✨Q Rated: The Rise of Kyoshi
A✨Q - Amazing & Queer, Recommended
Welcome to Lesbian Trash Panda, where I recommend the finest treasures and the best trash a gay raccoon can find. Today’s entry is the first book in the duology about everyone’s favourite Earthbender Avatar - The Rise of Kyoshi!
Summary: If you watched Avatar: The Last Airbender, you’ll be familiar with Kyoshi, the intimidating 300-year-old badass who brought balance to the world two cycles before Avatar Aang.
Kyoshi has a fandom reputation as a merciless killer, but this book — you really see why!
Haha, just kidding, she’s a bisexual simp. The murder is only a side quest.
“The Rise of Kyoshi” follows the longest-lived Avatar from humble beginnings as an orphan to her youth as a servant girl to discovering her gifts, joining a bandit gang, fighting pirates, and taking on some of the most brutal villains in the Avatar universe. Also, she is a huuuuuuuge dork for Rangi, her Firebender bodyguard/friend-who-is-girl/maybe more??? This book is 60% revenge fantasy, 40% pining teenager in love. Kyoshi is part Batman part Sappho and we love her for it
Why you should read it: Did the Batman/Sappho comparison not do it for you? Ok, here’s some more convincing.
Avatar the Last Airbender is one of the best-loved animated shows of all time. It blends the best of eastern and western animation & storytelling conventions to create a universe that is rich in beauty, lore, character, and heart. “The Rise of Kyoshi” adds new historical context and intrigue to the Avatar world while remaining exciting and engaged in its own narrative.
Kyoshi is adorable, and that’s not something you would guess based on appearances in the show. She’s complex and has a lot on her plate and she is frequently put in no-win situations, in a way we’ve never quite seen before in this world. I appreciate when a story is willing to set up a dilemma and follow through on it, instead of pulling a last minute fake-out (cough cough Legend of Korea S1). There are still surprises, but she is forced to make tough decisions and those decisions have consequences.
Rangi is also a great addition to the Avatar universe. Fans of KorraxAsami who were disappointed by how the relationship was censored in the animated show will delighted by how open and honest Kyoshi is about her feelings for Rangi, and I love her for it. I am impressed by the complexity of queer relationships in the Avatar universe - the Legend of Korea tie-in comic Turf Wars gave a brief history lesson on how the four nations feel about it traditionally, and it’s clear the creators put thought and attention into the development of that element of this universe. I am glad they get to explore this part of their world more here, in an avenue where they didn’t have to bind themselves according to homophobic advertising standards.
The book is also funny. It has that classic Avatar humour with some added, “Oh, Kyoshi, you gay sad sack!” Lots of fun characters, exciting moments, and surprising depth.
I just finished reading it to my partner and she loved it. Hopefully you will too! Get it at your local library or buy it, I dunno.
Content Warnings: Surprisingly grim violence, including war crimes - more so than the animated series; for teen readers
Recommended for: Fans of Avatar the Last Airbender and Legend of Korra, fans of historical fantasy, people who wish Bruce Wayne was a gangly teenage girl and Alfred was a badass teenage girl
