I feel somewhat betrayed by the reviews and the story itself. The story is good, phenomenal even, however, I argue that it is also selfish and beguiling.
The story takes place in the Kaigenese empire, on a peninsula known as the sword of Kaigen, hence the book’s name. It opens up with a fourteen-year-old Mamoru who learns that his world is not truly what it seems. His mother, Misaki, a depressed housewife, is also not what she appears to be. The story deals with heavy themes such as depression, guilt, war, death, adherence to tradition, fears of being progressive in an old-fashioned patriarchal society, and the consequences of failing to do so. It was around the midway point of the book that I realized that this book wasn’t what I thought and I felt utterly baited for listening to this. I kept on listening, and whilst the story was in no way, shape, or form bad, it wasn’t the story that I had thought I was listening to.
This book is not an adventure fantasy; it is a mother’s introspection. Almost every scene, event, and character developmental arc is used to boost Misaki’s character. She is a great character, don’t get me wrong, I just didn’t expect her to be the MAIN character. The world of which this story is set in seemed hastily crafted, relying heavily on inspiration from ATLA and Eastern Asian themes. And while this book was a journey, it was not the kind of journey I was looking for. It is in this way that I think the story is selfish. I know many do not agree and that’s fine.
Andrew Tell did his best but the pronunciation was pretty bad. The names started to grate and I had to increase the speed of the audio player. Anytime he did not say their names, however, he did fine.
Overall the sword of Kaigen is a mother’s emotional rollercoaster, not the fantasy adventure I was looking for, and that’s okay. I can see why it resonates with so many people and Misaki is a character deserving of your time and compassion. I just didn’t feel like it cause I’m on an epic fantasy high right now.