The Shadow of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee Review

 Title: The Shadow of Kyoshi 

Author: F.C. Yee 

Age Group: Teen/Young Adult 

Genre: Fantasy 

Series: The Kyoshi Novels, book two 

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars 

My husband bought me a copy of this book for Christmas and I reviewed it. 

My obsession with the TV show Avatar: The Last Airbender is no secret. I love the show and its spinoff, The Legend of Korra, so when my husband bought me The Shadow of Kyoshi for Christmas, I was so excited! I finished this book a few days ago, and I’m still stunned. Kyoshi is one of my favorite Avatars, so this book and its predecessor was a great window into the longest-living Avatar’s life. To be honest, though, I have very mixed feelings about Kyoshi’s Avatarhood, as well as the Avatars who came before her. I’m going to try to keep this review spoiler free, as I have a lot of feelings about it! (Justice for Kuruk, and that’s all I’ve got to say on that!) 

Kyoshi’s place as the Avatar is finally cemented, but at a heavy price. With her teachers gone and a new threat on the horizon, she journeys with Rangi and her other allies to the Fire Nation, where the newly minted Fire Lord has asked for her help with a political matter. Drawn into a complicated web of family politics, Kyoshi finds herself, once again, at a crossroads. But in order to deal with her present issues, she’ll have to connect with her Avatar past lives, and Kyoshi begins to realize that nothing is as it seems, and that being the Avatar is so much more than she bargained for... 

I loved, loved, loved this book, but I will say that it gave me greater insight into Avatarhood itself. One of the reasons that I adore Kyoshi is because she was a woman who was willing to do the dirty work for the right thing. As I said in my last review, canon Kyoshi and fandom Kyoshi are two entirely different animals. I loved the pacing; I was immediately drawn back into Kyoshi’s world, and the writing was gorgeous. I loved watching her character develop, as a person and as an Avatar. One of my favorite parts of the book was seeing her relationship develop with Rangi. Watching Kyoshi try to remain impartial was a real struggle, and there were times when I was so sad or angry with the events that transpired that I had to walk away. Nonetheless, this was a great book and I’m glad I kicked off my reading year with it! I love Kyoshi even more now, especially with the ending of the book! F.C. has carved out one of my favorite Avatar’s histories, and I’m so, so happy that I read this duo! I only hope there’s more to come in the future from the Avatar world! The bottom line: Emotional, thought-provoking, and surprising, I loved The Shadow of Kyoshi! Next on deck: The Ravens by Kassie Morgan and Danielle Paige!