A review by theravenkingx
The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang

emotional hopeful sad tense 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? No

4.75

Alert!! Alert !! Book fam, I have discovered a new favorite author: M.L Wang. My two most favorite books of this year are written by her. I am so looking forward to reading more of her books whenever they are available. She is so good!!!!

When it is too much to be a man, I am the mountain

Sword of Kaigen is a masterpiece of fantasy literature. The author creates vivid scenes, powerful emotions and exquisite prose. She immerses the reader in a world of magic, war and family. It's an emotional roller coaster ride. This book is so cinematic, it's unfortunate that Netflix hasn't picked this up for an adaptation yet.

I can praise this book and author forever but I can't deny the fact this book may not appeal to all readers because it focuses more on the characters than the plot. The book consists of three parts: the first part introduces the world, the second part contains most of the action, and the final part deals with the consequences and aftermath of war.

She had broken like black glass and ice—jagged and more dangerous than ever.

The ending leaves us with more questions than answers. I learned that there is another book that follows Sword of Kaigen, but it was published before. The last chapter, which is the longest, seems to be mostly setting up for that book. I was anticipating something big, but nothing actually happened. But don’t get me wrong, the ending is more than satisfying. It just doesn’t go where I was expecting it to go. 

This book had me captivated till the very end even if it slowed down a little in the end. This book had some amazing character arcs and character development. This book did so many things right like female friendships, romances, grief and strong female characters.

I read blood over bright haven first, which is M.L wang's newer book, and my only complaint from that was the feminist message was too obvious. But in sword of kaigen she did it so well. Misaki wasn't shouting "I am strong" she just was.

If you are into character driven stories you are going to love this. This book was more about the journies of these characters than anything else.

simple magic by which she held herself together. Love for what she had and what was gone. Love no matter the pain

Some parts of the book were triggering for me. They made me think about all those kids who are born in wars and are taught from the very young age how to be brave and how to defend themselves and people around them. It's a sad world that we live in.


 4.75
Writing:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
World Building: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Expand filter menu Content Warnings