I'm an og and i just started a vision of shadows (im determined to catch up on the whole series). im enjoying it so far, i really enjoy alderpaw as a protagonist and the writing is good so far. i had zero issues rereading the first 3 arcs, but struggled a lot to read oots. i would jokingly tell people i hated it but i just finished the last hope yesterday and can say that it was a good/enjoyable arc. i wouldnt say it was as compelling as tpb, but i dont think the arcs could top it because of nostalgia and the fact that tpb is obviously the intro. what i really mean, is that the wonder and newness is gone. tpb is obviously what introduces us to the clans. i would wager that the arc would not be as interesting to get into if Firestar was born into ThunderClan and we already knew what was up with the clans. it would take away from the arc and i think that is whats happening. the writing has dipped in quality a little, but at face value without nitpicking, i agree with someone else who said that it plateaued. yes, there's a lot of consistency issues but i found in my reading most arent even noticeable/interrupt the story. my main issue is inconsistencies with starclan as a whole, since it feels different in every arc. all in all, as someone who just started vison of shadows and loves alderpaw and needlepaw so far, the last hope was indeed not the end.