Blood over Bright Haven surpassed any expectations I had going in. Throughout the story, I never had any idea where it would go next, and I loved every surprising moment.
This hooked me from the first page when we see Thomas and his tribe trying to escape the blight. His and Scorches' story had me completely immersed in it and had me staying up into the wee hours of the night because I couldn't put it down.
The world building is unique, well thought out, and descriptive without being overwhelming. I loved Thomil and Sciona and how they went from two people from complete opposite ends of the hierarchy to something more.
I will absolutely be reading more by this author.

Omg I was not prepared for this book! There was so much to unpack and it was so brilliantly laid out. This is a book that I will be thinking about for a long time.
Sciona was a selfish (but didn’t see it) character but was brilliant and was the first female highmage. Females were too delicate and couldn’t handle the magic or so they said. There was a highly complex magical system with plotting and mapping. And when the source of the power was discovered by her she would not be silent.
Sciona’s relationship with Thomil, who was a race that was seen as less than and they only stuck her with him to demean her, was more than I expected. Those high born men really did underestimate these two just cause of gender and race. Let’s see how that turned out for them.

The vibe:
““The High Magistry controls the history books, Freynan. You know that. If they don’t want Tiran to remember something, then within a few short generations, it will be buried.”

Omg I want to tell you all about this but it will ruin the fun. Trust the process and see her final word! I promise you won’t regret reading this. Though be prepared it’s chaos at the end and there is no hea for many.

This definitely felt like a hate letter to colonialism and the patriarchy. And I loved every second of it. Lobotomies are not healthcare.

Sciona has had one ambition her whole life - to be a high mage. The only problem is no woman has ever been admitted into these ranks in this history of her city.

With single minded focus, Sciona breezes through the entrance tests, but she isn't exactly welcomed with open arms. Even worse is to come when her brilliant mind delves deeper, more quickly than other mages of her rank and with a push from her unexpected assistant, she discovers the true origins of the power of her city and her world crumbles.

Armed with this terrible knowledge, and the horrific indifference of her mentors and the mage council, she's determined to bring the city down with her.

The themes of this book explore colonialism, racism, misogyny, and the desire to do good in the world even in the face of an unjust system. Honestly this was a book I NEEDED this week. The horrors persist, but so do we.

So... I really thought this would be a new favourite. Even at 51%, I was still convinced that was the course I was on!
And while I quite liked it and it fully held my attention and I think it's a good book... I also don't think I'll ever re-read it, nor will I find it easy to recommend, and part of me simultaneously really hates it? (Also this made me scared to re-read Babel)

Okay. How to figure out how to talk about this book. Let's start with--

How it Compares to Sword of Kaigen:
The things I really truly loved in Kaigen were mostly related to the magic system and the fight scenes. They were beautifully written and so cinematic. This is ML Wang's greatest writing strength. I also enjoyed the themes of characters discovering government propaganda and the balance between becoming informed and jaded vs their pre-existing beliefs and values and how to integrate those essential parts of your core character with the new knowledge, since everything was built on a fraudulent foundation.

What I didn't love was the shoddy world-building and the primary relationship at the heart of the book, as well as the infuriating repeated mentions of the patriarchy and how the main character just sort of gives up and gives in to it and makes herself small.

Magic System:
Blood Over Bright Haven does not have an interesting magic system-- I'm pretty sure the system itself is just programming. I'm also in the weird position where I feel like I really understand how the magic works... but not what the magic is? Or what can be done with it. Because I am given exactly two uses of the magic system and they are both really simple and boring; nothing about this magic system excites my imagination.

Fight Scenes:
As for fight scenes, this is a mostly academic setting so the opportunity to have them is small. The ones that we do get don't excite me in any way either, but they're also primarily perpetrated by bloodthirsty bad actors, so it's harder to get invested anyway.

World-building:
And no, I'm not really sure the world-building improved. Well, maybe it did. What I can say is that the world-building didn't make me constantly question what the fuck 'X' is supposed to mean or why the author made those decisions... so that's an improvement! But I also don't feel like the world was very inspired or detailed. So it's still not good, but it's not as frustrating.

Patriarchy:
The positive is that this character is much less willing to roll over and accept her place in the patriarchy. When she has nothing else, she still always maintains her ego and indignation at being considered lesser for simply being born a woman.

Belief System Reckoning:
I did enjoy several of the conversations where the main characters had to discuss their belief systems and the different ways their societies view morality. The way that characters spiral as they have to rebuild themselves and their purpose once they discover propaganda and how deeply the poisoned well runs.

It's Like Babel, But Not (Themes, Writing):
You would think I'd be destined to love this given Babel was my favourite book of 2022. This book had a lot in common with Babel in the following ways:
- how the magic system worked
- how the White lady character acted when challenged to believe her non-White friends
- discussions of systems and power and oppression, primarily as it relates to race
- very unsubtle about what it's doing
- general conclusions and ending

But I think my main issues were that it felt very repetitive and that the main character lost a lot of internal consistency.

For example on internal consistency-- as the reader, I'm exposed to the fifteen minutes in her day where she discusses and makes plans with other characters, but not the other 8 hours in between talking and doing where she has more time to think and prepare. And yet, repeatedly, things don't turn out the way that she assumes they will. In fact, each time she's like 'oh, obviously. I should've accounted for 'X' and I can't believe I didn't think about that. and 'Y' totally warned me this would happen, I should've listened to them.' Repeatedly. And that doesn't feel true to the highly logical and mathematical side of the character that's constantly running statistics, nor does it feel true to her constant pledges to actually listen to her companion. It feels more like the author is determined to make a storyline to watch the scene play out for the White lady's bad choices and hubris than she is dedicated to keeping the character consistent.

And that's fine! It's her book to do with as she pleases! It just feels a little sloppier to me, and takes me out of the book. After this happened a few times at the end, I was really starting to consider skimming.

Predictability:
I think I could've enjoyed this more if I didn't predict literally every piece of it. I felt like the book was heavily telegraphing itself at every turn, and didn't really get to have clever moments. It was very single-minded in its focus and purpose, so while it did thoroughly get to tell the story it wanted to, there wasn't a lot of room for creativity or interesting little details and divergences.

Overall:
Man, I do not know what to do with this author's books. Every time I write a review it sounds like I'm totally dragging the book. I have so much more to rant about than gush about, and yet somehow Kaigen feels like nothing but a 5 star read for me, and Bright Haven is a solid 4. But also I think I hate them? I don't know, it's all terribly confusing.

But, uh... maybe you should read this book? And maybe you shouldn't.

Wowza...this book was like a punch in the gut over and over. I literally cried in the first chapter and was hooked from the get go. Definitely some challenging and in your face themes of sexism, classism, racism, and ultimately hope for a better life/world. I was hoping for a different outcome in the end but upon further reflection I can see how it needed to go the way it did. This story will be sticking with me for a long time! Side note - I went back and forth between audio and digital and both were great. The audiobook narrator was excellent!

4.5 ⭐️ MAN. What a book. I'm sad that I read this during a reading slump because I feel like I could've absolutely devoured this if I had been in the right head space for it. The characters, the setting, the plot, the magic system, the writing, it was all soo good and I know I could've loved this even more. This was my first novel by M.L. Wang and it will not be my last.

Sciona is the definition of a strong woman breaking the mold. From the beginning, she is determined to break the ceiling (literally) and become the first female highmage in the history of Tiran. Seeing her succeed and immediately jump into her work to put her mark on history is such an incredibly well written and complex story. Sciona, Thomil, and the other characters in the story are so well written and developed that I felt connected to them throughout the story.

The way M.L. Wang wrote such complex and relevant themes of gender-equality, the struggles of faith, and racism made the story that much more compelling. Instead of Blood Over Bright Haven being just another fantasy novel, it turned into a in-depth, thought-provoking commentary on real issues that are still plaguing the world today more than ever.

I feel like everyone has been raving about M.L. Wang's writing and I absolutely see why. I think everyone who loves a complex story and strong characters need to read this book.

I loved this book. Greatly highlights the daily struggles of every day women trying to break the mold in a world of men. As well as the systemic racism people of other races face every day. It certainly wasn't the story I thought it was going to be. Sciona grapples her moral compass throughout the entire story and learns one thing about herself: she will do anything for glory. To be immortalized forevermore among her peers. However, she struggles with her faith throughout her journey with how far will she go to get that said glory.
She finds that achieving one of her greatest goals, becoming the first female high mage, comes with hard truths. And is introduced to Thomil a Kwen refugee that opens her eyes to how blind she has been in her ambitions. When faced with the truth she is forced to make a hard choice to see what her world really is. A world of greed and power. And though we know this is what our FMC craves. The reader finds out will we find out will Sciona buckle under the pressure of her male mage colleagues or rage against the system?

Blood Over Bright Haven has quickly become my favorite read of 2024.

The magic system is absolutely brilliant—an intricate form of magical coding that resonates with my tech-loving brain in the best way. It’s not only unique but incredibly cool, offering a fresh, innovative take on magic that feels both grounded in the world and full of possibility.

The emotional depth in this book is extraordinary. You can feel every character’s struggle, fear, and drive so intensely. Sciona’s relentless determination to prove herself in a male-dominated world and Thomil’s quiet resolve to uncover the truth about his past create a deeply human, gripping story that’s nearly impossible to put down.

Wang does a masterful job weaving complex, real-world themes like gender inequality, racism, faith, and colonialism into the narrative. These issues are explored with such nuance and depth, transforming the book from a thrilling fantasy into a powerful, thought-provoking commentary on contemporary struggles. The way these themes are seamlessly integrated into the story makes them feel organic, enhancing the plot rather than overshadowing it.

Despite its relatively short length, the book is rich with world-building and layered themes. Everything flows effortlessly, and the pacing is spot-on. Blood Over Bright Haven is a triumph—a beautifully crafted, intricate tale that expertly balances magic, politics, and personal growth, keeping you hooked from start to finish. I LOVED this.

This book left me absolutely reeling. This is the first book I've read from M.L. Wang - Sword of Kaigen has been on my TBR for a while and will absolutely be moving up in the priority list. This isn't a happy, feel-good book. The world is imperfect and deeply flawed, and the society is a mess. The magic system is so unique and interesting, I was immediately drawn to the imagery and how it all worked. I was so invested as I learned right along with Thomil how it all worked. This book was so intense, especially towards the end, and I'm still processing everything that happened.

Love. Love. Love.

Being able to set up world building, describe a magic system, have intriguing characters, and touch on important subjects ALL in a standalone novel that isn't the size of a dictionary is a near impossible feat, but Wang showed she is one for the job. And in all of it, delivering a moral of not standing against evil, is overall allowing and abetting evil to occur.
That is my "easy" response to reading this book. The rest is this : this book destroyed me in all the best and worst ways. In part in the timing I read this, and my soul has been altered. I REALLY struggled to like Sciona (the FMC), but liking her is neither here nor there with a message as important as this story carries with heartache and tears immediately in the first chapter. I need this book in every edition.

Expansive and beautiful work of sci-fantasy with a gaslight feel and strong thematic elements, this novel is also an excellent slow burn romance and commentary on race and class. I absolutely loved the depth of the characters, the exquisitely crafted magic system, and the solid world building. Read this now if you’re a fan of Babel, The Fifth Season or Gideon the Ninth.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing group for a digital copy of Blood Over Bright Haven for a fair and honest review.

“It was a beautiful thought– for a different world that was just, kind, and not about to collapse.”

Today is November 7th, 2024. And I am sick reading this book. I had to skim read the final ten pages for how much I wanted to scream and cry and throw up. This was not the thrill of Maeve Fly throw up, but rather the raw, hopeless, pulling out your hair kind.

M.L. Wang– you are a genius. You have delivered us a beautiful book about imperialism, racism, capitalism, classism, sexism; and you’ve done so in such a realistic way I almost want to refuse to review this book.

While the opening chapters were a touch slow and difficult to get through, the climax seemed to last half the book. I was sickened reading things I’ve seen on social media in wake of police brutiality and recently with the election. I don’t believe I can give this gorgeous book justice with my words.

“The path to God wasn’t laid for women like her. It was laid on their backs.”

Blood Over Bright Haven is bleak. It’s horrible. It shows the cruelties of men in power, language of war and conflict that negate human life, dangerous ideas that men in power in my country tote in our helpless faces. This book is violent and disgusting. This book is a raw, horrifying, nauseating truth.

This book is so important. I cannot recommend it enough.

Thank You NetGalley for the digital Arc. I had to wait for the audio because I just knew the narrator Moira Quirk would do a great job, and I am so glad I did wait. This book is really, really good. On the top of my favorites list this year. It was such a simple story line that M.L. Wang created into a wondrous story. Very different from everything out there. I am glad this book was picked up by a traditional publisher because everyone deserves a chance to read this Woman empowering fantasy novel.

They come from two different world, Sciona was born into industrial utopia of Tiran, protected by a magical barrier. Thomil escaped into Tiran from the dangerous world outside, from what had been a life of a nomadic hunter until a wild magic began killing everyone.

All Sciona has ever wanted was to prove herself, dedicating her life to studying magic while hoping to be the first woman to be admitted to the High Magistry, to become a high mage. But being the best isn’t always rewarded, as she is grudgingly accepted only to find her new colleagues trying to foil her at every opportunity. They even give her a janitor to be her lab assistant, someone with no training. At least that is what Sciona believes. However, Thomil was able to make his way through a magical barrier that separates his world, full of danger, into her world, protected from the wild magic. And he has a different way of thinking that opens her mind, plus the skills of his old life. He will always be considered below the people of Tiran, less educated, more barbarian, and someone who could be kicked out if he wasn’t productive. Soon, Sciona starts to realize Thomil has so many unexpected skills, and is actually a good lab assistant.

It's a long book, but the story was intense.

I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Blood over Bright Haven is the first book that I have read by this author. The story is a standalone dark academia setting filled with magic, mystery, and the thriving city of Tiran which is powered and kept safe by the high mages of the city. Sciona has always had her sites set on becoming a high mage even though there has never been a woman in the role. When she is finally accepted as a high mage she must face the reality of being a woman in a man's world. She works twice as hard with half the advantages. Instead of a research assistant, she is given a janitor, Thomil, to aid her work. However, he is not just a normal janitor but a refugee from the lands outside of Tiran where the blight, cold, and lack of resources were slowly killing off his tribe. As they work together, they begin to uncover horrible truths about the source of the magic that keeps the city safe.

I was absolutely blown away by this story. It was so well written and the author did an amazing job of building a tumultuous magic filled world. From the first page, I was invested and absolutely tore through the book. First off, the characters are beautifully imperfect characters driven by very human factors. Sciona wants to make her stamp on this world as a woman and a high mage. She is one of the best but still is seen as inferior. She is portrayed as cold and impersonal and solely driven by her passion for advancing the field of magic. Thomil is hardened by his experience as a Kwen refugee. They are only allowed in the city if they can be useful and are seen as simple, dirty, lesser heathens. However, as Sciona begins to work with Thomil she discovers that what she was raised to believe all her life about the Kwen is not accurate. Thomil is intelligent and strong and challenges Sciona's beliefs and views of the world. As they begin to discover dark secrets about the city, it drives a wedge between their budding friendship and makes them both critically evaluate what they believe in. The character development in Sciona is beautiful. She is constantly evaluating her views and determining where the line is that she will not cross. Thomil becomes her balance and moral compass.

The worldbuilding was so well done. It was intricate without feeling too heavy. It was fully immersive and it was hard to remove yourself from the story to go about your daily life. The magic system was very unique and heavily relied on machinery, coding, and mathematics. The story makes the reader really examine the world and what is going on and reflect on it on a personal level. The tragedy and pain from the story is rough but it is such an amazing story with messages of hope and love. This book has shot to the top of my list of best books of 2024 and I highly recommend it.

<i>Blood Over Bright Haven</i> drew me in from the very first page. ML Wang has a way of captivating readers with her writing and making us care about her characters very quickly. First, with Thomil in the prologue, and then again, with Sciona in the first chapter. I was hooked from the start and cared deeply for both characters, despite how flawed Sciona was in particular.

My only major gripe was the ending. While one character arc was extremely satisfying, hitting the climax that the arc had been very obviously building toward, the other character arc felt unfinished. The question of this world’s future was left unanswered as well and that, to me at least, felt very lazy. Wang essentially dropped an atomic bomb on her own story and then walked away. Where was the resolution? What are the implications of any of this? The fact that I’m struggling to even picture how the characters would move forward is indication enough that something wasn’t done right. While Wang cleverly wove her way through raised stake after raised stake, I expected more to come from the ending. It’s like she knew how she wanted to utterly turn upside down the world she created, without knowing how to or wanting to deal with the aftermath.

The dark cloud that was the ending is really hanging over me when I consider what to rate this. At this point, it’s a 3.5 rounded up because the messaging about racism and sexism was very strong and extremely relevant when allegorically applied to our world today.

<i>A big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, for providing me with an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review!</i>

I expected nothing less than a five star book from M.L. Wang, and she delivered.

Was this as devastatingly brilliant as The Sword of Kaigen? No, and I frankly don't think I will read a book that does to me what that book did. Still, this was action packed to the brim and beautifully written.

Connecting to the characters was easy as was putting myself in their shoes when they dealt with tragedy and moral questions.

I found the ending extremely satisfying (yay for stand-alone books) and it left me longing for another book of Wang's.

It may be time to give Girl Squad Volta a try.

The premise is very promising: a woman wants to become the first female High Mage in history. She has studied her entire life to get to that point. She performs very well during her entrance exam, which is biased because she's a woman and nothing is really expected with some nepotism males, but she gets the job. However, the men are incredibly sexist, and think they are being funny when they give her a janitor as a lab assistant.

This lab assistant has been relegated to that position because of his ethnicity. He lost most of his tribe trying to get into the city because some kind of force takes a lot of the people outside the city. In order to survive, he does what he has to do.

They work together, trying to figure out this huge project, and in doing more research, and really getting to know each other (Sciona has some SERIOUS bigotry), they find themselves getting closer and closer to a solution for the main problem, but find themselves lost after finding out the magistry's dark secrets.

The premise of the book is very good. Sciona is very no-nonsense and goal oriented. She goes through some very difficult trials and you do feel for her. Thomil is a star, incredibly smart and capable. The twist in the book - I can honestly say I did not see it coming. At all. It did not even cross my mind, and I love that.

I didn't LOVE this book, but I completely understand that I am in the minority. I recommended this to my husband, who is obsessive over Brandon Sanderson, because this writing felt evocative of that.

A engrossing standalone fantasy woven through with unique magic, while telling a raw tale about the price of power among classism, and the dangers it brings.

I think I physically yelled “the AUDACITY!” two dozen times and still couldn’t put it down. I was so caught up in the world building that I really felt the real indignation of the characters. They are fighting racism, sexism, dogmatic beliefs, and all around delusions. I also loved how the magic system was complex but still easy to understand. Also I love Carra. She is the best.