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angstifies's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
incredible book.
the characters and dynamics were so well written it blew my mind, this world and magic system are super interesting and it had the literal best fighting scenes i’ve ever read.
probably one of the best standalone fantasy books out there, i truly loved this story and how it progressed so much, and i couldn’t have thought of a better ending, wow
the characters and dynamics were so well written it blew my mind, this world and magic system are super interesting and it had the literal best fighting scenes i’ve ever read.
probably one of the best standalone fantasy books out there, i truly loved this story and how it progressed so much, and i couldn’t have thought of a better ending, wow
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Violence, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Sexual violence, Child abuse, Suicide, War, Misogyny, Rape, Toxic relationship, Miscarriage, and Sexism
Minor: Pregnancy, Genocide, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, and Domestic abuse
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
absolutely fantastic; the sword of kaigen is one of the best books ive ever read and has now joined the few ranks of my top fav books ever. i had quite high expectations going into this but the book still exceeded them. it's actually mind-boggling how this book manages to be so many things all at once, yet it excels in all of them. this is an amazing high fantasy filled w/ thrilling action (one of the best written action-heavy books ive ever read, idk if the author's martial artist bg is a factor here); great characters who are complex, w/ some of the best arcs ive ever read; emotionally charged, heartrending, and bittersweet moments; and important (and relatable) themes of regret, duty, openmindedness, among others.
it's also a phenomenal character study whose main character and her struggles--as a woman, a mother, a lover, a wife--are rarely seen in fiction, let alone in the traditionally male-dominated domain of fantasy. misaki is unto herself, but is also a symbol for countless women even in modern times; her struggles once again remind me of the repressive, stifling, soul-crushing impact of the patriarchy and sexism. and in the greatest reversal of my feelings towards a fictional character, takeru def takes the cake; how wang made me come to like an alpha male--the very paragon of the patriarchy--who i profoundly loathed and wanted to throttle for at least 60% of the book is beyond me. a miraculous feat, rly, and a testament to the author's ability to fully render her characters as complex, multidimensional humans w/ backstory and fears.
now, despite the myriad of the book's awesomeness, my absolute fav thing abt it is how emotionally charged it is w/o ever veering into being overdramatic. the post-battle misaki-mamoru and duel scenes are one-of-a-kind, id never read anything like them, and they tore at me, and i loved it. the last chapter is also a revelation; robin and misaki's relationship--w/ its fraught history and all things unspoken yet known--is bittersweet, w/ the taste of life, w/ the complexity of the world and its reality, and how, despite not being textbook HEA, we can still be ok, to care and to be hopeful. also highly relate to and appreciate the book's msg of not letting regret overtake us, to instead do our best and appreciate everyday bc we can truly never know when it will be our last this is one of my top reads ever; i just cant stop gushing abt this book and it's honestly a crime more ppl havent read it!!!
it's also a phenomenal character study whose main character and her struggles--as a woman, a mother, a lover, a wife--are rarely seen in fiction, let alone in the traditionally male-dominated domain of fantasy. misaki is unto herself, but is also a symbol for countless women even in modern times; her struggles once again remind me of the repressive, stifling, soul-crushing impact of the patriarchy and sexism. and in the greatest reversal of my feelings towards a fictional character, takeru def takes the cake; how wang made me come to like an alpha male--the very paragon of the patriarchy--who i profoundly loathed and wanted to throttle for at least 60% of the book is beyond me. a miraculous feat, rly, and a testament to the author's ability to fully render her characters as complex, multidimensional humans w/ backstory and fears.
now, despite the myriad of the book's awesomeness, my absolute fav thing abt it is how emotionally charged it is w/o ever veering into being overdramatic. the post-battle misaki-mamoru and duel scenes are one-of-a-kind, id never read anything like them, and they tore at me, and i loved it. the last chapter is also a revelation; robin and misaki's relationship--w/ its fraught history and all things unspoken yet known--is bittersweet, w/ the taste of life, w/ the complexity of the world and its reality, and how, despite not being textbook HEA, we can still be ok, to care and to be hopeful. also highly relate to and appreciate the book's msg of not letting regret overtake us, to instead do our best and appreciate everyday bc we can truly never know when it will be our last this is one of my top reads ever; i just cant stop gushing abt this book and it's honestly a crime more ppl havent read it!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, War, Misogyny, Grief, Rape, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Colonisation, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Racism, and Toxic relationship
mandkips's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Gore, Blood, Child death, Death, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Suicide, Racism, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Rape, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Infertility, and Child abuse
maggieslibrarycard's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Racism, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Gore, and Blood
Minor: Homophobia and Racial slurs
WOW WAS THIS BOOK GOOD. First, I want to list out some of the major content warnings for the book (there are out of context spoilers here): \ \ \ \ \ \ physical/verbal/emotional abuse, violence/gore, death, death of children, rape, suicide/suicidal ideations \ \ \ \ \ REVIEW/RANT/GUSH: I was so impressed by The Sword of Kaigen. Everything is done incredibly well: character work, world-building, action sequences, the elemental magic system, the prose - I loved it all. This book is certainly not short, but I genuinely never felt bored by it and, if not for pesky things called sleep and school, would have absolutely devoured it in one sitting. M. L. Wang is not afraid to go there in this book - actually probably even a step past there - and it definitely caught me by surprise in many sections. If there was one stand-out feature, it would be the character work. To give specifics would be spoiler-y, but I love M. L. Wang's characterization and depiction of how various characters struggle with their identity, legacy, and guilt throughout the novel, as well as their progression and the healing they seek in themselves and their relationships. The characters felt so real to me, especially in terms of their morality, in a way that very few characters do. They are all very complex, but their moral complexities are not larger than life, they simply are, and I found that refreshing, particularly in a fantasy novel. In particular, her portrayal of Misaki and her growth from a teenager, to the start of the book, to beyond, is so, so superb. The book follows a very interesting structure where what people would consider the climax of the book occupies its middle chunk, not the just-prior-to-the-end chunk, and it worked SO WELL. It allows the latter part of the book to become very character driven, and I think it was integral to portray what happened after *climax which I won't describe in further detail*. This plot structure definitely wouldn't work for every book or author, but it is absolutely perfect in this case. Lastly, I am also just so impressed by the way the author elicits emotion through her writing. It is not a stretch to say that I sobbed through nearly 50% of the book - and I really don't cry that often while reading (there are notable exceptions, clearly). Despite it being a standalone, everything felt so actualized and real in a way many others can't do in full length series. Highly, highly recommend!!!
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