Paperback - Avatar, the Last Airbender The Rise of Kyoshi

This book is an amazing start to a whole new kind of story telling in this much beloved universe. This book, being the first of two, effortlessly captures everything fans of the show love about the Avatar series. It shows off the classic elements of both shows which feel so familiar, yet it does it in a way that is fresh and new.Kyoshi has always been portrayed as a strong figure who easily overpowers her foes with her incredible bending prowess, but here we are introduced to a weak and fragile hero with no skill or noteworthy ability. We watch her grow with every problem that gets thrown into her face and see what decisions lead her to become much a famous and feared Avatar.Where the show had to water down some darker elements, in this novel we are able to see what the real world with corruption, greed, and death would look like through the Avatar's eyes. It feels as though this fantasy world could exist in our own even with the occasional earth bending. It is more grown up and brutal while still having moments of overwhelming emotion.Kyoshi is one of the best fleshed out characters in the Avatar franchise and her villains are pretty detailed too. Some Avatar villains fall flat with only one emotion driving their every move, but all of Kyoshi's enemies have compelling stories that make you feel sorry for them while absolutely hating them at the same time. The twists and turns will leave you flipping through this book with pure excitement just to see what happens on the next page.