I chose to read The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee because I had just recently watched Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra and wanted to further explore the Avatar world. I had hoped that this book would provide the same captivating experience as the shows, and I would say that overall it lived up to all of my expectations. 

The Rise of Kyoshi comes first chronologically in the Avatar timeline which made it an obvious choice to dive deeper into the universe, but the main thing that drew me to it was the main character, Kyoshi. In the shows, she was mainly portrayed as a fearsome and powerful avatar who was willing to go to great lengths to maintain justice and peace. I hoped the book would describe her character in greater detail, and I was not disappointed. Kyoshi’s character, as well as all of the other characters in the show, was interesting and complex. I particularly liked how Kyoshi was depicted through her dialogue, conflict, and emotion. For example, when she told Rangi, “I’m scared, alright? I’m scared of him and I don’t know what else will make it go away” (269), the reader is shown the deeper emotions and traits that make up her true character. All of the characters played unique roles throughout the story. None of the characters felt like they were thrown in as fillers, and they all served a purpose that was relevant to the story and helped carry along the plot of the story. 

The plot was another aspect of the story that was very well crafted. The plot flowed well and remained interesting throughout the whole book. Much like the characters, I didn’t feel like any of the story was just filler, and none of it felt like it dragged on unnecessarily. Every event contributed to the story in a significant way, whether its purpose was character development, exposition, or even to add an interesting twist to the story. The plot was well-paced and kept me consistently interested with well-distributed plot twists and interesting new developments. It was captivating every step of the way.

One of the main aspects of the book that aided the plot was its conflict. One of the most important parts of the Avatar’s story is the conflict and challenges that they have to face. Conflict in the Rise of Kyoshi, both internal and external, was all very compelling and I enjoyed watching it unfold. Externally, the characters faced conflict at almost every turn in their journey, which made for an exciting, action-packed story without a dull moment. They faced all sorts of challenges, facing a very diverse collection of enemies ranging from simple gangsters and thugs to entire armies and some of the most powerful people in the world. As exciting as the external conflict was, the internal conflict was just as important, if not more. Kyoshi experienced a lot of internal conflicts, such as coming to terms with her new identity and responsibilities as the Avatar and grappling with the unfamiliar world she had been thrown into. The conflict added to the excitement and intrigue of the story and played a very important role in the plot overall. 

The setting was another important contributor to the book’s appeal. The whole book was full of unique settings that were all interesting as well as important to the story. Many of the settings held secrets and connections to Kyoshi’s past, specifically her parents. This allowed the reader to learn along with the characters, adding another layer of appeal and creating a closer connection between book and reader. The setting aided the plot by visually showcasing themes and key concepts such as the drastic changes and development that Kyoshi experienced throughout the book. 

Overall, I was very pleased with the book. It was very well written and fun to read. Yee’s collaboration with Michael DiMartino, one of the co-creators of the original Avatar series, was a great contributor to the style of the book, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is has watched the Avatar series’ or is at all interested in it’s extended universe.