Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang

181 reviews

sarajuneau's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

It’s not a typical fantasy epic where our heroes overcome the big bad and move on. It shows how gray life is. It is worth reading, and two scenes will live with me indefinitely. Grab some tissues and buckle up if you give it a go. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Xenophobia, Blood, Death, War, Miscarriage, Grief, Child death, Sexism, Racism, Violence, Murder, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Pregnancy

doolie's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

5.0

Brilliant 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Child death, and Suicide

januaryt123's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Child death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death, Toxic relationship, War, Miscarriage, and Suicide

ourlamp's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Child death, and Violence

Moderate: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, and Sexual assault

Minor: Kidnapping and Homophobia

wayward_flowers's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

"Most strong things are rigid. If you are water, you can shift to fit any mold and freeze yourself strong. You can be strong in any shape. You can be anything."

This was one of the most devastatingly beautiful books I've ever read. It was everything.
The story at its core is about the struggle of such immense grief and unbearable loss but the ability to survive through it all with love and hope.

The impact of the author's words were profound and so beautiful..The chatcters and their journeys, their relationships with each other..I'm utterly speechless..

I want to hold on to this book-this world and it's chatcters- and never let go..I'm in excruciating pain because of this book.. yet I loved it so dearly 

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Child death, and War

Moderate: Suicide and Rape

jartone93's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Misogyny, Colonisation, Death, Rape, Child death, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Racism, War, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexism, Suicide, Miscarriage, and Violence

Moderate: Vomit, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, and Child abuse

keishbby's review against another edition

challenging 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: Child death, War, Violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Torture, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Sexism, Suicide, Classism, and Colonisation

charcha01's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and War

Minor: Suicide

beckahh_i's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

I am so glad I finally picked this up! M.L. Wang's writing is incredible, and I would happily read more in this world (after I recover from all the emotional trauma of the SoK...). I knew this was going to be a brutal book, but I don't think I could have really predicted how brutal it would be. The journey these characters go on both personally and as a group is written so well. Reading this with a book club made me stop and think about what the characters were going through more than I would have if I was reading it by myself, and it was so interesting to see the similarities to both my own life/experiences, and to the world and political climate around me. The trauma the characters go through and the subsequent healing and growth was written in a way that didn't seemed forced or hurried, but felt very realistic and true to the characters nature. Overall would definitely recommend if you're prepared for some trauma and pain 😅

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Child death, War, Death, Gore, Grief, Violence, and Suicide

Moderate: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Rape, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, and Kidnapping

fairynanook's review against another edition

challenging dark sad 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

3.75

Overall, I really enjoyed the experience of reading this book. I'll go into more specifics of what I did and didn't like below, but that will have spoilers. If you like the fantasy genre in general, I do think you should give the book a read.


What I liked: The book is well written. The world building is fantastic. The genre is not one I am super familiar with, but I did not feel confused while reading it. I liked the diversity and complexity of the characters, even the ones I didn't really "like". 

[This book is from the POV of a woman living in a very traditional society...one where she isn't allowed to question her husband or men, isn't allowed to do some of the things she greatly enjoyed doing, is in an unloving arranged marriage, is only valued for the male children she gives birth to, etc. Wang writes about it in a complex, respectful way that I believe is meant to help readers understand it in some ways. It was challenging to read it, but again, still something I appreciated.

]

What I didn't like: The pacing of this novel struggled quite a bit, especially at the beginning. I stuck with it because I knew this going in.

[Plot wise, I really, really didn't like the way the author killed off a main character. We open the book with Momoru and his POV. We spend a good part of the first half of the book with him. Then he just dies and we're expected to spend the rest of the book with his mom and one chapter with his dad. It didn't work for me. Child death and main character death is always going to be a hard sell for me and Wang 100% didn't sell me on the necessity of it. I almost DNFd the book because of this choice. And I would never pick up a book knowing the author made this sort of choice...killing off the voice of a main POV character mid-book. It was incredibly jarring as a reader. If he needed to die, then the book should not have been written from his brain. Likewise, it felt like Wang was trying to sell to people who are not from the tradition, the idea that the extreme patriarchal ideals of the society of our main character, are not actually oppressive to women. But I don't think she achieved it. I felt oppressed for half the book, on behalf of the main character, as she watched tragedy after tragedy befall her without having a voice. Yes, she got one in the end, but I still just had trouble with it. And then the whole plot with Robin at the end felt forced and weird.

]

Overall, I think this is a very worthwhile and at times, challenging read despite some of my issues with it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Blood, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Misogyny, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Grief, Gore, Domestic abuse, Death, Child death, War, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Rape, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Child abuse, and Body horror

Moderate: Homophobia