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mangofrappe's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
4.5
Dude! I loved reading this. It was so gripping to dive into this after where the first book left us, because Team Avatar just seemed so undeniably screwed.
The plot just kept going and especially towards the end, the twists were insane and I couldn’t put the book down. I like the way that Yee writes to restate aspects that the readers may have forgotten about in a way that was genuinely helpful and not demeaning.
As a book centred around an Avatar so involved and dedicated to deception and hiding her real plans to protect herself, it only made sense that the readers were kept in the dark about so much, too, only to have information revealed at the best time.
Plot-wise:
One plot point that I could see from a mile away was the blood lacquer. I was reading and the moment it was introduced, I was like yeah, way too obvious. It didn’t even cross my mind when it came up again, though, because I was so caught up Kavik getting manhandled by the rest of Team Avatar.
Character-wise:
I love Yingsu, and was so upset that she died. When it was revealed she lived, I was so happy.
I do wish that we got more of Yangchen struggling, though. It’s really interesting to explore an Avatar who’s so tired of serving others, and I know it’s her character to keep pushing but I felt like that’s all she did. She really needs a break.
With Kavik and Team Avatar— the road to acceptance was very long (very earned). And Kavik and Yangchen! Suffice to say, after the ending of the book I’m jumping right onto AO3.
The plot just kept going and especially towards the end, the twists were insane and I couldn’t put the book down. I like the way that Yee writes to restate aspects that the readers may have forgotten about in a way that was genuinely helpful and not demeaning.
As a book centred around an Avatar so involved and dedicated to deception and hiding her real plans to protect herself, it only made sense that the readers were kept in the dark about so much, too, only to have information revealed at the best time.
Plot-wise:
Character-wise:
I do wish that we got more of Yangchen struggling, though. It’s really interesting to explore an Avatar who’s so tired of serving others, and I know it’s her character to keep pushing but I felt like that’s all she did. She really needs a break.
With Kavik and Team Avatar— the road to acceptance was very long (very earned). And Kavik and Yangchen! Suffice to say, after the ending of the book I’m jumping right onto AO3.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore
wooblatoober's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
4.75
WOW! i was already convinced halfway through the book that this would be one of my favorite books i’ve read. i enjoyed its themes, issues, and characters immensely. yangchen and kavik (and the other characters, as well) all grapple with understandings of family and family dynamics, loyalty, humanity, hope, grips on reality, politics, abuse, manipulation, power, identity, morals, balance, and more.
i loved kavik, and the intricacies and changes surrounding his relationship with yangchen and everybody else. i LOVED the angst. i wanted more, actually.as much as it furthered, the story & important relationships for kavik to choose to be stabbed to fool kalyaan, i was supremely disappointed when i found out he was in on it.
unfortunately, i felt the ending left a little to be desired compared to the rest of the book, which was perfect in my opinion. i can’t put my finger on what’s missing, though.i don’t think it’s the fact that yangchen and kavik didn’t end up canon by the end. i think i actually really enjoyed that aspect.
i deeply enjoyed the politics, sleight of hand, and espionage in comparison to straight bending. yangchen is just too powerful for that to have worked. the mind games made for an incredibly engaging read. on top of that, yee included an interesting new bending technique that’s SUPER HYPE, so i was disappointed to see other reviews ignoring that when discussing how they didn’t like the politics game in comparison to cool new bending ideas.i’m referencing the airbending vacuum that yangchen made into a violent implosion in order to combat combustion bending. that scene against thapa had me FREAKING OUT it was SO COOL. additionally, yee’s introduction to the background of combustion bending is haunting and interesting.
i liked yangchen’s struggle with being haunted by her past lives, especially since i could relate to a struggle with sanity and it was well-done. i think it would have been cool if that had an even more prominent place in the story, especially in her struggles, though it was already pretty prominent anyway i think. i also enjoyed reading about yangchen’s struggle with faith in humanity (because of her relationship with her past lives), and her struggle with morals as an airbender. this book did a great job of showing how many shades of gray everything can be in, especially when you have a strong set of morals you want to be able to stick to and your hands are tied. this is in comparison to kyoshi’s duology, since kyoshi already came thru in ATLA as a character who’s willing to be ruthless, so it wouldn’t affect her moral identity like how it would yangchen. kyoshi’s problem is more if she’s going to win in a battle against others. yangchen’s seems like a problem of if she’s going to win in a battle against herself, and both of those have merit as stories.
lastly, and this is just as a fan, not as an objective reviewer, but i LOVED kavik’s personality, his guilt, how he balanced that with his loyalties, his intelligence, his bending abilities (underrated!!), his humor, and a million other things about him. even as much as i’ve enjoyed everything i’ve mentioned so far, i enjoyed reading kavik more. quite possibly one of my favorite characters of all time.
i loved kavik, and the intricacies and changes surrounding his relationship with yangchen and everybody else. i LOVED the angst. i wanted more, actually.
unfortunately, i felt the ending left a little to be desired compared to the rest of the book, which was perfect in my opinion. i can’t put my finger on what’s missing, though.
i deeply enjoyed the politics, sleight of hand, and espionage in comparison to straight bending. yangchen is just too powerful for that to have worked. the mind games made for an incredibly engaging read. on top of that, yee included an interesting new bending technique that’s SUPER HYPE, so i was disappointed to see other reviews ignoring that when discussing how they didn’t like the politics game in comparison to cool new bending ideas.
i liked yangchen’s struggle with being haunted by her past lives, especially since i could relate to a struggle with sanity and it was well-done. i think it would have been cool if that had an even more prominent place in the story, especially in her struggles, though it was already pretty prominent anyway i think. i also enjoyed reading about yangchen’s struggle with faith in humanity (because of her relationship with her past lives), and her struggle with morals as an airbender. this book did a great job of showing how many shades of gray everything can be in, especially when you have a strong set of morals you want to be able to stick to and your hands are tied. this is in comparison to kyoshi’s duology, since kyoshi already came thru in ATLA as a character who’s willing to be ruthless, so it wouldn’t affect her moral identity like how it would yangchen. kyoshi’s problem is more if she’s going to win in a battle against others. yangchen’s seems like a problem of if she’s going to win in a battle against herself, and both of those have merit as stories.
lastly, and this is just as a fan, not as an objective reviewer, but i LOVED kavik’s personality, his guilt, how he balanced that with his loyalties, his intelligence, his bending abilities (underrated!!), his humor, and a million other things about him. even as much as i’ve enjoyed everything i’ve mentioned so far, i enjoyed reading kavik more. quite possibly one of my favorite characters of all time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and War