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A review by teemospren
The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.5
I didn't realize how sad this book was going to be getting into it. The only things I knew are that there are two perspectives, a mother and her son, and that it's a war story. What The Sword of Kaigen does uniquely is allow ample time after the fighting to reflect on the grief, helplessness, and anger caused by the destruction of war. There is one particularly bold decision in this book that proves its worth the further along you read; some find the change in pacing and tone after said decision to be too much of a shift or a drag, but for the story being told it wouldn't make any sense to rush to the ending. It's true that the book dwells on a specific struggle for a long time, I also had a point where I felt like I was ready to move on to the next development, but as soon as I thought that the book seemed to agree with me and did exactly that.
The Sword of Kaigen gives a fresh perspective on motherhood that I also very much appreciated. It allows for so much development for not only the mother, but also for her son and eventually her husband. It's a huge strength of the book but it's also a big reason I can't give it five stars. I don't mind when characters aren't likable, or when they make decisions I don't agree with as long as I can understand them, but at times I felt like characters were written into a hole just for the sake of being able to allow for development later, but not because it made sense for the character.
In the end, my complaints with this book don't amount to much when compared with everything that's done so well here. I would recommend this to anyone who doesn't mind crying over their fantasy books, and even though I'm a young guy who knows nothing about motherhood, I would especially recommend this to any mother who feels inadequate or lost in parenthood, or any parent for that matter.
The Sword of Kaigen gives a fresh perspective on motherhood that I also very much appreciated. It allows for so much development for not only the mother, but also for her son and eventually her husband. It's a huge strength of the book but it's also a big reason I can't give it five stars. I don't mind when characters aren't likable, or when they make decisions I don't agree with as long as I can understand them, but at times I felt like characters were written into a hole just for the sake of being able to allow for development later, but not because it made sense for the character.
In the end, my complaints with this book don't amount to much when compared with everything that's done so well here. I would recommend this to anyone who doesn't mind crying over their fantasy books, and even though I'm a young guy who knows nothing about motherhood, I would especially recommend this to any mother who feels inadequate or lost in parenthood, or any parent for that matter.