Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The Dawn of Yangchen by F.C. Yee

1 review

twistedflower2357's review

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adventurous emotional tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

(Just want to note that I haven’t read the Kyoshi books yet.)

I was really impressed with this book and I honestly think it’s the best Avatar-related media to come out since the original cartoon. The written medium lets us dig even deeper into the worldbuilding and the constant spying around that our characters do lends itself very well to the political intrigue aspect of the story. FC Yee has a lovely writing style, rich with in-universe idioms and simple-but-poignant description. Overall this is a really fun and worthwhile addition to the Avatar universe. 

The two main characters, Yangchen and Kavik, are the book’s greatest strength. They’re both quite beautifully written, and even though they only have a few scenes together to really bond, the trust that grows between the two feels very believable and compelling (
making it all the more deliciously sad when Kavik ends up betraying her
). Yangchen’s characterization especially is amazing, building expertly off the very little we know of her from the show while also bringing a lot more to the table. The high reputation of the previous Avatar, Szeto, looms heavy over every decision Yangchen makes. She feels genuinely so intelligent and cunning while still having realistic moments of youthful impatience and impulsivity, which can be a difficult balance to strike. She serves as a really compelling contrast to Aang, as an Airbender Avatar who doesn’t have to be the LAST Airbender, and thus has more liberty to bend the rules and explore less noble solutions to her problems. Yangchen has so many great moments of emotionality in this book, but none so impactful as her rage, an explosive frustration at being placated and undermined. The core of her character is that she “chooses” to use underhanded methods, but
the truth is that her choice wasn’t to play or not play the game: it was a choice between fighting back or lying down and taking it. Subterfuge has always been a part of her life, even before she chose to engage in it herself.


One small issue I had with the book was that the story felt a little decentralized—it takes a while to get started and is interrupted in the middle to address some of the background introduced the Gene Yang comics. This detour is undeniably one of the most emotionally powerful parts of the book, but in the context of the rest of the story, it comes out of nowhere. There are also some moments where events are told out of order and story beats are withheld from the audience until later. This isn’t necessarily bad, but I think it detracts from a certain character beat near the end.
I felt like Jujinta was left to the wayside as the defining part of his arc (siding with the Avatar) was relegated to a quick flashback. Later, Kavik claims that tricking Jujinta was one of the most horrible things he’s done, but this idea holds little weight because we never actually saw it happen. I think the non-linear structure of the narrative, in this case, weakens both their arcs.


Regardless, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Avatar spin-off content. It accomplishes everything you might want in a prequel spin-off and then some, and Yangchen’s compassion and surprising methodology is guaranteed to draw you in. I’ve already got the next book and I’m excited to read it. 
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