Started: 21/03/21
Finished: 11/04/21
Spoilers: No
A solid standalone fantasy. These are so rare nowadays, so I was super excited to dive into this one.
I love supporting self-pubbed authors. I find the trad-pub industry so toxic these days, so I'm definitely trying to do more to support authors who choose a different path.
And I feel like self-pubbed authors deserve extra credit. Like, not only do they write excellent books, but they have to market them, hire illustrators and editors, and narrators, and basically do everything that trad-publishers are supposed to do.
Characters
I've never watched Avatar: TLA, but I imagine the magic system in this book will greatly appeal to fans of the show. Essentially what we have is water benders going up against air benders. I dig elemental magic, so I found the magic system here really cool.
The main cast is strong in their power, but I like how they're just not strong enough. It makes the stakes feel so much higher, and I cared a lot more because I never felt sure someone was safe.
I'm that sick and twisted kind of reader that secretly loves when good characters die. It adds so much more weight to the conflict, not to mention emotional weight to the remaining characters.
Misaki was a fucking badass. I kinda loved her.
Plot
This book shows a very honest and raw depiction of war and it's terrible aftermath. Just because a war has ended, doesn't mean things are going to be easy, and Sword of Kaigen demonstrates that perfectly.
The way the government turned its back during the village's hour of need had my blood boiling. The feeling of hopelessness in those moments is brilliantly captured, and I felt it right along with all the characters.
Setting
The setting definitely confused me in the beginning. It has all the feeling of an ancient Japanese fantasy world, but then video games and TVs get mentioned and completely throw me out the story. Picturing what this world wanted to be was a struggle at the start, but as it went on and the war developed, technology became less relevant, and so less of a distraction.
My impression is that Kaigen is like Japan and Ranga is like China based on the language system, and how the Ranganese say Hao (好). But I could be wrong.
In chapter 2 we get a three page history lesson, literally a history lesson at school, which is kind of an excuse to infodump. Exposition isn't my favourite cause I never remember it. I retained absolutely nothing from those three pages and wish the history of Kaigen was explored more naturally through narrative and dialogue, rather than a history lesson detailing a year by year breakdown of the full history.
After these pages though, I got my wish. The world building is explored more naturally through narrative. I remembered a lot more this way and enjoyed it a lot.
Writing Style
I have no complaints about the writing at all. Very well written novel and easy the read with great flow. Detailed and graphic. It doesn't pull its punches at all, and I'm grateful for that.
Another thing I loved was just how brutal the writing could be. It wasn't a delicate slap to tye senses but a gut punch with all its weight behind it.
The images of war Wang paints are some of the more brutal that I've read. Many are comparing this book to the Poppy War and saying it is dark like Poppy War. I'd say it's darker (but mainly because I didn't find Poppy War that dark to begin with.) That being said, if you liked ine, you'd surely like the other.
Final Impression
I enjoyed this. It really has so much going for it. I'd be very interested to read more books by Wang. Though I understand she has put her Theonite series on hold, I'd be keen to check out anything she writes in the future, and I wish her well and hope she can find inspiration to continue writing, whatever story it may be.
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