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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
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
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 š
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.
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".
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.
Overall, I think this is a very worthwhile and at times, challenging read despite some of my issues with it.
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
rnbhargava's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-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
Honestly this is a fantastic book. The characters, the discussion it creates with the reader about the nature of propaganda, politics and warfare. The characters are full of complex motivations, doubts, traumas, triumphs and tragedies. Mamoru is such a good kid, all of Misakiās kids are. Misaki is so multidimensional. Takeru really puts you through a hate/love dynamic and you even come to sympathize with him at points. The supporting characters are even immensely layered through how they handle the highs and lows of their lives before and amidst the narrative of this novel. āSword of Kaigenā is quite the appropriate title for this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Medical content, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Xenophobia, Body horror, Classism, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, War, Domestic abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Confinement, Gaslighting, Genocide, Medical trauma, Bullying, Child death, Murder, Toxic relationship, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Rape, Self harm, Death, Death of parent, Misogyny, Blood, Sexism, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
There is a rape, there is lots of discussion and depiction of propaganda and brutal warfare, also child death and parental death in several contexts. There are also special abilities that could be used in a variety of violent and benevolent manners.blue_guitar's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I read this as part of the 2024 r/fantasy Bingo ā Self published or indy
Sword of Kaigen by ML Wang was a book I was really looking forward to, especially given the high regards that Iād seen for it in the last few years.
After reading it, I can say thereās a lot of greatness to it.
I really liked the world, the magic, the potential for a grand epic story and the action scenes were incredibly well written.
But thereās also some pretty significant elements that disappointed me. The book revolves around the two central characters, Misaki and her son, Mamoru, dealing with a domineering and abusive husband and father, and some sort of government conspiracy (that unfortunately is never really explained) and the ramifications of past and future wars. Itās a character driven plot, with most of the āactionā of the book happening internally to the two POV characters.
However, the pacing just seems off. Multiple points throughout reading the book, I was asking myself ā when is something interesting going to happen? So much of Kaigen is just slice of life description. Thereās a lot of conversations that don't advance the plot or show anything new about the characters, they just have small talk. Alternatively, you get page after page of exposition, lots of telling and not showing.
Which brings me to the next issue that came up, youād assume that this was a novel set in a period like the Edo Shogunate in Japan. Itās not, you soon realize that this world has satellites and jet fighters and computers.
Iām not sure this was the right call for the book. It creates a strange dissonance between the magic and world building ā especially when the characters seem to exist in this pseudo medieval lifestyle. The characters bounce between very traditional mentalities to near modern conversations. It kept pulling me out of the story when it happened. At one point, character says "touchĆ©ā after being presented with a good point.
Towards the end of the book, I was getting a little frustrated by a few repeating motifs, many scenes of someone telling someone to go and hide, but they refuse, very "I won't leave you" type scenes. In fight scenes, Misaki keeps having her age and limits brought up as negative factors, this never happens for the male fighters. Thereās also this uncomfortable theme of purity of bloodlines being equated with more powerful individuals. Thereās a race of people who are described as āwhiteā with āimpure bloodlinesā who are physically weaker and lack magical powers. Those beliefs are never really challenged by any of the characters.
Finally, I found the ending is really clumsy. There is a new plot point introduced, apparently for a sequel that was canceled, but it really makes it more long-winded than it needed to be. The central conflict between the main characters gets wrapped in a way that Iām not sure the story earned, particularly giving a very cruel character a happy ending.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Rape, and Child abuse
thenoboshow's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Xenophobia, Child death, Classism, Miscarriage, Rape, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicide, Violence, Alcohol, Blood, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, and War
soryualan's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
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
This book is a 10 out of 5.
From around chapter 7 and until the end I couldn't stop crying. I cried out of rage, sadness, frustration and happiness. The author portraits emotions in such a raw and visceral way. No other book or piece media has ever hit me as hard and as deep as this story.
The story is super inspiring filled with heart-warming characters and is also packed with incredibly well written action sequences.
This is probably the best book I've read so far. Loved it!!
From around chapter 7 and until the end I couldn't stop crying. I cried out of rage, sadness, frustration and happiness. The author portraits emotions in such a raw and visceral way. No other book or piece media has ever hit me as hard and as deep as this story.
The story is super inspiring filled with heart-warming characters and is also packed with incredibly well written action sequences.
This is probably the best book I've read so far. Loved it!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, War, and Child death
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Suicide
Minor: Rape, Kidnapping, and Xenophobia
It is a great story, but there is a lot of grief going on. As some one who lost my mother 3 years ago I found some moments to be incredibly hard to read through. I still loved the book and I found it to be somewhat cathartic, but for people grieving the loss of loved ones it may be very triggeringstoryorc's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.5
Reading The Sword of Kaigen went a little like...
Chapter 1-3:A fantasy take on a super-traditional Japanese village on a picturesque little mountain by the sea. Ponyo vibes. Creative uses of waterbending, too. This should be fun.
Chapters 4-11: These mother and son characters have some real meat on them. Few odd details in mom's backstory but we're really grappling with our and our nation's failures and how to handle that. Fun but more mature and realistic than expected too.
Chapters 12-13: ML Wang leaps for the title of best cinematic battle sequences in a book. Sanderson, who? Water and ice have never been more badass and the stakes could not be higher. I've never read anything this kinetic; the closest thing coming to mind are beautiful anime showdowns with five years of buildup. When did I start caring about these characters so much? I have to keep catching myself from looking ahead on the page out of sheer anxiety for them. I sat down to read one chapter but end up reading a third of this 650-page book at once.
Chapters 14-17: You can do that??????? Are you allowed to do that in a book??? I almost wish you weren't.I'm crying over paper for the first time since Fred died. I have to get up and pace. What is going on. Have not felt this flayed by a fantasy book since the Broken Earth trilogy. A POV character dying is bold enough but usually those books span years and have like six POV characters who are all adults bringing their demises upon themselves with their hubris. I can only think of one other instance of getting blindsided with a child POV dying and even that was at the end of her book. I feel almost manipulated by being given his POV only to have it ripped away but it set us up to share Mikasi's loss the way a single POV never could have.
Chapters 18-27: We're dealing with the aftermath slowly but anything faster would feel rushed. My nerves are grateful for this slow-acting balm. The big emotional moment is thrilling and well-earned and if it doesn't pack quite as much punch, that's only because we're still reeling from the cannonball to the face that was the previous chapters. Also, though not the smoothest reading experience, there was a beautiful synergy between form and content in Wang giving us a slice ofTakeru's POV in the moment he finally let Misaki see behind his shields. I would have liked him to take over as secondary POV from that point on to keep them as a team at the forefront, since that seemed like the fruit of this book's labour, but I respect that it was ultimately Misaki's story.
Chapters 28-31: Should have been the start of book two but these characters are family to me now so I'm in it to the end. The final chapter also brings in a character who is a lovely way for us to witness just how muchMisaki has grown. Also, it's cute.
This is the kind of book that makes me grateful for self-publishing as I doubt this non-traditional structure would have made it through a publishing house's edits. Turning theorphaned superpowered hero trope on its head was also a colossal risk. However, by having that sneak-attack climax in the middle of the book, we get to keep watching after the point the curtain would usually fall, and see how these characters grow around hardship like the trunk of a tree. It does bear some of the clunkiness of a work without many eyes on it - Misaki's backstory as a vigilante, complete with a boy called Robin, is tonally jarring (although the idea of her past being a violence 'vacation' is compelling and the modern elements like internet felt unnecessary - but I'd forgive a thousand more fumbles for the honest, sometimes ugly, depth of character it achieved.
I really can't speak highly enough about the battle sequence either. Eighty pages of fight-or-flight adrenaline, constantly keeping you on your toes with new techniques, new environments, new stakes. My eyes were dry from not blinking enough. You need to read Sword of Kaigen, if only for that, in the same way you owe it to yourself to watch John Wick and House of Flying Daggers.
Chapter 1-3:A fantasy take on a super-traditional Japanese village on a picturesque little mountain by the sea. Ponyo vibes. Creative uses of waterbending, too. This should be fun.
Chapters 4-11: These mother and son characters have some real meat on them. Few odd details in mom's backstory but we're really grappling with our and our nation's failures and how to handle that. Fun but more mature and realistic than expected too.
Chapters 12-13: ML Wang leaps for the title of best cinematic battle sequences in a book. Sanderson, who? Water and ice have never been more badass and the stakes could not be higher. I've never read anything this kinetic; the closest thing coming to mind are beautiful anime showdowns with five years of buildup. When did I start caring about these characters so much? I have to keep catching myself from looking ahead on the page out of sheer anxiety for them. I sat down to read one chapter but end up reading a third of this 650-page book at once.
Chapters 14-17: You can do that??????? Are you allowed to do that in a book??? I almost wish you weren't.
Chapters 18-27: We're dealing with the aftermath slowly but anything faster would feel rushed. My nerves are grateful for this slow-acting balm. The big emotional moment is thrilling and well-earned and if it doesn't pack quite as much punch, that's only because we're still reeling from the cannonball to the face that was the previous chapters. Also, though not the smoothest reading experience, there was a beautiful synergy between form and content in Wang giving us a slice of
Chapters 28-31: Should have been the start of book two but these characters are family to me now so I'm in it to the end. The final chapter also brings in a character who is a lovely way for us to witness just how much
This is the kind of book that makes me grateful for self-publishing as I doubt this non-traditional structure would have made it through a publishing house's edits. Turning the
I really can't speak highly enough about the battle sequence either. Eighty pages of fight-or-flight adrenaline, constantly keeping you on your toes with new techniques, new environments, new stakes. My eyes were dry from not blinking enough. You need to read Sword of Kaigen, if only for that, in the same way you owe it to yourself to watch John Wick and House of Flying Daggers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Child death, Classism, Rape, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, and Misogyny
rikuson1's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
I Really Liked It š
-ā ā ā ā ā¬- (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.
-ā ā ā ā ā¬- (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.
Content Warnings
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
jec52's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.0
The start was a little slow and I didnāt feel so invested in the characters, so defiantly didnāt grip me from the beginning. But this slowly developed and the book became more and more interesting as the characters and the world opened up.
The point of view from just one place in one time was a really nice angle, exploring the world through this lens.
There were some aspects I didnāt particularly enjoy, including very heavy handed scenes (unnatural dialogue) and some just bad writing is some smaller parts.Also, that the relationship between Misaki and Takeru was suddenly fix with one fight was a bit eye rolling.
But overall, I enjoyed the book and would like to explore more of the world in the series.
The point of view from just one place in one time was a really nice angle, exploring the world through this lens.
There were some aspects I didnāt particularly enjoy, including very heavy handed scenes (unnatural dialogue) and some just bad writing is some smaller parts.
But overall, I enjoyed the book and would like to explore more of the world in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Child death, and Sexism
Moderate: Miscarriage, War, Child abuse, Rape, Grief, and Domestic abuse