Honestly this book really surprised me. Mid way through I thought it was going to develope into some sort of Coloniser romance. It thankfully didn't. 

What I enjoyed about this is how confrontational Thomil is to Sicona. He does not allow her to live in her delusions and faulty beliefs at all. Pretty early on he set the theme for the novel. What is ultimately considered a good act ? A person who has good intentions but it leads to harm or a person who has bad intentions but leads to good for the people? Sicona had to face both situations in the end and through her beliefs she took the actions that she did. She let go of all illusions she had about herself and embraced herself as who she is. And even though I still didn't like her in the end , I commend her for that. 

A very good read, and a really delightful magic system and world—both of which serve the overarching message of the book. Really incisive and well put together, but my only complaint is the dialogue could really stretch on. I tend to prefer a bit more show than tell.

Gets very dark right from the beginning, but it's appropriate. It explores sexism, classism, racism, with well-written main characters. Especially as a standalone, it's amazing. I'd recommend it to anyone who can handle heavy reads.

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

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.

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. 

Wow! What a book to start 2024. I loved this so much, the way the story started and ended was beautiful! I loved every single character. I think whatever way I write this review will do injustice to the beauty of this story. It was amazingly well written and I felt like I was there. I might update this when I have clarity.