Wow, this book absolutely crushed me. I usually don't like books that end this way (no spoilers, don't worry!), but M.L Wang did this book beautifully that I could not help but give it five shining stars.

The book follows Sciona Freynan, the first woman of Bright Haven, her society, to reach the prestigious highmage rank - someone who can siphon magic from a place called the Otherrealm. We watch as she gets into the High Magistry, awkwardly receives an assistant, and the proceeding story of how they uncover an ancient secret hidden in plain sight. Thomil, Sciona's assistant, is known as a Kwen who emigrated to Bright Haven due to absolute necessity (and literal carnage known as the Blight). First a janitor, now a highmage assistant, Thomil finds himself in the thick of explaining a treacherous society to Sciona. Together, they uncover something they never thought they would find in their respective communities within Bright Haven.

This book swept me away. While some of the beginning was a bit tough to immerse yourself into because M.L Wang does an incredible job at describing the magical system (it's complex!), but overall, the prose and writing style were impeccable. Wang made this story believable - we have a society founded on men's claims that they heard from God about what to do with Bright Haven, and therefore created a power shift over communities who had likely been in the area thousands of years. It is also an incredibly patriarchal society that thinks women are too emotional to be part of the High Magistry - those who can "do" magic and help create all the incredible technology for Bright Haven that prevents the Blight from capturing them all. Sciona is determined to rewrite the story for those who are of the same gender, and we watch as she battles awful sexism and misogyny. However, on top of that, we also see her go through her revolution about the Kwen people and how they also have been historically marginalized. While it was hard to see Thomil explain so many apparent things to Sciona about her unequal and inequitable world, this book was beyond necessary and relatable to many of our world conflicts today. I just loved how Wang incorporated a magical component, socioeconomic factors, and colonialism into one book. There was also a dash of a love story that I found so beautiful.

While this may have been slightly predictable, I enjoyed every second, even when some tears were present. Wang is a phenomenal writer and can't wait to read more of her works!

4.5 stars!

video review | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCUSn7t6IOY&t=141s

for fans of fullmetal alchemist? the way i bought this immediately.

oh mannn... there's so much to say but also so little. this book is incredible. it's an amazing example of standalone fantasy, an amazing eample of a straight up well crafted novel, and I think the standard to which dark academia should be trying to reach as a genre.

to me, dark academia is more than a Pinterest aesthetic, but should be about works confronting the violence or corruption of institutions, using academia or an academic setting as a vessel, and this book does it wonderfully.

the reason this isn't a 5 star read for me is because there were a few things about the ending I didn't love, most of which have to do with my penchant for hopeless romanticism. the ending of this book suits the story that came before it, but like many outcomes in real life, I wish somehow it rose to something happier.

not to say that this book has a tragic, grim-dark ending, it doesn't. but I do think M.L Wang was aiming for a more hopeful feel than what I felt.

this is a novel about the violence in the world around you, and what it takes to confront it. the story unfolds and ends in a way that makes sense, and feels inevitable. and the mid-way reveal/ plot-twist in the book is PHENOMENALLY done. i can't stress that enough, one of the best reveals I've ever read.

there is so much to think about in this novel, I can see myself re-reading it to fully absorb some of the passages. it's brazenly political, anti-colonial, and anti-imperial, and confrontational of the complicity those in society have in the violence of their systems. it's fast-paced with excellent characters, and a world that I would love to see Wang explore more of. 

this is a book that should be on the radar of any fantasy reader, especially those that like political fantasy, and I highly highly recommend it.

blood over bright haven is a powerful book that meditates on important and relevant themes of truth, power and survival through a magic system that makes physically literal the horrors of societal development at the price of human lives.

through her opposing tiranish and kwen characters, wang masterfully explores the warped logic the powerful uses to justify the exploitation of the powerless, and the toxic dynamic between them. it is nuanced and fully fleshed out, satisfying in its truth and takedown of the hypocrisy of it all, as are her main characters, esp sciona. all this is further propped up by the strong writing and distinct worldbuilding. 

the novel could be a bit shorter, however, and some of the plot points are surprisingly predictable for me, thus lessening the impact of their reveals overall. this book also makes me realize that dark academia isnt for me - this being my second time reading one - as i find the incessant loop of studying and research dull for the most part. in capable hands like wang's, though, this book is a must read regardless of genre preferences.

I went into this book with the very little knowledge of what it was about besides having a dark academia setting, and I appreciate that as it afforded me the opportunity to experience it at firsthand.

My favorite thing about M. L. Wang’s works however shall always be her unique ability to seize the most specific, unsettling, and devastating emotions and bring them to life through her words. Before I had any inkling of what the plot could be about, I cared about the characters she introduced me to and what would happen next. Unfortunately except towards the beginning, while I was interested in the events that would happen next I rarely found myself genuinely invested in the stakes. Perhaps, it’s easier for me to feel emotionally connected to smaller-scale, more personal conflict. Luckily, despite not relating to the main character, Sciona, much at all, I found her perspective and thoughts to be captivating, her boldness and willingness (stubbornness) to stand by her values admirable. The great character work really did a lot of heavy lifting in this book.

While I do think the messaging about sexism and colonialism was a little heavy handed, I don’t think that it’s any less enjoyable or important. I think her depictions of the truths and emotions that underly these things were realistic and necessary for to get the purpose of this particular book across. To compare it to Sword of Kaigen would be doing a disservice to both novels because they are fundamentally different in what they are trying to accomplish. 

This woman-in-STEM approach to the story and world was surprisingly interesting considering I generally prefer more traditional fantasy environments. Still, my heart is set on softer magic systems that bring wonder to my eyes and heal my soul. 
Overall, it was a good experience that I’d recommend.

 [This review can also be found on my BLOG]

**I was provided with a digital copy of the book through the author in exchange for an honest review**

CW: violence, blood, gore, body horror, murder, death, genocide, suicidal ideation, racism, xenophobia, misogyny, sexism, sexual assault, sexual harassment, classism, colonisation
--

M.L. Wang has done it again, where do I even begin?

Blood Over Bright Haven, her newest novel is wholly unique but follows in The Sword of Kaigen’s footsteps in that it packs a real punch and will come for your emotions.

The book follows Sciona, a young and conceited woman who has worked hard to climb the ranks of Tiran’s patriarchal society to become a Highmage, a position of the High Magistry never held by a woman before. Her prowess is met with nothing short of mockery by her male colleagues and she is appointed Thomil, a Kwen janitor as an assistant over someone actually qualified to offer her help.
The Kwen hail from nomadic tribes outside the magical wards of the city, a race shunned by the people of Tiran for their beliefs and lifestyles. Underestimated by his superiors, Thomil steps into his new role easily and forms an agreeable working relationship with Sciona that leads them down a dangerous path of discovery that could upset everything they know about their world and its magic forever.

Now I would personally describe the book as more of an gaslamp/urban fantasy with dark academia elements, as though there was a lot centring around the research and study of magic the overarching plot was more along the lines of following the characters as they manoeuvred through the socio-political climate of the world as well as unravelling its history and secrets.

The worldbuilding is absolutely phenomenal. The setting at times reminded me of the Dead Djinn universe with how the workings and technology of the world were imbued with magic however, everything about the magic was so original. The system itself is intricate, involving elements of both intuition and science and though at the start we’re kind of thrown into the mix without much to go on I really enjoyed how the details of the world and its lore and backstory were peeled back and explained the further you got into the book. I especially love it when author’s include scenes where one character catches the other up to speed with all the basics as has been done in this book with Sciona and Thomil, as moments like this being included make everything feel all the more immersive.

The character arcs and relationships are what kept me the most compelled though. I want to avoid giving too many details away as Wang’s characterisations and how she brings emotions to the page are so masterful they deserve to be experienced first-hand. Paired with a narrative heavy on the themes of morality and sacrifice, imperialism and prejudice, Sciona and Thomil are characters that will stick with you for a long while. Their journeys will frustrate and horrify you but also make you hope on the possibility of change.

I’ll admit I was able to guess some of the big reveals that came along but all in all this was a well-rounded standalone that truly showcases the versatility of Wang’s writing. I hope we get more from this world in the future as it’s really interesting and feels like it can definitely be expanded on!
Final Rating – 4.5/5 Stars