Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee

54 reviews

pandacosm's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I loved this book!! It was so interesting that Kyoshi had such a different beginning from the impression we get of her as a mature avatar in the TV series, and I'm glad one of the ATLA creators warned us at the beginning about it because I might have been very puzzled otherwise.

I think it was clever and fitting that if Kyoshi was going to struggle with bending, it would be because she was too powerful about it. It's not the first time I've seen this trope but it suits well.

I absolutely adored the bi/pan representation, of course, and I had also been hoping for

polyamorous representation but alas... poor Yun... though who knows what book 2 will bring?

I loved seeing Kyoshi get a found family. Every Avatar deserves their Avatar gang! It was touching how the bonds were woven as Kyoshi and other characters battled with the traumas they went through and recognized similar experiences in each other. There were also interesting bending techniques displayed. It was great to see airbenders get to be more involved since they hadn't been massacred yet in this era.

I just hope Kyoshi can find a great airbender companion as well eventually. It feels a shame that she lost Kelsang when we got so little airbender rep in the main show, but I understand why it happened. Part of me wonders if Kyoshi's airbender mother is truly dead?

It was also very interesting to see the corruption behind the scenes of

those who support the Avatar. I had already thought before reading the book that it must have been difficult during times of the Avatar cycle when they're too young to do anything and wondered what people in the past before Aang's long disappearance did about that, guessing that there must be a support system in play. It's touching to see that the Avatar's companions who outlive him who play a part in that. I'm also not surprised at the implied White Lotus involvement, though we'll see if that's confirmed in the sequel.

Fair warning to those who watched the TV series that this book is far darker and would never be allowed to be broadcast to the same audience as an animated show for kids, but I think the majority of us ATLA fans are now old enough to be fine reading it. There's a lot of death, and the only reason I took 0.25 stars off my rating is because

I found Lek's death unnecessary. All the other major character deaths spurred plot and character development, but I feel that Lek's was just unnecessarily rubbing salt in the wound and didn't really change what was going to happen. Kyoshi was already going to meet with Jianzhu to get Rangi back no matter what happened to Lek.

I also don't like that

the found family split up at the end-- why do authors always do this???--

but I assume that will change in the sequel so it didn't affect my rating.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Classism

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, and Medical content

Minor: Biphobia, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia

There was a lot of dark content in this book so I apologize if I missed tagging anything. The homo/lesbo/biphobia is not actively enacted by any character, but it's just briefly mentioned by a supportive character that others might not be as understanding.

gray's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Kyoshi is one of my favorite avatars because she has a strong presence and a sense of justice. This book explores what she was like before she was that avatar.
I wasn't expecting Kyoshi to be a meek girl who lacked confidence in her abilities, but throughout the book, we see how she goes from a maid in Jianzhu's mansion into the avatar that she's meant to be. She still needs a lot of work on her abilities, especially in her judgment of people, but I'm glad that she has Rangi by her side to reel her in even though they argued for most of the book.
I was glad that this version of the book did not hold back on the violence that had to do with being the avatar, and I feel like that's also a testament to how Kyoshi grew up (versus Aang). She had so much instability and turmoil since she was young, in contrast to Aang's relatively peaceful upbringing in the monastery.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: War

I loved the Flying Opera and would love to hear more about them, and I feel like Lek's death was too abrupt and unemotional despite the little ceremony they held at his makeshift graveyard.

ashlikes's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug use, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Confinement, Genocide, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Torture, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Lesbophobia, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism

jkfrank's review against another edition

adventurous funny tense fast-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood

Minor: Gaslighting

fiafiu's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

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

4.5

I absolutely loved this book!! the only reason it's not any higher is because the ending felt a little sudden for me. like, SUPER fast paced. other than that, I LOVED reading about Kyoshi as a character and her journey as the Avatar. I thought the writing was gorgeous and mimicked the plot of the show. Even though it was listed as "juvenile" I definitely did not find it so! and i LOVEEEE READING ALL ABOUT MY LESBIANS!! kyoshi and rangi's relationship was soooo well written <3

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gore and Blood

keddy4306's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

• 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

“Oh,” Kyoshi said in response to the worst news she’d ever heard in her life.

(chapter 4)

Rangi poked her in the small of the back. “Promise me you’ll never throw your life away over a boy,” she said, her voice coated thickly with disdain.

(chapter 16)

The writing is really funny, very dark and the lesbians are great. I'm glad I read this during pride month. 

The beginning and middle are very strong, but the ending was a little bit sudden for me. 

Jianzhu be killed by Yun who is suddenly alive again?

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Genocide, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

rallsley's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Push everything you thought about Kyoshi from the beloved TV series aside and be immersed in the beginning stages of her life and training. Every page solidified her case for justice, doing right by her promises and ambitions. Fall in love with the unlikely cast of characters she inherited from her parents much like her iconic fans and headdress.

While she never knew her parents as well as her bending teachers, she found that she may not have been too different in idealogoy

Breaking the tradition of avatars being groomed and trained from young childhood, The Rise of Kyoshi makes you question what you thought about their role in the universe entirely along with Kyoshi herself. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Slavery, Torture, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Confinement, Vomit, Medical content, and Sexual harassment

kyoshi was abandoned by her parents and worked as a servant in a household. Her mentor dies in front of her eyes by her employer and she revists the memory more than once. These are the main motivations through the book

azalya01's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• 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

This is such an incredible story. The writer of this book takes such care in crafting such an important character like Kyoshi. I can really appreciate the depth and darkness this book takes in it's additions to the world building of the ATLA universe. Everything in this book if fully fleshed out and you can tell that Yee really respects the source material of the original show. This book definitely has dark moments, so approach this story with that in mind. I loved this book, it's one of the best I've read in a while, and I can't wait to start the sequel: The Shadow of Kyoshi.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Blood and Classism

Minor: Bullying and Vomit

underwaterlauren's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

Moderate: Blood

luciferlibrarian_93's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Blood, Abandonment, and Classism