nerdy_birdie_reader 's review for:

The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee

4.0

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She would fight her ill fortune, her bad stars, and protect those who might despise her to the very end of her days.

This was basically me during the last portion of this book:

One thing I’ve always loved about the Avatar-verse is the fact that the makers of the original series know how to further elaborate on the world.

The Rise is Kyoshi took advantage of the fact that the audience has close to no knowledge of who Kyoshi really was besides a milestone in her time as the Avatar, which was killing Chin the Conqueror. The story starts out with an underdog situation and how Kyoshi learns to overcome it.

While I personally felt that the plot of this book was slow, for a better part, it was well done in building the setting for the Earth Kingdom. The story also elaborated on the chaos that can ensue from the lack of an active Avatar. The characters are what really shine here: from our protagonist to our antagonist and all the supporting characters.

Also, I would like to thank F.C. Yee and others involved with this book for further elaborating on LGBTQ+ themes for our beloved Avatar characters despite the backlash The Legend of Korra received.

If you’re a fan of the original series, definitely pick this book up. Keep an eye out for characters pushing the plot forward instead of pace for the first while of the book, though.