When the Bravelands series was first announced on the Warriors website, I had my suspicions about how it was going to turn out. I've been an Erin Hunter fan since Warriors was barely out of its first six-book arc, so I've been around to watch each of their other series emerge. Having done so, I have come to the unfortunate conclusion that each new series falls further short of its predecessors. Broken Pride has only confirmed this belief for me.

Don't get me wrong, this book is far from a complete failure. There are several things it does well, that I think have potential. However, there are several things that bother me, as an adult reader. Here are some of the reasons why other die-hard Erin Hunter fans might have trouble getting behind this new series.

1. The cover lies to you.

Everything about this cover screams at readers that this book is going to focus on the lion character (Fearless). He is brought much closer to the viewer than the other characters, and he is the only one that is in full focus. The covers of the Seekers series were structured this way, and the reprints of the Warriors series even attempt to follow this pattern in a way, with characters that have significant plot points in that particular book being presented on the covers (Tigerclaw for Fire and Ice, Graystripe for Forest of Secrets, etc.). I would argue, though, that Fearless is really on the cover of Broken Pride because he is the most aesthetically pleasing main character to start the series off with. The story is not his at all, really; it is about Thorn, the baboon you can barely see in the background.

2. Parts of this story seem far too familiar.

Broken Pride begins with Fearless's father, a lion named Gallant, being killed by an invader who wants to take over Gallant's pride. He does so in a way the lions consider to be cheating, according to their 'Code.' He then proceeds to attempt to kill any of Gallant's heirs, meaning Fearless is forced to run for his life. He escapes and is rescued by a troop of baboons who raise him, but he vows that one day he will return to his pride and take it back as revenge. This plot should sound familiar to anyone who has ever seen or heard of the Lion King. It is very similar, except that Broken Pride lacks so much of the Lion King's depth and conflict of emotion (at least in Fearless's chapters) that it comes across as cliche and melodramatic. Fearless just comes across as Simba Lite.

3. Fearless is stupid.

I realize that Fearless is young and therefore has very little life experience, but that does not excuse some of the dumb decisions he makes. Having no fear is about the only thing he has going for him, and bravery without intelligence to back it up tends to generate more problems than solutions. Fearless is unfortunately fond of having big ideas which get him into deep trouble. He is told multiple times by multiple characters that these are bad ideas, but does he listen? No. Of course not. Because he's Fearless. Who needs common sense and a sense of self-preservation? Not this guy.

4. Sky is boring.

There's nothing necessarily bad about Sky as a character. She's nice, and her relationship with her little cousin, Moon, is kind of cute. The problem with her is that she just isn't interesting enough to be a main character. She doesn't have any major flaws as far as I could see, and there's nothing particularly special about her apart from her ability to have more visions than other elephants. She reminds me a lot of medicine cats like Spottedleaf and Leafpool, but without anything really distinctive. The only reason I can gather for her being a point of view character at all is to give Thorn some important information, and that could easily have been done some other way.

5. We need more focus on Thorn.

This is what the first Bravelands novel really should have looked like. Everything original in this story centers around Thorn and his family, the Brightforest Troop. Thorn has realistic goals and motivations, which makes him relatable. He also puts others before himself, even when it means sacrificing things that are important to him. This makes him likable as well. He's got all kinds of conflict going on in his arc, both internal and external, and watching him work through these issues keeps the reader hooked during his chapters. His troop has a vibe that is reminiscent of the clans of Warriors, but it isn't a direct copy, because it introduces a caste system that is distinct and different from the other Erin Hunter series I've seen thus far. All of these things have great potential. There's just so much sub-par content weighing it down that I worry whether the good things will have room to grow.

All of that being said, was Broken Pride the worst thing I've ever read? Not at all. In fact, I think there are plenty of younger readers who would really enjoy the Bravelands series, even the parts I thoroughly disliked. As an adult reader, though, the story feels a bit like a missed opportunity so far. I get the feeling that the Erin Hunter gang rushed this book a little more than necessary. I won't say that Bravelands is not redeemable, because it's still possible to come back from this first book. I'll be interested to see where they decide to go from here.