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A review by britreads
The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
At first, I was leaning towards a 3.5 or 3.75 star rating. But after thinking about this novel more, I decided to bump my rating up to 4 stars. I nearly DNF'd this when I first started. I found the first 125-150 pages difficult to get through. It's not until we learn more about how the Empire may be covering up some truths that the story started to pick up for me. The story picks up during the second section of the novel and the third section deals with the consequences of everything that occurred in the second part.
Misaki was a complex character from start to finish. I found her story to be the most interesting and engaging. Reading about a young mother who was once a warrior and fighter in her own way settle into a more quiet life was fascinating. And she struggles throughout the novel moving through feelings of selfishness, agony, resentment, anger and grief. I also liked Mamoru's perspective and the conclusion to his arc. And I grew to understand (and somewhat like) Takeru. I didn't really care for his one perspective section since we never dip into his mind again after that. I just wish the information we gather there was given to us in a different way. .
The biggest reason why I struggled with this novel was the way the lore and history were presented. The author would have characters speak for pages as they shared some important piece of history and I wasn't interested in it at all. This happens in the first 150 pages where a teacher goes through the history of the conflict between the different empires and civilizations. It was important information that set up the rest of the story, but unfortunately, the way it was presented to me as the reader wasn't engaging and my eyes glazed over during those moments. This happened two more times in the story and each time I was just bored and rushing through to get to something more interesting.
I understand why so many people praised this book. And I was happy to read it. But it didn't surpass my expectations like I anticipated it would and that's why I can't give it 5 stars.
Misaki was a complex character from start to finish. I found her story to be the most interesting and engaging. Reading about a young mother who was once a warrior and fighter in her own way settle into a more quiet life was fascinating. And she struggles throughout the novel moving through feelings of selfishness, agony, resentment, anger and grief. I also liked Mamoru's perspective and the conclusion to his arc. And I grew to understand (and somewhat like) Takeru.
The biggest reason why I struggled with this novel was the way the lore and history were presented. The author would have characters speak for pages as they shared some important piece of history and I wasn't interested in it at all. This happens in the first 150 pages where a teacher goes through the history of the conflict between the different empires and civilizations. It was important information that set up the rest of the story, but unfortunately, the way it was presented to me as the reader wasn't engaging and my eyes glazed over during those moments. This happened two more times in the story and each time I was just bored and rushing through to get to something more interesting.
I understand why so many people praised this book. And I was happy to read it. But it didn't surpass my expectations like I anticipated it would and that's why I can't give it 5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, and Pregnancy