A review by sahanac
The Dawn of Yangchen by F.C. Yee

adventurous challenging mysterious fast-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

5.0

we know of her as a saint in the times of every other avatar we've ever met, especially kyoshi and aang. but she's the villain in kuruk's life, as we learn in the kyoshi novels, so i was really interested in learning how we got there. the result is a really fascinating conceit: yangchen, unlike the other avatars we've met, has no trouble accessing her past lives. in fact, it's too intense. this is a completely new twist in the state of avatarhood, because we've seen kyoshi, aang, and korra struggle with the burden of their past lives and decisions without access — yangchen has always had access and it overwhelms her. she gets down and dirty because she's seen other avatars do it, in conflict with what the world thinks about the avatar. she knows exactly the power the avatar can have, she just doesn't know how to be that person HERSELF yet. i agree with other reviewers that centering kavik is a bit ridiculous, but im optimistic about the set up for the second yangchen novel.