The Kyoshi Duology

This Post is Spoiler Free!

The Rise of Kyoshi

Ahhhhhhhh!! I have so many feelings! Everyone, strap in because this is going to be a wild ride. This book was AMAZING! I can’t even describe how absolutely, mind-bogglingly, horrendously incredible this book was. I’m very aware that I’m 100% fangirling right now, but this book deserves it. This book deserves it so much.

Let’s start with the formatting. F. C. Yee somehow managed to make reading this book feel like you were watching either Avatar the Last Airbender (ATLA) or The Legend of Korra (KORRA). Each chapter was titled, short and simple, like the episodes would be titled, and even the scenes seemed to fit with the TV shows, sometimes allowing for commercial breaks and switching points of view or flashing back. It was so perfectly matched with the shows’ set-up, I can hardly stand it!

Another thing that had me squealing (on the regular too) were the cameos/hints to the original cartoon. They were brilliantly spread throughout the book, and it made me so happy. Unbelievably happy. EVEN THE CABBAGE MERCHANT WAS HINTED AT!! Seriously, it was incredible. 

Honestly, the biggest difference from the shows was the darkness/evil portrayed in the book. While ATLA definitely had some darker themes, and KORRA even more so, those series were still aimed mainly towards children. The Rise of Kyoshi was more aimed towards Young Adults (which I find zero fault in). Honestly, it fit perfectly with the little knowledge that I originally had of Kyoshi. Readers of this book will definitely come to understand why Kyoshi seems like the harshest of all of the Avatars.

On a similar note, while this book definitely lived up to the understanding I already had of Kyoshi, it definitely still put me through all of the looped emotions I love in a book. There were twists and turns in the plot that I definitely wasn’t expecting, but I LOVED! While Yee was working with a world that I already knew and loved, he still managed to throw new and exciting things at me that quite literally had me yelling (or crying) at the book.

To say I loved this book is an understatement. I want nothing more than to dive into the second one RIGHT NOW!

The Shadow of Kyoshi

Alright. I just finished The Shadow of Kyoshi, which is book two of the Kyoshi duology. I’m going to start this by saying that I wasn’t quite as invested in this one as I was The Rise of Kyoshi, which is actually kinda funny for me. I tend to like sequel books (not necessarily movies) as much or more than the original. However, there was something pulling me away from the story.

Don’t get me wrong, I still really liked it. It was decently difficult to tear myself away when I needed to get other things done, and I still liked being in the Avatarverse, but it didn’t leave me fangirling quite like the first one did. I think most of it was the pacing. The pacing was pretty steady in the first book, but the second book was really fast and had some random, super noticeable lags. And also time skips. Those time skips didn’t really sit well with me. On top of that, some of the characters developed in a confusing way.

Except for Kyoshi. Kyoshi seemed to develop in a way that matched Aang and Korra (losing themselves in their struggles only to have to bring themselves back because they are the Avatars and have work to do). She also was on par with what I expected her inner thoughts to be from hearing about her in ATLA. 

Also Kuruk! We got to learn about Avatar Kuruk (Kyoshi’s predecessor), and I liked that. He ended up having so much more dimension than ATLA originally gave him!

I don’t know. I still say you should read the book, especially if you’re a fan of the Avatarverse. There are a lot of hidden references (one of my favorite being the musings of a Beifong), and the world is just so… full. If you have read it, what did you think? If you haven’t, what Avatar’s story intrigues you most?

My Next Read: