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. 

Really loved this self contained story. I enjoyed the magic system and how thoroughly it was explained. The real highlight was the characters and how their strengths tie directly into their weaknesses. Scionas fight against misogyny while being pretty blatantly racist towards Thomil and the Kwen was a great dynamic to watch play out. The mystery of the blight and how the in-world magic works was another highlight

a very violent, very strong, and very well-written story with phenomenal world-building and a powerful ending. i was not expecting this book to be what it was (it truly puts the dark in dark academia), but i was genuinely impressed by it — and had a hard time not devouring it all in one sitting.

m. l. wang uses fantasy, specifically through a corrupt magic system in an urban setting, to explore colonization and the tools used to establish and uphold it, including misogyny (especially in terms of limiting educational access, reproductive control, and the weaponization of white femininity), racism, fascism, classism, environmental destruction, religious extremism, and so on.

i think that in many ways this novel speaks to the real world we live in, particularly in terms of the violent oppression of indigenous peoples (such as in the case of Palestinians, now and ongoing for nearly a century), which is partly what makes it so impactful. it also poignantly explores the power of protests and how the machinations of society often feed on flesh and blood — as well as the mixed reactions of "common civilians" to those harsh realities. i also think there's something to be said about the role that violent uprisings and (the cycle of) martyrdom play in creating hope for change for future generations in this book.

[anyways, i'm always in favor of a guillotine renaissance]

i highlighted so many passages and took so many notes while reading, so i'm saving some that stuck out here:

- After all, the true nature of Blight fit with everything he already knew of Tiran: that the city was a monster built by takers for takers. ... Somewhere in his time playing mage’s assistant, he had forgotten what he was: not a citizen of this city, just flesh that it fed on.
- The path to God wasn’t laid for women like her. It was laid on their backs.
- “That’s your idea of a nice day out with your mother? Plotting the destruction of a government?” “Why? You have a more fun idea?”
- "Hell, if more men were like you, I might not be so…”  “So what?” “Vehemently opposed to them.”
- But the Kwen didn’t stop coming. Why should they? Their ancestral land was ravaged, their kin Blighted, their future stolen. What did they have to lose? And who in the wide world could tell them to stand down?
- “I didn’t want the innocent people of Tiran to suffer. But that collapse out there”—she gestured to the rising sounds of chaos from beyond the gates—“That was the inevitable fate of a rotten city built on lies.”
- Each gear turned tidily into its neighbor in a soul-grinding system designed to sustain the men who had named the pieces and made them so: damsel, devil, servant, wife.
- “It’s what she wants,” Carra said softly but with certainty beyond her years. “You understand that, right? She wants to die sticking it to those men.” “How do you know?” “Trust me, Uncle. It’s a girl thing.”

This book grabbed me by the lapels and held on TIGHT! While reading this, I was consumed by it. I could not stop thinking about this at work, while driving...while existing lol. The writing is phenomenal, the character development is flawless. You will be emotionally scarred after reading this. This is a solid dark academia/fantasy stand alone. The MC is a woman in her mid 20's and I LOVED that. It made the character more relatable to me because I am the same age as Sciona (the main character). This is definitely added to the list as one of my favorite books ever...along with The Sword of Kaigen. I think I have a new favorite author.

Brutal and unflinching, yet peppered with so many pure, tender moments. Beautifully written. Somehow both otherworldly and alarmingly close to home. Incredibly cool magic system and worldbuilding so clear it feels tangible. Everything is done well in this book. Everything.

This read really made me reflect and stretched my feelings to the max. I lost count of the number of times I gasped or clapped a hand over my mouth. Wang shocked me in ways few other authors have. Very eager to check out their other work now. 

“In this city, girls like that get themselves killed.”

Positives

This book is definitely the best one I have read this year. It was well written, fast paced and ingenious. It had me in the chokehold from the very first chapter. I saw Emily fox on bookTube recommending it so I decided to check it out and the book did not disappoint. M.L Wang has become my new favorite author and I am interested in checking out more his book soon.

I shedded a few tears around 40-45% mark. There was some painfully beautiful writing there.


The book starts with the last 40 survivors of a tribe that once numbered in tens of thousands, migrating towards a city where powerful and wealthy people have created a barrier to shield themselves from blight, using magical technology.

In the city, we follow a 27 year old girl, Sciona, who is about to face the greatest test of her life that will determine if she is worthy to be a Highmage. If she succeeds she will become the first female highmage in history. On her journey to prove herself to a magistry dominated by men, she befriends a person of an "inferior race", Tommy, and together they discover the ugly truth about the magistry, the values her city is built upon, her past, and the cost of magic. She is confronted with a big question: Is having good intention at heart enough in the grand scheme of things, or does one need to consider the consequences of their actions as well?

"Is it better to be safe and broken or dead?"

The book is thought provoking. It clearly draws inspiration from the real world where privileged people, in general, have a history of exploiting and oppressing the poor, people of color and women.

The ending was the most amazing part of the book. I was on pins and needles during the last 20-30% of the book. Most books disappoint me at the ending, but the author did a superb job with the ending. It was so masterfully knitted into the fabric of story. It didn't seem like an after thought where author tries to make everyone happy by writing an ending that doesn't go with the vibe of the book.

"When you said ‘symbolism,’ I thought you were going to say it was a penis thing"

The book is fast paced, easy to read and cleverly conceived. The magic system is one of the best I have read in a while. In this world magic isn't something you inherit, it something that can be learned. Mages draw energy from other realm that is used, after coding magic formulas into a spellograph, to do magic. Drawing energy from other realm is complicated as both drawing too much or too little enegery can have negative  consequences. Sciona is an expert in mapping energy sources in the other realm. Mapping is crucial because energy is a limited resource, but mapping is hard since no one can see the other realm clearly.

The author has created a rich and  complex world, inspired by steampunk, that is both fascinating and horrifying. There is bit of info dumping but it is done in a very classy and interesting way. I had a great time learning about the magic system. I wish we had more books set in this world, but for the sake of the people in this book, I am glad it’s a stand-alone.

Her only distinction among these mages was that she was a more honest monster than any of them

Critiques
My only critique is the feminist message in the book. The problem is not the message but the explicity of it. I am not giving it 5 stars because at times the author was being too preachy and pushing his believes on the reader.  We also kept hearing about the absent father but that story arc didn't go nowhere. I'd have liked more explanation on that.

Favorite Quote

“Because good people can turn desperate when the horrors are upon them—especially people whose culture of plenty has left them with no systems to cope with scarcity or cataclysm. Good people will turn monstrous when it’s down to their survival or someone else’s.

This is such a powerful statement. I wish more people could understand this. The world would be so much more peaceful and harmonious if we did.

Trigger Warning
Sexual violence, suicidal thoughts, racism.

4.75
Writing:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐ 
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐ 
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
World Building: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 

“She was going to show Tiran something they have never seen before. She was going to show them Hellfire.”

M.L. Wang’s The Sword of Kaigen is one of the books I loved so I just had to pick up Blood Over Bright Haven. Sadly, I didn’t love this one as I did TSoK but it is still a good book. Blood Over Bright Haven discusses racism, classism, feminism, and religious bigotry.

Thomil’s POV started the book and it set my expectations higher. It was so dark and intense that I was literally on the edge of my seat as I read on. Unfortunately, the pacing after that felt slow for me, especially during the first half of the book. 

Sciona grew up in a very religious society that is deeply misogynistic and racist. As much as Sciona cries misogyny, it doesn’t change the fact that as a Tiranishwoman she has more privilege than the Kwen—especially the Kwen women. Even though I dislike Sciona, I still couldn’t help but root for her. The Tiranishmen are a hundred times worse, I wanted to squash them all especially Cleon Renthorn, that man is my enemy I don’t care if he’s fictional.

I felt like the talks about feminism and racism were only discussed through the experiences of Sciona and Thomil. I am in no way dismissing their experiences or belittling them but I would’ve loved this more if Sciona interacted with women outside her family but she’s not like other girls. With Thomil, I felt like his character only revolved around Sciona. I wish we were shown more of the Kwen community in Tiran. Also, the romance??? That was a weird addition and felt unnecessary to the story.

I understand why people gave this five stars, but it sadly didn’t work for me.

 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.