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anna_munroe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
lighthearted
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
4.0
radiantk's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
4.5
kathleenwong's review against another edition
5.0
i cannot stress how atla/lok fans should read this book - it has everything avatar fans want! expanded lore, callback references, that atla/lok comedic timing, romance, violence, politics/bureaucracy, etc etc! also, the supporting characters - ugh, love them so much. f.c. yee, thank you for writing this book and for fleshing out a character like kyoshi, who's already so loved by everyone and is now loved even more. kyoshi has so much love to give and it's only fair to have that love given back to her - she deserves it.
fatheraki's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
5.0
Perfect, beautiful, stunning, every childhood dream come true
madecel's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
antivancrowe's review against another edition
3.75
Character 3.5| Setting 5| Plot 3.5| Writing 3| Enjoyability 3.5
Overall Rating: 3.7
Kyoshi was an avatar I was always interested in seeing as when Aang spoke to her asking if she murdered this dude she was like, yeah i killed him and I would do it again.
I loved how she starts off hating daofei and then becomes one, in essence Kyoshi becomes be gay do crime. Thank I loved it. Give me more of this kind of content.
I feel like where this book loses me is that it is dry for a major part of the book. Like at least 30% of the book is a slog to get through. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy any of that content that was in the first 30%, but most of it kind of was boring. I get it we need to know who Kyoshi is. It's just a little too dry in the beginning.
Once the wheels start rolling it gets more enjoyable as the story goes on. I do plan on continuing this duology and curious how the story finishes.
Overall Rating: 3.7
Kyoshi was an avatar I was always interested in seeing as when Aang spoke to her asking if she murdered this dude she was like, yeah i killed him and I would do it again.
I loved how she starts off hating daofei and then becomes one, in essence Kyoshi becomes be gay do crime. Thank I loved it. Give me more of this kind of content.
I feel like where this book loses me is that it is dry for a major part of the book. Like at least 30% of the book is a slog to get through. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy any of that content that was in the first 30%, but most of it kind of was boring. I get it we need to know who Kyoshi is. It's just a little too dry in the beginning.
Once the wheels start rolling it gets more enjoyable as the story goes on. I do plan on continuing this duology and curious how the story finishes.
tinylove's review against another edition
3.5
This was a fun read! But it took me a while to get into it. I was basically expecting it to feel like an Avatar episode and was taken aback by how much darker than the original series it was. Like damn!
But still - I appreciated how it delved into the world of Avatar most. It is walking a fine line in that the politics and the worldbuilding feels more complicated and we delve deeper into the nuances of it all, but at the same time the heroes still save the day at the end. The juxtaposition can and does feel a little silly and unserious, but there was a lot to love!! Most importantly, Kyoshi and Rangi and their friendship. The found family was cute and promising but I wish we got more of them - we spend most of the book with the Flying Opera Company, and yet it doesn't feel like enough time to get to know them. Yun and Jianzhu were very interesting characters as well, and Hei Ran personally stole the show for me <333 angry milf who just goes to sleep when she's mad at her murdering companion in Avatar mentorhood and corruption <3 an icon!
It could've been a much better organized story, I gotta say! It was a fun return to the Avatar universe, now from a more mature perspective, and about a very iconic Avatar but as a story it just doesn't do as much as I wish it had! The pacing felt weird, and I wish there was more of a central plot rather than it being kinda all over the place - it felt like tackling too many things at once, Kyoshi's mommy and daddy issues, newfound Avatarhood, Jianzhu as an antagonist, found family with the Flying Opera Company and mentorhood by Lao Ge and the corrupt lords of the Earth Kingdom. It was a lot! I wish parts of the plot had been juggled more efficiently and resolved sooner, or revealed more organically. It felt particularly silly that Kyoshi just had an entire journal passed down to her by her parents that just explained to her all she needed to know. That information could've been revealed to Kyoshi (and the reader!) as we went along in the story.
However, still a fun read if you want to revisit the Avatarverse and a lot of iconic moments!
But still - I appreciated how it delved into the world of Avatar most. It is walking a fine line in that the politics and the worldbuilding feels more complicated and we delve deeper into the nuances of it all, but at the same time the heroes still save the day at the end. The juxtaposition can and does feel a little silly and unserious, but there was a lot to love!! Most importantly, Kyoshi and Rangi and their friendship. The found family was cute and promising but I wish we got more of them - we spend most of the book with the Flying Opera Company, and yet it doesn't feel like enough time to get to know them. Yun and Jianzhu were very interesting characters as well, and Hei Ran personally stole the show for me <333 angry milf who just goes to sleep when she's mad at her murdering companion in Avatar mentorhood and corruption <3 an icon!
It could've been a much better organized story, I gotta say! It was a fun return to the Avatar universe, now from a more mature perspective, and about a very iconic Avatar but as a story it just doesn't do as much as I wish it had! The pacing felt weird, and I wish there was more of a central plot rather than it being kinda all over the place - it felt like tackling too many things at once, Kyoshi's mommy and daddy issues, newfound Avatarhood, Jianzhu as an antagonist, found family with the Flying Opera Company and mentorhood by Lao Ge and the corrupt lords of the Earth Kingdom. It was a lot! I wish parts of the plot had been juggled more efficiently and resolved sooner, or revealed more organically. It felt particularly silly that Kyoshi just had an entire journal passed down to her by her parents that just explained to her all she needed to know. That information could've been revealed to Kyoshi (and the reader!) as we went along in the story.
However, still a fun read if you want to revisit the Avatarverse and a lot of iconic moments!
ldpt14's review against another edition
5.0
Such a fantastic return (or prequel I suppose!) to the Avatar universe. Kyoshi is thrilling protagonist, with an exploration of morals, ethics and the world of Avatar as a whole. Great new characters and a thoroughly enjoyable read.
halthemonarch's review
4.0
I love the Avatar universe. Never have I fell in love with a prequel quicker or harder. Kyoshi doesn’t play games, but she didn’t start out that way! I was curious in the beginning, exactly when I was going to get sucked in. Jianzhu was boring, Kyoshi’s life was boring, and her friends were kind of stuck up— but then slowly, I loved them. And then I hated Jianzhu! And then I worried for Kyoshi and Rangi, and felt suspicious of the Flying Opera— before I knew it I was swept into the story. I was reading another book at the time and for the life of me I couldn’t retain a thing from it because I was so obsessed with this one.
I loved how big the world seemed, and how vast the Avatar legacy was; yet how small and familiar some of the references were and how human Kyoshi was, despite being essentially a cosmic conduit. There were subtle details in there that made me fall deeper for the world; Jianzhu’s joke about shirshu’s being cuddly, the fact that Jianzhu is a Gan Jin, the folk origins of lightning bending, and the telltale ambiguity that comes along with people who studies Guru Lahima like Kelsang and Lao Ge. I liked how as the characters were described and introduced; I got their impressions loud and clear and the story wove around Kyoshi in a way. She was always being pushed and pulled, but jealousy or anger or love, fear or the overwhelming need to do what’s right impacted her decisions. The people around her impacted her decisions, and they were all bright fixtures that I could see in my minds eye as easily as if I were reading one of the comics.
And of course I would be remiss not to mention my new favorite Avatar Universe couple, Rangi and Kyoshi. I adored their story— built on mutual trust, friendship, and love, pining while stressed and sparked under pressure. I loved the dynamic. I loved how Kyoshi just could not get enough of Rangi, and then they were together and it was lovely and amazing—and there were also bigger fish to fry.
I love how the gang was with them too. I wondered if this Team Avatar was the real deal because a) Kyoshi lives for over 200 years (which is :( when you think about it because all of her loved ones are most certainly dead many times over by the time she dies) and b) this book is DARK. There’s death around every corner and the dangers of bending are illuminated through the text. I knew some, perhaps most of them would die along the way once I got to the halfway point. I’ll say I’m sad for the deaths that did occur, Still, I can’t wait until I can get my hands on the next in the series!
I loved how big the world seemed, and how vast the Avatar legacy was; yet how small and familiar some of the references were and how human Kyoshi was, despite being essentially a cosmic conduit. There were subtle details in there that made me fall deeper for the world; Jianzhu’s joke about shirshu’s being cuddly, the fact that Jianzhu is a Gan Jin, the folk origins of lightning bending, and the telltale ambiguity that comes along with people who studies Guru Lahima like Kelsang and Lao Ge. I liked how as the characters were described and introduced; I got their impressions loud and clear and the story wove around Kyoshi in a way. She was always being pushed and pulled, but jealousy or anger or love, fear or the overwhelming need to do what’s right impacted her decisions. The people around her impacted her decisions, and they were all bright fixtures that I could see in my minds eye as easily as if I were reading one of the comics.
And of course I would be remiss not to mention my new favorite Avatar Universe couple, Rangi and Kyoshi. I adored their story— built on mutual trust, friendship, and love, pining while stressed and sparked under pressure. I loved the dynamic. I loved how Kyoshi just could not get enough of Rangi, and then they were together and it was lovely and amazing—and there were also bigger fish to fry.
I love how the gang was with them too. I wondered if this Team Avatar was the real deal because a) Kyoshi lives for over 200 years (which is :( when you think about it because all of her loved ones are most certainly dead many times over by the time she dies) and b) this book is DARK. There’s death around every corner and the dangers of bending are illuminated through the text. I knew some, perhaps most of them would die along the way once I got to the halfway point. I’ll say I’m sad for the deaths that did occur,