Fans of Avatar: the Last Airbender and F. C. Yee’s New York Times bestselling Kyoshi novels can now collect both hardcover editions in this acclaimed duology
The Rise of Kyoshi delves into the origin story of Kyoshi, the Earth Kingdom–born Avatar. The longest-living Avatar in this beloved world’s history, Kyoshi established the brave and respected Kyoshi Warriors, but also founded the secretive Dai Li, which led to the corruption, decline, and fall of her own nation. In The Shadow of Kyoshi, Kyoshi’s place as the true Avatar has finally been cemented—but at a heavy cost. Kyoshi voyages across the Four Nations, struggling to keep the peace; but while her reputation grows, a mysterious threat emerges from the Spirit World. This thrilling duology follows Kyoshi’s journey from a girl of humble origins to the merciless pursuer of justice still feared and admired centuries after becoming the Avatar.
Outside of writing, F. C. Yee practices capoeira, a Brazilian form of martial arts, and has a day job mostly involving spreadsheets. He is the author of The Epic Crush of Genie Lo and its sequel, The Iron Will of Genie Lo, both of which garnered several starred reviews. He lives and writes in Boulder, CO. Written in consultation with Michael Dante DiMartino, the co-creator, executive producer, and story editor of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra.
F.C. Yee is the author of four New York Times Bestselling books in the CHRONICLES OF THE AVATAR novel series set in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe. His debut THE EPIC CRUSH OF GENIE LO and THE IRON WILL OF GENIE LO received six starred reviews. His newest project is slated for some time in 2027.
The Kyoshi series is a great read to get a view into one of the past lives of the Avatar. It does a fantastic job in showing how the lives, times, and generations of people and/or of a person can be vastly different. Of course, Kyoshi herself is the prime example, but there were others to see this from too which added much more development to the characters. With a glimpse of the Avatar cycle you also manage to get a strong feel of angst, found family, life-changing decisions, risks, and love all in one box set. How amazing!
Kyoshi wants to be an Avatar people can look back and think she did good. She wants to be like the glorious previous Air Nomad Avatar, Yangchen, but she feels beaten down with every step she takes. You follow her through her staggering becoming in taking the position of the Avatar.
There was no room for a boring read. Everything was changing and moving. Either Kyoshi moved forward or she moved backward. If she moved forward she pressed on. If she moved backwards then she pushed back twice as hard.
Kyoshi is a girl who will do anything for the people she loves even if it means getting hurt, which she prefers herself to take the butt end of the pain. She is sweet, but she is simultaneously brutal. Because of her upbringing Kyoshi will defend the people who gave her life. She is devoted and hardcore.
Becoming the Avatar isn’t the main goal in the first book. Kyoshi ignores it completely. Her mind is focused on this plan of revenge for the deaths of two people who she loved being killed. The cost is destruction following her footsteps, stepping over where she had just been herself moments before. Kyoshi’s blinded ignorance causes issues in the world already, and by the beginning of the second book she already feels like a failure of an Avatar.
Kyoshi getting her revenge is a genuine and good importance to her character. She feels how most people feel after revenge: unfulfilled. Kyoshi still gets scared, and she still remembers her enemy’s face. But she lets go because she knows she has done all she can. It allows her to defeat the threat of the second book no matter how shattering it was to her heart.
She learns in the end a fact about all Avatars: they are not perfect, and she will not be perfect, but she can most certainly do the best she can. It’s a good lesson that even the most perfect people have flaws, and even the most perfect people aren’t so perfect. But despite the blemishes in people they can still make the world a better place.
The Kyoshi series is a great read. Especially if you’re looking for something funny in the first half and then knee shattering, gut wrenching angst agony in the second half. There’s found family and romantic love. WLW rep. Beautiful. But there’s also blood and death; lessons to be had and a story to be told.
My favorite Avatar. The books follows a small portion of the life of Avatar Kyoshi (with the badass war paint and fans) and shows how she went from an outcast to one of the most powerful (and ruthless) Avatars ever. The world-building is amazing and really expands on what we saw in the show. The side characters are great too, a bunch of lovable thugs. The action sequences are vivid, and the lore expands naturally without ever feeling forced. And for me, a plus one is the queer romance.
Overall, The Kyoshi Novels are not just great tie-in books; they stand strong as gripping fantasy novels in their own right. They deepen the Avatar world and remind us why this universe continues to resonate so deeply. Highly recommended for fans and newcomers alike.
This is a great book series I really liked a lot of the added on information to the avatar world. Kyoshi always seem like the coolest of the avatars and it really gives you look at the first couple of years of her becoming the avatar and her life. I think any avatar fan would really enjoy this series and it’s just interesting for new readers as well to kind of get the first steps into the avatar realm. The only reason I didn’t give it five stars was because I think that it should’ve been about I’m more of her life it only really focuses on like three maybe five years and since she’s the oldest living avatar that lived for hundreds of years it feels like a waste.
I would honestly give it a 4.5 only because some scenes got a little messy in my minds eye. Fc yee does fantastic at giving us more in a relatable way and I've pointed fans to these books to kill the trope of kyoshi being this reckless tour de force that the fandom mislabeled. Kyoshi has a ton of depth, and she's flawed in extremely grounded ways. We also get insight to the politics of the water tribes, insight into Kurik (who is my favorite avatar) and his life as an avatar, and one of the most menacing and badass villains. Not sure if I can recommend to non fans of the series.
Book Challenge 2024: #20-21 Avatar, the Last Airbender, The Kyoshi Novels, The Rise of Kyoshi and The Shadow of Kyoshi, by F.C. Lee Audiobooks from TCPL
A nostalgic romp back in avatar-land, with a sweet sapphic storyline. The avatar-world is well-drawn, but the story felt derivative.
I give this series a 3 star because I feel that it is best read with fore knowledge of the Avatar franchise. If you like Avatar, I'd actually give this a 4 star, reserving the fifth star for personal enjoyment, which I did personally.
I was not impressed by this series. The writing style was good at keeping the story going. But I don't see the point in pushing a love story along with the overarching story.