AVATAR LEGENDS

A 16-year-old refugee in a Chinese-inspired fantasy world delves into the mysteries of her new home in order to save a friend.

Jin and her grandfather Gong-gong live in Ba Sing Se’s Lower Ring, struggling to get by with delivery jobs. Gong-gong, once an expert calligrapher, taught Jin enough to earn a scholarship to a literature academy, but now he’s often mentally absent and confused. They’re part of a torrent of refugees whose families and villages were destroyed by the Fire Nation. Despite this, Ba Sing Se’s brutal enforcers, the Dai Li, insist that there is no war. Still grieving her parents, Jin dreams of a more comfortable life for Gong-gong and her best friend Susu’s family. After Susu is forced to take a servant job in the Upper Ring, risking a life of abuse by a wealthy employer, Jin begins accepting hazardous delivery jobs from the underground resistance, hoping to help Susu. Although this series opener takes place during the timeline of the Avatar: The Last Airbender series and contains cameos by characters from that world, it’s well-developed enough to succeed as a stand-alone. Lin delicately balances themes of inequality, societal control, insularity, and the impact of war with Jin’s resolve to help Susu, her burgeoning earthbending skills, and the struggle for a better world. Jin’s quest for a love like her parents’ leads to a realistic, supportive, slow-burn romance.

A nuanced exploration of darker themes set in the world of the popular Avatar universe.