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The Sword of Kaigen: A Theonite War Story

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The Sword of Kaigen: A Theonite War Story

Written by: M. L. Wang
Narrated by: Andrew Tell
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About this listen

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, f14-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.

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?

©2019 Miracle Wang (P)2020 Miracle Wang
Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Military Science Fiction Warrior Emotionally Gripping Young Adult
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What the critics say

"The Poppy War's darkness meets The Last Airbender's Elemental Magic...I haven't been so emotionally moved by a book in a long while." (JC Kang, USA Today best-selling author of The Dragon Songs Saga)

What listeners say about The Sword of Kaigen: A Theonite War Story

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  • Overall
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    4 out of 5 stars

Solid story, could have done without the ending

The final hour or so of the audio book seems more like a self-help book on grief than a proper story. Aside from that, well worth the listen.

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Highly Recommend

Took me a little while to get really invested in the story, but once I did I couldn't stop listening.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great!

Loved it! Worth the hype. Everybody talks about how great it is. They are right.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Took some time to get used to the terminology, but amazing journey

Highly recommend for any fantasy Japanese inspired fiction. A great read through to the end, emotional and powerful and sad.

Wish there was more.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Everyone Should Listen to This!

The Sword of Kaigen is a stunning novel that absolutely exceeded my expectations. I’d heard so many good things about this book over the years and, though I worried it wouldn’t live up to the hype, it surpassed everything I’d hoped for. This is a deeply character-focused story, which may not be for everyone—unlike many epic high fantasies, it doesn’t rely on grand plot arcs or world-saving stakes. Instead the heart of the story is the people of this town and their complex relationships with each other and their empire. Though there are some brilliantly crafted fight scenes.

I was sobbing multiple times while reading, because the emotions of characters felt so raw and relatable. It was so good to read a fantasy novel that centers on a mother in her late thirties to forties; Misaki is one of the best characters I’ve ever read. I also loved the way M.L. Wang crafted the magic in this world—it felt incredibly immersive and real.

This book absolutely deserves all the hype, and I can’t wait to read more from M.L. Wang.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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voice actor needs help

Great fight and battle scenes, emotionally rich, fascinating story and good character developments. The worst part was having to listen to the narrator utterly butcher Japanese (and Japanese-based words), which could have been avoided if the actor had cared enough about his job to do a little bit of research and practice into Japanese pronunciation. Move past the cringeworthy affectations of female voices and awful pronounciation and enjoy the rest of this rich tale.

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Unexpected Find

Just a fantastic story full of emotion and action. Narrator was smooth and consistent too. Hope to see more works from the author on here soon.

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so original!!

I really liked the originally of the story and another cool thing was the way people had powers, unique I think

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    5 out of 5 stars
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THE BEST STANDALONE FANTASY I'VE READ

Everything is just the right amount of perfection.I can't believe it all ended now :(

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing story. I really hope there will be more!

A little lacking on the "Show, don't tell".
World building is perfectly balanced with dynamic characters that make you feel everything they feel. You will cry.

Narration was a little weak. Voices weren't consistent. Tones and pacing was good!

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