Welcome to Tiran, the bright haven that stands against the harsh outside world. A thriving metropolis that runs on magic that powers an advanced industrial economy and innovative technology. Sciona is a mage, who has worked her way up through the ranks to become Tiran’s first female highmage, one of the elite overseers of the city that maps and siphons the power used to keep it running. She is proud to be a mage, a follower of her faith, and highly independent. Orphaned since age four and raised by her aunt with her cousin, she’s a force to be reckoned with and takes no shit. Her sponsor believes in her, she believes in herself to be the best, and she will prove it. She and the other new inductees are tasked with creating a spell to siphon enough power to expand the barrier that keeps Tiran protected from the outside, a harsh environment being ravaged by blight, a mysterious occurrence that pulls the lifeforce out the living and decimates the land and its savage people, known as the Kwen. Not taken seriously, she’s assigned an unqualified Kwen janitor as her assistant. Thomil crossed the barrier into Tiran with his niece after his tribe was overtaken by blight, with nothing left to lose and a last hope to survive on the inside. Unfortunately, that comes at the cost of living in Tiran’s slums, taking the low, often dangerous jobs no Tiran resident will, and being treated as not only a lower-class citizen, but despised and mistreated by the Tiranish. As much as Thomil tries to keep to the background, he is assigned to be Sciona’s assistant.

Sciona is often too caught up in her work and self to notice how hard a Kwen’s life in Tiran can be. After all, shouldn’t the Kwen be grateful to be offered sanctuary in their majestic Tiran? Determined to prove herself in a man’s world, Sciona works tirelessly to create a spell to expand the glory that is Tiran. She is pleasantly surprised to find out Thomil is quite smart and helpful in her research. As they delve deeper into the hunt for magic sources and spells to harness the power, they are challenged by their peers who wish them to fail, and secrets are uncovered that will test their morals, their grit and sense of self.

Two unwelcome people find themselves tested at every turn. Taunted, threatened, challenged constantly, the two form a bond and ego-centric and often delusional Sciona finds herself caring for more than just herself for the first time. The character development for both Sciona and Thomil is well-written. They are both rough around the edges, but as we learn more, each evolve in significant ways. I also really enjoyed Carra and what she represented.

The story touches on thoughtfully explored themes of misogyny, prejudice, faith, family, love and sacrifice. What do we do protect those we love? What will we sacrifice, what risks are we willing to take? How do you fight injustice without being the same as those who oppress you?

I thought the dark academia vibes were fantastic. The magic system is unique, with mages using spellographs like typewriters in which a spell is input and then siphons power from mapped sources. The plot was compelling, and I feel like the themes were powerful and even at times rage-inducing. This book packs a punch in a standalone adult fantasy. It was thought-provoking and paced well. The ending brought this book so full circle in the best way, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Spoiler warnings for gore and violence, sexual harassment, suicidal ideation, colonialism, genocide. 

Wow, so when people said her books was really good, and yeah, I totally agreed with them because after finishing it, I knew how good it was.

I knew it was set in academia, but what I didn't expect was how truly academic the world was. Like, it was so vibrant with all the magic of coding, mathematics, portals, etc. It just gave me all the academia atmosphere I wanted, and I loved it. And the best parts of this book were absolutely the main case that affected all the characters, putting important subjects that many people dealt with in real life. It all brought back the characters to question their morality, what's right and wrong, and then the outcome direction of their actions. By the end, the author showed how every intention or action that was taken eventually needed more time to grow, with a lot of hope so it could develop for a better impact. I was definitely in awe of how this concept was used by the author in her plot, making me as a reader reflect on that in my life because we could see these things happening a lot in a lifetime. For other subjects such as friendship that formed when ugly truths came out or the sprinkle of romance that was poured between chaos, it was something I enjoyed too.

Altogether, I liked how this book ended and the way she completed the story. A very acceptable ending, even though along the way it was so infuriating and somehow heart-wrenching. What a solid plot book, and it was an amazing experience.

This has some great reviews online but ultimately fell flat for me. The magic system was cool but after seeing someone relate it to learning Java in another review I can’t help but think of it that way. The misogyny was overdone and I felt the female main character could have been more complex. I felt some of the themes could have been implemented in a more subtle way & it was kind of predictable. 

An absolutely incredible read for fans of *Babel*, *Arcane* (Netflix), unique magic systems, and dark academia. The story follows two characters, Sciona and Thomil, as they cross paths in a city protected by a barrier spell that is fueled by dark secrets and justified by religious dogma. Sciona becomes the first-ever female highmage in the city’s history, challenging their religion’s view that women are unsuited for working in the upper echelon of magical innovation. The story is challenging, bringing up issues like colonization, oppression, and the intertwining of church and state. Reading it made me appreciate the power of fantasy writing to challenge deeply rooted beliefs taught to us from a young age. While other reviewers focus on the idea of “What is the cost of magic?” I would take it a step further to say the book asks: what is the cost of comfort?

The writing is exceptional, opening slowly with strong worldbuilding, explained clearly and cleverly to the reader. The book even includes an annex with terminology. The story takes a turn about a quarter of the way in, and the action and twists start to take shape. This book was a page-turner for me, between the worldbuilding, the moral dilemmas, and the author’s intoxicating writing style. The focuses of the story are the character flaws, personal ambitions, the desire for legacy, and systems of power  — but there is a hint of will-they-won’t-they for readers who enjoy a sprinkle of romance in their books. Similar to one of the dilemmas presented in *Arcane*, the story presents the dichotomy of people using magic as a gift to enrich their community and those who manipulate and bend it to their will to fulfill selfish ends.

Easily the best book I have read this year — I will be clawing for a hardcover edition as soon as it’s available and following M.L. Wang’s writing journey closely! And of course, thank you to Del Rey Books and Random House Group for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This book gets pretty dark, but I really loved the academic magic system and the exploration of the cost of magic, especially when that cost is high, but hidden. Definitely check the content warnings if you're at all squeamish about violence. 

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for feedback!

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang is a standalone story. Dark academia and magical fantasy blend together seamlessly, in a book that isn't afraid to touch on more difficult topics like racism and sexism. It follows the story of female mage, Sciona, and her unlikely friend, Thomil, living in the magic-fueled city of Tiran, run by mages who look out for themselves. And only themselves. Worlds collide, and people change, in an emotionally packed story about love, hope, rebellion, and loss.

This book wrecked me.

Sciona was a loveable character, with admirable morals and a frustratingly ignorant view of the world. No matter how uninformed she was, I never hated her. She was a product of her environment, just like Thomil. He had so much depth to him, and while he was frustratingly patient at times, he never acted in a way I found unrealistic or off-putting.

The books willingness to talk so much about sexism, racism, and real problems we face in our society surrounding religion and moral compasses never felt stifling or restricted. There were some parts that felt too on the nose, some parts that felt overplayed or too harsh for the sake of making a commentary. I can't fault the book for this. It made me uncomfortable, and I believe that that was exactly what it wanted to do. So many of these problems are so deeply rooted in the city of Tiran (and by extension all of its citizens) but it never feels forced, it felt organic and executed in a way that showed how many years it had had influence over the people.
There was a large chunk about struggles with mental health in this book as well that featured some scenes or thoughts that could be triggering to some readers. While they were handled incredibly well in my opinion, it's an important thing to check before starting this book.

M.L. Wang's writing is effortless, and flows over the page like it's dancing. Information dumps felt like plot points, world building interweaved into the story seamlessly. It was an amazing, heartbreakingly beautiful story.
There is some serious talent in being able to so vividly craft a world like Tiran and not have your book be over 800 pages. The academic properties, the magic, the politics on which the city stand are such an integral part of the story without just being an information slog. Despite all of the backstory we needed, the pacing was still really good. Characters could explain things for a page or two without feeling like they'd been going on forever, and I didn't feel like I was talked at nor did I find myself skimming these sections.

Fans of dark academia will absolutely sink their teeth into this one, and I promise that the build up is worth it, in an emotional gut-punch that will linger in your mind in the best way possible.

I would give anything to read it again for the first time. 

The less you know about this book the better.

You can expect an original take on magic, an original setting, and a compelling story dealing with themes of sexism, classism and racism.

The book isn't preachy in how it delivers its the messages, but that means that it is absolutely unrelenting in showing them to you. M. L. Wang doesn't hold back, so expect to be uncomfortable at times, even with characters you might sympathize with. They exist in and are shaped by this deeply flawed world, whether we as readers like it or not.

Again, without spoiling anything, the main plot twist made me put the book down to collect myself. I also thought the ending was superb, and was impressed that the author had the guts to take the story that far.

This is the best fantasy standalone I've read so far. I honestly think everyone would benefit from reading this book. In today's world, we could all use the self-reflection that this story forces on the reader.