Reviews

The Shadow of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee

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the_magiccrack's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

jolly_joshy's review against another edition

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5.0

This book is a little slower than its prequel, but probably because it involves more of the spirtual aspects, and more politics and deception.
I think there are certainly more plot holes here though. For example:

Spoiler

- When Kyoshi confronted Huazo and Chaejin for abetting Yun, that just felt too unrealistic.
- During the final fight, the fact that even with the whole "team avatar", no one could lay a finger on Yun was too unrealistic as well. And then once Kyoshi decided to actually try, Yun was destroyed in a second. Like whatttt
- Also how could Yun just wipe everyone and no one could stop him?

I was a big fan of the lore involving Avatar Kuruk.

Overall this book was as important to me as the former book, but the former one is a more enjoyable story to me. I want to read the Dawn of Yangchen now too!

vante's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

readingthroughthelists's review

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adventurous challenging emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

After reading both Kyoshi novels again, I am now convinced that these two books are really halves of one continuous story. Like other readers, I found the ending of The Rise of Kyoshi somewhat anticlimactic

(a teahouse was just not the place for an epic battle of wills between Kyoshi and Jinju)

…but I can forgive that because it is Kyoshi’s final duel with Yun in Shadow that is really the highpoint of her story.

Rise of Kyoshi ends with Kyoshi’s acceptance of the fact that she is the Avatar, but Shadow shows Kyoshi actually claiming that identity. If Rise is “yer the Avatar, Kyoshi,” then Shadow gives us a Kyoshi figuring out just what kind of Avatar she is going to be.

I have always loved the trope of “equal but opposite,” and Yee uses it terrifically here to show the divide between Yun and Kyoshi. Even Kuruk, the “failed” Water Avatar, receives unexpected depth as the successes and failures of his past come to entwine with Kyoshi’s present.

The pacing of the novel is not perfect--I think a bit too much time is spent at the beginning setting up the political crisis in the Fire Nation--and the number of fake-out deaths toward the end feels like a bit of a cheat in what is otherwise a fairly sober novel.

But seeing Kyoshi claim her identity as the Avatar for the first time--really claim it--makes it all worth it in the end.

leannecroft's review against another edition

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5.0

Another fantastic story about Avatar Kyoshi!
I'll say it again, my favourite Avatar that I've watched/read about! She's fantastic and I've loved reading these books. Learning about other avatars and more about the fire nation has been great.