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suzanne28's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a great book I buddy read with my sister as we grew up watching the Avatar series. This was an exciting read whether or not you watched the show, but full of little nuggets of foreshadowing and nods to the TV series.
This was definitely YA, not PG like the kids show. Kyoshi is a notoriously murderous Avatar and this is her back story. Unlike the stories of Aang and Korra which spend a lot of time showing how they worked tirelessly to master elements, this book is more about the political landscape and how Kyoshi became the legend she is in the time of the TV series. There were a lot of twists and turns, characters you loved, loved and hated, and loved to hate. The author really brought the culture of the Earth Kingdom to life—the good and the bad—and used classic Avatar sage wisdom mixed with well-timed humor.
My sister and I are excited to continue to the next book and watch the Kyoshi movie when it comes out in a few years!
This was definitely YA, not PG like the kids show. Kyoshi is a notoriously murderous Avatar and this is her back story. Unlike the stories of Aang and Korra which spend a lot of time showing how they worked tirelessly to master elements, this book is more about the political landscape and how Kyoshi became the legend she is in the time of the TV series. There were a lot of twists and turns, characters you loved, loved and hated, and loved to hate. The author really brought the culture of the Earth Kingdom to life—the good and the bad—and used classic Avatar sage wisdom mixed with well-timed humor.
My sister and I are excited to continue to the next book and watch the Kyoshi movie when it comes out in a few years!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Grief, Xenophobia, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, and Death
Minor: Medical content, Kidnapping, Animal death, and Misogyny
geekreate's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Abandonment
Minor: Kidnapping
My "child abuse" and "child death" tags are not connected. "Abandonment" and "child abuse" are, though.amuletofkings's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Did not expect to gain a new favorite villain!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Classism, Child death, Abandonment, Murder, Violence, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Kidnapping, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Homophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Lesbophobia, and Gore
geno's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Abandonment, and Death
Moderate: Murder and Bullying
Minor: Kidnapping
oletheo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Yee has done an amazing job of expanding the world of ATLA. The story is gripping, exciting, adventurous, and leaves me wanting more books set in this universe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Abandonment
ergaich's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-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
5.0
Absolutely amazing. I was worried this book wouldn’t live up to the ATLA series but it was everything I wanted and more. The characters were complex and imperfect making it sometimes difficult to love them, but it made them all the more real
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Torture
Minor: Confinement, Murder, and War
merenguita's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The start and the ending were just perfect for me, they got me absolutley hooked and not wanting to put down the book. However the middle got a little muddy for me when all the new characters are introduced way too fast... but that might have been just me being distracted tbh.
I would really want to reread and see if my rating changes.
I would really want to reread and see if my rating changes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Child abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Murder, and Violence
bakkuababy's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
4.75
the world building in the avatar universe will never ever disappoint. it’s so interesting to learn about kyoshi’s background; her bending, the fans, the outfit, the makeup, it all holds so much importance. also loved seeing an avatar that’s kind of feared ? solely because of the circumstances she’s been put in and how she kind of moulds herself into this figure seen by the public because of said circumstances. it was really refreshing as well to see her grow from how timid she was to this powerful being.
this was a big upgrade in terms of violence and darkness compared to TLA where it was often sugarcoated to keep it PG and really caters to the audience/reader assuming that fans that grew up watching TLA are now adults.
ALSO really loved the mini Easter eggs and references to TLA
this was a big upgrade in terms of violence and darkness compared to TLA where it was often sugarcoated to keep it PG and really caters to the audience/reader assuming that fans that grew up watching TLA are now adults.
ALSO really loved the mini Easter eggs and references to TLA
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, War, Violence, Death, Blood, and Abandonment
zombiemozart0725's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
At first, I wasn't quite certain of this book. The prose has a distinct cadence that reads similarly to other young adult books, such as the Percy Jackson series. This can only be expected from a book based in the same world as an animated kid's show, but I have become notably less engaged with the tropes and structure of young adult novels as I've grown older. However, the story takes a darkly mature turn once Kyoshi's place in the story is revealed. While it still reads most of the time like young adult or new adult fiction, it carries with it a very distinct influence from its source material: It doesn't talk down to its audience. Most young adult books rely on a certain level of quippy bathos and otherwise childish "chosen one" storytelling to account for the age of its target audience. However, The Rise of Kyoshi treats arguably the darkest of the known Avatars with all due reverence. Yee and DiMartino seem to be keenly aware that the audience of the original Last Airbender TV show has aged since it was first aired, and so see Kyoshi not only grappling with her legacy, her past, and her place in the world, but with ruthless outlaws, merciless mentors, and deeply disturbing spirits - all of whom kill with little to no hesitation. Death and pain, even if it's not described as explicitly and graphically as it would be by someone like George RR Martin, fill this book. And it is well-deserved, given Kyoshi's reputation in the fandom.
The book is a solid mix of both plot and character development. Although it has places where it slows down and takes its time to let things unfold, the twists and turns it takes hit like a brick wall. The characters are all charming (or at least fun to hate, in some cases) but the three who truly shine are its two female leads and its main antagonist. The villain of the book is obsessed with making up for the mistakes of his past, and guiding the Avatar on a true and righteous path after Avatar Kuruk failed to live up to his title. Although he distinctly commits villainous acts beyond the scope of reason, he does so from a foundation of redemption that is genuinely fascinating. Even if he does end up losing himself in the process.
Kyoshi and Rangi are lead characters worthy of any Avatar media. Watching Kyoshi start out as a scared and subservient young girl and slowly walk down the path that turns her into a stalwart advocate for justice is so incredibly satisfying if you loved her character as much as I did when she appeared in the show. Rangi, being the daughter of military nobility, starts out in a place that puts her in a deeply paralleled position to the villain: Her undying and borderline obsessive dedication to her duty. But where the main antagonist lets his duty consume him, Rangi proves herself to be devoted to the Avatar out of friendship and care rather than strict discipline. She barely ever loses a fight, or backs down from one, but beneath her armor is a genuinely soft and caring person who loves the Avatar deeply. Add to that her willingness to call Kyoshi out on her nonsense and I think any fans of Toph who read this book will be extremely satisfied.
If I had to complain about anything in this book, it would simply be that it DOES feel like a young adult novel at times. This is entirely subjective for me, and I believe stalwart fans of young adult fiction would give this book a 5-star rating, but it IS a tad tropey at times, and its prose can be a bit literal. Not to mention that large action scenes can be borderline maddening to keep track of. The lack of a 5th star, in my case, is because it was a tad difficult to start and be immediately invested in, on top of sone messy rough patches in the narration. But all in all, the fact that the book took its time was well worth it. I'm just glad I picked it back up to finish it, because otherwise I would not have known what kind of story I had on my hands.
The book is a solid mix of both plot and character development. Although it has places where it slows down and takes its time to let things unfold, the twists and turns it takes hit like a brick wall. The characters are all charming (or at least fun to hate, in some cases) but the three who truly shine are its two female leads and its main antagonist. The villain of the book is obsessed with making up for the mistakes of his past, and guiding the Avatar on a true and righteous path after Avatar Kuruk failed to live up to his title. Although he distinctly commits villainous acts beyond the scope of reason, he does so from a foundation of redemption that is genuinely fascinating. Even if he does end up losing himself in the process.
Kyoshi and Rangi are lead characters worthy of any Avatar media. Watching Kyoshi start out as a scared and subservient young girl and slowly walk down the path that turns her into a stalwart advocate for justice is so incredibly satisfying if you loved her character as much as I did when she appeared in the show. Rangi, being the daughter of military nobility, starts out in a place that puts her in a deeply paralleled position to the villain: Her undying and borderline obsessive dedication to her duty. But where the main antagonist lets his duty consume him, Rangi proves herself to be devoted to the Avatar out of friendship and care rather than strict discipline. She barely ever loses a fight, or backs down from one, but beneath her armor is a genuinely soft and caring person who loves the Avatar deeply. Add to that her willingness to call Kyoshi out on her nonsense and I think any fans of Toph who read this book will be extremely satisfied.
If I had to complain about anything in this book, it would simply be that it DOES feel like a young adult novel at times. This is entirely subjective for me, and I believe stalwart fans of young adult fiction would give this book a 5-star rating, but it IS a tad tropey at times, and its prose can be a bit literal. Not to mention that large action scenes can be borderline maddening to keep track of. The lack of a 5th star, in my case, is because it was a tad difficult to start and be immediately invested in, on top of sone messy rough patches in the narration. But all in all, the fact that the book took its time was well worth it. I'm just glad I picked it back up to finish it, because otherwise I would not have known what kind of story I had on my hands.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Child death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual harassment
larbster90's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Violence, Death, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Minor: Death of parent, Slavery, Homophobia, Bullying, and Trafficking