TERRIBLE LIBRO
Increible, hace mucho no leo algo tan bueno. Droga desde el capitulo uno. Leia con mi cara a 5 cm del kindle de lo inmersa que estaba.
Posta que abarco de todo y no es la fantasia mas larga que he leido, pero es muy compleja y cada palabra, cada oracion fue aprovechada para desarrollarla.
Misoginia, racismo, colonialismo, xenofobia, politica, magia, historia, moral, religion. En este caso NO aplica el dicho "el que mucho abarca, poco aprieta". La historia cierra por todos lados. Estas tan concentrado en x parte de la trama que te olvidas de lo que no esta resuelto hasta que la misma narrativa te lo recuerda para poder darle un cierre.
La verdad que el gran descubrimiento de la protagonista me tomo desprevenida por lo que dije en la oracion anterior, estaba tan concentrada en el presente de la historia que no hile las ideas, y para mi eso habla de lo bien escrito que esta.
Realmente se lo recomiendo A TODOS.

 

This book wrecked me.
It took me a long while to finish it, because I kept picking it up and immediately putting it down, not in the mood for something so heavy, so infuriating, so painful.
M.L. Wang knows like no other how to invoke emotions.

This book came highly recommended and it didn't disappoint. I hadn't read any books by M.L. Wang before though I know of her and Sword of Kaigen. It's been in my TBR for a while now. This one on the other hand came out of the blue as far as I am concerned. 

Sciona and Thomil are the two protagonists. Sciona has been a prodigy, a genius and she has spent her life oblivious to everything and being as self absorbed and selfish as a person can be in her pursuit of magic. Magic is what makes the city of Tiran where she lives go around, and it is a gift from their god who embodies truth and a spirit of enquiry. In a world where women are expected to be the lesser citizens and denied opportunities for higher research, she is determined to succeed. But her entry into the High Magistry doesn't open doors as she expected it to. Her male colleagues are determined to think she didn't get in on her merit and shows their disdain by giving her a Kwen Janitor as an assistant instead of a qualified university graduate.

Kwen are the outcasts, the ones who comes from the wild lands beyond the barrier that keeps Tiran safe. The lands beyond are subject to the Blight, a bright light that strikes from above and kills instantly, by unravelling flesh and muscle till only blood is remaining of the victim. The Tirannish hold that it's a punishment from God for the ungodly ways of the Kwen. Tiran, under her magical barrier, is protected from the Blight. 

The janitor, Thomil is a hunter who had seen his entire family except his niece die from the blight before his eyes. He and his niece, Carra who he raises, are the last of the Caldonnae who once numbered in the thousands. The lands outside are rendered inhospitable since the Blight takes animals, plants and men alike. 

Sciona and Thomil form an unlikely friendship as they delve into Sciona's project: the expansion of the barrier. If she can come up with a viable method that's better than that of her peers, she can prove beyond doubt that she is worthy of being in the High Magistry, that a woman is capable of doing as well, if not better, than men in her chosen field. But her attempt to come up with a better way leads to her discovering the buried truth behind Tiran's magic and prosperity. It's a truth that destroys everything she believes in, and alienates everyone around her.

There were places in the book where I wanted to kick Sciona and places where I wanted to shake her. But thankfully, it all changed soon. I was so anxious for her that I had to stop reading and breathe for a bit. 

To say this book ripped the heart right out of my chest from chapter one is not an understatement. It was so intense, and I had so many emotions. The ending was strangely cathartic, and despite how sad I was, realistically, no other ending would have worked. 

This book deals with a lot of themes. Feminism, sexism, misogyny, colonialism, bigotry, racism, and the ills of all these are brought out in one way or another. Some of the characters are almost like caricatures, but even then, they remain representative of the evils they embody. 

I loved Sciona's character development as well as Thomil's. Even though she makes her appearance only after the mid way point, Carra is also a memorable character who grows in the space given to her. 

I needed two days to settle down enough to write this review. This book impacted me that much. Even now, I am not sure I'm doing justice to it. 

I would recommend it to anyone who loves epic fantasy, high fantasy, complex and well defined magical systems, character driven stories, and anyone who loves M.L. Wang's books. There's nothing about this book I didn't love. 

Just go and read it. You won't regret it!

Mind blowing dark fantasy. 
The prologue was very intense, heartbreaking and gory, introducing us to the Blight - a lightning kind of death magic that falls from the sky and thorns skin from muscle, muscle from bone, until only a puddle of blood remains, and to Thomil and the remains of his tribe as they make the crossing to the only place safe from the Blight, the magically protected city of Tiran. 
Then the first chapter, which we assume is a few years later, introduces us to the MC, Sciona, a very stubborn, very intelligent, very interesting and determined young woman who wants to be the first highmage.
She eventually achieves it but her male, mostly misogynistic, colleagues don’t want her to succeed and in a prank style have a janitor become her assistant in the project that is supposed to increase the size of the city by finding more magic in the Otherworld to siphon. That janitor is none other than Thomil, as the tribes people can only have low jobs and bow to their masters and protectors. 
This book is filled with relevant themes and complex events and decisions. From colonialism, misogyny, racism and exploitation. And, it doesn’t shy way from the gore, violence, and abuse that these themes encompass. But, it also shows how an intelligent person faced with the real facts can understand the errors in their conditioned reasoning and change their whole view of things, it also portrays the ways in which love can save a person, and how a culture can survive even when all try to bury it.
I was only somewhat bored with the complex magical system, that is until I understood it completely, until the realisation broke through and my mind exploded, not only at the brilliant idea of it but also at the fantasy-reality correlation. It was again, mind blowing.
The end was terrific, heartbreaking, and hopeful. 
Brilliant writing, brilliant exploration of the chosen themes, and a great imagination, plot, and characters in this not that big standalone. 
Anyone who loves fantasy, particularly the heavy lifting kind, needs to read this indie author, and this book. I can’t wait to have a minute to get into her debut The Sword of Kaigen. I mean, just see the reviews. Golden! Definitely a new author to follow!

 Thank you so much to author M.L. Wang for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway. 

 

If you think you are picking up a fantasy book with a bit of a darker theme, think again. Blood over Bright Haven is a hard-hitting book that swings back at colonialism, our past and our present. 

While the tag line for this book is 'what if there is a cost to magic?' it boils down to so much more. The city of Tiran has done quite well for itself. Its people and magic thrives and they are proud of that. Outside of their borders and their magical protection lay plains and Kwen. Kwen and its people are barely surviving because of the Blight. A weird phenomenon that kills any life (including plants and animals) in weird lightning strikes. If the blight doesnt outright kill you, the lack of nutrition will. Survivors try to reach Tiran. Some are able to come into the city, but only if they can work. They aren't treated kindly and while they aren't slaves, they are not at all treated kindly. Does that ring any bells? 

The above is not the only theme of course. Ask yourself the question if magic could give you anything you want, if you would give that up because the cost was high? What is too high for a whole society to thrive? What is morally right and acceptable? What if there is no right choice? 

I think what I appreciated the most about the book was that nothing was easy. There was no easy answer to any of the hard hits that our characters had to deal with. You don't discover something, tell everyone and then everything will fall into the right path. You can't change hundred of years of set behaviour by disclosing that one secret. There wasn't one right choice. 

I can't say that I was particulary taken by any of the characters. They weren't unlikeable but I didn't fall for them either. Yet when chapter 23 came around, I felt like crying just as much as the characters did at the start of it. And I think that lies in the strenght of M.L. Wangs writing. How she manages to twist all these difficult topics together and loads it with all these emotions. It's not our world, but it is just close enough to trigger those feelings. Of the things that we see happen around ourselves. About not knowing how to make a stand.