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cozyscones's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, and Classism
geekreate's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Stalking and Murder
Minor: Violence
sherny's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Cons: Should be called Dawn of Kavic, as the majority of the chapters are narrated by him and about his perspective. Kinda disappointing since Kyoshi was so good, but it’s an unfortunately common trope that men writing books “about women” actually write the books from the perspectives of the men around the woman. At parts the book seems like it’s trying hard to be extra edgy and make Yangchen “not like other air nomads”. Doesn’t have the same lighthearted mixed with serious vibe that the original show and kyoshi books capture perfectly.
Pros: flying lemurs! Also queer representation and a deeper look at some more serious politics for each nation fit into one book! Yangchen’s blessing is also very much a curse in a very interesting way. Gosh I love getting to learn about the air nomads and see their culture before it was destroyed, but it still comes off as an outsider looking in, since the book is mainly from the perspective of her water tribe companion.
Minor: Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, and Classism
twistedflower2357's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I was really impressed with this book and I honestly think it’s the best Avatar-related media to come out since the original cartoon. The written medium lets us dig even deeper into the worldbuilding and the constant spying around that our characters do lends itself very well to the political intrigue aspect of the story. FC Yee has a lovely writing style, rich with in-universe idioms and simple-but-poignant description. Overall this is a really fun and worthwhile addition to the Avatar universe.
The two main characters, Yangchen and Kavik, are the book’s greatest strength. They’re both quite beautifully written, and even though they only have a few scenes together to really bond, the trust that grows between the two feels very believable and compelling (
One small issue I had with the book was that the story felt a little decentralized—it takes a while to get started and is interrupted in the middle to address some of the background introduced the Gene Yang comics. This detour is undeniably one of the most emotionally powerful parts of the book, but in the context of the rest of the story, it comes out of nowhere. There are also some moments where events are told out of order and story beats are withheld from the audience until later. This isn’t necessarily bad, but I think it detracts from a certain character beat near the end.
Regardless, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Avatar spin-off content. It accomplishes everything you might want in a prequel spin-off and then some, and Yangchen’s compassion and surprising methodology is guaranteed to draw you in. I’ve already got the next book and I’m excited to read it.
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Grief
Minor: Child death and Vomit
sjbshannon's review
- 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
4.5
Minor: Death and Panic attacks/disorders
parenthesis_enjoyer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, and Classism
Minor: Chronic illness, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury
scarlettskyes's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
idksamiguess's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Classism
fran_buesa's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
mandkips's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Gore, and Classism
Minor: Chronic illness, Mental illness, and Torture