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

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The Dawn of Yangchen, in many ways, was not the read I expected. If you’re into stories surrounding more espionage or political intrigue, you’re going to enjoy it. The world building is amazing. But as someone who gets frustrated with more slow-moving books, in my opinion both the plot and the characters fell flat.

I genuinely think Yee’s world building was the best pet of the book. We finally get an up-close look at the Air Nation pre-war, and it’s the first time we’ve been able to really compare two avatars of the same element. Yee shows off the ways different nations interact when they’re sharing the same city, building onto what we’ve seen of Republic City in Legend of Korra. With the introduction of Kavik, we see more of the Northern Water Tribe’s culture as well. And in the book’s climax, we’re re-introduced to two bending concepts that the sequel may finally give us some answers about.

By contrast, the characters were a mixed bag. We’ve gotten hints since The Last Airbender that Yangchen’s venerable reputation isn’t entirely correct, and seeing just how incorrect it is was interesting. I’m excited to see how the Yangchen in the book grows into the Yangchen we’ve seen in previous installments. The issue is that Yangchen’s development doesn’t feel like the main focus of the book- Kavik’s does. An entirely new character, Kavik dances on the line of being a friend and ally to Yangchen, a potential companion. He certainly goes through a developmental journey in the book, but it just wasn’t interesting. The final reveal in his storyline wasn’t the “gotcha” moment I think Yee intended it to be. For me, it was an eye-roll moment. Kavik’s character had sympathetic aspects, and I hope he becomes more lovable in the next installment. But I hope more that the focus centers on Yangchen.

If you love the Avatar-verse, I think you should read this book. It genuinely isn’t bad, and I’m still excited for the next installment. But I won’t lie and say I liked it. I’ve seen a lot of people compare it to Yee’s Kyoshi novels, and I think there’s a good dichotomy there. Kyoshi was fast-paced and adventurous, whereas Yangchen is more political and introspective. I think there will definitely be people who find Yangchen more exciting, but it’s not for me. 
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