Writing about the expanded history of the Avatar The Last Airbender really allows for the exploration of the darker parts of the established world. Continuing Yangchen’s story tells a story far more foreboding and bleaker than one would expect. The Avatar stories tend to be more focused on overt and bombastic adventures and even the previous story, The Dawn of Yanchen by F.C. Lee, also had that kind of feel to it. But the sequel, The Legacy of Yangchen, is quite an intricate and convoluted story that is dark, intriguing and mysterious.
Character Development
9/10
Yangchen, as the Avatar, is by far the most interesting and dynamic of the Avatars so far but also, in a strange way, rather unique from what’s been explored. Her story is not necessarily focused on what the role of the Avatar should be as it never comes across as something she’s unsure of. At this point in the story, she’s already an established bender and master of the four elements. The uncertainty that Yangchen faces is with herself and her actions. The Legacy of Yangchen is a far darker, gloomier and violent story that explores backroom dealings and crimes that drive the economies and the cultures of the cities she’s trying to save. But seeing Yangchen struggle to make the right decision while also portrayed as brilliant and cunning sounds like it would be a strange combination, but it fits perfectly for the Avatar. The morality conflicts that arise as the story progresses helps to shape Yangchen’s character in both positive and negative ways that make her feel like a real growing character despite the god-like powers she wields.
But despite Yangchen being a very interesting character, it’s hard not to feel that Kavik’s story is far more gripping. While Yangchen’s grey morality feels more on what’s right and wrong for her to do as the Avatar, Kavik’s moral complexity is a question of loyalty which genuinely felt like it could go either way. Considering the role he played in the Avatar’s team and the distrust he’s caused the others to feel towards him, his struggle on what he should do felt far more complicated. He is being pulled in three different directions that all feel like they could be perfectly reasonable for him to choose. Reasonable in the sense that he, as a character, can justify his decision because of what’s important to him that’s clearly communicated to the reader. Both Kavik and Yangchen’s challenges create an air of tension that made for a more a captivating story.
Plot
8/10
The entire story felt like a game of five-dimensional chess with how complex and convoluted it got. But that’s not to say that is a bad thing. The Legacy of Yangchen felt like a mystery novel wrapped in the guise of an action-adventure story. In a way, the story didn’t rely too much on the fact that it was set in the world of Avatar. It was very satisfying to see how the story unfolded in unexpected ways that felt properly set up in previous chapters. I had a genuine moment of surprise and confusion where I dropped the book and recalled the steps that led to that moment. It’s been a very long time since a story had given me that kind of reaction.
But that being said, just as in the previous story, there was a moment that felt rather jarring closer to the end. It felt rather at odds with how the rest of the story was told and the fact that it was explained afterwards through flashbacks rather than interweaved in the events of the story felt a tad disappointing. It’s a rather conflicting thing as those flashbacks did have moments of important character development, but it seemed like it would have been more impactful had those moments been inferred and/or implied rather than explicitly shown.
Worldbuilding
7/10
The world of the Avatar didn’t necessarily feel like it was expanded upon in any meaningful way, but for the context of what The Legacy of Yangchen was, it was appropriate. Concepts already established in other stories were built upon and explored, given more complexity and nuance than the rather black and white description previously applied. The White Lotus, for instance, was something that always could have been explored more given the assertions made. The way the organization is portrayed here is far more compelling and interesting than the secret society it was made out to be previously. While parts of the Avatar world were developed and explored, it did feel a bit lacking to not see more of it utilized in telling this story though.
Writing Style
9/10
The pacing of the story is fast and fluid, never feeling like a chapter drags on too long even when it’s something as mundane as an exposition scene. The chapters vary in length where moments that provide quick bits of character development or plot updates are well implemented in a way to keep interest easy to maintain. I’ve always been a proponent of more chapters that are shorter rather than long drawn out chapters to create a smooth and easy flow, especially when reading can be a struggle for some as it is. It helped keep the entire story engaging and exciting to read.
Score
8.25/10
Raph's Cozy Musings 