This was such a delightful short story and introduction to the characters and the world. I had so much fun with it! I wanted the concepts and characters/beings to be fleshed out more, but that just leave me so excited to read A Master of Djinn. A wildly unique detective romp set in a never-colonized Cairo where beings from other worlds (including Djinn) have been let into this one. The creativity in types of characters, the action, the horror elements, and the charismatic main character all sold me on the series. I look forward to reading more!

"The women down below in the Squalid Mile were waging a war against Marie and Sadie. They had denounced them as oppressors. But the two young women sitting on their couches, their satin-embroidered slippers perched on ottomans, did not identify themselves as such. No oppressor actually sees themselves as one. They, like everyone else, are too busy identifying themselves as victims."

Heather O'Neill captured me with her satirical voice and themes; and I was fascinated by this character study in women, oppression, and feminism. You could easily choose a random character from this book and do an entire thesis on what part of feminism they might represent from white feminism to sexual liberation. That said, the writing had such a bite to it that the anger and disdain for the self-absorbed bourgeoisie came through with a fervor.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the satire that is very clear on the page, I did feel the writing became a bit long in the tooth. At some point, I did not want to hear about the flagrant abuse and dehumanization of women, especially of the violence committed against women by women. I think it's important to talk about, but the point had been made only to be re-made over and over and over again.

That said, I did enjoy the nuance and complexities that were presented in the text in how all women are oppressed by men who hold power over them or take power from them by means of ownership, regardless of class. I also enjoyed the heavy critique of white feminism and how oppressors don't see themselves as oppressors. In fact, our main characters seem to believe that they're doing good by rising up in society, showing that even women can be strong. But if women are simply taking the place of the oppressors, is that truly progress against oppression or just oppression under a different name? I think this book makes a pretty clear case for the latter.

Was this the most enjoyable read? No. Did I find it fascinating and challenging in ways a book has not challenged me in a long time? Very much so. I think I'd recommend this to anyone looking for an interesting and unique read. I would caution everyone to check content and trigger warnings before reading because this book tackles some HEAVY themes and does not shy away from the violence that all women experience.

"Wholeness, she had learned, was not the absence of pain, but the ability to hold it."

This book will forever live among my favorite books I've ever read. Wang takes you through a deep look into what it means to be a mother and the sacrifices that come with it, the pain of deconstruction and realizing everything you've been taught to trust and believe in is a lie, and what true strength looks like. Each character was so fully fleshed out that I felt like I knew them. Their pain was my pain, and I admired each and every one of them for their strength and their capacity for love.

I love a book with morally gray characters, and The Sword of Kaigen is full of them. The world building was also, almost overwhelmingly, expansive. There is clearly a solid foundation for what could be a fantastic fantasy series, but I understand the author wants to put this part of their life behind them for now. I can understand why considering the intense themes that are addressed in this book. (P.S. I would look up trigger warnings prior to reading as this book definitely deals with HEAVY themes).

There were moments I felt I couldn't catch my breath because the loss these characters experience is so deep and relatable to me specifically. There were times I had to fully put the book down so I could breathe for a little while and digest, and there were moments my hands were hurting from gripping the book for hours because I couldn't put it down. Wang's masterful character work and immersive storytelling, matched with breathtaking action and magic makes for a truly compelling story; but it's her view into the human soul that really makes this book a masterpiece.