this book, the character of Newt is a genuine heroine. Sympathetic but not pitiable, Newt battles against her haunted past and the deformity that it left upon her. Newt is a survivor, and you love to see how she does it.
The emotional journey of the two characters is riveting. Ratha, who has always believed that the ends justify the means, is forced to see herself in a shocking new light. Newt must battle against her own half-Named heritage, overcoming obstacles of speech and the terrible fits that plague her. Worst of all, the cats of the Named must struggle with the most difficult part of sentience: forgiveness.
With rich themes of reconciliation and acceptance, this book was the one that really made Ratha come alive for me, as she becomes a leader who comes to see all of the vibrant, bitter colors of the world, instead of the black and white dichotomy of the Named and the Unnamed.

I just recently finished this book,and I say in all honesty that that it is AWESOME!!!The added viewpoints of Ratha's daughter Thistle-Chaser(a.k.a.Newt) and Thakur give the story more depth.I loved Thistle-Chaser!Her challenges of a crippled leg,learning speech,and seizures in which she dreams of Ratha biting her are daunting,and I was impressed with the courage she showed in facing them.Although I like Ratha a lot,she is definiteltly an ambivalent,'gray' character,who is complicated and messed up.Thistle-Chaser is messed up,too,due to the trauma she went through as a cub,but she is more of a true heroe than her mother;she is gentler,more likeable,more forgiving.Thakur,of course,was great.I have always liked his kind,open-minded nature,and I loved the way he helps Thistle-Chaser throughout the book.The ending is great,and I can't wait to read the next book!

This is by far my favorite book of the first three in the series! Thistle's character development is so well done! Thistle-Chaser's psychological and physical wounds inspire compassion, and yet her strength of body and spirit shines through loud and clear! To me, Thistle is the true hero of the series. She confronts challenges with brave determination, and is able to gain wisdom from every success and defeat, no matter how difficult. Thistle is a deep, courageous, believable character whose story is told in a captivating way. I couldn't put this book down, and even read it while eating dinner! Well done, Ms. Bell. Very well done!!!!

This is probably my least favorite book of the Named so far. That being said, it is still an excellent book that happened to be a little too convenient for my personal taste. This involves the return of a character from the original book: Ratha's daughter Thistle-Chaser. Turns out she wasn't so empty-eyed after all. When drought has the Named looking for other sources of food and herds, they come to the ocean where Thistle-Chaser, calling herself Newt, has set up some version of life. The meat of this story is the disequilibrium of Ratha who is forced to examine her choices of throwing out cubs she didn't see as worthy of being Named. So, philosophy wise, it's fantastic, and I think Clare Bell should continue to be proud.