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

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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

Absolutely fantastic. An excellent exploration of such a wide range of emotions and experiences; from honor and understanding to grief, shame, perseverance and love. I’ve read some bangers so far this year but none have moved me quite like The Sword of Kaigen. 

Admittedly there are some interesting stylistic choices like:
italics for languages other than the local dialect (there are several), flashbacks where they don’t quite fit with the tone of the previous chapter(s), and a single POV chapter from one of the main characters at about the 70% mark and not giving the character another POV for the rest of the book.


However, despite these choices I found the book engrossing and didn’t feel like my attention was being whipped about too much. I highly recommend reading this.
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