Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang

19 reviews

arirs's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

The Sword of Kaigan was such a joy to read. Right from the beginning I was captivated by the amazing world and characters. The pacing was great and I loved all the action but the most satisfying part for me was the incredible character development. The story was gut-wrenching and it is a heavy read but the author does give the reader some hope within all the bad and ugly which I loved as I think it is relatable to a lot of people to succumb to helplessness but Misaki shows us that despite all the darkness and tragedy you can still find light and happiness. The only reason I am not giving it a full 5 stars is because I felt the ending was slightly rushed but that may have also been me just not wanting it to end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Sexism, Misogyny, Suicide, Infertility, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Death, War, Grief, Child death, and Child abuse

Moderate: Sexual assault and Rape

Minor: Xenophobia and Kidnapping

bittcr4k's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

4.75

The pen man ship was like a dance, rhythmic and well articulated. I think I can compliment this book for its deep characters and there are many, by no means the author had a small cast and all characters got brilliant character arcs. For a character driven book the plot was great, to be honest I wish to see some cast again but sadly, the author says this series is discontinued. The author has great skills but they need to get a real editor.

The only issue for me was the ending. Why must you leave us with so many unanswered question, why?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Murder, Misogyny, Child abuse, Abandonment, War, Pregnancy, Suicide, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Physical abuse, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Genocide, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Classism

lifeofchrstnlvly's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective sad slow-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

5.0

 …a person’s tragedy doesn’t define them or cancel all the good in their life. 

Wow! This book has one of the greatest character arcs I've ever read. It's so much more than a story about a war mixed with martial arts. I was surprised by how emotional it made me and how much it left me wanting more. 

This book is about survival, motherhood, family, regrets, choices, bravery, responsibility, emotions, communication, and love. 

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

The writing in this book is beautiful. M.L. Wang has a talent for writing wonderful battle scenes, with vivid descriptions and lush world-building. Additionally, Wang is able to evoke deep-seated emotions in the reader. 

My only "complaint" is that while I knew Takeru's transformation spanned a couple of months, it felt quick to me as a reader because it was only shown over a few pages. I wouldn't mind reading an extra 10 pages to ensure a smoother transition for Takeru, from being the character we hated most to someone we can tolerate (and possibly respect).

Despite this small issue, I give this book 5 stars. I read it on my Kindle, but I plan to order a physical copy as well. If you haven't read The Sword of Kaigen yet, what are you waiting for? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, War, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Blood, and Death of parent

Moderate: Sexual violence, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Suicide, and Gaslighting

calmcozycorner's review against another edition

dark 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder, War, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, and Child death

Moderate: Rape, Xenophobia, and Pregnancy

Minor: Kidnapping

eleonorehilbig's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

the story, the characters and their development, the resolution of the story as nearly a third of the book deals with what comes after were handsdown a 5 star read for me. i also absolutely loved how the women were written.

i mean the duel at the end was an absolute masterpiece

however - i absolutely HATE infodumps. pages upon pages of it. we're reading through an actual history lesson that one of the main characters attends ffs. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicide, Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Murder, and War

lilifane's review

adventurous emotional reflective sad tense 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

I expected an epic fantasy adventure. What I got instead was emotional damage. 
Because I ignored the subtitle of the book. "A Theonite War Story" should have prepared me for... an actual war story. With all the gruesome horrors of war. Yeah, that's on me. Probably not the best time to read the book given the current global situation, either. 

But! I really really really loved it. I hated it, but I loved it. It hurt, but it was SO good. 
The character work is exceptional. It's fantastic, maybe even the best I've ever encountered. The main characters and points of view are a mother and her firstborn son. And I loooooove them both with all my heart. But all the side characters are amazing as well. All of them are flawed, which makes them so real.
 
But since this is such a character-driven story, the plot and action take a very long time to develop. Even then, I would say the climax of the story is in the middle of the book, with epic and creative magic/battle sequences. The second half mainly deals with the aftermath. And it's so impactful and painful. Because you care so much for these characters, it physically hurts to see them suffer and process the trauma. But the character arks, their development, the way relationships and dynamics change are worth it in the end, at least they were for me. 

I can't say I enjoyed the direction the plot took. I wish it had gone in 10 different directions tbh. But I realize that this wasn't about the plot, but about the effects that war has on the individuals who have to live through it. It's also about love and duty, about community and survival, family and friendships.

Although the characters are what makes this book so special, I really enjoyed the world building and atmosphere. The mix of fantasy elements, magic and traditional values with advanced technology reminded me a little of Studio Ghibli movies, especially the ones that have war as a theme as well. And the action sequences are actually really good. I usually don't care for action unless it's interesting and can hold my attention. Which is the case here. 

I don't know if I can recommend this book to anyone. But definitely to people who value character-driven stories and like to suffer. Just check trigger and content warnings beforehand, please. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Infertility, Medical content, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Violence, War, Miscarriage, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Racism, and Sexism

Minor: Alcohol, Kidnapping, Homophobia, Racism, and Rape

danielleor's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, Xenophobia, Suicide, Sexual assault, Sexism, Rape, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Murder, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Grief, Genocide, Death, and Child death

purplepentapus's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Alcohol, Kidnapping, and Trafficking

stargaze's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring sad fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Gore, Rape, Sexism, and Suicide

Minor: Kidnapping and Miscarriage