I'm not sure what I was expecting for this book. I haven't read the author's previous work, but because I heard a lot of good things I was curious about this one.

I'd say this book is what dark academia is supposed to be. It is a harsh societal critique that offers no easy solutions, but explores how people respond to injustice, even if it doesn't immediately fix everything. I love how in depth this book went, and how unforgiving it felt, even towards the main character. While the main character discovers some ugly truths about society, the book doesn't hold her by her hand, and forces er to acknowledge how she was complicit in things she didn't know about.

The magic system in this book was interesting, and very detailed. Sciona is among the best mages, and the first woman to be promoted to highmage, so she knows exactly how everything works and the book spends a lot of time explaining this. I didn't find it hard to follow at all, and I liked how much effort the author put into developing this magic system. The magic system involves siphoning the appropriate amount of energy, writing the correct action, and typing in all this on a magic typewriter called a "spellograph".

I adored the characters in this book, Sciona especially. She is clearly a flawed character, she has a big ego and strives for greatness, to be remembered among history and this causes her to neglect people around her. While she claims she is working her way up to open the door for more women to be admitted, she is mainly in it for her own gain. She is messy and arrogant, and slightly unhinged. I like how the book presents her as flawed with these traits, she's not better than other people/other women even if she might view herself as 'not like other girls'.

Thomil is the male main character, and while most of the book is from Sciona's POV, the opening as well as some scenes later on are from his POV. Thomil is Kwen, part of one of the tribes living in outside the city of Tiran, but ten years ago, Thomil and his tribe fled to the city due to harsh living conditions as well as 'the blight', something that kills people outside Tiran by tearing them apart. Now, he works as a janitor in the highmage labs, where he's constantly underestimated because the Tiranish believe Kwen to be stupid and backward, and only use them for hard labor under bad conditions.

When Sciona is assigned Thomil as an assistant rather than an actual trained mage, Sciona decides to roll with it, and finds Thomil is actually much smarter than people give him credit for, and is among the few who can actually challenge her ideas, and I liked this aspect of their relationship. While Sciona generally has more favorable opinions of the Kwen than the average Tiranish, her prejudice and religious beliefs heavily influence her relationship with Thomil at the beginning, and I liked how realistic the book was about this. Sciona is not some special prejudice free person even if she does try to do better, but the book never coddles her either, and Thomil does not forgive easily.

There's romance in this book, but it's very minor, with nothing really happening until towards the end, and most of the relationship building between Sciona and Thomil is not necessarily romantic. I was not super invested in the romance, though I was invested in the characters and seeing them work together.

I'd advise to mind the content warnings for this book. There's on page sexual assault, misogyny, racism, as well as gore

I'd recommend this to people who love dark, heavy books that critique society, such as Some Desperate Glory

“All those lights and wonders of technology, bought with blood.”

Wang takes these dark and difficult themes (oppression, gender inequality, sexism, colonialism, classism) and writes an absolute masterpiece that truly moves the reader both mentally and emotionally. How can we, as people, do better?

This was absolutely gorgeous. From the magic system, to the characters to the story itself - just beautiful.

Sciona starts the book as majorly unlikable but had the most amazing character growth arc that I've seen in a very long time. Watching her have to untangle the things she was taught and think outside the box was an incredible journey.

The magic system was both simple and complex - I found it completely fascinating.

Overall, I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes high fantasy or academia-type fantasy for sure. Or rich worlds with interesting character development.

Thank you for the arc!
This book hit like a gut punch. Perfect for fans of Babel by R. F. Kuang, this fantasy novel explores how those in power get there by stomping on those below. Sciona and Thomil were fantastic main characters, as their experiences rubbed against each other. The ending had me wide awake until 2 a.m., I couldn't get enough of M. L. Wang's writing! One of the best books I've read this year.

where do I even begin? I feel like I need to go stare at a wall for a few hours and contemplate on… everything… after finishing this book.

This was such an incredible read. It’s a story of hope and loss and grief and faith and intention.

There is so much packed into this book it’s hard to know where to even start. There’s questions of morality, is intention what counts most? Or is the result what counts most? Just because you intend to do something good, doesn’t always make it a good action.
There’s so much grief and loss piled onto each other here and it’s heart wrenching but it also shows how every action, every person, every decision makes such a big impact on the world around us.
Hope is a fickle thing too. We can hope for the best but we also need to plan for the worst. We have to be able to find that balance and not lose hope for what is right and good in the world because it’s worth hoping for.

It was so interesting to see Sciona’s character arc evolve throughout the story. In the end she had to learn to live with and work with her flaws to do the right thing and do good for the world and others. Sciona is a character that meant well, her intent was not to cause harm or hurt, but she was selfish to a fault. She struggled to get out of her own head enough to see how much her ideas and decisions and actions would truly impact the world around her.

I really loved the conversation about morality in this story too. It really hits hard. Is intention to do good all that matters? Or is the outcome of your actions all that matter? Or is it somewhere between?

Much like ML Wang opened up discussions about war and propaganda in Sword of Kaigen, she now gives us a fantasy setting where a young woman Scions and her assistant Thomil are breaking the boundaries and stereotypes society has put into place for them whether it be based on gender, race, or class. A high stakes fantasy story where one woman’s actions can change the future of the world with everyone around her, this book will not only open up discussions, but will make you think on how it relates to the world we live in today, for fans of Babel this will stand on its own and hold its own place in the fantasy realm.

Rating: 5/5
e-ARC review - Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang

I'm still in shock, I'm gutted, enraged.
How can I book have all this power over me? It was one of the best reads this year.
I couldn't stop reading, I HAD to know how the story ended. This book was so well written, had such a raw feeling. I still fight words on how to describe it. If you loved Babel, you SHOULD read Blood Over Bright Haven.
This one is an insta favorite.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing this digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This was my first M.L. Wang and a highly anticipated book on my list. The opening of this book was heart pounding and drew you into the World but abruptly the pacing slowed and 1/3 of this book was little to no action. The magic system and world building had too much over explaining with a lot of repetition. I feel like every page turn I was waiting to get back to that action packed first chapter. The themes of imperialism, misogyny, xenophobia were prominent in this story. Showing two characters with different statuses and upbringing come to understand one another and take down a bigger evil. Although this storyline has been done time and time again (Pocahontas, Zootopia, almost all disney movies), I think Sciona and Thomil as character is what kept it fresh and interesting. The back half of the story did ramp up again and M.L. didn't hold back in showing the dangers of societal actions (and the actions of the past) that can affect people around you.

M.L. Wang did a wonderful job developing an emotional impactful story with deep character analysis of Sciona, Thomil, and all the secondary characters. You wanted to root for Thomil and Sciona but knew it was doomed from the start. It got a bit "white savior" at some points and I'm not a fan of oppressor/oppressed romances. Honestly, may have been a good fantasy without romance added. Sciona was driven by her desires and ego with a single minded mission to accomplish. It was frustrating to follow her story and sometimes I felt like screaming at her actions. It was a deep contrast to Thomil who had to think for his people and their future in a tyrannical and cruel society. I did love Carra's character. She showcased that deep, guttural rage someone would feel when all you want to fight back when you have been living in harsh conditions.

I would recommend this read. This was an interesting dark academia fantasy that may have some people look inward to some of their own small prejudices. It got really dark in chapters and I had to take a break from reading multiple times. I truly appreciate these types of stories for readers and cant wait to see what M.L. Wang has next.

Thank you Netgalley, Del Ray Publishing, and M.L. Wang for an early copy for my honest review.

This was an absolutely wild, brutal ride, and while it was a bit heavy handed at times, I really enjoyed this story. Immersive storytelling and wonderful introspection make this a fantastic read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I would rate this book three and a half stars. I thought the magic system was unique and so was the world. I’ve never read another book with a world like this one. I also enjoyed the writing and the characters. I loved the character development of the main character. How she was selfish in the beginning, but ended up giving up her life and legacy for others in the end was good character development. The reasoning for taking off one and a half stars was because I felt that the magic system was described in a bit too much detail. At times it felt like I was reading a school book because there was so much information. I also would have liked to see more of a build up between the two main characters. I didn’t feel their connection. With that being said I do think that this a unique book that stands out from others.

Thank you to Net Galley and Del Rey for the ARC. Unfortunately this was not the book for me. I love dark academia, but the academia here reminded me of my years in CS and programming, so that was not fun, and the magic system was not my taste, the way it was explained was so infodumpy. I don't mind reading books that tackle sexism and racism, its just that this book felt quite one dimensional while doing so, like this book felt like rage bait. There is so much racism and sexism going on in the book, so I felt mad reading this. And these are things which people definitely should be mad about. Its just not my taste to read books that only make me feel angry and nothing else. I think if I was aware that this book was grim dark, I would not have requested the ARC. I like a little hope and positivity in my reads. Also the dynamic between Sciona and Thomil pissed me off. I hate it when the racist character realizes racism is wrong due to the minority character opening the racist's eyes to the world. In the real world, minorities so often are expected to do the emotional labor of educating people, so I usually don't like seeing this narrative.

This book is so good, I loved every moment of it. This is a dark read and it has some pretty hard subject matter, so be warned and read the content warnings. From the very first chapter I was very much engaged in this story, and it only got better and better as it went along. I am still in shock that it is a standalone because I came to care about these characters and world so quickly. The author was able to get so much detail, world building, themes and atmosphere in such a short amount of time. I cannot give this book enough praise, I will be looking into other books written by this author ASAP.

Thanks to Netgalley and Del Rey for granting me access in exchange for an honest review.

How does one define being a good person? Is it by their intentions? Or by the consequences of their actions?

This story explored this concept and flipped it on its head. It was so raw and heart wrenching, and I loved it. This book is a dark academia fantasy story with a really technical magic system that made me think of a mix of coding and physics. It deals with heavy themes like oppression, misogyny, racism, sacrifice, and family. It was a really compelling story, and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

Social injustices told through a fantasy novel? Absolutely! Wang weaves a tale of immense importance. There are socioeconomic classes, child labor, racism, and sexism.  No subject is not breached. The magic system is expertly explained fairly early in the story. With a strong female main character and an equally stubborn male main character, the chemistry is the roof. 

5 Stars

easily one of the best books i've read this year, maybe even one of the best books i've ever read. this was my first book by m. l. wang, and i'm so impressed that they were able to tell this story as a standalone with less than 450 pages. the story is incredibly powerful, beautiful, and heartbreaking. the ending was devastating, but also perfect. i have no notes, just praise.


thank you to netgalley and random house publishing group - ballantine | del rey for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!

M. L. Wang has created such an interesting world and magic system in Blood Over Bright Haven - it had me hooked instantly. It was honestly insanely difficult to put this book down. I wanted to know more about Thomil and I wanted to watch Sciona’s discoveries unfold on the page. I got both of those things as well as an incredibly rich and unsubtle commentary on our own world (and when I say unsubtle I mean it positively like Kuang’s Babel).

I think Wang made some really smart decisions when crafting this book that helped get her message across in incredibly frustrating ways. There were so many times while reading this that I got mad at the characters and their choices and their prejudices and that’s kind of the point of putting us in Sciona’s head in the first place. You get to feel every slow stride she takes towards understanding where perhaps her viewpoint on the Kwen and her fellow mages, her world and her magic, are wrong. It takes a long time to get her there, but it’s so nice to watch it happen.

I fully thought this was going to be an easy five-star read for me, but at some point it starts to unravel a little. The narration itself felt almost young adult in nature in a way I fully didn’t expect. The characters don’t act like teenagers, really, but the cadence and flow of the writing felt like it was catering to a younger audience. It also swayed between entirely in-world language that wouldn’t make sense until a second read (or in retrospect) and assuming the reader is a little stupid and over-explaining simple things. While I don’t think either of those things make this a bad book, they did bother me personally while I was reading it.

I also think the relationship that forms between Sciona and Thomil feels a little off. Between the power dynamics and the way that Sciona views not only him but his people for a large portion of this book leaves their relationship in an odd place that was a little uncomfortable to read at times. I don’t know, but I think too much pressure was put on this side plot when it didn’t need to be there in the way that it was at all.

The mix of magic and women in STEM and fighting institutional racism all in a dark academia-esque setting felt like this book was built of off buzzwords catered directly towards me and what I’ve been enjoying lately. And to be fully transparent, I really enjoyed reading this most of the time. It was fun. It just also fell a little short of what it could have been.

Huge thanks to Random House and NetGalley for this eARC given in exchange for an honest review.

I totally loved this fantasy book about magic. Along with a completely unique magic system, it also includes oppression, colonialism, and misogyny, enough to anger you. I was angry most of the book, then the end pretty much broke me. No HEA here.

Everything about this book was something to experience, from the well developed characters, the fantastic world building to the incredible storyline. This was my first M. L. Wang book but it certainly will not be my last. This book was just so good. I liked it so much I immediately went and bought my own copy.

I highly recommend to anyone who loves fantasy books, especially about magic, because this one was definitely different.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a problematic read for me in that it is extremely well written with nuanced and very flawed characters but was contrasted with overly heavy messaging about religion, colonialism, and sexism. I guess that in a way, I look to books for escape from those issues, not to be hit over the head with them in a different fantastical setting. This is a stand alone and not a series.

Story: Sciona is very gifted at creating the magic that infuses and runs the City. Unfortunately for her, as a woman the high mage positions have been historically closed to her. But with an influential high mage mentor supporting her application, she now has a chance to show her true skills and attain her goal. She will not be forced to become a man's wife and have no accomplishments of her own. What Sciona finds, though, is that the odds are still stacked against her and skill alone does not offset the disadvantage of her gender. Assigned an immigrant janitor for her assistant as an insult, she knows she has never needed help before and she won't be hindered now as a deadline draws near for her first big magic presentation.

First and foremost, everything is very well explained and full of depth. From the character personalities to the magic system, it all makes sense and is very grounded/organic. Sciona is driven, single minded, and a loner. Her janitor assistant is traumatized, subsisting, and existing only as a relic of the last of his tribe. Where she is idealistic and even simplistic in her single-mindedness, he is realistic and grounded. Their decisions make sense from those viewpoints and it all felt logical and right. Similarly, the magic system is well developed, robust, and not your typical Harry Potter point and say a spell.

Make no mistake, this is a mature novel. Not just for the exploration of the repression themes but also in terms of the characters not being overidealized - you'll cringe at Sciona's naivete at the same time feel the deep despair of her assistant, Thomil. This story really is a blueprint of 1700s/1800s colonialism - from the view of anyone not of their race as being subhuman and disposable to the sexism that forces women into roles of caretaker or wife.

But I cannot rate this 5 star despite the layering and nuance. The blueprint was too close to reality and felt like we are being beat over the head continuously about the ills of white male patriarchy in history. It kept pulling me out of the story in frustration since I wanted a fantasy, not a retelling of European colonization horrors. Also, admittedly, the magic system was a bit too well explained, leading to too many pages dedicated to lecturing or analyzing it.

So yes, this is a very well written book. Your enjoyment may depend more on your tolerance of soapboxing rather than the story or the characters. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

I received an arc of this book and woooowwwww this might be some of the most beautiful writing and story telling I’ve ever read. I was hooked immediately (and how can you not with that opener) and continued to love every moment. This book was not for the faint of heart, the themes were very heavy and just became more complicated as it progressed which created this incredible web of conflict. The character development was beautiful and to see Sciona’s mindset change, I almost want to reread just to fully realize how far she came. All of the characters were incredibly unique and the way that Sciona and Thomil interacted with respect for each others beliefs but pushed their boundaries was beautiful. I don’t have a negative thing to say about this story, I will definitely be reading more book by this author as this was my first. If you want incredible writing, a unique storyline and characters, with a side of emotional damage wrapped in a dark academia fantasy then this is for you.

4/5 ⭐️

Thanks to Del Ray Books and NetGalley for the eARC!

Once again, M.L. Wang has managed to pierce me right in the chest with the unforgiving realities of humanity. The depth of emotion and the rawness of the characters’ experiences left me needing to take a break to stare at my ceiling and reflect.

Thomil, oh Thomil. I found myself completely engrossed in his journey. I couldn't stop thinking about my own family while reading about him. His character felt so relatable showing both vulnerability and strength.

M.L. Wang’s storytelling continues to captivate me, and I will read anything she writes in the future. Her ability to weave complex characters and thought-provoking themes together is truly a gift. Highly recommend this book for anyone looking to experience a blend of emotional depth and social commentary!