A review by miak2
The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

 
"You did right by your family and your country, even though, I think... none of us did right by you. There is nothing in this world for you to regret. Nothing at all." p.384


M.L. Wang did in one book what many fantasy authors fail to do in three. Interesting and extensive worldbuilding, dynamic action scenes, and thoroughly compelling character arcs. Let me break it down. (But if you don't read any farther here, PLEASE just go pick up this book. It's absolutely incredible).

Setting about to do worldbuilding in a 600-page book is no easy feat. She created a whole world with multiple and diverse countries, each with unique cultures and languages (not just named but actually occasionally written out in dialogue). There's a rich history and interesting political dynamics, although politics were not a strong focus of this book. At the beginning, all of the new terms and background information was a lot to process, and it did get a little info-dumpy, I'm absolutely willing to forgive that because, again, 600 pages? So freaking impressive.

The magic system in this universe is similar to Avatar the Last Airbender, in that there are people who can manipulate water, fire, and air. Most of the main characters are jijakalu, which means that they can manipulate water. Wang expertly wove these abilities into their daily lives, but also crafted really badass fight sequences that employed both water manipulation and traditional martial arts. And while it shares some similarities with ATLA, she pushed the bounds on what this elemental manipulation can look like.

But I really want to spend my time with the characters because holy shit. This is a dual perspective book, with chapters both from Misaki and Mamoru's points of view. Misaki is a vigilante-turned-housewife stuck in a stifling marriage. Mamoru, her 14-year old son, is developing his abilities and trying to live up to their legendary family name. I can't say any specifics about their arcs (mainly because the main 'climax' happens around the 50% mark and a lot of the wonderful character work takes places in the aftermath), but I will say that they are fantastic. The other major characters also had compelling growth throughout the book. One character, specifically, went from being one of my most-hated characters to being someone still flawed but with many redeeming qualities, but this change was done in an emotionally-impactful and believable way. (Seriously, the chapter called The Duel might be the single best chapter I've ever read, I felt so emotionally raw after reading it).

This book is one that deals with so many things: motherhood, family, tragedy, community, etc. I could go on and on about how much this meant to me, but I'll settle with a PLEASE read this and come talk to me about it. Also, it's a standalone (even though I absolutely think that there'd be plenty of material for a sequel!) 
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