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sophiear's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
politicat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
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
3.5
reading about the island was far more interesting than reading about roku, i don’t think this book provided much depth to his character. i also HATE what ribal did to malaya’s character. you don’t make a character with as much depth and potential as her just to KILL HER?? i guess it was for the sake of continuity but still…. poor gyatso has to lose everyone he’s ever held near, yama malaya roku and aang…… the book got better after the second half, first half dragged a bit.
chelsealeeh17's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I struggled with how to separate what I wanted this to be versus what it actually is.
I think I wanted a Roku who was farther along the path of becoming a fully-realized Avatar, but instead, he is at the very beginning of his journey as the Avatar and not yet bending anything other than fire. While this came with some disappointment, I think because of the fact that we know how Roku's tenure as Avatar ends, it's valuable to see how it started.
I like that he's obviously very different from both Kyoshi and Yangchen; it's fun to see how the home nation of each of these Avatars has such an influence on their personalities and worldview. Plus, with Roku you get the whole Sozin relationship, and the fun surprise was that Gyatso was included in this story too!
In fact, I think the talk of grief and moving beyond it without letting go of those feelings - both from Roku and Gyatso and even from Malaya (in the deleted scene of the Barnes and Noble exclusive edition - was the thing that will linger with me the most, especially Roku's speech to the Lambak people at the end of the book. Really powerful.
In the end, I really did enjoy this despite my very initial disappointments, but I'm hopeful for a bit more of a time jump in the next book. And surely this will likely be more of a trilogy (or more) than just two books? Since we know Roku lives to more or less "old age" (not compared to Kyoshi, of course), it'd be fascinating to check in every 10-20 years or so to see how he has progressed in both his bending and in his worldview while likewise seeing Sozin's rise to power and thirst for conquest.
Whatever is next...I'm excited for it!
Bookstagram - @chelsealikesbooks
I think I wanted a Roku who was farther along the path of becoming a fully-realized Avatar, but instead, he is at the very beginning of his journey as the Avatar and not yet bending anything other than fire. While this came with some disappointment, I think because of the fact that we know how Roku's tenure as Avatar ends, it's valuable to see how it started.
I like that he's obviously very different from both Kyoshi and Yangchen; it's fun to see how the home nation of each of these Avatars has such an influence on their personalities and worldview. Plus, with Roku you get the whole Sozin relationship, and the fun surprise was that Gyatso was included in this story too!
In fact, I think the talk of grief and moving beyond it without letting go of those feelings - both from Roku and Gyatso and even from Malaya (in the deleted scene of the Barnes and Noble exclusive edition - was the thing that will linger with me the most, especially Roku's speech to the Lambak people at the end of the book. Really powerful.
In the end, I really did enjoy this despite my very initial disappointments, but I'm hopeful for a bit more of a time jump in the next book. And surely this will likely be more of a trilogy (or more) than just two books? Since we know Roku lives to more or less "old age" (not compared to Kyoshi, of course), it'd be fascinating to check in every 10-20 years or so to see how he has progressed in both his bending and in his worldview while likewise seeing Sozin's rise to power and thirst for conquest.
Whatever is next...I'm excited for it!
Bookstagram - @chelsealikesbooks
flintyfiction's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
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
tealbeankai's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lovelylaurenann's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
gabbiec's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ren_stevens's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-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
3.75
lunathemartian's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Really good book! It once again seeks to differentiate itself from the past Avatar books via a genre shift, this one is a little less drastic, going back into politics but not so much espionage as it is playing the game. I found the action fun and seeing this hidden community very interesting, but the characters didn't feel quite as deep as they could've been.