The Sword of Kaigen A Theonite War Story

five stars isn’t enough i need this whole book tattoed on my body

no one gets misakeru like i do. GOD THEY’RE JUST SO GREAT. i’m such a sucker for second chance romance it gives so much opportunity to make a great character development and m l wang was REMARKABLE in it. well it hurts like hell but it was amazing GOD I wish i could properly express the my whole emotions while reading this book.

esse livro tem o poder de mudar como a sociedade enxerga o poder e influencia do gênero fantástico, e isso não chega nem perto de um exagero. é bonito ao mesmo tempo que é feio, é simples ao mesmo tempo que é complexo, é juvenil ao mesmo tempo que é muito maduro. esse livro te faz pensar, mas pensar com carinho e com seriedade, sobre coisas ao mesmo tempo cotidianas e muito fora da realidade da maioria das pessoas. esse livro mostra que o mundo não consegue ser comprimido a uma visão maniqueísta de certo ou errado, ao mesmo tempo que exista sim um certo e um errado, e essas visões de alguma maneira não são exclusivas. esse livro te mostra como a vida é linda, e é sofrida, e é cheia de dores e alegrias grande e pequenas. esse livro é um estudo de como o ser humano é.

Was a slow storyline with many emotionally developed characters. Is fantasy, but focuses primarily on the relationships between family and friends. The story is a deep dive into dealing with guilt, cultural expectations, and repairing one’s self image and outlook on life. The sword of Kaigen was a really heart touching and maddeningly sad story with many silver linings. If you’re looking for a book that will make you feel something, I would highly recommend.

The sword of kaigen was a highly anticipated read for me and it definitely delivered on my expectations. 

It's one that stood out to me due to its unique and detailed world building. While like with any fantasy book it takes time to adjust to the terminology I think overall its worth the time invested. I loved the magic system which reminded me a lot of the series "avatar the last airbender" and as a lover of swords I adored that swordsmanship was also an important element of shirojima where the main plot occurs. 

The second point and what made me love this book the most was the character writing. It's so refreshing to see a character as strong as misaki realize her strength and confront the misogynistic nature of the traditional society she lives in. Throughout the book she realises how her connections and bonds help make her who she is and shes able to grow and look at things from a new perspective multiole times throughout the book. Her working through her relationship with Takeru really touched my heart.

I found myself really emotional throughout reading the book, perhaps it's just me but the writing was so vivid and engaging I found it so easy to connect with it. 

Despite being a prequel to a now discontinued series I think it works well as a standalone. I believe it serves as a great introduction to M.L Wang. I'm definitely interested in reading her future works

This is one of the best books if not the best book I have read all year. I really do recommend going into this blind. M.L. Wang’s characterization is so rich and really carries this book. Everything about this was incredibly cinematic.

i need more

was utterly surprised by where the author took me. aside from the great action writing there was so much depth of emotions explored between different types of relationships. the beginning of the book felt a bit slow but im glad i stuck with it.

“a warrior’s legacy is essential to his soul. to deny what happened here—to ourselves or to anyone else—is the greatest disservice we could do our dead.”

the pacing's the only thing that's keeping this book from becoming an all-time fave of mine. still had a great time bawling my eyes out nonetheless!

This book simultaneously entertained me on a amazingly world built high fantasy adventure filled with fight scenes, highest of stakes, while also healing something in me weaving a story together with very real and basic human emotions such as regret, resentment, and duty. There is a death of a major character in this and I am glad I read spoilers of it. I don’t think that’s necessary for everyone but if you’re someone like me who likes to hedge their emotional damage bets no regrets. That being said about 60% on I was constantly tearing up and/or crying reading this and not solely for negative reasons. Again with the healing capability of this book. It hurts and heals at the same time and by the end gives you a soft place to land. Biggest book hangover after whew.

An emotional masterpiece.

"What are you?"

"I'm Matsuda Misaki. I'm your wife.”

I think we rarely come across a fantasy series with a mother-child-father theme and I didn't know I'd love that until I read The Sword Of Kaigen. What absolutely touched me was the emotional resilience the book portrayed. Tragic. Raw. Beautiful.

Matsuda family, I can never forget you. Misaki, Mamoru and Robin were my favourite characters. I can't get over the way they were written. So beautifully that you'd be hooked from the beginning, except that the chapter one was a little bit hard to get into.

The way motherhood and identity crisis revolved an important plot point has my whole heart. It's not often that this is touched on in a fantasy book and Wang absolutely rocked it.

Misaki was a woman, a daughter, a wife, a daughter-in-law, a mother and a warrior in all. Truly one of my favourite characters.

one of the best fantasy books i have ever read. it is an emotionally compelling book, and the world building, character development, and magic system were amazing! i am torn between giving this 4 or 5 stars because the pacing was kind of weird (could have been better if this wasn't a standalone). the ending also was... i liked it but... if you know you know. overall, i enjoyed reading this and for a long book, i couldn't find myself to put it down.

Man, i did not expect it to be THAT good. And it's a self-published one no less. I started reading, expecting a light YA Fantasy, and instead got hit in the face with a full-on shakespearean tragedy. Honestly in all its aspects this is an absolutely amazing book. Very well paced, filled with insanely good lines and fights scenes, and some of the best depictions of raw emotion i've read so far. This book will drag you down with grief before launching you skyward with hope.

This book was perfect. The way it expressed grief, rage and family dynamics- I was crying and will be thinking about for years.

4.75 stars (view spoiler)[ “What the world would never know, was that he was the second youngest.” !!!!! (hide spoiler)]

holy shit

This broke me in every way possible, but it built me back up in ways I never thought was possible. Also, I love women (Misaki).

Excellent characterisation of Misaki--the strongest passages in the book were all hers.

The action and events don't often have a sense of purpose or forward momentum... Until the plot arrives. Then they do. On the whole though, the book would be an amazing 400 pages. There were many many moments that took my breath away, and a couple brilliant twists including the best, most emotionally resonant duel I've ever read. I don't want to give anything away (and I don't have to say more because you will know it when you see it), but that duel turns the entire narrative on its head.

The world building was sublime, BUT we didn't need to have so much of it explained directly. Please please please, you do not have to put all your great ideas about your world into the TEXT; in fact, while it's often important for writers to intimately know all the intricacies of their worlds and to have sensible explanations so that their world runs smoothly, it's fine to leave most of those explanations like the engine humming quietly under the hood.

Truly a 5 am read. Such a beautiful and sad and angry book. I love the world and all the characters and changes you see in them over the book - so good. I also really enjoyed how the story follows the perspective of a mother and her son, works really well. I want a prequel that goes more in depth on Misakis school life, that’d be cool. A good read and definitely a reread for future.🗻

The Sword of Kaigen is less about the intense imperial conundrums, wars and brutalities, and more about the families whose lives undergo an immense upheaval after an invasion. The treatment of grief, loss, love and change are treated with great poignancy, even if a tad hyper emotional. For the supercharged first half, the second half of the novel slows down, and allows itself the time to soak in the cold mountain air, and the blood it is tainted with. A fantastic novel.

i read this back in april, and it's still the best book i read all year. truly what a wonderful and memorable story.

“What are you?” Takeru whispered. Something bigger than myself, she realized. “I’m Matsuda Misaki,” she said with pride and honesty she never attached to those words before. “I’m your wife.” And she attacked him. This book was everything i didnt know i needed