Scan barcode
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 😅
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 Misaki’s 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. “Sword of Kaigen” 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.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
ddnreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
How am I going to continue my reading challenge without dreading the downhill experience bcs how am I going to TOP THIS BOOK HOWWWWW
It's always a high fantasy with the most intense family drama and romance. Gut-wrenching beautifully written plot. It's a story of valuing tradition and power, a griefing mother, and undoubtedly angst romance. Women empowerment and community care.
I love it so much. I cried with it. I healed with it. This is awesome end of the story.
It's always a high fantasy with the most intense family drama and romance. Gut-wrenching beautifully written plot. It's a story of valuing tradition and power, a griefing mother, and undoubtedly angst romance. Women empowerment and community care.
I love it so much. I cried with it. I healed with it. This is awesome end of the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Rape, War, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Genocide, Blood, Body horror, and Miscarriage
abirdiebooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I feel like I just read 2.5 mostly finished books instead of one cohesive story. This could have benefited from M.L. Wang waiting to get a bit better at building a story and world, a few more rounds of editing and some thrown out plot points. This feels like it should have been somewhere in the middle drafting stages (storywise, mostly not writing wise) and not a finished product. It IS sad that we won't get more though. If this book had been worked on longer and published later and as part of a more cohesive series set up it could have been excellent.
Potential triggers:The casual moments of domestic abuse, both in thought, conversations, and actions could have absolutely either disappeared or been handled differently. The mention but complete lack of real discussion regarding marital rape was just. No
Potential triggers:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Child death, Gore, Suicide, Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, War, Grief, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Body horror, Homophobia, Violence, Toxic relationship, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Rape, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and Sexism
insomniacsun's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Partiamo col dire che questo libro mi ha fatto singhiozzare miserabilmente. Scoprire che questo era uno spin-off di una serie interrotta mi è un po' dispiaciuto, ma dopo aver letto il motivo, rispetto e ammiro la decisione dell'autrice. Il suo nuovo libro è un'aggiunta sicura alla TBR.
Con il cuore infranto e l'anima in pace, dedico una standing ovation a Wang per la sua capacità di sviluppare i suoi personaggi e i loro rapporti in modo così umano e struggente, senza soffocarli con elementi del worldbuilding tipici dei romanzi epic fantasy, bilanciando con maestria magia e protagonisti accattivanti. Per quanto abbia trovato l'arco narrativo di Takeru un po' più sbrigativo di altri, questo non l'ha reso comunque un personaggio debole, narrativamente parlando.
Per quanto la trama e il suo sviluppo meritino pieni voti, alcune scelte stilistiche mi trattengono dal farlo: la scoperta dei legami di questo libro con una precedente serie ha reso più sensati alcuni miei problemi con la prima parte, quali l'eccessiva esposizione storico-politica in alcuni paragrafi. Suppongo che avrebbero dovuto rappresentare un semplice ripasso o un nuovo POV di una realtà che il lettore aveva già presente, ma da neo-lettrice di questo mondo l'ho trovato un po' ostico.
Con il cuore infranto e l'anima in pace, dedico una standing ovation a Wang per la sua capacità di sviluppare i suoi personaggi e i loro rapporti in modo così umano e struggente, senza soffocarli con elementi del worldbuilding tipici dei romanzi epic fantasy, bilanciando con maestria magia e protagonisti accattivanti. Per quanto abbia trovato l'arco narrativo di Takeru un po' più sbrigativo di altri, questo non l'ha reso comunque un personaggio debole, narrativamente parlando.
Per quanto la trama e il suo sviluppo meritino pieni voti, alcune scelte stilistiche mi trattengono dal farlo: la scoperta dei legami di questo libro con una precedente serie ha reso più sensati alcuni miei problemi con la prima parte, quali l'eccessiva esposizione storico-politica in alcuni paragrafi. Suppongo che avrebbero dovuto rappresentare un semplice ripasso o un nuovo POV di una realtà che il lettore aveva già presente, ma da neo-lettrice di questo mondo l'ho trovato un po' ostico.
L'altro aspetto che ho trovato un po' grezzo, è stato l'approccio alla lingua.
Prima di tutto il modo di rappresentare più dialetti in una stessa conversazione era troppo limitato: finchè si trattava di un'altra lingua solamente, il corsivo andava più che bene. Il problema è partito nell'ultimo terzo del libro, dove più lingue erano parlate simultaneamente. La presenza di traduttori nella mischia poteva essere usato meglio e avrebbe aiutato l'evitare transliterazioni ripetitive con cui l'autrice ha cercato di risolvere la questione.
Inoltre, ho trovato confusionaria la decisione di non tradurre tutto dal giapponese, che era la lingua considerata principale dal libro: è stata una saggia scelta nei numerosi casi di espressioni e suffissi unici alla lingua, ma mi è rimasto impresso come un semplice conto alla rovescia sia stato semplicemente romanizzato invece che tradotto.
Detto questo, the Sword of Kaigen rimarrà uno di quei libri a cui non smetterò mai di pensare per il livello d'intensità e coinvolgimento che ha saputo mantenere fino alla fine, soprattutto considerando il mio grande debole per i rapporti familiari intriganti.
Prima di tutto il modo di rappresentare più dialetti in una stessa conversazione era troppo limitato: finchè si trattava di un'altra lingua solamente, il corsivo andava più che bene. Il problema è partito nell'ultimo terzo del libro, dove più lingue erano parlate simultaneamente. La presenza di traduttori nella mischia poteva essere usato meglio e avrebbe aiutato l'evitare transliterazioni ripetitive con cui l'autrice ha cercato di risolvere la questione.
Inoltre, ho trovato confusionaria la decisione di non tradurre tutto dal giapponese, che era la lingua considerata principale dal libro: è stata una saggia scelta nei numerosi casi di espressioni e suffissi unici alla lingua, ma mi è rimasto impresso come un semplice conto alla rovescia sia stato semplicemente romanizzato invece che tradotto.
Detto questo, the Sword of Kaigen rimarrà uno di quei libri a cui non smetterò mai di pensare per il livello d'intensità e coinvolgimento che ha saputo mantenere fino alla fine, soprattutto considerando il mio grande debole per i rapporti familiari intriganti.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Body horror, Suicide, Miscarriage, Grief, Rape, Violence, and War
toni_k's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Grief, Miscarriage, Suicide, Blood, Child death, Death, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, and Rape
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
absolutely fantastic; the sword of kaigen is one of the best books ive ever read and has now joined the few ranks of my top fav books ever. i had quite high expectations going into this but the book still exceeded them. it's actually mind-boggling how this book manages to be so many things all at once, yet it excels in all of them. this is an amazing high fantasy filled w/ thrilling action (one of the best written action-heavy books ive ever read, idk if the author's martial artist bg is a factor here); great characters who are complex, w/ some of the best arcs ive ever read; emotionally charged, heartrending, and bittersweet moments; and important (and relatable) themes of regret, duty, openmindedness, among others.
it's also a phenomenal character study whose main character and her struggles--as a woman, a mother, a lover, a wife--are rarely seen in fiction, let alone in the traditionally male-dominated domain of fantasy. misaki is unto herself, but is also a symbol for countless women even in modern times; her struggles once again remind me of the repressive, stifling, soul-crushing impact of the patriarchy and sexism. and in the greatest reversal of my feelings towards a fictional character, takeru def takes the cake; how wang made me come to like an alpha male--the very paragon of the patriarchy--who i profoundly loathed and wanted to throttle for at least 60% of the book is beyond me. a miraculous feat, rly, and a testament to the author's ability to fully render her characters as complex, multidimensional humans w/ backstory and fears.
now, despite the myriad of the book's awesomeness, my absolute fav thing abt it is how emotionally charged it is w/o ever veering into being overdramatic. the post-battle misaki-mamoru and duel scenes are one-of-a-kind, id never read anything like them, and they tore at me, and i loved it. the last chapter is also a revelation; robin and misaki's relationship--w/ its fraught history and all things unspoken yet known--is bittersweet, w/ the taste of life, w/ the complexity of the world and its reality, and how, despite not being textbook HEA, we can still be ok, to care and to be hopeful. also highly relate to and appreciate the book's msg of not letting regret overtake us, to instead do our best and appreciate everyday bc we can truly never know when it will be our last this is one of my top reads ever; i just cant stop gushing abt this book and it's honestly a crime more ppl havent read it!!!
it's also a phenomenal character study whose main character and her struggles--as a woman, a mother, a lover, a wife--are rarely seen in fiction, let alone in the traditionally male-dominated domain of fantasy. misaki is unto herself, but is also a symbol for countless women even in modern times; her struggles once again remind me of the repressive, stifling, soul-crushing impact of the patriarchy and sexism. and in the greatest reversal of my feelings towards a fictional character, takeru def takes the cake; how wang made me come to like an alpha male--the very paragon of the patriarchy--who i profoundly loathed and wanted to throttle for at least 60% of the book is beyond me. a miraculous feat, rly, and a testament to the author's ability to fully render her characters as complex, multidimensional humans w/ backstory and fears.
now, despite the myriad of the book's awesomeness, my absolute fav thing abt it is how emotionally charged it is w/o ever veering into being overdramatic. the post-battle misaki-mamoru and duel scenes are one-of-a-kind, id never read anything like them, and they tore at me, and i loved it. the last chapter is also a revelation; robin and misaki's relationship--w/ its fraught history and all things unspoken yet known--is bittersweet, w/ the taste of life, w/ the complexity of the world and its reality, and how, despite not being textbook HEA, we can still be ok, to care and to be hopeful. also highly relate to and appreciate the book's msg of not letting regret overtake us, to instead do our best and appreciate everyday bc we can truly never know when it will be our last this is one of my top reads ever; i just cant stop gushing abt this book and it's honestly a crime more ppl havent read it!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, War, Misogyny, Grief, Rape, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Colonisation, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Racism, and Toxic relationship
genny's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
5.0
Whew. I thought I knew where this was going ...I fully expected Mamoru to go out into the wider world, a coming-of-age sort of thing where he learns to be critical of power structures and maybe become a vigilante like his mother was ...boy, was I wrong. I still got the commentary on race, politics, etc. that I was looking for, but halfway through the book, something unexpected happened and threw my expectations for the narrative path out the window. I loved where this went, though. The battle scenes were incredible! The Matsuda Dragon! Mamoru's Whispering Blade! Misaki and Takeru's duel! I was prepared for the violence in a book about war, but I didn't expect to have such strong feelings for the characters. The emotional journey that Misaki takes is so satisfying. I was holding out hope for the redemption of a certain character, and M. L. Wang delivered without erasing their accountability or turning it into a cheesy, sudden change of heart. I'm talking about Takeru, of course. I may have melted into a puddle when he and Misaki finally saw each other. Forgive me, the "learning to love" trope gets me every time. Everything felt intentional; none of the plot twists felt like they were put in there just for shock value.
There were little things that annoyed me. Why keep other "Earth words" like traditional Japanese honorifics but deem our units of time too unbelievable for the setting? I kept consulting the glossary because all the new terms were overwhelming in the beginning, but I did become comfortable enough to rely on context clues eventually. I also got taken aback every time there was a mention of modern technology. It's easy to forget that this isn't set "in the past", Shirojima is just a very traditional village...but that's more of a me problem. I guess I had some sort of bias against visualizing it as a part of the "modern world", even though places like that exist in my own country.
There were little things that annoyed me. Why keep other "Earth words" like traditional Japanese honorifics but deem our units of time too unbelievable for the setting? I kept consulting the glossary because all the new terms were overwhelming in the beginning, but I did become comfortable enough to rely on context clues eventually. I also got taken aback every time there was a mention of modern technology. It's easy to forget that this isn't set "in the past", Shirojima is just a very traditional village...but that's more of a me problem. I guess I had some sort of bias against visualizing it as a part of the "modern world", even though places like that exist in my own country.
The last chapter was definitely hinting at something more, but I've heard that the Theonite books (taking place in the same setting but with different characters, if I understand correctly) have been discontinued. It may be a strange ending for some, but I'm glad that the Matsudas' story wraps up with a sense of peace.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Racism
Minor: Homophobia
More...