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A review by boodschappenlijst
The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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
4.5
With these books, Yee set a new standard for extensions of the Avatar universe. Through his stories he shows himself capable of mixing worldbuilding, characterisation, and plots of intrigue into an existing framework without it feeling out of place. Reading the duology gives you a complete sense of the world that Kyoshi is currently in and lets you contextualise the things that appear in the universe later on. Considering the mixed reception of both Legend of Korra and the ATLA comics, this is not an easy feat to achieve.
What I loved about this first part of the duology is the chase around the world: It is an excellent device to show characters going from bad to worse situations across multiple sceneries. It is an exploration of the Earth Kingdom like never before, with in the middle an unlikely Brady bunch that you end up growing fond of. The chase with no clear end is the perfect backdrop to the confusing situation of Kyoshi's sudden Avatarhood, who continues to grapple with the parts of herself she did and did not yet know. All in all, the elements of this story blend perfectly to create a high-stakes story that makes for a pageturner.
What I loved about this first part of the duology is the chase around the world: It is an excellent device to show characters going from bad to worse situations across multiple sceneries. It is an exploration of the Earth Kingdom like never before, with in the middle an unlikely Brady bunch that you end up growing fond of. The chase with no clear end is the perfect backdrop to the confusing situation of Kyoshi's sudden Avatarhood, who continues to grapple with the parts of herself she did and did not yet know. All in all, the elements of this story blend perfectly to create a high-stakes story that makes for a pageturner.