Here are 12 books that The Sword of Kaigen fans have personally recommended if you like The Sword of Kaigen. Book DNA is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Mistborn: The Final Empire

Trilip Schofield

From Trilip's 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Unknown Author Why Trilip loves this book

Strongly plot driven, nicely wrapped up

By Brandon Sanderson ,

Why should I read it?

38 authors picked Mistborn as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 13, 14, 15, and 16.

What is this book about?

Brandon Sanderson - the international phenomenon who finished the Wheel of Time sequence - introduces a fantasy trilogy which overturns the expectations of readers and goes on to tell the epic story of evil overturned in a richly imagined world.

A thousand years ago evil came to the land and has ruled with an iron hand ever since. The sun shines fitfully under clouds of ash that float down endlessly from the constant eruption of volcanoes. A dark lord rules through the aristocratic families and ordinary folk are condemned to lives in servitude, sold as goods, labouring in the ash…


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Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

Book cover of Jade City

Mark Lawrence Author Of Red Sister

From Mark's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Mark's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Mark Lawrence Why Mark loves this book

A fine book. Set in alternate reality modern(ish) times with TVs, aircraft etc but with the power in the hands of clans that have personal combat magics that make them the dominant force in the setting.

Constantly engaging with a great portrait of "crime family" dynamics in a non-western setting. Shades of The Godfather and other Mafia tales, but also very much its own thing.

The jade-based magic system is both simple and interesting.

I wasn't particularly moved on an emotional level but the story with exciting, entertaining, and had lots of fascinating detail both on the small scale (street fights, family arguments, training school scenes) and the large (nations vying for power, government vs clan interactions etc). And the story has great potential to expand.

This will have to be a brief review - finished the book while sitting up all night with my daughter in A&E. But definitely…

By Fonda Lee ,

Why should I read it?

15 authors picked Jade City as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

WINNER OF THE WORLD FANTASY AWARD

'An epic drama reminiscent of the best classic Hong Kong gangster films but set in a fantasy metropolis so gritty and well-imagined that you'll forget you're reading a book' KEN LIU

'Gripping!' ANN LECKIE, author of Ancillary Justice and The Raven Tower

'Lee's astute worldbuilding raises the stakes for her vivid and tautly-described action scenes' SCOTT LYNCH, author of The Lies of Locke Lamora

*****Shortlisted for the Nebula Awards, the Locus Awards, the Aurora Awards, the Sunburst Awards and an Amazon.com Best Book of the Month*****

TWO CRIME FAMILIES, ONE SOURCE OF POWER: JADE.…


Book cover of Howl's Moving Castle

Joe Mahoney Author Of Adventures in the Radio Trade: A Memoir

From Joe's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Broadcaster Family man Dog person Aspiring martial artist

Joe's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Joe Mahoney Why Joe loves this book

I was curious about this book after having seen the movie. I quite like the movie, but I love the book. It's terrific, and quite a bit different than the book. It's written with humour, panache and originality. Terrific characters and concepts. Howl pops right off the pages. If you love inventive fantasy, you'll love Howl's Moving Castle.

By Diana Wynne Jones ,

Why should I read it?

25 authors picked Howl's Moving Castle as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, 12, and 13.

What is this book about?

Now an animated movie from Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki, the oscar-winning director of Spirited Away

In this beloved modern classic, young Sophie Hatter from the land of Ingary catches the unwelcome attention of the Witch of the Waste and is put under a spell...

Deciding she has nothing more to lose, Sophie makes her way to the moving castle that hovers on the hills above her town, Market Chipping. But the castle belongs to the dreaded Wizard Howl, whose appetite, they say, is satisfied only by the souls of young girls...

There Sophie meets Michael, Howl's apprentice, and Calcifer…


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Book cover of Cold Warrior

Cold Warrior by Robert Tucker,

During the 1970s and 80s, the Soviet Union penetrated the corporate economy and financial systems of the United States to engage in industrial espionage.

Cold Warrior is the story of Kasia Kerenski, a street mime who is “discovered” to work as a Hollywood actress. Coerced into becoming a double agent…

Book cover of The Hero of Ages

Deandra Maria

From Deandra's 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Unknown Author Why Deandra loves this book

One of the best ending to a series I’ve ever read. Everything wraps up so beautifully, you can feel that everything is planned down to the little details. Love love love it

By Brandon Sanderson ,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked The Hero of Ages as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 13, 14, 15, and 16.

What is this book about?

Brandon Sanderson - the international phenomenon who finished the Wheel of Time sequence - concludes his smash-hit Mistborn fantasy trilogy.

Tricked into releasing the evil spirit Ruin while attempting to close the Well of Ascension, new emperor Elend Venture and his wife, the assassin Vin, are now hard-pressed to save the world.

This adventure brings the Mistborn epic fantasy trilogy to a dramatic and surprising climax as Sanderson's saga offers complex characters and a compelling plot, asking hard questions about loyalty, faith and responsibility.


Book cover of The Raven King

Unknown Author

By Maggie Stiefvater ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Raven King as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 13, 14, 15, and 16.

What is this book about?

The fourth spellbinding book in Maggie Stiefvater's The
Raven Cycle quartet.
All her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true
love's death. She doesn't believe in true love and never thought
this would be a problem, but as her life becomes caught up in the
strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure
any more.



Absolutely addictive writing for teen girls... and grown-up girls...
Magic, mystery and adventure at every turn

From the bestselling author of Shiver, Linger
and Forever which all debuted at #1 on the UK book bestseller
charts

Film…


Book cover of Tress of the Emerald Sea

Russ Colson Author Of The Arasmith Certainty Principle

From Russ' 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Russ' 3 favorite reads in 2025

Russ Colson Why Russ loves this book

Thoughtful Science Fiction! Ok, this book might get shelved as fantasy, but the fantastical elements are so well constrained by logical systems, and the underlying causes and behaviors of seemingly-magical events explored with such an investigative and scientific vigor, that I must call it science fiction! Woven throughout this adventure story of Tress’s search for her kidnapped love are funny and philosophical insights into the foibles of human nature and society. Tress in Wonderland perhaps? Tress’s Travels?

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Book cover of Love and War in the Jewish Quarter

Love and War in the Jewish Quarter by Dora Levy Mossanen,

A breathtaking journey across Iran where war and superstition, jealousy and betrayal, and passion and loyalty rage behind the impenetrable walls of mansions and the crumbling houses of the Jewish Quarter.

Against the tumultuous background of World War II, Dr. Yaran will find himself caught in the thrall of the…

Book cover of The Will of the Many

J.A. Barron

From J.A.'s 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Unknown Author Why J.A. loves this book

Islington did something new, fresh and still relatable, likable, with a solid plot and great characters, in a whole new world with so many elements to arrange in the context for a compelling plot and such an intriguing development of the acts in this book.

By James Islington ,

Why should I read it?

28 authors picked The Will of the Many as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

At the elite Catenan Academy, where students are prepared as the future leaders of the Hierarchy empire, the curriculum reveals a layered set of mysteries which turn murderous in this new fantasy by bestselling author of The Licanius Trilogy, James Islington.

Vis, the adopted son of Magnus Quintus Ulcisor, a prominent senator within the Hierarchy, is trained to enter the famed Catenan Academy to help Ulciscor learn what the hidden agenda is of the remote island academy. Secretly, he also wants Vis to discover what happed to his brother who died at the academy. He's sure the current Principalis of…


Book cover of We Used to Live Here

Erica Damon Author Of The Twisted Dark

From Erica's 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Author Artist Equestrian Lover of all things horror

Erica's 3 favorite reads in 2025

Erica Damon Why Erica loves this book

I love a WTF book that truly does deliver in the end and this one had it! It was definitely on the psychological horror end as it didn't really go into the creepy corners it maybe could have. But that was fine because the weirdness of Old House and the lore there was enough to keep me totally engaged.

What's real, what's not? It's a dangerous game to play, but oh so fun when the author gives you just enough to come to a conclusion (or not? You decided what that very last mini-chapter means!)

Plus the 'bonus' style content between chapters and the morse code that forces you to interact with the book on another level... chef's kiss. SOLD. Give. Me. More.

By Marcus Kliewer ,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked We Used to Live Here as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

You let them back in.
You shouldn't have...

Young couple Charlie and Eve can't believe the killer deal they got on an old house in a beautiful yet remote neighbourhood nestled deep in the mountains. One day, a man knocks on the door. He claims to have lived in the house years before and asks if he can show his family around. People pleaser to a fault, Eve lets them in.

As soon as they enter, strange things start to happen, and Eve wants nothing more than for them to leave and never come back. But they can't - or…


Book cover of Some Desperate Glory

Colin Wright Author Of How To Turn 39

From Colin's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Researcher Journalist Analyst World-traveler Science fiction enthusiast

Colin's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Colin Wright Why Colin loves this book

A wonderful cast of characters, an empathetic look at zealotry and extremism, a fresh and interesting take on what's become a common thematic pivot-point in speculative fiction, and a well-balanced storyline that made it hard to put down.

By Emily Tesh ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Some Desperate Glory as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Instant National Bestseller and International Bestseller!

Hugo Award Winner for Best Novel!

Arthur C. Clarke Award Finalist!
Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction Finalist!

A thrillingly told queer space opera about the wreckage of war, the family you find, and who you must become when every choice is stripped from you, Some Desperate Glory is Astounding Award Winner Emily Tesh’s explosive debut novel.

"Some Desperate Glory surprised me at every turn. At once a space thriller, a tale of deprogramming, and a missive on identity and meaning, the result is a vitally refreshing addition to the SFF genre. This…


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Book cover of All They Need to Know

All They Need to Know by Eileen Goudge,

A runaway finds sisterhood, love, and danger in a mountain town.

On the run from her abusive husband, Kyra Smith hits the road. Destination unknown. With a dog she rescued in tow, she lands in the peaceful California mountain town of Gold Creek and is immediately befriended by an openhearted…

Book cover of Empire of the Vampire

E.C. Glynn Author Of Heretic Behaviour

From my list on fantasy books with torment, heresy, and forbidden romance.

Why am I passionate about this?

Hi, I’m E.C. Glynn. I love writing stories that tackle the messiness of religious societies and belief systems through a fantasy lens. What qualifies me for such an endeavour? Well, with a Master's in International Relations, a decade as a Recovering Catholic, a career as an Officer in the Army, and an unhealthy fascination with cults, I think that’s not a bad place to start for developing a nuanced and interesting perspective on the topic. I am a very picky reader and need to read books that have beautiful prose, interesting worlds, complex and convoluted concepts, and believable dialogue to enjoy my reading experience.

E.C.'s book list on fantasy books with torment, heresy, and forbidden romance

E.C. Glynn Why E.C. loves this book

This book tore me out of a reading slump and reminded me what good writing looks and viscerally feels like in my body.

It is dark, dangerous, gory, and completely bingeable. I loved the depiction of religion and faith – and the way it was used as both a weapon, shield, and prison by different characters. The romance was spicy and devastating. The stakes, impossibly high. The characters…utterly unforgettable.

One of the few books I will make time to re-read over and over, both to study to improve my own writing, and simply to just ruin myself in – over and over again. 

By Jay Kristoff , Bon Orthwick (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Empire of the Vampire as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'This book is bloody brilliant'
V.E. Schwab 'A ripping read'
Joe Abercrombie

The SUNDAY TIMES and NEW YORK TIMES bestseller from the award-winning author of the Nevernight Chronicle

It has been twenty-seven long years since the last sunrise.

Ever since, vampires have waged war against humanity building their eternal empire even as they tear down our own. Gabriel de Leon, half man, half monster, and last remaining silversaint - a sworn brother of the holy Silver Order dedicated to defending the realm from the creatures of the night - is all that stands between the world and its end.

Imprisoned…


Book cover of Mistborn: The Final Empire
Book cover of Jade City
Book cover of Howl's Moving Castle

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