History YMMV / AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheSearch

* BrokenBase[=/=]ContestedSequel:
** Because of the FanDislikedExplanation, see below.
** Just like its [[Comicbook/AvatarTheLastAirbenderThePromise predecessor]], exactly how canon these books are is a debated topic in the fandom; some fans even feel these books almost as a fanfiction, and bringing it up risks starting a fan war.

** Misu and Rafa. Many readers found these two to be a pointless waste of space who took time away from more important things.

** Some see Ikem as a Scrappy too, either due to being at the center of the [[spoiler: (fake-out)]] twist that he's Zuko's true father, or that there isn't much to him aside from being Noriko's husband.

** Some see Ikem as a Scrappy too, due to being at the center of the [[spoiler: (fake-out)]] twist that he's Zuko's true father.

* JustHereForGodzilla: The book initially drew viewers in so they could find out what happened to Zuko's mother, FanDislikedExplanation be damned. It left viewers with another reason to keep reading on: [[spoiler: Will Azula ever recover and either redeem or recover and stay a villain? Or will she not recover at all]]?

** Ursa is probably the biggest example: is she a sympathetic and loving mother who [[BrokenBird was broken by all the pain in her life]], or [[spoiler: a weak, cowardly, selfish woman who cared more for herself and her old boyfriend than for her own children?]] Ursa even derides herself for her choice; doubly so when she learned exactly how bad her ploy went. In all fairness, who in their right minds would even think Ozai would have gone to such lengths?

** Ursa is probably the biggest example: is she a sympathetic and loving mother who [[BrokenBird was broken by all the pain in her life]], or [[spoiler: a weak, cowardly, selfish woman who cared more for herself and her old boyfriend than for her own children?]] Ursa even derides herself for her choice.

* CharacterDerailment: Actually a justified case and a case of TropesAreNotBad. Azula's nowhere near as much of a MagnificentBastard as she was in the series and can come off as someone who is insane with MommyIssues. However, as the books are canon with the series, it's wroth remembering that Azula is only like this BECAUSE her own paranoia and psychosis are still wreaking havoc in her head to the point where she really cannot think clearly. She is only off her game because she still ''really needs help.'' [[spoiler: We see later in smoke and shadows, that while she's not fully like she was before, Zuko and Ursa's intervention did help restore some of her sanity and she's become more like her old self.]]

** Ozai, again. Was he ''always'' a heartless, power-hungry EvilPrince and abusive parent and husband or, just like Ursa, was he a victim of his father's eugenic schemes? In some point, did he really try to be a good father and husband?

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: The reveal of why Ursa left her family. It was supposed to be seen as tragic, but a lot of readers instead saw Ursa as a selfish jerk who [[spoiler:threw her children under the bus to get back at her abusive husband, then abandoned them completely.]]

* BaseBreakingCharacter: '''Ursa'''. See AlternateCharacterInterpretation above: either people sympathize with her or find her unforgivable.

** Iroh. One may ask to what extent he knew about or even if he was involved in Fire Lord Azulon's eugenic scheme to create the perfect Fire Nation heir and how much he knew about Ursa's disappearance.

** The question of to what extent Iroh knew about or was involved in Fire Lord Azulon's eugenic scheme to create the perfect Fire Nation heir and how much he knew about Ursa's disappearance.

* FanonDiscontinuity: Due to FanDislikedExplanation many fans just pretend that this story never happened; or happened in a ''very'' different way.

** The true reason behind Ozai and Ursa's ArrangedMarriage. Was it, as Azulon proclaims, due to the Fire Sages' advice to breed a better, more powerful royal heir with blood of Avatar Roku and the Fire Nation Royal Family or, in reality, was it a calculated political strategy to avoid the rise of a potential threat to the Fire Nation Royal Family's position and power from Roku's lineage, merging the two bloodlines?

* BaseBreaker: '''Ursa'''. See AlternateCharacterInterpretation above: either people sympathize with her or find her unforgivable.

** The true reason behind Ozai and Ursa's ArrangedMarriage. Was it, as Azulon proclaims, due to the Fire Sages' advise to breed a better, more powerful royal heir with blood of Avatar Roku and the Fire Nation Royal Family or, in reality, was it a calculated political strategy to avoid the rise of a potential threat to the Fire Nation Royal Family's position and power from Roku's lineage, merging the two bloodlines?

** The true reason behind Ozai and Ursa's ArrangedMarriage. Was it, as Azulon proclaims, an experiment to breed a better, more powerful royal heir with blood of Avatar Roku and the Fire Nation Royal Family or, in reality, was it a calculated political strategy to avoid the rise of a potential threat to the Fire Nation Royal Family's position and power from Roku's lineage, merging the two bloodlines?

** The true reason behind Ozai and Ursa's ArrangedMarriage. Was it, as Azulon proclaims, an experiment to breed a powerful firebender with blood of Avatar Roku and the Fire Nation Royal Family or, in reality, was it a calculated political strategy to avoid the rise of a potential threat to the Fire Nation Royal Family's position and power from Roku's lineage, merging the two bloodlines?

** The true reason behind Ozai and Ursa's ArrangedMarriage. Was it, as Azulon proclaims, an experiment to breed a powerful firebender with blood of Avatar Roku and the Fire Nation Royal Family or in reality was it a calculated political strategy to avoid the rise of a potential threat to the Fire Nation Royal Family's position and power from Roku's lineage?

** The true reason behind Ozai and Ursa's ArrangedMarriage. Was it, as Azulon proclaims, an experiment to breed a powerful firebender with blood of Avatar Roku and the Fire Nation Royal Family or in reality was it a calculated political strategy to avoid a potential threat to the Fire Nation Royal Family's position and power in Roku's lineage?

** The true reason behind Ozai and Ursa's ArrangedMarriage. Was it, as Azulon proclaims, an experiment to breed a powerful firebender with blood of Avatar Roku and the Fire Nation Royal Family or reality was it a calculated political strategy to avoid a potential threat to the Fire Nation Royal Family's position and power in Roku's lineage?

*** Misu and Rafa are important to the story, because it is through their plotline that we are introduced to The Mother of Faces, and her familial relationship with Koh, Stealer of Faces, which ties into one of the story's main themes: familial bonds, and the relationships between family members. Not to mention that Misu's and Rafa's sibling relationship also relate to that theme. And they serve exposition purposes: they are the ones who info-dump the story of the Forgetful Forest and the Mother of Faces to the Gaang, which enables them to find Ursa.