"Truth over Delusion. Growth over comfort."

Plot: ★★★★★
Characters: ★★★★★
Relevance: 😬😬😬😬😬
Ouch My Heart: 🗡️🗡️🗡️🗡️🗡️

In a time of political turmoil in the United States, Blood Over Bright Haven hit very close to home. M.L. Wang perfectly tackled the rough subject and reality of a corrupt government run by prejudiced individuals who have fooled themselves into thinking they are the heroes while trodding on those they perceive as beneath them or sub-human (sound familiar?).

Blood Over Bright Haven is an emotionally challenging read that keeps the reader intrigued and invested enough to persist even when things are downright tragic. This isn't a happy book, and without giving too many spoilers, there is a realistic ending. But despite the tough subject that is tackled, Blood On Bright Haven is not hard to read and is even enjoyable throughout the majority of the book. I found myself appreciating the ending in that there was no sugar coating or twists to make the book taste better going down. The reality of the situation is tragic, and so the ending should be tragic.

The main characters, Sciona and Thomil, are flawed and complex individuals. Especially Sciona. And yet, because of Wang's writing and the dialogue between Sciona and Thomil that perfectly explained both sides of the coin, I found myself emotionally invested in both of these characters. Despite Sciona's many flaws, we, as the readers, understand why she is the way that she is and appreciate her efforts to make up for her mistakes.

One thing that happens often in fantasy novels is making light of deaths because, of course, death happens when there is conflict. The deaths of thousands of individuals who are not fleshed out are easily passed over and leave no lasting effects on the characters who influenced these deaths. That doesn't happen in Blood Over Bright Haven, which I really appreciated.

Lastly - I am honestly impressed by M.L. Wang's writing, specifically her use of dialogue to pick apart tough subjects. I cannot think of a single thing that I would have changed about Blood Over Bright Haven, and I urge everyone to pick this book up and give it a chance.

That being said if you want a happy and light book, Blood Over Bright Haven probably won't be for you. But if you want a complex fantasy novel that defies popular tropes and aligns with our current American political climate, I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you, M.L. Wang, Del Rey, and NetGalley, for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 5/5 stars.

Was it subtle? No. Was it devastating? Absolutely. And I still think you should read it.

This was my first read of M. L. Wang's work, and I can easily say it won't be my. last. I'd give Blood Over Bright Haven six stars and haven't shut up about it since I read it.

The story follows an academic whose scientific practice upholds the infrastructure. and basic. functioning of herh city, which is purported to be quite the utopia. It's a domed city, and those on. the outside are afflicted by a horrible scourge that's decimating entire tribes of people from their homelands, driving. them to seek sanctuary in the domed city. The academics and the citizens of that city are told a very clear narrative about those that live o utside it -- that t hey're intellectually inferior, bring disease, and just plain lucky to be given the worst and most menial jobs for zero pay. But as our main character gets saddled with one of these individuals for her research assistant, the blinders start to fall from her eyes, and she realizes things aren't what she's been told.

It's an incredible arc through our main characters deconstruction of and reckoning with deeply held beliefs that are a clear mirror of what's going on with regressive ideas about immigration in the global west. Despite this clear parllel, it never felt like it became preachy. It's written in dual POV, which really served the narrative well here.

In tone, it felt a lot like R. F. Kuang's novel, Babel, but almost more refined, in that I felt like Wang showed us elements and expected us to be able to follow along well, where I felt more told by Kuang's writing.

The magic system was a really interesting one, and felt like a hard science, almost like applied mathematics or coding. The interpersonal relationships were phenomenal, and deeply compelling (love how Thomil's niece is written!). The ending almost felt like a car crash I knew was coming and couldn't look away from. I didn't see another aout, but I kept turning the pages voraciously in hopes that there would be another solution, but wow was it well written.

Can't wait to read more of Wang's work.

I've been in the biggest reading slump to start off the year, but this book might just be the one that gets me out of it! Blood Over Bright Haven weave this question into the story: If the future we're living in is only capable of stability while standing on the backs of minorities, can we call ourselves a utopia?

This book had everything I look for in a high fantasy novel, extra bonus points awarded for being a standalone. The story follows two main characters, Sciona and Thomil, who couldn't be more different when they meet. I mean, if you were to draw a Venn Diagram comparing the two, you'd end up with a pair of circles on a page.

Sciona is a headstrong, trailblazing, step-on-who-you-have-to-to-reach-the-top kind of girl. Earning a spot as the first female highmage in the HIStory of Tiran. She becomes a master of the Otherrealm in spite of the highfalutin highmage of a father who left in her childhood, but her successes don't leave her unscathed. Sciona is egotistical, doesn't respond well to criticism, and operates on a holier-than-thou mindset that's got her this far, so why change now? If she wants to be the greatest highmage in history, it'll take some tough skin to put up with the other mages hellbent on keeping this woman in her place.

Thomil is the first person we meet in the story, as he and his tribe are attempting to cross into Tiran and flee the Blight-addled wilderness they had called home for generations. Their numbers dwindle in the crossing, so much so that Thomil and his baby niece Carra wind up the only remaining members of their once vast tribe. To survive in this new utopia of Tiran, Thomil and Carra have to mold and shape themselves to Tiran's expectations, and face daily verbal if not physical harassment for their Kwen features. Sounds like a country I'm quite familiar with.....


Sciona and Thomil are unwittingly paired together as highmage and assistant, and we get to see their interactions go from clinical to collaborative as Thomil learns the inner workings of spellography, and Sciona learns empathy. Seriously. Sciona is a close-minded, workaholic biyotch for a good portion of the book, but one that I couldn't help to root for. So blinded by the sexism she was facing in her own life, she didn't ever consider that her country as a whole was perpetuating worse on others.

Working together, Sciona and Thomil discover that the magic keeping the lights on in Tiran isn't pulled out of thin air, no, the power and energy running the country came directly off the backs of the people they were working the hardest to keep down. The Blight ravaging the land outside of Tiran wasn't the wrath of the gods, rather, the magic that ripped apart Thomil's tribe, family, everything, was used for nothing more than warming a cup of tea in Tiran.

The story Tiran that M.L. Wang has woven together is a socio-political mirror of present day America. If the government's wrongdoings were brought to light, would people believe the truth or label it propaganda? Would you be willing to give up your own comforts to save a stranger? If everything you knew about your life was a lie, how hard would you go to prove or disprove it? How much would you give to expose the truth?

I loved the way this story wove its way through the perspectives of Sciona, Thomil, Carra, and watching their mindsets on certain things soften or harden as they gained empathy for not just each other, but their people groups as a whole. If you're a fan of Star Wars: Rogue One, Pocahontas, or The Hunger Games, this will have you pulled under its spell in no time. Corrupt government, racial division, sexism, colonization, all the ingredients needed for a story to stick with me for YEARS.

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for sending me a free copy to review! Adding a physical copy to my pangobooks cart as we speak - great story and pretty cover? I'm SOLD

Thank you to PRHAudio for the free audiobook and Del Rey for the eARC. I hope ML Wang never writes a collection of short stories because they would have me in the fetal position sobbing I just know it. The prologue of this book packs a BIG punch. It was so vivid and I was caring so hard about these people I just met and literally crying?! Luckily the full length novel calms down from there to start an even larger but slower build.

The magic system was really cool. I would love to see some fan art about it, it sounds familiar to coding. I also felt like it leant itself well to the eventual lore you learn about it, power and who is allowed to define and use it.

This book stopped me in my tracks multiple times, there are twists. Don't just read this for the twists but just fyi once you get past 50% it is a wild ride. The FMC is flawed. There's feminine rage but also times where I felt feminine rage TOWARDS her and just wanted her to be different, and I felt like that was a part of the point. The allegory to white saviorism really came through in this, but for balance it actually changes perspectives at times for the reader to get the full picture, and in my opinion counteract those kinds of SFF books where the FMC is just perfect, solves everyone's problems, and always does "the right thing" and the community she helps is always sooo grateful. We see representation of the people in the community being oppressed (that being said the characters you really get to know is a short list, I do think there could have been more personal interactions, not as a learning opportunity for the FMC just for the story).

Overall, just an incredible and unique book. ML Wang is just so good.

“𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒂 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆.”

I knew this was going to be good, but I wasn’t prepared for how good.

Read this for:
📚 dark academia with actual high stakes
🔮 a magic system as intricate as it is dangerous
⚔️ ruthless ambition, political machinations, and moral dilemmas galore
💀 a gut-punching, unforgettable ending

Blood Over Bright Haven is a masterclass in character-driven storytelling, where no one is entirely good or bad, and every choice carries devastating consequences. Sciona is brilliant, cold, and so easy to root for and be infuriated by in equal measure. Her relentless pursuit of truth and power in a system designed to keep her out had me glued to the page. And then there’s Thomil, her assistant-turned-reluctant-ally, whose quiet strength and calculated defiance add so much depth to this story.

This book asks some big questions—about power, complicity, and what we owe to the people crushed by the systems we benefit from. The pacing is impeccable, the prose is razor-sharp, and the magic system is so cool once you wrap your head around it. And that ending? I need everyone to read this so we can scream about it together.

(if you liked Babel orrr if you think Babel was a little too inaccessible for you, definitely pick this up)

An instant favorite. Blood Over Bright Haven proves that no one writes fantasy quite like M.L. Wang.

Oh my gosh, Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang is such an amazing read! It's this dark academia story about Sciona, this super determined orphan who wants to break into the High Magistry, even though it's a total boys' club. The whole "Breaking the Glass Ceiling" thing is so powerful, and I loved watching her fight against all the odds to prove she belongs. And then there’s Thomil—he’s this outsider, a former nomadic hunter who’s now working as a janitor, which really plays into the "Fish Out of Water" trope. Together, they start uncovering these seriously dark secrets about how the city’s magic works, and it's so gripping!

What I loved most was the magic system—it’s not just magic for fun, it’s like science in how it shapes everything in the city. But the best part is how it shows the darker side of the society, with all the sexism and racism they’re trying to fight against. It’s also got this "Corrupt Academia" vibe, where the whole system is built on secrets and lies. As they get deeper into things, there’s this whole "Forbidden Knowledge" thing happening, and it’s just so thought-provoking. You really need to read it—it’ll totally make you think about the costs of ambition and how far people will go for power.

Stars ⭐️ 5
Spice 🌶️ 0

I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved Blood Over Bright Haven. It’s a beautifully tragic story of a society dictated by all male mages until Sciona becomes the first female to be admitted to the ranks of the High Magistry.

Sciona fights to establish herself in an institution filled with those who would relish in her failure. Sciona works alongside her newly raised lab assistant, a former janitor at the University, to test the boundaries of magic. The magic system feels unique and new as a reader, but we discover alongside Sciona that everything is not what it seems and some secrets are too much to bear.

What is an acceptable cost for a life of peace?

Thank you, NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Sciona has dedicated twenty years of her life studying magic, hoping to be the first woman to be admitted to the High Magistry at the University of Magic and Industry. But once passed the exam to become a highmage, the challenges are only just began and to make her feel unwelcomed her classmate assign her a janitor as a lab assistant. But neither them or Sciona know that the taciturn assistant was a nomad years ago and lost his entire family on a perilious journey from the wild plains to the city itself. Now he has the chance to understan what decimated his tribe,drove him from his homeland and how to exact his revenge. Sciona and the outsider will soon learn how to work together, uncovering a secret that could change the course of magic forever. Or kill them all.

Blood over bright haven is one of the best fantasy I've read in a very long time. It's magic and dark academia, philosophy and elements of science and brilliant main characters willing to do anything to achieve their goals.
I loved reading this book because it's very original, well written and so intriguing, so I couldn't stop reading it. It's filled with mysteries and forces, lies and secrets and Sciona is a fabulous main character and I loved her relationship with Thomil. I also loved how the book deals with sexism, racism, xenophobia, violence and abuse, the abyss between people and those in power and that unfairness. It was very realistic.

I won't be reading this. I've tried multiple times and haven't gotten into it. Thank you though for the opportunity. If I read it in the future I will come back and change this review.

This dark, thorny book was not at all what I expected & it made me think critically about the role one person can play in contributing to a system of evil. As a genre, this book feels somewhat uncategorizable— I would not say that this is fantasy or thriller, precisely, but a kind of sci fi parable, a mixture of genres that makes the book entirely its own. It disturbed me (in a good way) and I found it unforgettable.

Loved it. 10/10. THIS is how you do dark academia fantasy. Don't give me white woman bullshit. I want this. Its full of pain, but its nuanced pain. The characters are deranged, but with context.

ML Wang gonna ML Wang. Absolute banger of a story. Everything in this works. The writing, the plot, the characters all come together to give you a riveting reading experience that will have you on the edge of your seat. A definite must read!!

"Truth over delusion. Growth over comfort. God over all."

M.L. Wang depicts an unflinching representation of colonialism with her magic system in Blood Over Bright Haven. Her stark world-building provides a look at not only conservative sexism through Sciona's eyes as she becomes the first ever female Highmage in the Magistry, but also at racism through Thomil's POV who migrated to this so-called 'Bright Haven' Tiran when his tribe could no longer survive in the outer cold world.

The characters are undeniably rich - Sciona can be applauded for striving to carve a path for women through the sexism; she can be criticized for failing to appreciate the working women around her just because they weren't academic; and she can be hated for her implicit racism against the janitor-turned-assistant Thomil; but she has to be given credit for learning to respect their opinions and agree with their arguments as she grows through the book. Thomil likewise is intricately sketched as he tries to balance preserving aspects of his tribe with himself and his niece while surviving in a city that considers them subhuman.

The book on the whole packs a lot in its relative size and the immersive writing coupled with a grand plot prompts digesting it in slow bursts, especially when the plot goes in a direction you don't want it to, but can't fault given the circumstances. It is recommended as a thought provoking fantasy read, and given the author's insight into the human ego as well as emotions, I'll keep an eye out for her future work!

"I will not turn my gaze, though Light burn me."

Thanks to NetGalley and the Random House publishing group - Ballantine/ Del Ray for an advanced copy of this book, the review is entirely honest.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
[One star for the premise and the whole book; One star for the characters; One star for the world-building; 3/4 star for the story arc and plot; 3/4 star for the writing - 4 1/2 stars in total, rounded up to Five stars.]

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang is an absolute masterpiece! The world-building is rich, the prose is stunning, and the characters are complex and unforgettable. Wang weaves a gripping story filled with political intrigue, dark academia vibes, and moral dilemmas that keep you thinking long after the final page. The tension, the stakes, and the emotional depth make this an unputdownable read. If you love beautifully crafted fantasy with a sharp edge, this book is a must-read!

Wow, just wow! This book was everything I didn't know I needed. I was completely blown away by the complex characters and the amount of emotion that I felt as I was reading. I will definitely be thinking about Sciona and this book for a long time.

it's amazing 10/10 characters and worldbuikfing but i still felt like smth was missing
thank you netgalley for the arc

an absolute banger of a book, Wang never misses, instant 5 stars just like Kaigen. incredible magic system, incredible world building, incredible main character.

ML Wang’s writing style is both beautiful and brutal in equal measure. So a complex story with shades of light, dark, and that oh so nebulous in between, leaving one to wonder: does the end justify the means? Does one group of people deserve more than others? How does religion protect those who do evil from the evil itself and does declaring one’s actions just in the eyes of their God make it irrefutable and good?

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book. It is very relevant to the problems in America right now, women and minorities have always been treated as less than and when they fail they are either called hysterical or weak. I loved the study of magic and the truth behind it all. The strength of those constantly oppressed and the ultimate weakness of those in power. This was an amazing book that I ended up staying up till 4 am to finish.

From the very first page, Blood Over Bright Haven had me utterly captivated. I’ve read hundreds of books in the past few years, yet few have felt as fresh, exhilarating, and masterfully crafted as M.L. Wang’s. The Sword of Kaigen was a revelation—a breathtaking fusion of action, grief, and triumph—and this novel lives up to its predecessor in every way.

Wang’s characters feel deeply real, their struggles and ambitions drawing me in with an almost unsettling intensity. The narrative is gripping, unfolding with precision and purpose, never once losing momentum. And the magic system? Pure brilliance—intricate, immersive, and seamlessly woven into the fabric of the world.

Wang has once again proven that she is a powerhouse storyteller, and Blood Over Bright Haven is yet another testament to her ability to craft an unforgettable reading experience.