Drachenmond Lesechallenge - 2. Runde (Mai - August)

[Disclaimer: Sorry, this is a german book challenge and therfore I won't translate my posts about it]

Auch in der zweiten Runde der Drachenmond Lesechallenge bin ich Teil des Meerjungfrauen-Teams, das von Bianca geleitet und begleitet wird. Mehr zur Challenge erfahrt ihr hier und bei Emely.

MEIN INSTAGRAM (ausschließlich für die Kommentare zu den Leserunden): @valiant_little_tailor_reads


Mai: Schicksalhafte Wendungen

1. A Court of Wings and Ruin - Sarah J. Maas (Rezension)
   Seitenzahl: 699
   Monatsthema: Ja, jede Menge sogar. Hier entscheidet sich das Schicksal einer ganzen Welt.
   Drachenmond-Buch: Nein
   Kekse: 40


2. Schmetterlingsblau - Sarah Nisse (Rezension) - LESERUNDE
   Seitenzahl: 312
   Monatsthema: Ja, die erste Begegnung der Hauptfiguren führt dazu, dass eine der Beiden wieder neuen Lebensmut bekommt.
   Drachenmond-Buch: Ja
   Kekse 195

Gesamt: 235


Juni: Paralellwelten

1. A Storm of Swords - George R. R. Martin (Rezension)
   Seitenzahl: 1177
   Monatsthema: Nein
   Drachenmond-Buch: Nein
   Kekse: 75

2. Rebell: Gläserner Zorn - Mirjam H. Hüberli (Rezension) - LESERUNDE
   Seitenzahl: 260
   Monatsthema: Ja
   Drachenmond-Buch: Ja
   Kekse: 195

3. Magic Study - Maria V. Snyder (Rezension)
   Seitenzahl: 419
   Monatsthema: Nein
   Drachenmond-Buch: Nein
   Kekse: 15

4. Strange the Dreamer - Laini Taylor (Rezension)
   Seitenzahl: 544
   Monatsthema: Ja, aber das zu erklären wäre ein riesiger Spoiler (;
   Drachenmond-Buch: Nein
   Kekse: 40

5. American Gods - Neil Gaiman (Rezension)
   Seitenzahl: 640
   Monatsthema: Ja, es gibt definitiv Paralellwelten, vor allem da die nordische Mythologie eine Rolle spielt und es da bekanntlich neun Welten gibt.
   Drachenmond-Buch: Nein
   Kekse: 40

6. Norse Mythology - Neil Gaiman (Rezension)
   Seitenzahl: 297
   Monatsthema: Ja, wie bei 5. schon erwähnt, gibt es in der nordischen Mythologie neun Welten. In diesem Buch werden sie alle besucht, vor allem spielt die Handlung aber in Asgard, der Welt der Götter.
   Drachenmond-Buch: Nein
   Kekse: 40

Gesamt: 385
Zwischenstand: 620


Juli: Musik

1. Deep Blue - Jennifer Donnelly (Rezension)
   Seitenzahl: 336
   Monatsthema: Ja, Magie wird mithilfe von Zaubergesängen gewirkt.
   Drachenmond-Buch: Nein
   Kekse: 25

2. Lord of Shadows - Cassandra Clare (Rezension)
   Seitenzahl: 701
   Monatsthema: Nein
   Drachenmond-Buch: Nein
   Kekse: 50

3. Straßensymphonie - Alexandra Fuchs (Rezension) - LESERUNDE
   Seitenzahl: 376
   Monatsthema: Ja
   Drachenmond-Buch: Ja
   Kekse: 200

4. Rebel of the Sands - Alwyn Hamilton (Rezension)
   Seitenzahl: 358
   Monatsthema: Nein
   Drachenmond-Buch: Nein
   Kekse: 15

5. Fire Study - Maria V. Snyder (Rezension)
   Seitenzahl: 441
   Monatsthema: Nein
   Drachenmond-Buch: Nein
   Kekse: 15

6. Die längste Nacht - Isabel Abedi (Rezension)
   Seitenzahl: 400
   Monatsthema: Ja, Danilo hat immer die dicke Berta, sein Cello, dabei!
   Drachenmond-Buch: Nein
   Kekse: 25

7. Die Verratenen - Ursula Poznanski (Rezension)
   Seitenzahl: 464
   Monatsthema: Nein
   Drachenmond-Buch: Nein
   Kekse: 15

8. Feuer & Glas: Der Pakt - Brigitte Riebe (Rezension)
   Seitenzahl: 384
   Monatsthema: Nein
   Drachenmond-Buch: Nein
   Kekse: 15

9. Die Worte der Weißen Königin - Antonia Michaelis (Rezension) - LESERUNDE
   Seitenzahl: 272
   Monatsthema: Nein
   Drachenmond-Buch: Nein
   Kekse: 60

10. Whisper - Isabel Abedi (Rezension)
   Seitenzahl: 275
   Monatsthema: Nein
   Drachenmond-Buch: Nein
   Kekse: 10

Gesamt: 430
Zwischenstand: 1050


August: Monster

1. Ewigkeitsgefüge - Laura Labas (Rezension) - LESERUNDE
   Seitenzahl: 310
   Monatsthema: Ja
   Drachenmond-Buch: Ja
   Kekse: 195

2. The Girl of Fire and Thorns - Rae Carson (Rezension)
   Seitenzahl: 423
   Monatsthema: Ja, nur leider habe ich schon wieder vergessen, wie die heißen.
   Drachenmond-Buch: Nein
   Kekse: 25

3. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak (Rezension) - LESERUNDE
   Seitenzahl: 554
   Monatsthema: Ja
   Drachenmond-Buch: ein
   Kekse: 90

4. Min mormor hälsar och säger förlåt - Fredrik Backman (Rezension)
   Seitenzahl: 447
   Monatsthema: Nein
   Drachenmond-Buch: Nein
   Kekse: 15

5. Feuerrot - Nina Blazon (Rezension)
   Seitenzahl: 512
   Monatsthema: Ja, Hexen und Dämonen
   Drachenmond-Buch: Nein
   Kekse: 40

6. Odinsbarn - Siri Pettersen (Rezension)
   Seitenzahl: 662
   Monatsthema: Ja, die "Blinden" (freie Übersetzung)
   Drachenmond-Buch: Nein
   Kekse: 40

7. Röd måne - Elisabet Nemert (Rezension)
   Seitenzahl: 384
   Monatsthema: Ja, Hexen und Teufel
   Drachenmond-Buch: Nein
   Kekse: 25

8. En man som heter Ove - Fredrik Backman (Rezension)
   Seitenzahl: 348
   Monatsthema: Nein
   Drachenmond-Buch: Nein
   Kekse: 10

9. Uprooted - Naomi Novik (Rezension)
   Seitenzahl: 488
   Monatsthema: Ja, walkers, Gottesanbeterinnen-Monster, usw.
   Drachenmond-Buch: Nein
   Kekse: 25

10. Udda verklighet - Nene Ormes (Rezension)
   Seitenzahl: 254
   Monatsthema: Ja, Gestaltwandler und ein komischer, vampirähnlicher Typ, der Gefühle und Erinnerungen aussaugt anstatt Blut
   Drachenmond-Buch: Nein
   Kekse: 20

Gesamt: 485
Endstand: 1535

{English} Poison Study - Maria V. Snyder (Study #1, The Chronicles of Ixia #1)

For fans of: Throne of Glass - Sarah J. Maas, His Fair Assassin - Robin LaFevers
Published: 2005 (Luna Books)
Pages: 409

 

Blurb: Choose: A quick death and hell or slow poison and hell.
About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.
And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly's Dust and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison.
As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can't control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren't so clear.

My opinion: Why have I been waiting so long to read this? It's been sitting on my shelf for at least two years and one of my friends has told me to read it since then. I should have listened to her sooner!
Basically, it's a classic High Fantasy Novel with a strong female lead, exactly what I love and want to read more of. But Poison Study soon shows that it's more than just that and definitely has it's surprises. It totally enthralled me right from the start and I didn't want to stop reading.
The reader is directly thrown into the story, which is a wise move, in my opinion. That way the action starts right away and we don't have to follow some average girl discovering she's not average. Still there are many things that are left unclear and Yelena has a lot to learn about herself. Those informations were well spread across the book in small pieces.

The pacing of the novel was pleasant and Maria V. Snyder has a good style of narration. Nothing too special, but it didn't interrupt the reading flow either. At first I was (as always) uncertain about the first person narrator here, but Yelena isn't the selfish kind of person and she was often just observing rather than expressing her thoughts. I hope that it stays that way and that she doesn't become that annoying first person narrator that I dread so much.

Unfortunately there weren't only things that I liked and I would have loved to give this book five buttons. First of all, there weren't many women besides Yelena, but many male main characters. She hardly talked with the other women in the castles and if so, it was threats or gossip. That's a big no-go for me. But there's Irys, who seems so mysterious and complex, and Maren, but she's hardly present and plays only a minor role. I hope to see more of Irys in the other books.
Under the king there was a partriarchy, I get it, but the Commander gives women a chance to rise up. Still there are no female rulers in Ixia, only male Generals. Women are servants or seamstresses, as far as I can tell from this book, nothing more. Of course it takes a little longer than just 15 years to establish equality, but this is something the author chose to do.
As of now, the worldbuilding is very vague, though what we see of it here is quite interesting. There's definitely space for discovering more in the other books.

Then there's this romance. (SPOILERS AHEAD!) Though I loved the dynamics between Yelena and Valek, it all happened to fast in the end. First there was nothing and suddenly they confessed their love for eachother. A slow developement would have been better, because this way it seems that the author just wanted it to be like other novels in this genre. Up until then it was more unique.
(ANOTHER SPOILER) I knew that Butterfly's Dust was a hoax right from the beginning, but I never would have guessed what Brazell was up to or what those beans were.

All the time while reading I couldn't help myself but always compared it to Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. There are many similarities and I wonder if there's something behind it. In both we have a girl that is being left out of imprisonment after a year to be hired for a delicate assignment. They both have a past and at first we don't know anything about their parents or other family. And so on and so on. Or is it just me?

I loved Ari and Janco and hope they still have an important part in the other books. These two are just adorable. I'm not sure about Valek yet, but there's something shady about him that makes him very interesting.
Poison Study is definitely a great start to a big series and I'll definitely continue it very soon!
  
My rating: 4/5 Buttons

{German} Mondprinzessin - Ava Reed (Mondprinzessin #1)

Für Fans von: Sailor Moon, The Selection - Kiera Cass
Veröffentlichung: 2016 (Drachenmond Verlag)

Seiten: 252



Klappentext: Lynn bemerkt an ihrem Geburtstag, wie sich auf der Haut ihres Unterarms ein Sternenbild abzeichnet. Die einzelnen Punkte leuchten und Lynn versucht verzweifelt, sie zu verstecken. Als nicht nur die Sterne auf ihrem Arm, sondern auch sie selbst zu leuchten beginnt, ist nichts mehr, wie es war. Dunkle Schatten jagen sie – die Wächter des Mondes. Und sie begegnet Juri, der ihr erzählt, sie sei eine Prinzessin – kein Waisenkind. Trotz Lynns Unglauben folgt sie dem Mondkrieger und stellt sich ihren Verfolgern. Juri verliebt sich in Lynn, doch sie ist einem Prinzen bestimmt und nicht ihm…  

Meine Meinung: Das Cover ist schonmal wunderschön und auch der Einstieg mit der Freundschaft der Sonne und des Mondes ist sehr gelungen. Der Schreibstil ist angenehm, aber die wechselnden Ich-Erzähler stören etwas.
Ein Stock als Waffe ist in diesem Genre ungewöhnlich und ich bin davon begeistert.

Es gibt leider einige unschöne Wortwiederholungen, Lücken und Ungereimtheiten im Text, die den Lesefluss stören (Achtung SPOILER ab hier). Zum Beispiel sieht Anna den Stock nicht als Lynn ins Heim zurück kommt. Laut Wikipedia sind solche Stöcke normalerweise ca. 1,80m lang. Wie konnte Anna diesen Stock übersehen?
Ich würde mir einmal wünschen, etwas über ein glückliches Waisenkind zu lesen. Warum lässt man Leute in einem Heim arbeiten, die keine Kinder mögen? Warum isst Lynn zu ihrem Geburtstag ekeligen Kuchen, wenn sie ihn scheinbar (es wird nicht erwähnt, woher sie ihn hat!) selbst kauft? Hätte sie sich nicht vom Bäcker nebenan einen Muffin oder etwas auf die Art holen können?
Die Kopfgeldjäger finde ich äußerst unprofessionell. Da sprechen sie sie zuerst noch an und warten mit dem Angriff, obwohl sie genau wissen, dass Lynn die Prinzessin ist, die sie suchen. Warum war es für die Kopfgeldjäger so einfach, Lynn zu finden, wenn schon so viele daran gescheitert sind?
Juri hat sie auch viel zu schnell und zu einfach gefunden und dann taucht er natürlich genau im richtigen Moment auf, um Lynn zu retten.
Während des ganzen Kampfes denkt Lynn zu viel über manche Dinge nach. Wenn man Angst hat, hat man eigentlich keine Zeit für sowas. Was mich irritiert hat, ist, dass Lynn ihren Stock plötzlich als Jim bezeichnet, ohne weiteren Kommentar. Erst dachte ich, sie meint ihren Trainer Jim und wusste nicht, woher der plötzlich kommt. Nach dem Kampf erklärt sie es dann, was ich seltsam finde.

Natürlich sind alle Figuren weißer als weiß, vor allem die Hauptfigur. Wer nicht blond ist, hat hellbraune oder rote Haare.
Das nächste Problem ist die Sprache. Gut, das Buch wurde auf Deutsch verfasst und spielt irgendwo im anglophonen Raum (zumindest die Namen der Protagonisten klingen danach), vermutlich in einer Großstadt wie New York. Solche Bücher gibt es schon zur Genüge und darüber will ich mich gar nicht auslassen, außerdem ist es gar nicht wichtig, in welcher Stadt Lynn sich befindet und mit welcher Sprache sie aufgewachsen ist. Vielmehr stört es mich, dass die Bewohner des Mondes, die sich gesondert von den Menschen entwickelt haben, 'zufällig' die gleiche Sprache sprechen. Ava Reed hätte keine eigene Sprache erfinden müssen, aber sie hätte es zumindest andeuten können. Es könnte ja eine Technologie geben, die den Mond- und Erdbewohnern die Kommunikation erleichtert, oder die Mondbewohner haben einfach ein paar Erdensprachen gerlernt.

Warum herrscht auf dem Mond (und scheinbar auch auf anderen Planeten) ein Hofzeremoniell wie im 19. Jahrhundert? Seine Kinder zwangszuverheiraten ist nicht sehr fortschrittlich. Warum unternehmen die Eltern nichts dagegen, wenn sie damit auch schlechte Erfahrungen gemacht haben?
Dann wird an einer Stelle auch noch körperliche Gewalt romantisiert, weswegen ich fast aufgehört hätte zu lesen.
Das Ende hat mich leider überhaupt nicht überrascht oder mitgerissen. Die Figuren waren mir bis zum Schluss einfach zu oberflächlich und ich konnte keine Sympathie entwickeln.

Es gab aber auch Positives an diesem Roman. Die tierischen Begleiter, zum Beispiel, auch wenn ich von sprechenden Tieren nicht sehr begeistert bin. Auch gut war die Entstehungsgeschichte der Planetenbewohner und wieso die Menschen auf der Erde nichts davon mitbekommen. Dann ist das Worldbuilding aber leider etwas unoriginell geworden. Schade eigentlich. Auch Lynn hat mir am Ende nicht mehr gefallen, wo sie doch vorher so tough und selbstbewusst war.

Wer gerne seichte Romanzen mit einem Hauch Fantasy und Science Fiction liest, wird dieses Buch sicherlich genießen.

Meine Bewertung: 3/5 Knöpfe

{English} Avatar - The Last Airbender: The Rift, Part Three (The Rift #3)

For fans of: the Nickelodeon series
Published: 2014 (Dark Horse)
Pages: 76

 

Blurb: The spirits are restless! As Avatar Aang and his friends confront an ancient spirit determined to destroy a town on land sacred to Air Nomads, Toph and Aang find themselves on opposing sides in a battle of gigantic proportions. If Toph and Aang don't put aside their differences, there's more at stake than just their friendship!

My opinion: This book perfectly ties together most of the narration strings from the previous graphic novels. It also shows the connection between the past and the future, the human and the spirit world. Neither Aang nor Toph were entirely right and that's good, because there isn't a right or wrong in this case.

It was fun to see Toph's students again and to see how they improved. I'm also happy that Toph and her father get along again and I'm glad that there wasn't some big romance between Toph and Satoru. There's definitely something developing between them though (;
  
My rating: 4/5 Buttons

{English} Avatar - The Last Airbender: The Rift, Part Two (The Rift #2)

For fans of: the Nickelodeon series
Published: 2014 (Dark Horse)
Pages: 76

Blurb: The Past Returns! Avatar Aang and his friends seek answers to the mysteries surrounding a refinery on land sacred to the Air Nomads. As Toph discovers a startling truth about her father's involvement with the refinery, Aang travels to the spirit world, discovering a secret as surprising as it is dangerous. Soon, Team Avatar realizes that they may be facing a threat more dire than they could possibly have imagined!

My opinion: There wasn't much going on in this part, but it was enjoyable. The mix of old and new is getting interesting and it closes the gap between Aang's story and "The Legend of Korra" a little more.
Both Aang and Toph have valid reasons for acting like they do, they're quite some opposites, I'd say. First I was rather on Toph's side, but this installment made me realise that neither way is the right one.

The drama with Toph's family is a tad too much for me, but it makes sense and is necessary.
Satoru is a nice character and he fits in well. It's just that he's a little flat (like the others seem to be in this series) and I hope he's not only there to be Toph's love interest.
Yungchen could be an interesting character, at least her backstory is. It's a nice diversion, because so far we know the most about Avatar Roku and maybe Kiyoshi. I'd be curious about her companion and those two lemurs.
  
My rating: 3/5 Buttons

{English} Avatar - The Last Airbender: The Rift, Part One (The Rift #1)

For fans of: the Nickelodeon series
Published: 2014 (Dark Horse)
Pages: 76

Blurb: Sacred Land Defiled! Avatar Aang asks his friends to help him honor Yangchen's Festival—one of the highest Air Nomad holidays, which hasn't been celebrated in over one hundred years. But cryptic visits from the spirit of Avatar Yangchen herself lead Aang to discover a jointly owned Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom refinery—operating on land sacred to the Airbenders! Is this simply a case of corporate greed or is something more mysterious happening?

My opinion: The drawing style is the same one as in "The Search" and I can live with that, but Iroh doesn't look like himself. Almost didn't recognise him.
Sokka is headless again, Aang is as naive as ever and Katara's only function is to comfort other people. Seriously, did Book Three even happen? At least Toph is back.
The story lines from "The Promise" and "The Search" come together here, but "The Search" doesn't feel as genuine as the others. I like how Yu Dao is developing, especially with a heterogenic government like this.

I don't like how Aang clings to all those traditions. I get that he wants to preserve his culture, especially given that he's the last airbender, but in doing that he comes across close-minded. Luckily there's Toph who shows that things shouldn't just be done because that's the way it is. It's just that the way she shows is it is quite aggressive.
The modern technology of the factory doesn't really go well with the rest of the worldbuilding. Maybe that's on purpose, we'll see.
And then it ended in such a cliffhanger... again! I actually gasped. 
  
My rating: 3/5 Buttons

{Swedish} Sommarboken - Tove Jansson

För fans av: Min mormor hälsar och säger förlåt - Fredrik Backmann
Publicerades: 1972
Sidor: 192

Innehåll: Sommarboken handlar om tre människor som bor på en vacker ö i skärgården: Sophia, hennes pappa och farmor. Det är mest av allt en berättelse om vänskapen mellan en mycket gammal kvinna och en mycket ung flicka. Deras vänskap över generationsgränserna är lika stark och intensiv som en sommar i skärgården kan vara efterlängtad. Sommarboken en glad och varm bok fylld av livskänsla.


Min mening: Boken var precis som titeln säger: en somrig bok. Lugnt och tyst, sen upphetsande och spännande. Jag gillade den där blandningen. Ibland blev det tyvärr lite långtråkig, eftersom kapitälerna började intressant, sen kom en beskrivning av naturen och plötsligt händer det någonting.  Tyvärr följer de flesta berättelser den här schemat.

Förhållanden mellan Sophia och hennes farmor är ganska speciellt. Varken min farmor eller min mormor var/är så här och jag älskar dem, men jag tycker att Sophias farmor är en riktig bra person. Hon tycker inte om andra människor och hon föredra att läsa eller sover. En sånt mormor/farmor vill jag bli en gång.

Sophia kan vara lite ansträngande, tror jag. Visst, hon är ett barn och kräver uppmärksamhet, men det skulle vara för mycket för mig. Hon är en stor motsats till hennes farmor, men det finns så mycket som de kan uppleva tillsammans.

Pappan var lite konstigt. På boken och i förordet står det att boken handlar om en liten familj som består av Sophie, hennes pappa och hennes farmor. Men jag är inte säkert om pappan är verkligen en stor del av familjen. Han jobbar nästan hela tiden (vad får vi inte veta) och gillar blommor. Det är allt. Han verkar inte vara där på riktig och tyvärr problematiseras det inte riktig. Farmorn tar bara över mammans ”uppgift” och så är det bara en vanligt rollfördelning. Lite synd om det.

Ändå var det spännande att följa Sophies och farmorns äventyr. Till och med kändes det som om det hade blivit sommar, fast det var bara April. Jag saknade sommaren efter bokens slut. Det var som om jag hade varit på en finsk ö och måste lämna den nu för alltid.

 

Min värdering: 3/5 knappar

{English} Avatar - The Last Airbender: The Search, Part Three (The Search #3)

For fans of: the Nickelodeon series
Published: 2013 (Dark Horse)
Pages: 76

 

Blurb: The Fate of the Fire Lord! Avatar Aang travels to the spirit world to parlay with an ancient power, bringing Fire Lord Zuko ever closer to discovering the truth about his mother's fate—and his own past. Yet Zuko's sister Azula is becoming increasingly dangerous, threatening to ruin everything that Zuko, Aang, Katara, and Sokka have struggled to achieve on their search!

My opinion: The end was only a mild surprise, nothing very exciting. It had it's twists and turns, but other than that it didn't have much new.
I wondered if it was really necessary that the whole Team Avatar went on the journey with Zuko. Sure, Aang was important, because he communicated with the spirit world and all that. But Katara? She was just there as his girlfriend. Fullstop.
Sokka wasn't much more than a comic relief. Would it have been that bad to split up the team for just one adventure? I mean, Toph wasn't there either!
Then the whole thing with Azula... She wasn't a very convincing crazy person. Drawing her eyes like that didn't help much. There could have been a lot more character developement, given all her talking about being a monster and so on. That storyline wasn't solved up in the end, unfortunately. And I still don't get why it was so important that Zuko took her with him.
Ursa was quite a boring charakter. She's all about being a loving mother and wife. That's it. No surprises.
Either the drawing style got better or I got accustomed to it. Zuko changed his hairstyle every other page though.
All in all it was a mediocre story that I expected more of, but it was comfy read.
  
My rating: 3/5 Buttons

{English} Avatar - The Last Airbender: The Search, Part Two (The Search #2)

For fans of: the Nickelodeon series
Published: 2013 (Dark Horse)
Pages: 76

 

Blurb: As Fire Lord Zuko continues his quest to uncover his mother's fate, a shocking revelation causes him to question everything he knows. It's an opportunity that his sister, the deadly and insane Azula, will not fail to take advantage of as she joins Zuko and his friends, Aang, Katara, and Sokka on their journey into a mysterious forest from which some people never reemerge...  

My opinion: This one was already better than the first installment of "The Search". The pacing wasn't as rushed and the characters were closer to their normal selves.
Azula was still a little one-sided, she's just the crazy one here. Maybe there's a reason for that, I can't tell, but I hope so.

It becomes clear that Ursa is the centre of the story and I can't wait to see what they find out about her in the end. Because right now I don't really have a clue. Something that bothers me is Ursa's background story. It's filled with clichés and tbh I expected a little more from the makers of such an incredible series. Hopefully I'll be surprised. The end (a cliffhanger again) was intriguing, to be fair.

I'm not sure about that pair of siblings that showed up in the forest. Do they have some sort of function or are they just here to underline the importance of siblings/sibling-relationships?

Aang still comes across like he's still a naive little child. I'm not sure how old he is now (not counting the 100 years he spent in the iceberg), but I don't think he's acting like his age. Or his title. In "The Promise" he was a lot wiser and more mature. Where did that all go.
And Toph? Where is she?

To sum things up, here's what I (at least!) expect from the finale of this series: 1. Finding Ursa. 2. Toph to show up. 3. Aang and Katara to stop calling eachother "sweetie".
  
My rating: 4/5 Buttons

{English} Avatar - The Last Airbender: The Search, Part One (The Search #1)

For fans of: the Nickelodeon series
Published: 2013 (Dark Horse)
Pages: 76

 

 

Blurb: For years, fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra have burned with one question—what happened to Fire Lord Zuko's mother? Finding a clue at last, Zuko enlists the aid of Team Avatar—and the most unlikely ally of all—to help uncover the biggest secret of his life.

My opinion: FINALLY we get to know more about Zuko's mother! Ever since the TV series had ended, I have been dying to learn more about her!

This one's drawing style is quite different from "The Promise". While the latter resembled the series a lot, here it's pretty obvious that other artists have worked on it. Not only cartoonists, but writers. The plot is sometimes a little too jumpy, too fast, and not just because there are two story lines. I actually liked those flashbacks from Ursa's POV more than the actual story.

The characters often didn't feel quite like themselves. Sokka, for example, hasn't been that headless since the beginning of Book One (I'm watching that one right now, which is why I can tell the difference very well). Where has all his character developement, his maturity gone? Don't get me wrong, Sokka is one of my favourites and I love his sillyness, but this isn't the end-of-book-three-Sokka. The jokes weren't funny either.

Katara and Aang aren't very present in this story, which is okay, because the focus is on Zuko and Azula, of course. It's just that their only function seems to be being the annoying couple. I mean, really. I never really shipped them and I still don't buy it. Despite their constant confessions of love and calling eachother "sweetie".
Somehow Katara doesn't seem to be as independent anymore. She has always been there to protect the people she loves, and I like her for that, but here it's the only thing she does. That was better executed in "The Promise".

Where's Toph? I don't really care about her academy here, sorry. She'd better show up in one of the next parts or have a better excuse than just training her students.
What's wrong with Zuko? How could he be that careless? Yes, finding his mother is his priority, but this doesn't seem like him at all. It's like "The Promise" never happend.
And that whole thing with Azula. No, just no.

"The Promise" felt like coming home and meeting old friends, "The Search" (at least so far) was more like a fanfiction. A pretty good one at least, that has to be said.
The different sibling dynamics are interesting and sometimes a little heartwarming. I've got a feeling that we'll see more of that in the other parts of this story.

The cliffhanger was too mean! I saw it coming, though... Excuse me while I read the next part now.
 
 My rating: 4/5 Buttons

{English} Avatar - The Last Airbender: The Promise, Part Three (The Promise #3)

For fans of: the Nickelodeon series
Published: 2012 (The Dark Horse)
Pages: 76

Blurb: The final chapter! The Harmony Restoration Movement has failed, and the world is plunged back into war! In the midst of the battle, can Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko mend the rift between them, or will Aang be forced to take actions that can't be undone?

My opinion: That whole thing with the war went a little fast. In this series they tried to brake down the very difficult topic of colonization, but they made it a little too easy. People overreacted all the time, especially Zuko and the Earth king. Rulers usually have advisers, but here no one seemed to consider peaceful options. There wasn't much space for all that here, unfortunately.

Toph's students were awesome and I'm glad they saved the day. Of course, there's also our core group that we all love. It was just like watching the TV series again! E
ven the fangirling fangirls showed that they're more than what they seem to be. I'm really glad that happend and that they were more than just the comic relief.

The dynamics between Sokka and Toph are amazing, as they always were. Sokka is still the one who has the good plans, but he definitely became older and wiser. Just a tiny little bit.

Zuko should have gone straight to Iroh for advice. Didn't that ever come to his mind? Iroh has definitely proven to always have good advice, but Zuko seems to have completly forgotten about that. And what was that with Mai? Will we ever get to know more???

Very important questions and am glad that some things were left unfinished. Because now there's plenty of space for more (;

  
My rating: 4/5 Buttons

{English} Avatar - The Last Airbender: The Promise, Part Two (The Promise #2)

For fans of: the Nickelodeon series
Published: 2012 (Dark Horse)
Pages: 76

Blurb: Aang and Katara work tirelessly to prevent a dispute between Fire Lord Zuko and Earth King Kuei that could plunge the world back into war! Meanwhile, Sokka helps Toph prepare her hapless first class of metalbending students to defend their school against a rival class of firebenders!

My opinion: There's still this annoying sweetie-thing between Aang and Katara and I still don't buy it. I never really shipped them, but I'm okay with their relationship, it just needs some depth. If they just wouldn't call eachother sweetie. Isn't there something more original? I mean, it's okay if one calls the other sweetie, but both? Couples usually have different names for eachother.
Katara is really overreacting sometimes (in that club with those fangirling fangirls, for example), but so is Aang. I thought by now his character would have developed a little more.

It was great to learn more about Toph's metalbending school. I never thought she would be someone to become a teacher, but her crazy tactics really work. She still has to learn more herself, though. Her students have some symbolic character. They show that even though you're different from everyone else in your society, you can be good at something special.

But why, why does Zuko always come back to his father? Our young fire lord knew where those Actions brought his old man and how it ended. So why does he follow his steps? Zukos struggles are visible and I get why he feels that way, but he doesn't seem to think twice sometimes.

The mix of childish humor and politics is great as always. These graphic novels are all great for kids and at the same times they'll learn something about political dynamics and being the leader of a country or just a group.
  
My rating: 4/5 Buttons