ML Wang has secured herself as an auto-buy author for me for sure. I can’t wait to see what she produces next.

As for this novel, in the state of US politics and the chaos that is ensuing, this book could not have been more relevant. ML Wang has an amazing talent of making you really hate the villain and aligning with the MC even when the morals may be a little undefined. The way she blended magic into this world with racism, feminism, misogyny, violence, religion and politics was truly amazing.

The question here is did all the bad guys die? Or did one of the good ones die? Food for thought for sure.

SPOILER ALERT——

I only rated this 4.5 and not 5 stars bc of the fate of the MC. I understood the creative nuance but the vengeful human in me wanted her to be able to watch her destruction occur in full and be standing on the other side victorious. That isn’t life though is it?

A dark academia fantasy rife with corrupt racist, classist, mysogynistic & sexist political/religious intrigue. A unique magics system. Perfect for fans of Babel, although I found this book much more enjoyable and easier to follow.

Blood Over Bright Haven is the first book I've read by M.L. Wang, and it blew my mind. Dare I call it a masterpiece?

Blood Over Bright Haven is a standalone dark academia fantasy that brilliantly tackles themes of systemic prejudice - particularly, institutionalized racism and misogyny and their intersection with capitalism and class hierarchies, settler colonialism, and the danger of letting a corrupt system corrupt you - of becoming the very thing you hate. Our main characters are Sciona, the first female highmage in Tiran's history, and Thomil, a janitor from outside the bounds of Tiran, who belongs to a race the Tiran call the "Kwen" and deem to be inferior. Sciona is sidelined by her sexist male peers, and instead of being given her own assistant, is assigned Thomil instead. The unlikely pairing delves deep into the bowels of Tiran's magic, and in the process discover an incredibly dark and horrifying secret.

This book is written in an incredibly fast-paced manner, with a dark and action-packed prologue that grips you from the start and doesn't let go until the explosive end. The characters are complicated, at times ugly (especially Sciona), and always real. While the themes may seem on the nose or obvious at first, as the narrative continues, there are more and more layers of commentary that unfold, and more shades that are revealed of the experience of existing within such corrupt systems. The only thing I would have changed is making the "traitor mage" they reference from the past a woman instead, and this perhaps being the reason no female highmages have before or after been admitted into the Magistry (until Scinoa). If you read this, you'll understand why this would have thematically really tied things together even more, but I'll say nothing more than this at the moment to avoid spoilers.

All in all, I cannot recommend this book more highly. Blood Over Bright Haven was an absolutely brilliant book that had me in a chokehold the entire time I was reading it and still hasn't let go of me. Bravo to M.L. Wang. I will definitely be picking up The Sword of Kaigen soon.

Blood Over Bright Haven is a standalone fantasy that absolutely deserves its immense hype! It is a magical, thought-provoking, and deeply emotional book that explores how cultures can be stolen and crushed by those in power. It also addresses sexism, racism, toxic academia, and our role in perpetuating cruelty to keep the status quo.

It’s rare that a standalone fantasy novel can have a fully realized setting, complex and layered characters, AND a compelling plot. What this book does in less than 450 pages is truly remarkable!

The city of Tiran is a beautiful, bustling center of wealth and prosperity, a technological marvel made possible by magic. It is an island of light and warmth surrounded by the freezing, deadly outerlands plagued by Blight.

Sciona is determined to become the first woman ever accepted into the High Magistry at the University of Magics and Industry. She finds herself forming an unlikely friendship with her assistant, a man who was born outside of Tiran’s magical barrier. Together, they will uncover a secret that has been hidden from the people of Tiran - one that challenges everything Sciona believes.

I thoroughly enjoyed M.L. Wang’s Blood Over Bright Haven. It was not an easy read, but a thought provoking one. If you’re looking for a light read, I would not recommend this. But I do highly recommend this book. I recommend it for people wanting to fight, especially after what has happened in the US.

My favorite aspect of this book is how thought provoking it is. I do not often read books with main characters as heavily flawed and honestly unlikable at times as Sciona. However, her story arc brings up the question of whether people can truly be redeemed/change as a person. Also, I am not a religious person nor have I ever been, so I could not entirely resonate with the religious themes of the story, but I did find them very intriguing.

How do you handle your belief in your religion crumbling? How can something so wrong be “God’s will?”

Overall, this was an amazing read. I loved the world building and the plot.

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Blood Over Bright Haven follows Sciona who wants to be admitted to the High Magistry as the first female highmage. Upon admission, she is treated horribly by her peers and assigned an assistant who her peers view as low in class. The assistant, Thomil, is Kwen which is a race who live in the slums, suffer from various stereotypes, and are seen as cannibalistic inbreds. While devising a spell to expand the borders of Tiran, Sciona discovers the horrible truth of how the city siphons its energy for power. She works closely with her assistant on how to handle the truth and fight for those who need it.

THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD!!! I could not put it down. I loved the world of magic and the author's storytelling. You really feel for Sciona and Thomil. I was enraged at how the Kwen and Sciona were treated. You find yourself really rooting for them. I can't recommend this book enough.

Thank you to Random House Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Everything that I want to say about this book feels like it's not enough. The very first chapter, when I had spent all of four minutes getting to know the characters, had me bent over, crying in rage. This book very eloquently depicts so many relevant issues that can be hard to contextualize in real life. M. L. Wang accurately describes the issues with a vertical moral system, that even the worst crimes can be justified for someone delusional enough to believe they have the divine approval to do so. There are so many parts of this story that we can see echoed in our own lives in a horribly painful way. This story is invaluable, and is without a doubt one of the best and most moving books I have ever read. I will recommend this book to everyone I know, and I will be talking about it for years to come.

I have deep dove into a full blown fantasy in a while. I forgot how immersed you can feel. This story was so well rounded, so well thought out, the magic system, the religion, the mage system, the oppression of woman, the oppression of classes of people. Maybe this was a super weird time for me to read this with the political climate the way it is but dang did some of Sciona's issue just hit hard. Her trying to make her way in a man's world., her learning her neat and tidy world isn't really what she thinks it is. When I first started reading I thought this was going to be quick and easy "go girl" fantasy where she was going to fix all the wrong in the world and get the guy. (you know per romtanacy with a kick ass girl mage). The story didn't go that way though.
Sciona's character had not growth, she was a kick ass female mage with a static iron view of magic and wanting to make her name known. She never changed and she did exactly what she wanted at every turn for better or for worse. That takes a certain type of person. I am not sure I really connected with her. She seemed very rigid in her thinking; she seemed set in her ways. I am not saying I don't agree with what she did, but what a way to end a book.
I loved Thomil. I love his bravery, the way he loved his family, his niece. He was so smart which made him such a great ally for Sciona. I loved his story arc, and I love the ending with his story.
I am not really sure who to recommend this book too. It was a very unique fantasy but not for the epic fantasy lovers that want to be apart of every part of the world. this was a one and done story. It isn't a romance, it doesn't' have the adventure, found family vibes that happen in other fantasy stories. It almost reads like a history novel Full of details, and complex magic systems, tons of history but very little character Developpement... It didn't have whimsical or magical feeling. it felt dark, almost depressing to read, and teh ending was over the top crazy.
The book deserve a high rating for the really well done story.and that is what my star rating is on.

When a fantasy novel or series makes you pause and think about real world issues without being too overt about it, I’m always a fan. Fantasy is usually a genre people look to for an escape from reality, but I think we can also use it as a mirror for real world issues. Blood Over Bright Haven does that effectively and elegantly. I think this is one of the most timely books I’ve read in 2024. I felt swept away to this fantasy world while also thinking and feeling deeply about my own.

Sciona is the first female mage ever to be admitted to the high magistrate in Tiran’s history. In her city of Tiran, which they call “God’s Bright Haven”, mages are responsible for using their powers to keep the city safe and the lights on. Outside the city’s magical barrier is a barren wilderness where humans fight for survival against The Blight. Thomil is one survivor from beyond the barrier, and now serves the city’s mages as a lowly janitor. But when he is promoted to Sciona’s lab assistant, the two of them begin to uncover a conspiracy that could collapse their world as they know it.

This standalone story packs a punch with themes like morality, sexism, classism, feminism, colonialism, and the pursuit of knowledge and truth. Wang artfully draws you in immediately and by the end of the second chapter I was fully invested in the story and the world. I’m impressed with how succinctly she was able to accomplish this when other books take multiple chapters to achieve this. The pacing was excellent, especially for a 400-page novel! And the plot twists! I had my jaw on the floor at one point and I feel like I was kept guessing until the final pulse-pounding chapters. How refreshing to read a fantasy novel that tackles timeless themes while staying original and exciting.

The cast of characters is just the right size and perfectly developed. Sciona is a complex, flawed, yet brave character that I couldn’t help but fall in love with. Thomil is also a character I couldn’t help but love, and I was pleased to see that he did not fall prey to some of the more trope-y cliches.

Bottom line: this is a book I could go on for days about. But I think it’s best to go in with just a little bit of information about the book. This is a fantasy book that anyone and everyone can and should read. 10/5 for being one of the best books of 2024

Deepest gratitude and thanks to the publisher Random House and NetGalley for the wonderful opportunity to read and review this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang is a gripping fantasy with rich world-building and complex characters. The story blends magic, politics, and personal struggles, keeping you hooked with its vivid writing and emotional depth. The characters are well-developed, each with their own flaws and growth, making them feel real and relatable.

The pacing is just right, balancing action with character development. If you love high-stakes fantasy and intriguing plots, this book is a must-read and a fantastic start to an exciting series.

This book was perfect. It had female rage. It had classism. It showed how even the most well intentioned people will uphold a system that benefits them, even if they feel guilt about it. Everything about this is perfection.

I loved the relationship between Sciona and Thomil. The balance of power between the two, the complexity of both of them having privilege of the other was so beautiful explored.

Seriously, people need to read this ASAP.

Holy crap. Where do I start? I'm still wiping the bittersweet tears. What drew me into this story was the complexity of the world created by M. L. Wang. The details she put into this unique blend of magic and technology made me wonder if she had training in computer science. In most magic systems, magic is simply that, magic. However, our FMC Sciona composed algorithms to perform magic using if/then statements.

Once again, Wang succeeded in drawing the rawest emotions from her characters onto the pages. She introduced the oppression experienced by different people in the story. First, Sciona fought to succeed in a male-dominated magic world. A lot of us are familiar with the struggles experienced by women in STEM in our world. Then, we were introduced to the working class dominated by the Kwens, the so-called uncivilized heathen. We already know from many stories (like Pocahontas), that these "savages" have different wealth of knowledge to share. When the truth about the magic source in this world was finally revealed, we had to ask ourselves whether the ends truly justify the means. What would you have done if you were in Sciona's shoes?

If you had read <i>Sword of Kaigen</i>, you would not be surprised at how this book ends. It was no happily ever after but there was still hope on the horizon.

Posted on Goodreads, Storygraph, and Amazon

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw this on Netgalley, I snatched up an eARC the literal second I could, because holy shit have I heard a ton about this book. I’ve never read anything by this author before (I’ll be buying The Sword of Kaigan though, trust me), and I barely skimmed the summary, so I went in pretty much blind. I didn’t watch any tiktoks about it in the days leading up to reading and didn’t look up reviews; I wanted to be 100% surprised.

Did you ever watch or read Fullmetal Alchemist? Do you like hard magic systems, critiques on colonialism, unlikable protagonists that decide that they are the villain and will do anything in their power to fix the damage they’ve done, and nuanced looks on how the people who have treated you nicely can so easily turn around and show a much darker side to those they consider beneath them? Then this is the book for you.

This book is messed up, and I mean that in the best way. I wouldn’t call it surprising though; I guessed most of the plot within the first 50 pages. But that’s not a bad thing! It was predictable, but the writing was so good that the predictability didn’t take away from the story.

My only gripe is that I wish they’d kept the original self-published cover. The new one looks a bit messy.

Blood Over Bright Haven was my first ML Wang book, and after this I will definitely be reading any of their other books! I was instantly hooked by the first chapter with Thomil and his family. The development of his relationship with Sciona had me squealing and giggling. The magic system is interesting and actually makes sense.

My one hangup is that the racism allegory is incredibly on the nose. It feels a little bit like the YA genre, how close to our own world’s history this book comes- the deliberate segregation of the Tiranians from the Kwens, the way the Kwens are treated as second class citizens. and the big reveal about the Blight that is revealed halfway into the book.

4.5 stars and my thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the eARC.

I loved the magic system, I loved that it didn't have a happy ending and that it left it more ambiguous. I'm usually not a fan of that, but for this, there was no way any of the main characters could have a happily ever after. It wasn't that type of book.

I really enjoyed this book, but it took a bit at the beginning for me to get into it. Once I got into it, I was sucked into the fantasy world that M.L. Wang writes. The magic system and Otherrealm was a unique take that I really enjoyed learning about in this dark academia. This fantasy causes the reader to reflect on topics such as sexism and oppression without them seeming like the heavy societal issues they are.
"You bought your success - and by extension mine - at the cost of cost of women's lives, their health, their ability to have children. How could you do that?"
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC, all opinions are my own.

reviewed on Goodreads

Mark my words: THE BEST FANTASY NOVEL OF 2024. Blood Over Bright Haven was gut wrenching, brutal, beautiful, and so well written. M. L. Wang truly outdid themselves. The perspective of humanity in this book actually churned my stomach. I finished this book and could not stop thinking about it for days. This is a tragic story set in a dark academia setting. It’s full of tragedy, vengeance, sacrifice and love.

This standalone fantasy pulls from dark academia, science, philosophy, and magic to create a beautiful novel that will have you FEELING. Sciona has worked her entire life to learning magic and becoming the best at it with the goal of becoming the first female mage at the University of Magics and Industry. She must fight to be seen as equal among her male peers, but an unlikely pairing sparks a partnership she can work with. Through this partnership, Sciona learns some dark secrets and creates new ideas that could change the way magic is used and abused.

I really loved Sciona as a character! She is stubborn and some might think her unlikable, but she is just a woman trying to make her voice heard in a male-dominated field. Her development throughout the story made me like her even more. The writing was beautifully done and I would definitely recommend this book!

This was heartbreakingly incredible. The author did a truly phenomenal job putting you in the head of both of these characters. She puts you in the head of Sciona and so many times I wanted to hate her because she sounded like such a bigot and the way she thinks of the Kwen is so WRONG, but at the same time you can understand her because the author does an incredible job of giving the impression of how Sciona grew up, what she was taught and what her side of the culture is like. Throughout the whole story you get to see her absolutely crushed and devastated, but she picks herself up and chooses to change and make change.
On the flip said of this you're seeing Thomil and the horribly difficult choices he has to make to just survive and slowly be crushed by this oppressive culture. He loses everything over and over again, but you see him continue on so that the small sliver of his own culture can continue.
All of this and I haven't even touched on the incredible and innovative magic system. From page one this gave me some new age Harry Potter vibes and I just friggin ate it up. I hope there's more to come from this world because this was absolutely incredible in all the ways.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine- for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m irritated with myself that I didn’t finish this one before the publish date, but I’m so incredibly thankful I got to read this. I haven’t been this moved and into a straight fantasy book in quite some time. The world building is absolutely stunning with classic fantasy elements woven into more steampunk type elements layered with a complex world with its own racial hierarchy, religious foundations, myths and legends… world building at its finest and yet not in a way that dragged the pace as it can sometimes do. The characters were gruff but lovable. Maybe reading a book focused on the political elements of misogyny, racism, and the myriad ways a government and a people suppress those without power wasn’t a GREAT choice for me right now (it is the week after the US 2024 elections as I write this), but isn’t that what good art is for? A new way to look at an old system, an old way to look at a new system, combined to make entertainment mean education.

Anyways, I loved it. I was so pleased this was a standalone so no suffering cliffhangers, but I also wouldn’t mind living in this universe for another book or two.