The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang

Wow, there’s so much to unpack here and not all of it is good.

Let’s break it down like this:
– writing – 4/5
– character ARCs 5/5
– big plot twist 5/5
– world building 4.5/5
– battle scenes 4/5
– religion, politics, military and noble houses – fascinating 5/5
– bonus: a dragon, but not quite. Love how it didn’t promise them because that would’ve been disappointing, but liked the surprise appearance of not quite the dragon.

Power is drawn from water and ice which is not something I’ve seen done before in the fantasy I’ve read.

The village is very much tucked away high on the mountain. Coms towers are only being built yet they have TVs? That being said, the whole surrounding had a bit of an old school vibe to it.

It’s Asian inspired which is always a plus.

Bits were very info dumpey, the dialogues are not my favorite. It went a bit downhill after said big plot twist, but picked up in the male / female dynamics so there’s that.

The politics of Kaigen and its Emperor are still a bit of a mystery. As much as the author tries to wrap things up there, there’s a big opening for more to come. Much as I like the idea of a standalone fantasy and there’s not many of them, I’d read more here. CORRECTION: I need more please, waiting for a ‘this will actually be a series’ announcement any day now.

The book comes with lots of trigger warnings, so best check out other reviews for those. I don’t like a trigger list myself as they often come with spoilers.

All things considered, I’m rounding this up to 4 stars.

Have you read this book? What did you think?