Sword of Kaigen is a heartbreaking war story. A tale about heroes, parenthood, life paths and love.

This book follows two characters: Mamoru, first born of four boys in the Matsuda family, the greatest warrior family in Takayubi; and his mother, Misaki, a trained warrior raised to be a housewife, married to aloof Matsuda Takeru.

I believe I’ve never cried this much over a book, my husband was actually worried about me. I would recommend you read it whilst in a stable state of mind, as this book addresses heavy topics. After all, it IS a war story.

Trigger warning (slight spoilers ahead):

racism, misogyny, blood, death, grief, miscarriage, sexual abuse, violence, severed limbs, suicide, dead children, rape.

Characters are well-written, the action scenes are engrossing, and the world-building fascinating.

A book full of wisdom.