“One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them”…erm, wait a second. *coughs awkwardly* Wrong fandom. But now that I think about it, isn’t the Avatar kind of like the One Ring from Lord of the Rings? In a way, the Avatar does “rule them all” since they’re the master of all four elements. So in honor of my favorite Avatar, Avatar Aang (sorry Korra), today I’m going to share my top six must-read books for airbenders.
Top Six Books for Airbenders
Air Awakens by Elise Kova
Any list of books for airbenders would be incomplete without Air Awakens, and not only because they both have the word “air” in them (though let’s be honest, that’s 99.9% of the reason). BUT BUT BUT this book also shares many similarities with Avatar: The Last Airbender which I’m sure any diehard fan would appreciate: elemental magic, four distinct empires, and a windwalker who just so happens to be the last of her kind. (Are we sure this isn’t just an ATLA fanfiction in disguise?)
Famous in a Small Town by Emma Mills
In The Legend of Korra, Tenzin explains that, “Airbending is all about spiral movements. When you meet resistance, you must be able to switch direction at a moment’s notice.” So, because my creativity knows no bounds, I’m going to take this one very literally and recommend a book that has spirals on the cover. Yup. Please hold your applause.
Storm Crow by Kalyn Josephson
If dogs are man’s best friend, then flying bison are the same for airbenders. Shockingly, I couldn’t find a book that featured giant flying bison (somebody should really get on that). I did, however, find one about giant flying crows with elemental powers and I think that’s a pretty close second.
📖 RELATED POST: Read my full review for The Storm Crow and discover why I liked it
This is How We Fly by Anna Meriano
Back in the day, airbenders played a sport called, “Airball,” (wow give the creators a raise for thinking that one up) which involved flying around and trying to shoot a ball through a hoop suspended fifty feet above the ground. Makes you think of another fictional flying sport, doesn’t it? (But minus the broomsticks and Lee Jordan’s snarky commentary.)
This is How We Fly is a loose Cinderella retelling about a high-school graduate who joins her local Quidditch league, and all I can say is: AANG APPROVES.
Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa
Aang is a boy with special abilities raised by a group of monks in a secluded temple. Yumeko is a girl with special abilities raised by a group of monks in a secluded temple. Now, I’m not saying that Yumeko is the Avatar, but I’m not NOT saying that either.
📖 RELATED POST: Come read why Shadow of the Fox was my favorite read of 2018
In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan
The Air Nomads led peaceful lives and avoided conflict when possible. Elliot, the protagonist of In Other Lands, might not be the best at avoiding conflict (he loves snarky comebacks too much for that), but he is a hardcore pacifist. While his friends are out training for battle, he is decidedly doing anything BUT that, which sounds like a very airbender-y (yes Jan, I realize that’s not a real word – deal with it) thing to do.
Honorable Mentions:
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Who’s your favorite Avatar?
What books would you recommend for airbenders?
Have you read any of these books? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Not me crying because The Storm Crow made your list.
I LOVE this series, so much 🥰
I have Air Awakens on my TBR for so long I actually forget about it! Maybe this is a sign I should get to it…
I may be a fool for confessing to this but *whispers* I’ve never watched Avatar. It is on my watchlist, that I can guarantee. I love the book recommendations here. I especially love seeing Air Awakens getting a shout out. I forgot just how beautiful that book cover is.
Such great books on your list! I loved The Storm Crow, it has such an interesting magic system and I loved the idea of the elemental crows 🥰🍃 I read The Alchemists of Loom by Elise Kova, which I loved!! I definitely have to read more of her books 😊
[…] has been making this incredible blos posts all through October on Book Recommendations based on your Avatar Tribe and let me tell you, they are on a whole other level. I’ve linked back to her Airbender […]
Ah I love this list Kat!! I’ve been so wanting to get to Shadow of The Fox as it sounds FANTASTIC *insert heart eyes*