The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang
On a mountainside at the edge of the Kaigenese Empire live the most powerful warriors in the world, superhumans capable of raising the sea and wielding blades of ice. For hundreds of years, the fighters of the Kusanagi Peninsula have held the Empire’s enemies at bay, earning their frozen spit of land the name ‘The Sword of Kaigen.’ Born into Kusanagi’s legendary Matsuda family, fourteen-year-old Mamoru has always known his purpose: to master his family’s fighting techniques and defend his homeland. But when an outsider arrives and pulls back the curtain on Kaigen’s alleged age of peace, Mamoru realizes that he might not have much time to become the fighter he was bred to be. Worse, the empire he was bred to defend may stand on a foundation of lies.
Misaki told herself that she left the passions of her youth behind when she married into the Matsuda house. Determined to be a good housewife and mother, she hid away her sword, along with everything from her days as a fighter in a faraway country. But with her growing son asking questions about the outside world, the threat of an impending invasion looming across the sea, and her frigid husband grating on her nerves, Misaki finds the fighter in her clawing its way back to the surface.
When the winds of war reach their peninsula, will the Matsuda family have the strength to defend their empire? Or will they tear each other apart before the true enemies even reach their shores?
For the Reading Challenge(s):
N/A
The Reason
It’s been on my TBR for a while because everyone says how good it is. I’ve also read Blood Over Bright Haven by the author and loved it, so I thought I’d love this one too.
The Quotes
“You learn over time that the world isn’t broken. It’s just… got more pieces to it than you thought. They all fit together, just maybe not the way you pictured when you were young.”
“Most strong things are rigid. If you are water, you can shift to fit any mold and freeze yourself strong. You can be strong in any shape. You can be anything.”
“But if I learned one thing from Firebird, it’s that a person’s tragedy doesn’t define them or cancel all the good in their life.”
“Why don’t you try taking responsibility for the things you can control instead of the things you can’t?”
The Narrator(s)
Andrew Tell. He was really good.
My Thoughts
I have mixed feelings about this book. I loved the first 50-60% of it, and you can be sure I ugly cried for hours at that part. It’s a great story with great world building, and I loved how emotional it was, how visceral everything felt. Every character in the Matsuda family was so compelling; I loved them, I hated them, I wanted to be their bff, I wanted to hurt them… It held my heart in a vice grip from the beginning, and I loved it.
However, the later part of the book felt like it went on too long and didn’t have a place to go. It wasn’t a bad ending; I’d say it ends properly for a story of just the Matsuda family but there were still many unanswered questions about the state of the world of Kaigen and how that affects the Matsuda family. I understand this is because it’s technically a prequel to the author’s Theonite series, which was released a few years before this book but takes place years after the events of this book. Realizing this gives me a little more context to why this book ends the way it does, but as it’s marketed as a standalone, I feel very disappointed in the lack of a more concrete ending.
Having said that, I’m not sure if I’ll bother with the Theonite series as they feature a new set of characters and it’s the Matsudas I fell in love with here, but I am curious to see where the world stands in those books so never say never.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
