Sword of Kaigen Book Review

Welcome to the Indie Fantasy Club, where today, we are doing a Sword of Kaigen book review. This is a standalone, military and family drama fantasy written by M.L. Wang. It’s about 200 thousand words and is written in third person with multiple character POVs. A new world awaits!

Summary

This book is set in a world inspired by Japanese culture. It definitely has samurai vibes, which I love. The story takes place in a remote mountain village, where powerful warriors defend their homeland using elemental magic. It’s interesting because as the world is modernizing, this village is entrenched in their traditions. I think of it like, what if I told you the Amish had the most powerful warriors in the world, responsible for protecting us against any initial invasion. 

The book mostly follows two main characters: 

Mamoru Matsuda is a young warrior-in-training from the most prestigious family in this village. He’s basically a prodigy within their ice magic traditions. It feels a lot like a coming-of-age story for this character, so it has a lot of interesting character dynamics.  

Misaki Matsuda, Mamoru’s mother, is a woman with a mysterious past who gave up a life of adventure to become a dutiful wife and mother. There is so much internal conflict with this character it is palpable. 

As outside forces threaten their isolated community, both Mamoru and Misaki must wrestle with their identities, question these traditional beliefs, and face the harsh realities of rising international tensions. The novel explores themes of tradition versus progress, duty to family versus personal desires, and the true costs of war and power.

This story blends elements of military fantasy with family drama, creating a unique story that appeals to fans of Asian-inspired fantasy and those who enjoy character-driven narratives.

With that context in mind, let’s dive into my INDIE review.

Immersion (Worldbuilding) 8/10

Most of the story takes place in the small village of Takayubi, which is also known as the Sword of Kaigen. The village is on a peninsula that serves as the frontlines to protect the rest of the empire. It’s a cold, harsh climate which echoes the hardiness of the people who live there. 

Now, if there is breadth vs. depth argument, The Sword of Kaigen is a great case study for depth. We don’t really go beyond this small village for pretty much the entire story, but the details and the intricacies of this village make it feel so real. You get absolutely thrown into this culture and I could feel the politics and traditions so intensely here. The world itself wasn’t mind-blowing, but it was very tangible. 

Names (Characters) 10/10

Wow. I don’t have any notes for these characters. M.L. Wang does such a great job diving into the complexities of these interpersonal relationships. It’s a culture that doesn’t outwardly show their emotions, but we as the readers get to experience the raw, internal frustrations. If you don’t feel deeply connected to these characters and their decisions by the end of the book, something’s wrong with you. I loved going on this journey, especially with Mikasi. I just can’t say enough good things about these characters. 

Da Magic (Magic/Creatures) 8/10

This story uses an elemental magic system, with the people of Takayubi known as legendary ice warriors. These people pride themselves on their bloodlines to produce the most elite warriors possible, and let me tell you, they are SO epic when they fight. Other nations have wind, earth or fire magic systems, but we only really see much of this magic. 

My biggest complaint is that we didn’t see more of this magic system. There is so much hype, and when we finally see the magic, it’s definitely worth that hype. But it’s so BRIEF… it kills me. I want to see MORE. 

Infrastructure (Plot) 6/10

The overall plot was interesting, very different from a normal book structure that you might be accustomed to. I liked that it was different and unique, but it just wasn’t my style. 

The climax basically happens at the middle of the book, and the entire rest of the story is the fallout and resolutions of that climax. Now, because she structured it this way, she was able to dive really deep into these characters, so we could experience a much greater depth of emotion, which is why the characters are ranked so high. 

Enjoyment 7/10

I wouldn’t change anything about this book, because I think it works for what it is. It’s a military fantasy with lots of interpersonal family drama. So, if you like those things, this book is perfect. For me, personally, I definitely prefer more of the military side of things and less of the family drama. But when she does focus on the battles and strategy, it’s so epic, that it significantly bumps the score up for my enjoyment. 

We’re starting off high here with these indie books! 7.8/10… that’s a great overall score. This is a book that I would recommend, and it’s a book that is going on the shelf baby. That score earns it a spine, but not a face. I think a book would have to get like a 9 or higher to be a face. We’ll see. 

For those that have read the Sword of Kaigen, let me know in the comments if you think I’m off on any of these rankings. And join the Club so you never miss an indie review!

Oh! I almost forgot to talk about the designs! How silly. 

The cover is great, really beautiful imagery with the warrior standing guard at the edge of their peninsula. I also think the typography looks really good, especially wrapped around that border. I do think it would’ve been sick to see it from the other perspective, like looking toward the icy mountain range, with a warrior waiting to meet you. 

I didn’t love the maps, but that’s because when my brain sees a darker spot, I assume that’s the water areas. But this was reversed, so the dark areas were land and the light areas were seas. So it was just hard for my brain to comprehend the map. That might just be me. 

But I did like the chapter headings, personalized with the swords is pretty cool and adds a nice touch. 

Ok that’s it for real this time. Let me know in the comments what other indie books you’d like me to review. For now, I’m going to check out some of the more popular and well-known indie authors, but I’d love to start reading some lesser-known fantasy stories as well. So be sure to join the Indie Fantasy Club and let me know. 

Thank you for reading all about my Sword of Kaigen book review. I’ll see you in the next one.