Reviews

The Dawn of Yangchen by F.C. Yee

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pandasxl's review against another edition

4.0

After reading some of the reviews, I agree that the book focuses too much on Kavik. But I have to be honest, while reading the book that didn't bother me mainly because I didn't pick up on that. Maybe I was too blinded by the potential romance (there's no maybe I was). Would the book have benefitted from a less Kavik-centered perspective? Yes, but after reading the ending, I don't know how F.C. Yee would make that work especially now since Kavik and his family have become an integral part of the story. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but there is room for improvement.

duwuke's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring mysterious tense 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

3.75

brittaka's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious 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

c_dmckinney's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

4.75

I would have given it a 5 ⭐ rating because it was a really fun read but I am intensely BOTHERED by a one-off reference to Yangchen befriending a Water Tribe chief's pettsme one polar bear dog when Avatar Korra is supposed to be the first person to ever take one. I realize this is an extremely petty issue, but I must stand on this petty hill.

Content Warnings

railynski's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

4.0

merrybawz's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring medium-paced

3.5

elisegmusic's review against another edition

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adventurous

4.0

Another action-packed Avatar book. Yanchen is still very young, and no one trusts her as much as her predecessor Szeto. Every decision she makes is second guessed, and all her movements are tracked by spies.

In the corrupt city of Bin-Er, Yangchen meets the message runner and spy Kavik, and she recruits him to help her end the corruption and bring better living conditions to the people across the Four Kingdoms.

If you haven’t watched the TV show, then this book may not be for you. I found that it took a while to explain the political situation of Avatar Yanchen’s time, and I think there was a lot of other things in the universe that aren’t explained in a way that would need to be for an outside reader. But for someone who is already familiar with the universe, it was action-packed fantasy fun.

As a warning, this book does end on a cliffhanger, so make sure you have the second book ready.