5 Reasons Why You Should Read ‘The Sword of Kaigen’ by M. L. Wang

• Title: The Sword of Kaigen
• Author: M. L. Wang
• Publisher: self-published
• Pub. date: 19 February 2019
• Series: Theonite #0
• Page count: 559
• Genres: adult, fantasy

A mother struggling to repress her violent past,
A son struggling to grasp his violent future,
A father blind to the danger that threatens them all.

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?

High 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.

Content warnings: death of loved ones (including children), domestic abuse, genocide, gore, kidnapping, PTSD, racism, rape, suicide, sexual content (mentioned), talk of superior race

The Sword of Kaigen was always on my TBR since I have seen my bookstagram friend, Inosh, literally rave about how good it was! It finally took a buddy-read with a group of my bookstagram friends for me to actually pick up the book. I failed miserably at keeping up with my buddy-readers; I took a few months extra to finish off this huge epic! But it was so worth it!

The Sword of Kaigen is a prequel to the author’s main Theonite series but you don’t have to necessarily have read the books to pick up this one. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I did.

The story is told through the eyes of two main characters: Mamoru, the eldest son in a warrior family called the Matsuda who is juggling trying to live up to his father’s icy expectations with living a teenage boy’s life. The unexpected arrival of an exchange student to their sheltered village soon has Mamoru questioning everything he has been taught about the Kaiganese Empire and its enemies.

Misaki is the wife of the Matsuda family’s cold-hearted second son and is Mamoru’s mother. But her past hides a bloody and vigilante history that is at total odds with the housewife she is now. Struggling to reconcile her past self with her present, Misaki is forced to choose who she is when the enemy lands right at their doorstep and threatens her family.

1. The world-building in this story was exceptional and nuanced.

The Sword of Kaigen is set in a village at the foot of Mt Takayubi, which is at the very edge of the Kaiganese Empire and cut off from the mainland. The village is famous for its history in previous wars as a stronghold that kept its enemies at bay, and these villagers take pride in their warrior families. The village dynamics and the heirarchy was so well-done that I kept forgetting this wasn’t a real place. The politics that played a huge part when the village got caught up with what had been happening in the mainlands was even more intriguing.

2. The tear-wrenching, heart-crushing tragedy.

I have to warn anyone who dares to pick up this book that you are in for a seriously bumpy roller-coaster. This book doesn’t hold back from putting its reader through the hard stuff: there is death, separations, dreams crushed… everything that would make you want to take a breather to let the tears dry.

3. Beautifully fleshed-out characters that will take over your heart.

Misaki and Mamoru are some of the most compelling characters that I have read about. Misaki is an amazing morally-ambiguous character that I fell completely in love with. In contrast, Mamoru was the pure, wholesome character that I would have protected at all costs. Even the supporting characters were so well-done that I don’t think I can even call them secondary characters.

4. The elemental magic system gave me ATLA vibes but with more gore.

The elemental magic system with its geographical affinities was absolutely marvelous. It reminded me a lot of Avatar: The Last Airbender but with more gore and finesse. The different techniques, the gory battles and the variety of subtypes were just plain awesome!

5. The story was both character-driven as well as plot-driven.

While the characters grow and mature over the course of the story, there are many political plot points that progress throughout the story too. Takayubi takes leaps and bounds in coming up to date with the mainland situation while also growing itself as a village. I was just so happy to see that village face countless tragedies and adversities, but still grow into something stronger.

The Sword of Kaigen by M. L. Wang is an epic saga in itself with its tale of heroes, wars and strength. While set in a fantastical world, it is hard not to make comparisons to our own history and to form strong connections with the beautiful characters that Wang has written into being. I would recommend this book to anyone who loved Avatar: The Last Airbender but with more gore, heartbreak and some seriously morally-ambiguous characters!

More The Sword of Kaigen content: David’s Q&A with the author, Dan’s review, and Francisca’s review

Hi! I’m M. L. Wang, author, martial artist, and weird recluse currently hiding somewhere in Wisconsin with my maroon-bellied parakeet, Sulu. I enjoy gruesome nature documentaries and long walks in circles around my room.

My published books include The Sword of Kaigen, Theonite: Planet Adyn, and Theonite: Orbit (series discontinued) and my ongoing serials include Gunpowder Magnolia, Seven Forsaken, and Sazuma.

Have you read The Sword of Kaigen or will you be picking it up?