Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise, Part Two of Three

10:40 pm 21 January 2015
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise, Part 2 - Gene Luen Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, Gurihiru, Bryan Konietzko

Hey guys! I finished my first exam today, so now I have five days off before my last one, so I’m trying to read as much as I possibly can this weekend! It’s been so long since I’ve had time to fit books into my schedule. Anyway, this is my review to the second installment in The Promise by Gene Luen Yang, Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, and Gurihiru (the Artist), which is known as The Promise, Part Two.

 

I have to admit, the characters are surprisingly accurate in this series so far. That’s what’s probably got me more on the series than anything else. But for some odd reason, I feel like Zuko is drawn completely different than all the other characters in the graphic novels compared to how he looks in the show.

 

Anyway, the book does not exactly take right off from where it started; in fact, it takes off from Team Avatar dropping off Toph back to her metalbending academy and Sokka deciding he wants to go with her too just for a while to see how Toph runs her academy. Over there, Sokka sees that Toph hasn’t been able to teach any of her students—or in Toph’s case, her “liver lilies”—how to actually metalbend, or anything close to that. Toph reveals to Sokka that she felt her metal bracelet get kind of shiner when she was around these people (sensing their emotions). Sokka’s goal is to help her students/”liver lilies” on metalbending. This little sub-plot of the story is definitely for comic relief in the beginning, but then goes on to explain about Toph’s personal emotions (like at the very end, so no drama or anything, guys).

 

Aang and Katara journey to Ba Sing Se (the Earth Kingdom capital) where they meet with the Earth King Kuei and explain to him that Fire Lord Zuko has taken back his official order from the Harmony Restoration Movement. I guess in a way, it also shows Aang and his personal connection to airbenders, as on their journey, they meet with the official Avatar Aang Fan Club, which only has girls . . . fangirling.

 

Definitely more conflict for Zuko, guys. Honestly . . . like, wow, man. And I mean this because I feel pretty bad for Zuko.

 

Okay . . . discussing the book:

 

When Katara got jealous, I could practically hear her voice in my head! It was so funny!

 

Ozai explains a story to Zuko about how Zuko always had an “affinity for the weak” going back to a story from when he was three. It was about how Zuko saved a turtle-crab from getting eaten by the hawk, and after he took the turtle-crab away, he saw the hawk was hungry. He didn’t know what side was right, but before Zuko could decide, the wave washed him away. Zuko tells his father the morning after that the hawk was right as it had earned its food, but Ozai says they both were right. But the side that Zuko would choose as the Fire Lord would be the more correct decision.

 

AND I WAS LIKE, “YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH, OZAI!” Like . . . why are you making Zuko more conflicted?! And despite being in a prison cell, Ozai had the nerve to tell Zuko to leave his “presence” and all that useless stuff.  

 

And when Mai broke up with Zuko, just because she found out about his secret meetings with Ozai . . . like, I get why she would be upset, but are you really going to leave your boyfriend when he’s already so conflicted?! What is wrong with you?!

 

THAT ENDING. I DID NOT EXPECT EARTH KING KUEI (who didn’t even know what the Hundred Year War even was) to start leading an army to Yu Dao! You’re messing it all up, idiot! And when Zuko had to lead an army himself to protect Yu Dao, I was like, “OH, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!”

(show spoiler)

 

This book is once again recommended to all Avatar fans. I still thought the first book was better, though. But this one leads a better suspense tone at the end instead of hanging you off a cliff. Definitely recommended to all Avatar fans once again, because you’re going to read this anyway!