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rikuson1's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
-★★★★✬- (4.25/5.00)
My Grading Letter Score = 85% (A-)
The Sword of Kaigen was a very good book. This book was hyped up a lot by many people, and almost the entirety of the book, I completely understand why that is the case. I had a blast reading this for basically all of the book and was fully engaged and hooked. I had my very small gripes here and there, like a certain little kid taking out a full grown adult (even if it was a sneak attack from behind) or another certain inexperienced kid that went from struggling to take out yellow robes to taking them out at ease in an extremely short amount of time and then getting in a stalemate with a black robe who was hyped up to be a ridiculous powerful veteran warrior. I was willing to forgive these issues I personally had because everything around it was so well realized, well written and amazing. But then the longest and final chapter occurred...
The final chapter I enjoyed, don't get me wrong. But the chapter before it and going into this one it did feel like they were trying to setup new mysteries and plots to the overarching story which when we got to the end, seemingly lead to something inconclusive on our end as the reader. Additionally, one of the main conflicts of this story, which was in regards to the Emperor and the corruption of Kaigen also is a plot point that is inconclusive, and that bothers me from a critical standpoint.
It seems like this story definitely wanted to be a character driven story primarily, and in that regard, it was satisifying and conclusive. But then it was also wanted to flesh out its worldbuilding in a way that seemed like there was more to come from the book, and the same thing can be said about it's cultures and magic system. There's so many regions on the world map that are lightly mentioned but did not amount to anything in this very character focused story in the Kaigen Region. And even when it comes to Kaigen, when you name your book the name of the Region it takes place in and it's a stand alone that does not resolve the main driving conflict that leads to all of these horrors throughout the story within Kaigen, maybe one can understand why it could reach a feeling to me that feels incomplete, unsatisfying, lacking poetic justice solution and inconclusive for the region the book is named after.
If we focus on the strengths of this book, it shines through heavily. The characterization, character development, impactful/emotional moments, and action scenes were all some of the best I've read ever and why it remains in the realms of a 4 star book off those accolades alone and those deserve all of it's praise.
Verdict
Sword of Kaigen is praised at being this phenomenal stand-alone book, but I disagree with that statement. If this was a Book 1 to a series of books to come, then this would be a phenomenal book 1 and I would have probably given it a 5 star going off of that notion that there is more to come but as far as we know right now this is all we are getting.
If the author announces she will be continuing this with a sequel then I might actually come back and retroactively change my rating but seeing as those she's dropped her other series this one was a side novel to, I'm not holding my breath on that nor am I currently interested in her new novel Blood over Bright Haven regardless of how amazing that might be.
Nonetheless, even with the extremely disappointing conclusion, I can't deny that everything that led up to it is sublime and excellent. I thought this would go down as the best fantasy novel I read this year, but that isn't the case.
Nonetheless, it's still a very good book that I'd still recommend to others.
I Really Liked It.
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Miscarriage, Murder, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Racism, Rape, War, Death, Child death, Classism, Sexual assault, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Pregnancy
thecriticalreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Violence, Grief, War, Pregnancy, Death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Vomit, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Rape, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Ableism, Abortion, Classism, Homophobia, Alcohol, Sexual content, and Slavery
trizk's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Pregnancy, Grief, War, Xenophobia, Sexism, Misogyny, Death, Child death, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Murder, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Physical abuse and Child abuse
Minor: Sexual content
mjadeh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Rape, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Misogyny, Racism, and War
miak2's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
"You did right by your family and your country, even though, I think... none of us did right by you. There is nothing in this world for you to regret. Nothing at all." p.384
M.L. Wang did in one book what many fantasy authors fail to do in three. Interesting and extensive worldbuilding, dynamic action scenes, and thoroughly compelling character arcs. Let me break it down. (But if you don't read any farther here, PLEASE just go pick up this book. It's absolutely incredible).
Setting about to do worldbuilding in a 600-page book is no easy feat. She created a whole world with multiple and diverse countries, each with unique cultures and languages (not just named but actually occasionally written out in dialogue). There's a rich history and interesting political dynamics, although politics were not a strong focus of this book. At the beginning, all of the new terms and background information was a lot to process, and it did get a little info-dumpy, I'm absolutely willing to forgive that because, again, 600 pages? So freaking impressive.
The magic system in this universe is similar to Avatar the Last Airbender, in that there are people who can manipulate water, fire, and air. Most of the main characters are jijakalu, which means that they can manipulate water. Wang expertly wove these abilities into their daily lives, but also crafted really badass fight sequences that employed both water manipulation and traditional martial arts. And while it shares some similarities with ATLA, she pushed the bounds on what this elemental manipulation can look like.
But I really want to spend my time with the characters because holy shit. This is a dual perspective book, with chapters both from Misaki and Mamoru's points of view. Misaki is a vigilante-turned-housewife stuck in a stifling marriage. Mamoru, her 14-year old son, is developing his abilities and trying to live up to their legendary family name. I can't say any specifics about their arcs (mainly because the main 'climax' happens around the 50% mark and a lot of the wonderful character work takes places in the aftermath), but I will say that they are fantastic. The other major characters also had compelling growth throughout the book. One character, specifically, went from being one of my most-hated characters to being someone still flawed but with many redeeming qualities, but this change was done in an emotionally-impactful and believable way. (Seriously, the chapter called The Duel might be the single best chapter I've ever read, I felt so emotionally raw after reading it).
This book is one that deals with so many things: motherhood, family, tragedy, community, etc. I could go on and on about how much this meant to me, but I'll settle with a PLEASE read this and come talk to me about it. Also, it's a standalone (even though I absolutely think that there'd be plenty of material for a sequel!)
Graphic: Violence, Sexism, and War
Minor: Sexual content