“The Whispering Blade met Misaki’s obsidian sheath and sheared through it. Her eyes went wide, and she smiled—Gods in the Deep, she smiled —a raw, open smile, and it was the most beautiful thing in all the Duna.”
― The Sword of Kaigen
― The Sword of Kaigen
“Most strong things are rigid. If you are water, you can shift to fit any mold and freeze yourself strong. You can be strong in any shape. You can be anything.”
― The Sword of Kaigen
― The Sword of Kaigen
“Wholeness, she had learned, was not the absence of pain but the ability to hold it.”
― The Sword of Kaigen
― The Sword of Kaigen
“I’ve never needed a sword to protect you—to raise you the way your father wanted. Caring for my family meant putting away the fighter, so I did.”
― The Sword of Kaigen
― The Sword of Kaigen
“What are you?” Takeru whispered.
Something bigger than myself , she realized. “I’m Matsuda Misaki,” she said with pride and honesty she never attached to those words before. “I’m your wife.”
And she attacked him.”
― The Sword of Kaigen
Something bigger than myself , she realized. “I’m Matsuda Misaki,” she said with pride and honesty she never attached to those words before. “I’m your wife.”
And she attacked him.”
― The Sword of Kaigen
Nicola’s 2025 Year in Books
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