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suzanne28's review
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
mothie_girlie's review
dark
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, War, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Abandonment and Classism
Minor: Homophobia and Racism
aexileigh's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Abandonment, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and War
Moderate: Child death and Racism
Minor: Homophobia
fiveredhens's review
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
favorite quotes:
She'd taken her own gear off and was only wearing a thin cotton shift that exposed her arms and legs. Her streamlined figure belied the solidness of her muscles. Kyoshi caught herself gawking, having never seen her friend out of uniform before. It was hard for her to comprehend that the spiky bits weren't a natural part of Rangi's body.
Rangi shifted, pressing closer to Kyoshi's body, rubbing the soft bouquet of her hair against Kyoshi's lips. The startling contact felt like a transgression, the mistake of a girl exhausted and drowsy. The more noble Fire Nation families, like the one Rangi descended from, would never let just anyone touch their hair like this.
The faint, flowery scent that filled Kyoshi's lungs made her head swim and her pulse quicken. Kyoshi kept still like it was her life's calling, unwilling to make any motion that might disturb her friend's fitful slumber.
Eventually Rangi fell into a deep sleep, radiating warmth like a little glowing coal in the hearth. Kyoshi realized that comforting her throughout the night was both an honor and a torture she wouldn't have traded for anything in the world.
Kyoshi closed her eyes. She did her best to ignore the pain of her arm losing circulation and her heart falling into a pile of ribbons.
Despite how tired they were, Rangi only dozed fitfully, shivering though it was no longer cold. Watching her from a distance, Kyoshi had an answer regarding the little snips of breath she'd listened to for so long in their shared tent on the iceberg. It was how Rangi cried in her sleep. Every so often, she would burrow her face into her shoulders to wipe her tears.
With their eyes on each other, it was easy to be brave. Maybe that's the only way we get through this, Kyoshi thought. Just never look away.
The faint, flowery scent that filled Kyoshi's lungs made her head swim and her pulse quicken. Kyoshi kept still like it was her life's calling, unwilling to make any motion that might disturb her friend's fitful slumber.
Eventually Rangi fell into a deep sleep, radiating warmth like a little glowing coal in the hearth. Kyoshi realized that comforting her throughout the night was both an honor and a torture she wouldn't have traded for anything in the world.
Kyoshi closed her eyes. She did her best to ignore the pain of her arm losing circulation and her heart falling into a pile of ribbons.
With their eyes on each other, it was easy to be brave. Maybe that's the only way we get through this, Kyoshi thought. Just never look away.
Relief came like a monsoon. She did not have to meet them. She didn't have to discover what kind of person she was when the past unearthed itself and took solid form.
"Survival training at the academy," Rangi said, breaking a bone with her fingers to get at the marrow. "We learned to accept whatever food we could find in the wild."
"I used to eat garbage," Kyoshi said.
They look at themselves like forces of nature, as inevitable ends, but they're not. Their depth is as false as the shoals at low tide. They twist the meaning of justice to absolve themselves of conscience. ...
They're humans like us, made of skin and guts and pain. They need to be reminded of that fact.
this could get a little boring and too gritty for me but it was definitely the first post-a:tla canon work that i've really enjoyed. i think it did the setting justice
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Fatphobia, Grief, and Racism
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