A review by e_flah
The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee

adventurous slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

The Rise of Kyoshi was my book club's most recent pick and I honestly think if it hadn't been for book club, I would've DNF'd this book. I really enjoyed Avatar: The Last Airbender when I watched it for the first time last year but I think my only casual familiarity with the show made this book a lot harder to get through. The Rise of Kyoshi throws you into the world of ATLA with minimal explanation of some major concepts -- like what an Avatar actually is -- but leaves a lot of the politics + locations for the reader to puzzle out. If I'd been more familiar with ATLA, I think I would've found this a lot less frustrating.

The pacing of The Rise of Kyoshi was also all over the place. This felt more like three shorter books stuck together into one. I've seen other reviewers mention this would've made a better graphic novel and I wholeheartedly agree.

If you're a big fan of ATLA, The Rise of Kyoshi is worth a read. As a more casual fan, I wish I'd passed on this one.
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