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A review by ps_stillreading
The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang
adventurous
challenging
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Sword of Kaigen is an adult fantasy that had me bawling my eyes out at two in the morning. I couldn’t put it down and it absolutely crushed me. Then I got up the next day and continued reading.
The setting in this story is heavily inspired by Japanese and other East Asian cultures, so if you are looking for an epic high fantasy with an Asian flare, then this book will be a perfect choice. It also features elemental magic with the main characters in the story being able to control water and ice. People from other nations have the ability to control fire and wind. If you’re an A:TLA fan, then I think you’d enjoy this book as well.
The action scenes were also really good. In most other fantasy books I read, I tend to skim over the fights because I can’t really follow what’s going on. But here, I clung to every word. I could understand (and even see in my mind’s eye) the moves these characters were doing even though I know nothing about fighting or martial arts.
As much as this book is action-packed, it also has a lot of emotional depth. We follow 14-year-old Matsuda Mamoru, the son of a powerful clan who is expected to train and become a formidable warrior to protect the empire and continue the Matsuda legacy. We also follow the perspective of his mother, Matsuda Misaki, a woman who has left her fighting days behind in order to be a respectable wife and perform the duties expected of a noblewoman. Mother and son both face pressures that lead them to question their place in the world.
All the characters are well-written and they feel so real. Each person is shaped by their experience, their upbringing, and their environment, and you as a reader can clearly see how those factors shaped the people you meet in the books. The way each character develops and changes throughout the book is also done incredibly well and in a very believable and satisfying way.
The Sword of Kaigen is one of the most moving fantasy books I have read in a long time.
Everything about this book felt so well-thought-out. From the Asian-inspired world, to the characters and their relationships, to the magic system. This fictional world feels so rich and so real with all the vivid details and the different cultures present in the story.
It has all the action you come to expect in an epic fantasy, but the story also gives you a lot of moments to connect with the characters on a deeper and much more emotional level.
I also love that we get to read from the perspective of Misaki, a mother. She is such a badass woman. She is flawed, but she is doing her best. And she possesses both internal and external strength that allows her to serve and protect the people she loves.
The setting in this story is heavily inspired by Japanese and other East Asian cultures, so if you are looking for an epic high fantasy with an Asian flare, then this book will be a perfect choice. It also features elemental magic with the main characters in the story being able to control water and ice. People from other nations have the ability to control fire and wind. If you’re an A:TLA fan, then I think you’d enjoy this book as well.
The action scenes were also really good. In most other fantasy books I read, I tend to skim over the fights because I can’t really follow what’s going on. But here, I clung to every word. I could understand (and even see in my mind’s eye) the moves these characters were doing even though I know nothing about fighting or martial arts.
As much as this book is action-packed, it also has a lot of emotional depth. We follow 14-year-old Matsuda Mamoru, the son of a powerful clan who is expected to train and become a formidable warrior to protect the empire and continue the Matsuda legacy. We also follow the perspective of his mother, Matsuda Misaki, a woman who has left her fighting days behind in order to be a respectable wife and perform the duties expected of a noblewoman. Mother and son both face pressures that lead them to question their place in the world.
All the characters are well-written and they feel so real. Each person is shaped by their experience, their upbringing, and their environment, and you as a reader can clearly see how those factors shaped the people you meet in the books. The way each character develops and changes throughout the book is also done incredibly well and in a very believable and satisfying way.
The Sword of Kaigen is one of the most moving fantasy books I have read in a long time.
Everything about this book felt so well-thought-out. From the Asian-inspired world, to the characters and their relationships, to the magic system. This fictional world feels so rich and so real with all the vivid details and the different cultures present in the story.
It has all the action you come to expect in an epic fantasy, but the story also gives you a lot of moments to connect with the characters on a deeper and much more emotional level.
I also love that we get to read from the perspective of Misaki, a mother. She is such a badass woman. She is flawed, but she is doing her best. And she possesses both internal and external strength that allows her to serve and protect the people she loves.