You could have been more than a kittypet…

Erin Hunter is back with Escape from the Forest, the second installment in the Tigerstar and Sasha series. Though, considering he’s really only part of book 1 and the first few pages of book 2, I don’t know how much you could say this series really has anything to do with Tigerstar. Honestly, this is truly Sasha’s story and the follow up in which she leaves the borderline abusive cat she thought she loved.

Heartbreak

There’s definitely a sort of heartbreak that comes with learning the one you loved wasn’t who you thought they were. It’s certainly difficult to recognize manipulation and abusive tendencies and remove yourself from the one behaving that way when you love them. Honestly, despite her misgivings about Tigerstar’s parting words, Sasha is a genuinely strong character we can all look up to.

This story picks up right where the last left off, with Tigerstar asking Sasha to join Shadowclan. After the horrors she heard spewing from his mouth, however, she turns him down. Soon, Sasha is on her own again now in search of a new home. Eventually this leads her to a dock where a man with a small boat and a lake cruise business is down on his luck. Fortunately, Sasha can help him turn it around.

The Not So Shocking Result of an Affair

So, it’s not hard to figure out what will become of Sasha’s relationship with Tigerstar. Of course, Sasha would never return to the manipulative monster of a cat. But, they did spend quite a bit of time together. Much of this novel is spent with Sasha finding a home with the Captain and helping his business. Eventually, cold sets in and he has to leave the dock. But Sasha decides not to go with him.

She has a different future for herself, one that I think many could guess and may even be included in the synopsis of the graphic novel series as a whole.

It was a really nice interlude, but the moments in which this part of Sasha’s story really shined are the ones in which she made the hard, but right decisions. I think the merit of this graphic novel really comes from the idea that we must get away from manipulative abusers, even if we may love them.

There’s a lot to say for Tigerstar’s problematic treatment of Sasha on account of her being a kittypet. Somehow, it’s okay that she is only insofar as she turns her back on her past and never speaks of it again. Yet, in the same breath, Tigerstar wishes to destroy other kittypets. I’m honestly surprised at the depth of this story and impressed with Sasha’s strength.

🦊🦊🦊🦊🦊

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