Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang

11 reviews

gracecrandall's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Grief, Suicide, Misogyny, War, Violence, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Child abuse, Child death, Blood, Death, and Sexism

Moderate: Rape and Pregnancy

The child abuse/physical abuse is in the context of

a 14-year-old trying to start a conversation about the government that could be perceived as traitorous. His dad backhands him and then orders him to spar, which turns into a beating. His mother is afraid for the boy's life a few times during the match.

hfejvi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.75

“I protected Setsuko and the children.” Misaki felt her face twist into a snarl of rage. “Five people were here in the house with me when the Ranganese broke down the doors, and all of them are with us now.” Her snarl turned predatory and she felt the need for blood in her teeth. “One of our sons was with you. Just one. And where is he now?”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Misogyny, War, Rape, Torture, Sexual assault, Murder, and Violence

lucajgrainger's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Sexual violence, Gore, Child death, Violence, Toxic relationship, Torture, Suicide, Sexual assault, Rape, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, and Blood

cwallace1005's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0

 This was a tough one to rate. The pacing of this book was... interesting. The first third was a little boring, to be honest. The middle third was exciting, but a little long and repetitive. The last third was emotionally interesting, but a definite drop in action. Definitely a unique structure for a book. This is also considered a standalone book, and while I agree that it does stand on its own, there are a lot of things set up that didn't feel complete by the end of the book. I believe this is sort of a prequel to another series from the author that she's stated she isn't going to continue. But the writing is mostly very good and the characterization is beautiful. I nearly rated this book 4 stars for Misaki alone, I love her story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Violence, Blood, Infertility, Sexism, Miscarriage, Death, Suicide, Child death, and Grief

Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Torture

Minor: Child abuse and Kidnapping

zeldazonks's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

An incredible book, I cried 3 times reading this. I have to admit that it ever so slightly lost me towards the end, I also would be so up for this to be a series so I'm gutted that I won't get more. The writing was beautiful, the journey we go on with the characters is so good (especially Mamoru) and the lore/world building was just amazing. I spent 75% of this book convinced it would be a 5* read but I do have a few gripes:

1) for some reason the very specific way that Misaki's extra curricular activities (trying to avoid spoilers) are written felt really incongruous with everything else and were kind of cringe to me. The superhero vibes were just jarring. 

2) I on the whole didn't mind the redemption arc of the husband, I spent a lot of the book waiting for it to happen because otherwise he would have been so cartoonishly villainous, but I think Misaki was very quick to forgive a specific incident involving Mamoru. 

3) I don't know if it's because it was meant to be a series and then plans changed, but there's so much set up for plot lines for future books and so the end kind of lagged for me compared to how incredible the first 2/3 of the book were. 

Having said that, the first 2/3 were so good, that I still loved it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, War, Gore, Death, Torture, Grief, Violence, Rape, Pregnancy, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Child abuse and Sexism

Minor: Homophobia

mqabbadbest's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Death, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Death of parent, Rape, Torture, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Suicide

sanyaes_library's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

epic fantasy
Japanese inspired
epic fight scenes
war + politics
avatar the last airbender vibes
strong fmc in her 30's
dual pov: mother + her 14 y/o son
complex characters
family + friendship

i can't remember the last time i have been so invested in a new world. this has some of the best action scenes i have ever read.  + misaki is one of my favorite fantasy fmc, she is everything!!!!


my favorite quotes:
❝You lost your right to my obedience when you stopped being a man!”

"Flayed and boneless, he faced the creature he had awakened, this woman of gods’ blood and fury."

"Wholeness, she had learned, was not the absence of pain but the ability to hold it.❞


things i didn't like: 
×the beginning is very info dumpy
×the pacing was off at times.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Suicide, Violence, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Rape, Toxic relationship, Genocide, War, and Misogyny

abirdiebooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I feel like I just read 2.5 mostly finished books instead of one cohesive story. This could have benefited from M.L. Wang waiting to get a bit better at building a story and world, a few more rounds of editing and some thrown out plot points. This feels like it should have been somewhere in the middle drafting stages (storywise, mostly not writing wise) and not a finished product. It IS sad that we won't get more though. If this book had been worked on longer and published later and as part of a more cohesive series set up it could have been excellent.

Potential triggers:

The casual moments of domestic abuse, both in thought, conversations, and actions could have absolutely either disappeared or been handled differently. The mention but complete lack of real discussion regarding marital rape was just. No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Child death, Gore, Suicide, Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, War, Grief, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Body horror, Homophobia, Violence, Toxic relationship, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Rape, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and Sexism

melissa_read_s's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

4.25

Trigger warnings!!!
I'm not one to check or feel the need to check but holly molly check them. 
This book felt lime a weight on my chest the entire time reading it.
I cried more in this book then a combination of all the other booms I cried reading this year.
Although it was A LOT emotionally, it was a great story. 
I did find the end to be lacking, like I needed more or less. 
I heard someone say Avatar the last air bender magic meets murder mommy and that's accurate but also emotional damage!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Child death, and Violence

Moderate: Rape and Child abuse

Minor: Suicide

alyssasaurus's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Rape, Death, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, War, and Blood