This was such a good, feminist dark academia story in a fantastical world! I think I'm finding what I like in dark academia, and this book is that! I love a good standalone, and I really liked the character growth in this. I do think that some of the social commentary was a bit heavy handed, but overall I had a really good time with this!

This review is of an ARC for Blood Over Bright Haven provided in exchange for review.

Five stars, and I would give more if I could. This book was Babel, but if you put Jasnah Kholin and Kaladin Stormblessed (of the Stormlight Archives) at the helm. Dramatic comparisons aside, the world building - and you must stick with it for a little bit, because the magic system is explained deeply and quickly - the characters, and the overall themes explored will sit with you for awhile.

We start with Sciona Freynan, the first female to ever be admitted into the prestigious ranks of the Tiran highmages, as she begins a research project that is needed for the good of all within Tiran. She is ambitious, driven, confident, and understands that everything she does will either create opportunities or ruin them for the women who will one day follow in her footsteps. She is such a well-written embodiment of female drive - and I say that rather than female rage, because her drive is the kind where she strives to be perfect, to be so unquestionably the best that men are forced to acknowledge her, rather than loudly or violently demanding their respect. (No hate to female rage though; we live for female rage.)

The conflict she and her assistant, Tommy (WE LOVE TOMMY WITH ALL OUR HEARTS) uncover is one that speaks to an incredibly real, human injustice and unbalance of powers. The way the story is shaped made me feel the weight of all of Sciona and Tommy’s decisions and actions, and its conclusion has me sitting in silence, just THINKING about this book.

(Because I feel it is necessary to include: there were many tears shed. I love crying over books. I love gasping and biting my nails in angst. If you also love all of these, this one’s for you.)

"This was the most righteous, most logical, most human anger that could fill a soul."
In Tiran a woman is only allowed the opportunity to test for Highmage once every decade. Sciona has been working toward this for twenty years, and has become the first female Highmage in history. The way M.L. Wang writes about sexism, racism and colonialism is beyond anything l've read.
There is no other way than to draw parallels from what's happening in real life to the history and life of the Kwen people. It makes you sick to your stomach, by the last chapter I felt hope but deep sadness for everything Thomils people still have ahead of them.
I went through the full spectrum of emotions reading this. I will never forget this story, this was the most original magic system l've ever read in my life. I cannot wait to read everything M.L. Wang writes.
Thank you NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group for this ARC.

4.75/5 ⭐️

M.L. Wang is gives another masterclass in character writing. The characters of Blood over Bright Haven are so good I think talking about them might be somewhat of a spoiler… suffice it to say they’re complex and deeply flawed people in a borderline grim dark kind of story. While the characters are the stars here the world is very interesting even if not super fleshed out, the introduction alone is breathtaking in one of the most intense openings I can remember. My biggest gripes about this book is it feels like there should be more, I believe there is potential for many more books written in this world or even just about the characters within. Alas this may never be the case and maybe that’s ok.

Absolutely stellar, a favorite book of 2024! Wang is officially an auto buy author for me now. This is a dark gritty stand alone fantasy with deep and intriguing characters and a plot that engages from page one and doesn’t let you go. I’m still thinking about this book weeks after finishing. This is one of those rare books that I will continue to recommend to anyone for a very long time.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review!

M.L. Wang is becoming a must read for me no matter the story! First with Sword of Kaigen and now with Blood over Bright Haven!

I really enjoyed this book. It covers some serious topics but didn’t feel preachy about them. This world feels lived in and you can understand all of the character motivations. The magic in here is also really interesting and felt really scientific. If you are fans of A deadly education by Naomi Novak and Babel by R.F. Kuang you should definitely give this book a read!

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

This freaking book got so many emotions out of me... Just as many were frustration and the urge to smack Sciona in the face...but an emotional response is an emotional response. Highly recommend to anyone looking for an immersive, utterly unique story with characters who'll stay with you long after you finish.

Can we get more industrial fantasy, pretty please?

After reading the sword of Kaigen I knew this was going to be good! I’m not one for dark academia but this was everything I hoped for and more! I will be adding this to my list of recommendations. I’m a life long M.L. Wang can after this!

A brilliant read that I'll be thinking about forever.
Excellent world building, exquisitely flawed characters. Intricate magic system. Themes of sexism, colonialism, bigotry and much more that the author does not shy away from which makes an engaging read.
This is dark academia at it's finest.
M.L Wang is a talented writer and I'm very glad to have read this book.

This is a master piece. I will be buying the edition when it releases! The female character Sciona wants to prove herself in a male dominated world of mages. Sciona thought studying was the difficult part of qualifying to become a mage, but what she discovers along the way has her questioning everything she has known.

I made it about 20% through this book before I guessed almost all of the plot. Made it to 40% before stopping for over a week to see if I was still interested…turns out I was. Now even though it was predictable, those final few chapters were extremely satisfying. The ending leaving us with just a sliver of hope was excellent. I would Absolutely recommend this as a good standalone if you can accept the really obvious magic systems and outcomes.

[received an arc from random house publishing and netgalley, thank you!]

i admire this book for a few of its qualities: i liked the magic system, and i appreciated that it was willing to make its protag deeply enmeshed in the discriminatory mindsets of her society. it's a nice change of pace, to make your main character admittedly terrible, especially when they need to do such a sharp 180 in the course of your book! i liked the discussions of the diaspora wanting to preserve their culture in a predominately white world, even when it was life-threatening, and i liked that the main character isn't given grace by at least one person. that being said, i don't think that i liked this book that much--mostly because a lot of its most hard-hitting sections are less impactful because they're delivered so heavy-handedly. every character says exactly what they feel or what their motivations are, and if they don't the pov character helpfully tells you exactly what kind of subtext is going into their words, and there were so many conversations in here that is just exposition-exposition-unsubtle characterization-exposition. i like that this world has a lot of thought put into it, but we really don't see much of it, because the main characters are almost always in a lab or a library just talking about the outside world. you don't really see a lot of the marginalized communities that characters are always talking about other than their representative main characters, which forces every conversation to include some kind of outside commentary just to remind you that other people have it bad and even worse, just off-page.

but back to sciona! like i said, i liked that she sucked! i liked that someone calls her out within the first chapter for being pretty much entirely self-serving despite her rallying for feminism. i liked that you can see her cut corners and swerve around the truth in her mind when she's confronted on her worldly beliefs. that being said: [spoilers about character discussion on my goodreads] other than sciona, thomil was ultimately fine as a character, and like i said i liked how he has to navigate assimilation into a hostile society not just for himself, but for another, younger member of his family. that was cool! and every other character in this book is just a prop for the plot with a name. ultimately around 3/5 stars.

I highly enjoyed this book, and love that it is a standalone. The FMC Sciona, wants to be the first female mage in Tiran. Tiran is a city powered by magic and has some pretty big secrets. Together with Thomil, who lost his family to the city, they try to find out these secrets. I love the characters in this story, and even though this is characterized as dark academia, it feels like high fantasy. It was unique and honestly, one of my favorite fantasy novels of this year!

I've heard so much talk about ML Wang's Sword of Kaigen, but I was always intimidated by longer adult fantasies and don't always love an adventure story, so I just haven't picked it up yet. So when I saw that ML was coming out with a new fantasy about CODING MAGIC??? I'm a coder and I love magic, absolutely yes please. This was so good, and even though I don't usually love when my main characters die, I actually really liked that Sciona died for her cause, because there's no way the society would've gone down without a fight and there's no way she would've given up without a bigger one.

I feel that this may have some of the same issues that Babel had in the more learned populous, that the lessons and themes in this book may seem a bit fundamental to them, but I think it's an important message regardless and assuming that a message is too simple is dangerous in a world where misogyny, homophobia, and racism is growing bigger and more public than it ever used to be. This is a very well timed novel and very well executed, I enjoyed it very much. Thank you for the ARC!

Actual rating: 4.5/5 stars

Wow. Wow, this book. The in depth wold building really sucks you into this world of emotional situations and rough characters. I am usually a reader who struggles with unlikable MCs simply because I only REALLY get emotionally invested in a story if I care for it's characters. But luckily this story was so well written that the unlikable MC was easier to sidestep in order to keep getting more of the story.

Another brilliant work from ML Wang. There is so much depth & dimension within Blood Over Bright Haven. Strong world development, emotional impact, and flawed characters who are pushed to confront uncomfortable truths. ML Wang delivers a fantasy standalone that feels whole, not lacking in any area, a feat that many can not achieve. ML Wang is an author to watch, she has become an auto buy author for me & I can't wait to watch her continue to flourish.

Welcome to Tiran, the bright haven that stands against the harsh outside world. A thriving metropolis that runs on magic that powers an advanced industrial economy and innovative technology. Sciona is a mage, who has worked her way up through the ranks to become Tiran’s first female highmage, one of the elite overseers of the city that maps and siphons the power used to keep it running. She is proud to be a mage, a follower of her faith, and highly independent. Orphaned since age four and raised by her aunt with her cousin, she’s a force to be reckoned with and takes no shit. Her sponsor believes in her, she believes in herself to be the best, and she will prove it. She and the other new inductees are tasked with creating a spell to siphon enough power to expand the barrier that keeps Tiran protected from the outside, a harsh environment being ravaged by blight, a mysterious occurrence that pulls the lifeforce out the living and decimates the land and its savage people, known as the Kwen. Not taken seriously, she’s assigned an unqualified Kwen janitor as her assistant. Thomil crossed the barrier into Tiran with his niece after his tribe was overtaken by blight, with nothing left to lose and a last hope to survive on the inside. Unfortunately, that comes at the cost of living in Tiran’s slums, taking the low, often dangerous jobs no Tiran resident will, and being treated as not only a lower-class citizen, but despised and mistreated by the Tiranish. As much as Thomil tries to keep to the background, he is assigned to be Sciona’s assistant.

Sciona is often too caught up in her work and self to notice how hard a Kwen’s life in Tiran can be. After all, shouldn’t the Kwen be grateful to be offered sanctuary in their majestic Tiran? Determined to prove herself in a man’s world, Sciona works tirelessly to create a spell to expand the glory that is Tiran. She is pleasantly surprised to find out Thomil is quite smart and helpful in her research. As they delve deeper into the hunt for magic sources and spells to harness the power, they are challenged by their peers who wish them to fail, and secrets are uncovered that will test their morals, their grit and sense of self.

Two unwelcome people find themselves tested at every turn. Taunted, threatened, challenged constantly, the two form a bond and ego-centric and often delusional Sciona finds herself caring for more than just herself for the first time. The character development for both Sciona and Thomil is well-written. They are both rough around the edges, but as we learn more, each evolve in significant ways. I also really enjoyed Carra and what she represented.

The story touches on thoughtfully explored themes of misogyny, prejudice, faith, family, love and sacrifice. What do we do protect those we love? What will we sacrifice, what risks are we willing to take? How do you fight injustice without being the same as those who oppress you?

I thought the dark academia vibes were fantastic. The magic system is unique, with mages using spellographs like typewriters in which a spell is input and then siphons power from mapped sources. The plot was compelling, and I feel like the themes were powerful and even at times rage-inducing. This book packs a punch in a standalone adult fantasy. It was thought-provoking and paced well. The ending brought this book so full circle in the best way, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Spoiler warnings for gore and violence, sexual harassment, suicidal ideation, colonialism, genocide.

Thank you Netgalley and Ramdom House for this ARC.

All the stars for this book. Immediately downloaded the sword of kaigen because I must read all of ML Wang’s books now.

Five stars. Would rate the book higher if I could. The story line was incredible for a stand-alone fantasy novel. Highly recommend everyone read it. I plan on reading M. L. Wangs’ past books and any future releases.

What would you do if you realized that everything you worked for, everything you strived for, everything you managed to overcome was for the benefit of a corrupt society.

Blood Over Bright Haven is a standalone novel following main character Sciona in her endeavor to become the first female mage in Tiran, a tightly controlled industrial city powered by magic whose government, Sciona and her reluctant assistant Thomil comes to find, is harboring some pretty big secrets in order to maintain its power and control.

Although an entirely different feel than Sword of Kaigen, it packs the same emotional punch. M.L. Wang expertly weaves together the history of the world, an entirely unique magic system, deeply nuanced exploration of its characters, and devastating reveals with a plot that is nearly perfect in its pacing and execution.

Sciona was such a compelling and nuanced character in her complexity and that there were times where she played both the victim (of sexism and prejudice) and the perpetrator (of racism and prejudice). She was inherently selfish in her drive to power but also utterly devastated by the truth when revealed. Her devastation was so VISCERAL and the burden of the knowledge she carried was so HEAVY – it elicited intense emotional responses from me as the reader and cultivated such empathy for Sciona that I felt compelled to accept if not FORGIVE her faults, especially in her difficulties understanding her complicity in the systemic oppression and colonization of Thomil’s people.

This book is marketed as a dark academia novel, but it is blended with high fantasy in an entirely unique way that I have not experienced since reading Babel by R.F. Kuang. I do believe (though I have some friends that disagree) that this book is very reminiscent in tone and theme to Babel, but with more developed characters and character relationships.

This book is, simply stated, INCREDIBLE, and will be a strong contender for my favorite read of 2024.