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santaniello's review against another edition
Graphic: Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, and War
madlyreading's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Child death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
thecriticalreader's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism, Rape, Suicide, Xenophobia, Vomit, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Ableism, Homophobia, Sexual content, Slavery, Abortion, Alcohol, and Classism
takarakei's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
Unfortunately I felt like I read 3 different books that felt a bit disjointed.
- The first ~1/3 of this book is fantastic - good world building and character introductions, multiple povs to round out the perspective, very cool magic and I thought we were being set up for such a cool adventure.
- The second ~1/3 was one long battle/war scene. This is maybe a "me" thing because typically battle scenes are really not my favorite thing to read, but this went on FOREVER. Even with the magic being super cool to read, at some point I was just really over reading about it and it felt rather repetitive.
The deaths in this section also felt mostly like for shock value to me - The last ~1/3 after this battle the book took a sudden turn into a super character driven not-plot where we just follow the aftermath of the battle where they are rebuilding this town and it was honestly boring. As my friend said "the culmination of this epic fantasy is….logging and building a school….."
- ALSO I HATED the Takeru redemption "arc" cause it's not an arc, it was a complete 180 out of nowhere with no build up and sorry I do not sympathize with him! His character development was not nuanced enough for me to care, and in the end he was still doing dumb things. IMO if Takeru had been explained to be mainly just distant/cold but not outright abusive to Misaki/the children this change would have made more sense.
I guess I just didn't expect to literally not leave this one small town the entire book (Misaki's flashbacks do not count imo). The men in this book were all incredibly insufferable and useless. Misaki was also a bit frustrating to read at times because while I can understand why she entered into this marriage based on societal expectations, I cannot understand how she became a completely different person for 15 years.
After finishing I did some research and realized this book was written as a prequel to a YA series this author wrote that I guess holds the more conclusive ending to the empire etc??? But that made this read not like a completed standalone because at the end I still had a lot of questions about how things in this world would get resolved.
The audiobook narrator mispronounces words which was very irksome as someone who speaks some Japanese. These are not words that were made up by the author, but real Japanese words that were being used in their original context. I found actually the narration was inconsistent with some pronunciation.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, Slavery, Xenophobia, and Colonisation
ghostyreadsy's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Rape, Suicide, and War
Moderate: Child death, Death, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, and Classism
Minor: Child abuse, Gore, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
parasihir's review against another edition
- 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
Since the very moment I read the way Mamoru jumped to go to his school, I know I love that boy.
The way everything unfolds leaves me with hunger. I need more. I need it. So I just read, read, read and then suddenly (not so sudden), everything that was once broken becomes better. Not the best. But better. Life, I suppose, does go that way. A little better than yesterday.
The Sword of Kaigen has every elements you can ask for in a fantasy book. A good world-building, a wonderful magic system (it is actually not that complicated once you take notes of it), a amazing characterization of all characters, a admirable relationship (of all kind, I mean it), a real plot, and the best ending you can ask for. It has been a long time since I actually finish a fantasy book with a new whole concept like this. A new world, though M.L. Wang seems to write it based on East Asian culture. Hard to grasp at first, but perfect when you get to understand it.
If you want a real good book to read to keep you focused in turning the pages as it hooks you in the story, The Sword of Kaigen is the best choice. Trust me. And also, may you will find this book as gorgeous as I find it, if you decide to pick it up, of course. Love you!
Nyama to you, my fellow reader.
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Kidnapping
btrz7's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child death, Death, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Rape, and Sexism
Minor: Miscarriage
pensandpicks's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child death, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Grief, and War
Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia
readandfindout's review against another edition
4.75
Style/writing: 4.5 stars
Themes: 4.5 stars
Characters: 5 stars
Plot: 5 stars
Worldbuilding: 4.5 stars
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Miscarriage and Racism
mjadeh's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail