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bettysbookishworld's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
I loved this book so much! It was a huge emotional rollercoaster and my heart broke for too many characters. Misaki's journey and character development through out the book was brilliant and felt very personal.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Sexism, War, Child death, Misogyny, and Rape
Moderate: Suicide, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Xenophobia, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
chaoticbookgremlin_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
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
The Sword of Kaigen is a gripping, emotional, action-packed tale of the struggles of being stuck in the past while simultaneously finding yourself trapped in a life you didn't ask for. It is a story of discovering your own independence and identity within a society that wishes for you to fit into a mold that has been crafted for you. Above all, it is a story of speaking up against those who wish to silence you, and making your voice echo off the stone of a snowy mountain.
Everything about this book I find utterly enthralling. The characters, the cold atmosphere, the action scenes... I don't think I've ever been this emotional while reading a book. From about the halfway point straight through to the end, my eyes were never dry. While I alternated between a single tear or full-on sobbing, my own emotions were tuned to those of the book in a way that's only happened a handful of times before. I was within the minds of the characters, feeling everything they felt, and it was... a lot.
The character work in the book is what truly makes it so phenomenal. Most of the characters, particularly Misaki, Mamoru, and Takeru, have a sort of depth and growth added to their characters that feels like a masterclass on character work. The way the novel explores their struggles with overcoming the past, and fighting against an oppressive world that tries to force them into a mold that they don't quite fit into truly articulates the emphasis this story places on discovering your own identity in a society that views you as a mere tool. The character development was amazing, especially the way Misaki grabbles with being stuck in her past and forces her way out of the mold expected for women to fit neatly into - it's iconic. I adore her.
The magic system and worldbuilding are very immersive. While a lot of the political shit was kind of lost on me, I found myself feeling Misaki's - and Mamoru's - anger towards a government that truly does not give a shit about the little people. The ones who grow and gather their food, protect their lands, manufacture their commodities - they are truly nothing but tools. The magic system felt a lot like the one depicted in "The Last Airbender," with the elemental manipulation (especially the bloodbending of the Tsusano family), but many aspects of it, particularly with the jijaka, are given a depth that feels like a fresh and original take on the concept.
Five stars. I cannot fully describe how much I loved this book. I had that rare experience within the first couple of pages when I knew that this book was going to be somehow different from other five stars, an experience I've only had three other times. I was actually unsure if this was truly a five star read at first, but what really sold me was how I could not stop thinking about this book, even days later, and how I kept falling back into the emotions I was feeling while reading the book.
Everything about this book I find utterly enthralling. The characters, the cold atmosphere, the action scenes... I don't think I've ever been this emotional while reading a book. From about the halfway point straight through to the end, my eyes were never dry. While I alternated between a single tear or full-on sobbing, my own emotions were tuned to those of the book in a way that's only happened a handful of times before. I was within the minds of the characters, feeling everything they felt, and it was... a lot.
The character work in the book is what truly makes it so phenomenal. Most of the characters, particularly Misaki, Mamoru, and Takeru, have a sort of depth and growth added to their characters that feels like a masterclass on character work. The way the novel explores their struggles with overcoming the past, and fighting against an oppressive world that tries to force them into a mold that they don't quite fit into truly articulates the emphasis this story places on discovering your own identity in a society that views you as a mere tool. The character development was amazing, especially the way Misaki grabbles with being stuck in her past and forces her way out of the mold expected for women to fit neatly into - it's iconic. I adore her.
The magic system and worldbuilding are very immersive. While a lot of the political shit was kind of lost on me, I found myself feeling Misaki's - and Mamoru's - anger towards a government that truly does not give a shit about the little people. The ones who grow and gather their food, protect their lands, manufacture their commodities - they are truly nothing but tools. The magic system felt a lot like the one depicted in "The Last Airbender," with the elemental manipulation (especially the bloodbending of the Tsusano family), but many aspects of it, particularly with the jijaka, are given a depth that feels like a fresh and original take on the concept.
Five stars. I cannot fully describe how much I loved this book. I had that rare experience within the first couple of pages when I knew that this book was going to be somehow different from other five stars, an experience I've only had three other times. I was actually unsure if this was truly a five star read at first, but what really sold me was how I could not stop thinking about this book, even days later, and how I kept falling back into the emotions I was feeling while reading the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicide, and Rape
story_goblin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
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? It's complicated
5.0
Very few fantasy authors can write books this big and complex and still maintain a good pace. Even fewer can do that while writing such vivid prose that even I feel like I’m watching what I’m reading. Wang’s character building is absolutely phenomenal, and her world building is almost equally strong.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, War, Violence, and Child death
Moderate: Miscarriage, Suicide, Rape, Misogyny, and Pregnancy
errie's review against another edition
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, War, Blood, Emotional abuse, Child death, Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Child abuse, Suicide, and Fire/Fire injury
trizk's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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
5.0
I read this in december of 2022. I have deadass cried once a month since about this book whenever I think about it. This shi not for the weak💀
Content Warnings
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
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.
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?
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
opalmars's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Everyone considers this book a masterpiece. I found it profoundly average. 😐
Don’t get me wrong: the world, magic and characters were interesting. And the plot sounds incredible! A boy raised to be a fighter realizing the empire he was ready to die for has been lying to its citizens for decades? The boy’s demure mother secretly being an incredible fighter? A war starting without warning and the mother and son fighting in it? It all sounds amazing on paper!!!
Emphasis on “on paper” , though… Because in reality the pacing of this story truly kills its intrigue. In the first third of the book the only things that happen are: Mamoru realizes the empire lies to its citizens, we learn Misaki was a fighter in her past, and Misaki shows her fighting abilities to her son. Other than this, all we get are some EXTREMELY clunky pieces of world-building (long monologues, a lady telling an old story, and classroom history lessons detailing everything the reader needs to know about the history of this world are not a great way of doing the exposition, btw 😬). Here's the thing: the stuff we got WAS interesting! But I’m sorry: 230+ pages into a book and only 3 “substantial” things happened??? That’s insane.
After those ~230 pages we FINALLY get something! Their village gets attacked by another country and they have to fight. And then the fight goes on for 100+ pages……………… 😐 Listen. I was happy *SOMETHING* was finally happening, but MY GOD………. A 100+ page fight scene was waaaaaayyyy too much! There were definitely interesting things in that chunk of the book (uncle Takashi dying, Misaki grabbing her hidden sword and killing a bunch of super powerful soldiers, Mamoru mastering the whispering blade and then dying?!?!?! )!!!!!! But I definitely think that sequence as a whole was way longer than necessary, and a lot of it felt like padding. It was even worse because of the whiplash I got while reading the book: 230 pages of basically nothing happening followed by 100 pages of non-stop fight scene… It just didn’t work for me, unfortunately.
We then get the aftermath of the battle, which I enjoyed: seeing the trauma these people have after losing their loved ones, the village being destroyed, the government clearly not caring about them, people realizing that the government is shady… It was all very interesting. But, once again, it went on for waaaaay too long, with very few “substantial” things actually happening –Misaki mourns Mamoru, Misaki’s friend Hyori commits suicide after birthing a child who’s father was the soldier who raped her, Misaki fights Takeru as a way to “open his eyes”, Takeru gets a stupid redemption arc (I’ll elaborate on that later because what the fuck?????), Misaki’s brother shows up, people start slowly rebuilding the village… ]. These are all interesting things! But like…….. the fight scene ends at 54%, and the next TRULY INTRIGUING (imo) thing that happens takes place at 81%! It took 170 pages for something that actually captivated me to happen, after that damn fight scene!
Actually, for some reason, most of the interesting things happen at the end of the book (and they’re never really expounded upon…).A shapeshifting spy/assassin shows up and tries to kill the MCs + a child is kidnapped (and then this spy is only brought up again 60 pages later…… 😑); Robin (Misaki’s boyfriend from school) shows up saying his wife might’ve been killed by a mythical blood puppeteer and asks Misaki to try the technique on him; he reveals the child who was kidnapped is going to be used by some bad guy who is trying to create an army of powerful thonites… ] THAT ALL SOUNDS SO INTERESTING???? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?! I wanna learn more about that!!!!!!!!!!! Why would you only drop those super cool things at the very end of the book???? And, mind you, none of those plot points are explored in any way! They’re just mentioned and instantly dropped. It felt like the author was setting up for some kind of sequel, but it just didn’t work at all for me, because after reading 500 pages of a very mediocre story, the author decided to tease me with what COULD’VE been an *actually interesting* book! The disrespect!!! 😒😒😒 Also, the fact that we only learn about the war at the 85% mark (only for it to never be explored in any way) is absurd, but I digress… I understand that this is supposed to be *A* war story, so it makes sense the author didn’t show much of… anything else, honestly?? But that doesn’t make this story better, and it didn’t make it any less infuriating when the author kept teasing me with a better story.
So… yeah. The story didn’t work at all for me. 😐 I genuinely don’t understand why people keep praising this author’s writing. It isn’t terrible, sure (I enjoyed the emotional scenes, the world and magic system were cool), but it sure as hell isn’t great 🤨. The pacing was a MESS and the book was full of really long, boring sections; the world-building was ridiculously amateurish (dozens of pages of history class, woman telling an old story, and never-ending monologues, are you kidding me???); there were lots of typos (I’ll forgive it bc this is self-published)… I also found all of these problems in Wang’s newest book “Blood Over Bright Haven” and now I’m wondering if terrible pacing and expository monologues are this author’s signature… Yikes. 😬😬😬 Another thing I didn’t like about the writing: the narrator would randomly “spoil” things??? This only happened a couple of times, but it really took me out of the story. Like, suddenly the narrator would just say something like “What Mamoru didn’t know was that his own mother was hiding a super special sword in their house” (which is something that only comes up in the actual plot several chapters later), or “Hiroshi would master the whispering blade a decade later” (this doesn’t even happen in the book)…. These just always felt really random, idk… 🫤
Now for the characters. I enjoyed Mamoru’s story the most – him slowly realizing the empire was lying to its citizens and having to grapple with what that means was super interesting (it’s a shame we didn’t see more of that story…). Misaki was cool. Knowing she had a badass vigilante past but was forced to hide it after accepting to marry into a family who basically didn’t view women as human beings was interesting, but also very infuriating (I just wanted her to get the fuck out of there lol). It was *extra* infuriating because, once again, the author teases us with what could be an interesting story, but then settles for the boring story. 😐 I 10000% would’ve rather seen Misaki’s past in her fighting school and working as a vigilante with her foreign friends. Also, Robin was sooo much better than Takeru!!! It almost felt insulting to get a glimpse of Robin at the end, only to be forced to accept Takeru as Misaki’s forever partner. 🤢
Speaking of which: I don’t like Takeru. He spent *15 years* mistreating Misaki: not talking to her, ignoring her emotional distress after she had multiple miscarriages, lowkey raping her, letting his father beat her, intercepting letters from her friends to completely isolate her, not helping her take care of their children + also mistreating them… the list goes on. And after all that time, Misaki tells him off for not protecting Mamoru and she duels him, and THAT’S what gets him to start “accepting her”?????? (Not even *respecting*! The word they use is “ACCEPTING”)????????? Fuckin pardon???? 🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨 I’m reeeeeally fucking sorry (I’m not sorry at all), but you’re NOT going to make me like this man just because he decided to “accept” Misaki after 15 YEARS of mistreating her and their children! Him having a sad home life because his parents didn’t like each other and he didn’t want that to happen to him and Misaki so he decided to just mistreat her anyways is a really bad way of explaining his actions (not like I would’ve been happy with any excuse, by the way; he sucks regardless). The author trying to give him a redemption arc just doesn’t sit right with me. Your parents didn’t like each other? Boohoo. You’re a grown ass man and you abused your wife for 15 years. I want you dead. 🤷🏻♀️ Another reviewer responded to his excuse of ~dissociating into the mountain to get away from his emotions~ with “If he's the mountain bring me the military grade TNT stat” , and I just think that sums up my thoughts.
Random thing: the fact that the map of this world is basically just an upside-down map of *our* world (and the countries pretty much line up) is pretty interesting.
Don’t get me wrong: the world, magic and characters were interesting. And the plot sounds incredible! A boy raised to be a fighter realizing the empire he was ready to die for has been lying to its citizens for decades? The boy’s demure mother secretly being an incredible fighter? A war starting without warning and the mother and son fighting in it? It all sounds amazing on paper!!!
Emphasis on “on paper” , though… Because in reality the pacing of this story truly kills its intrigue. In the first third of the book the only things that happen are: Mamoru realizes the empire lies to its citizens, we learn Misaki was a fighter in her past, and Misaki shows her fighting abilities to her son. Other than this, all we get are some EXTREMELY clunky pieces of world-building (long monologues, a lady telling an old story, and classroom history lessons detailing everything the reader needs to know about the history of this world are not a great way of doing the exposition, btw 😬). Here's the thing: the stuff we got WAS interesting! But I’m sorry: 230+ pages into a book and only 3 “substantial” things happened??? That’s insane.
After those ~230 pages we FINALLY get something! Their village gets attacked by another country and they have to fight. And then the fight goes on for 100+ pages……………… 😐 Listen. I was happy *SOMETHING* was finally happening, but MY GOD………. A 100+ page fight scene was waaaaaayyyy too much! There were definitely interesting things in that chunk of the book (
We then get the aftermath of the battle, which I enjoyed: seeing the trauma these people have after losing their loved ones, the village being destroyed, the government clearly not caring about them, people realizing that the government is shady… It was all very interesting. But, once again, it went on for waaaaay too long, with very few “substantial” things actually happening –
Actually, for some reason, most of the interesting things happen at the end of the book (and they’re never really expounded upon…).
So… yeah. The story didn’t work at all for me. 😐 I genuinely don’t understand why people keep praising this author’s writing. It isn’t terrible, sure (I enjoyed the emotional scenes, the world and magic system were cool), but it sure as hell isn’t great 🤨. The pacing was a MESS and the book was full of really long, boring sections; the world-building was ridiculously amateurish (dozens of pages of history class, woman telling an old story, and never-ending monologues, are you kidding me???); there were lots of typos (I’ll forgive it bc this is self-published)… I also found all of these problems in Wang’s newest book “Blood Over Bright Haven” and now I’m wondering if terrible pacing and expository monologues are this author’s signature… Yikes. 😬😬😬 Another thing I didn’t like about the writing: the narrator would randomly “spoil” things??? This only happened a couple of times, but it really took me out of the story. Like, suddenly the narrator would just say something like “What Mamoru didn’t know was that his own mother was hiding a super special sword in their house” (which is something that only comes up in the actual plot several chapters later), or “Hiroshi would master the whispering blade a decade later” (this doesn’t even happen in the book)…. These just always felt really random, idk… 🫤
Now for the characters. I enjoyed Mamoru’s story the most – him slowly realizing the empire was lying to its citizens and having to grapple with what that means was super interesting (it’s a shame we didn’t see more of that story…). Misaki was cool. Knowing she had a badass vigilante past but was forced to hide it after accepting to marry into a family who basically didn’t view women as human beings was interesting, but also very infuriating (I just wanted her to get the fuck out of there lol). It was *extra* infuriating because, once again, the author teases us with what could be an interesting story, but then settles for the boring story. 😐 I 10000% would’ve rather seen Misaki’s past in her fighting school and working as a vigilante with her foreign friends. Also, Robin was sooo much better than Takeru!!! It almost felt insulting to get a glimpse of Robin at the end, only to be forced to accept Takeru as Misaki’s forever partner. 🤢
Speaking of which: I don’t like Takeru. He spent *15 years* mistreating Misaki: not talking to her, ignoring her emotional distress after she had multiple miscarriages, lowkey raping her, letting his father beat her, intercepting letters from her friends to completely isolate her, not helping her take care of their children + also mistreating them… the list goes on. And after all that time, Misaki tells him off for not protecting Mamoru and she duels him, and THAT’S what gets him to start “accepting her”?????? (Not even *respecting*! The word they use is “ACCEPTING”)????????? Fuckin pardon???? 🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨 I’m reeeeeally fucking sorry (I’m not sorry at all), but you’re NOT going to make me like this man just because he decided to “accept” Misaki after 15 YEARS of mistreating her and their children! Him having a sad home life because his parents didn’t like each other and he didn’t want that to happen to him and Misaki so he decided to just mistreat her anyways is a really bad way of explaining his actions (not like I would’ve been happy with any excuse, by the way; he sucks regardless). The author trying to give him a redemption arc just doesn’t sit right with me. Your parents didn’t like each other? Boohoo. You’re a grown ass man and you abused your wife for 15 years. I want you dead. 🤷🏻♀️ Another reviewer responded to his excuse of ~dissociating into the mountain to get away from his emotions~ with “If he's the mountain bring me the military grade TNT stat” , and I just think that sums up my thoughts.
Random thing: the fact that the map of this world is basically just an upside-down map of *our* world (and the countries pretty much line up) is pretty interesting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Violence, War, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Grief, and Misogyny
Moderate: Miscarriage, Suicide, and Rape
narsere's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Domestic abuse, Child death, Rape, Death of parent, Grief, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Suicide, Violence, and War
readandfindout's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
4.75
I know virtually everyone I've seen read this didn't read the original Theonite books first, but I definitely think it's the way to go! The story connected with me more than it might have without the context of the Theonite series.
Style/writing: 4.5 stars
Themes: 4.5 stars
Characters: 5 stars
Plot: 5 stars
Worldbuilding: 4.5 stars
Style/writing: 4.5 stars
Themes: 4.5 stars
Characters: 5 stars
Plot: 5 stars
Worldbuilding: 4.5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Gore, Death, Violence, Murder, Child death, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Grief, Misogyny, Blood, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Racism and Miscarriage
sammyy_3's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Violence
Moderate: Rape and Misogyny