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

adventurous emotional inspiring sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book sneaks up on you. The beginning is nothing stellar and had me wondering if I would like this book by the end. But man, man once the story popped off I was SO unbelievably hooked. 

I absolutely adored all the relationships in this book - whether it was mother to son, wife and husband, friend to friend, sister in law to sister in law, all of them were written with such raw pain, love, and growth. Plus a sick asf magic system and cool lore?? I wish I would have read this sooner! 

Also kind of love that this WASN’T some crazy story about overthrowing the Empire and setting their nation free. It was about how messy love of every kind is and why it’s important to love no matter the cost. The climax was never Namoru dying or the Ranganese attack - it was Misaki’s and Takeru’s dual and repair of their marriage. It ended with promise of the next generation rising up to take back their nation from the empire. So unexpected but so, SO lovely and welcomed.
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