A fantasy that is not part of a series!!! This one starts off fast and never slows down. Sciona is a rare female mage, and the first in a very long time to try to become high mage. Magic (here similar to engineering) is her everything; she cannot stop working on a problem until it is solved. But over the years this has blinded her to the people around her, well, people in general, or their motivations or trustworthiness. After seeming to achieve her dream, she discovers horrors beyond belief and has to truly understand herself before making unimaginable decisions about others. Racism, sexism, genocide and magic all run amok. How will she fight them all?
This does not hold its punches. The bad guys are bad, the seemingly good guys are unconscionable, and the lowly and downtrodden are squashed like bugs. And Sciona herself takes no prisoners. You will be exhausted, yet satisfied, when all is said and done. Highly recommended.

Woah. This book was not at all what I was expecting when I started it. I loved how unique the magic system was in the book, even if it was at times a bit technical for my tastes. I still enjoyed this though! The characters were interesting and engaging, I just wish there were a few more POVs from the MMC, there were a few time jumps I felt could have been filled from his POV. I did guess the twist before it was revealed but I don't think it made the horror of the reveal less impactful. Again, I do wish we would have gotten to see more of it from a different POV. Overall this was a great book and a nice break from what I usually read!

I did not love this as much as I loved Sword of Kaigen, but I still really loved this. ML Wang has quickly become one of my favorite authors. The way she packs an emotional punch is unparalleled. The magic system is unique and interesting. And I loved the way she touched on important issues such as sexism, racism, and classism in this book. I will absolutely be picking up a hardcover copy of this with the sprayed edges once it's released. It was a wonderful read!

I'm not the type of reader who hands out 5 stars. I'm actually pretty hard to impress. I thought this book was brilliant.

The world building, the magic system, the story structure, the complexity of the characters, the themes... Masterful. This is what I would consider a modern classic. It should be used for teaching. Not just to literature students for its message, but as an example for aspiring writers of what quality and compelling storytelling looks like.

thank you netgalley & del rey for the ARC!

this is my first stab at one of m.l. wang’s work and my god what an absolute whirlwind. to be fair here, i did have to read the first 2 chapters twice over but after that, i can’t say i wanted to ever really put this book down. we’re given strong MCs and a well executed storyline, the pacing of it all felt balanced and while there were a few info dumps along the way, i personally felt it didn’t detract from the plot. it made me feel like i was in sciona’s head with the way her thoughts were put on page.

wang’s storytelling made me feel so many emotions and it’s hard to believe that this is a STANDALONE fantasy book. yeah, a standalone. i’m so used to seeing 3 to 5 story fantasy series that i loved that i was able to finish this in a matter of days.

i know this has been self published last year and is now being traditionally published this coming october, but please get your hands on a copy once it’s out. i’ll be thinking about this for a while.

ty again and happy reading ◡̈

This book was so great! I love dark fantasy so much, and this did not disappoint. The storyline was so good that I couldn’t read fast enough.

An ARC was provided for me via NetGalley.

I received an eARC from NetGalley and am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is a dark fantasy set in Tiran, an industrial haven protected by a magical barrier against the wilderness outside, populated by the “uncivilized” Kwen who are struggling to survive against the mysterious Blight that has been ravaging their people and home. The story follows the fate of two characters, Sciona, an aspiring female Tiranish mage railing against the corruption, sexism and nepotism of the existing academic and political hierarchy, and Thomil, a Kwen who entered Tiran seeking refuge from the Blight, only to be treated as a second class citizen. The two cross paths when he becomes Sicona’s assistant while working on

While some of the pacing was uneven at times, plotholes and backstory were sometimes patched with a few pages of dense explanations, and some parts of the plot were painfully predictable, they ultimately did not detract from the compelling story, which kept me coming back to the book. The world they live in is magical, but the themes and conflicts were real and painfully relatable - the silencing of women who dare to speak up against men, the dehumanization of those who are deemed to be “other” and “lesser than,” and the ease with which seemingly good people can turn a blind eye to the pain and suffering of others in order to preserve their own comforts and self-image.

I also liked the nod to computer programming in the underlying system of magic, and the philosophical discussions around what it means to be good, and whether intentions matter more than the results of one’s actions. In particular, I liked that there was no clear right answer, and no clear happy ending, but there was room for thought and reflection, as well as a glimmer of hope.

I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a dark fantasy or dark academia that isn’t afraid to confront sexism, racism, classism and moral ambiguity.

I want to start off by saying thank you to NetGalley , Random House Publishing Group/Del Rey, and M.L. Wang for selecting me as an ARC reader!

Having a dark academic fantasy is right up my alley, totally one of my favorite types of books. I enjoy world building and complex themes. This book very much has all of those aspects and more. If you are not into world building or very in depth, almost lecture style, magic system then I cannot recommend this book to you. I very much enjoyed understanding the magic system, but it was not necessary in this application. The book as a stand alone, in my opinion, should not have had this much focus (30% of the book) on world building. Ultimately it became tedious and made the pacing of the book incredibly slow.

The first chapter of the book completely hooked me in. The story of Thomil and his family escaping the blight was compelling and mysterious and made you truly care about what happens to him and his niece. Then, all of the sudden, you have a time jump into Sciona’s life. I really wanted to love Sciona. I was so excited to learn about the world and mages. However, Sciona to me was insufferable until halfway through the book. Truthfully, most of the characters were rough except for Thomil and Carra. The book told the reader too much instead of showing the reader actions and letting them deduce the themes of sexism, racism, classism, colonialism, religion, etc. Sciona had the makings of a headstrong, independent woman but then had so much “white savior complex” when starting to interact with Thomil that it ruined her for me and made it hard for me to continue the story. I understand that bias and racism are actively unlearned behaviors but the timeline of the book did not make sense to me either. Thomil and Sciona’s relationship did not make sense in the way the book was set up, it made me wish it was a dual POV the entire book. Instead of spending a lot of time with the mechanics of magic in Tiran, it would have been beneficial to either expand on Kwen and that lore or elaborate on Thomil and Sciona’s relationship.

Overall, I enjoyed the idea of the book, just not the execution. I can understand why this book can be other people’s cup of tea, it just was not my favorite.

I read Blood Over Bright Haven By W.L. Wang

This book had me shook. It was intense and kept me hook from the very beginning to the absolutely breath taking ending. This was my first book to read by W.L. Wang but it will not be my last.

Wow. Just wow. This book was incredible! Dark academia, great characters, fantastic magic system, emotional, and full of surprises. This is my first book by this author and I am so impressed by the writing. This book tackles so much and does it exquisitely. Definitely a favorite read of the year for me.

I went into Blood Over Bright Haven with really high expectations. I really, really enjoyed The Sword of Kaigen and had seen a lot of good reviews for BOBH, and I don't think it met my expectations. Which doesn't mean it was bad by any means, but does mean that I thought I was getting something different

Sciona is a young, ambitious mage with high aspirations to not only ascend to the High Magistry, but to make a mark on history and cement a real legacy. In a patriarchal society, she knows that she is seen as arrogant, egotistical, and "unwomanly," and faces discrimination and belittling from her new colleagues who she hoped would treat her as an equal. After being humiliated by being assigned Thomil, a Kwen janitor, as her assistant instead of an educated Tiran researcher, she decides to take it in stride and show how she can do more with less. What follows is a deep dive into magic, history, and legend that upends her worldview as she learns the real cost of magic and everything her life and beliefs rely on

The magic system is very interesting and thoroughly explained, which makes the first third of the book very exposition heavy. In a society founded on "logic," the magic is very similar to the logic and statements used in computer programming, which was really cool to read about. I have a lot of faith in Wang and her ability to make fascinating world-building choices cause she's batting 2 for 2

BOBH had similar foundational problems that I had with TSOK. I don't necessarily love the way Wang conceptualizes and writes about race in her fantasy settings, and here it is a very central part of the story. I think it is handled in a very heavy handed manner that nearly caricaturizes the racist beliefs of Sciona, while also almost veering too far into making Thomil into a Magical Negro troped character for her development. I think Wang just manages to pull off a narrative that gives both characters agency and change at just the right moments to make it a worthwhile relationship and story

I found the payoff and ending very worth it. Cried a little, as I do. I really, really, REALLY loved the focus on building a world worth living in for your children and the people that come after you, and what it means to do that. I loved the focus on selfishness, and legacy building, and specifically how you do not get to martyr yourself for a cause when no one is asking you to. You do not get to make your savior complex someone else's problem

There are very interesting conversations about good vs. evil, intention vs. impact. In many ways, at its heart, in the same way TSOK was, this is a thematic character study, a glimpse into the nature of humans and how they react to unyielding circumstances. I think Wang has a lot to say here that is worth chewing on. What is revolution when it goes beyond academic theory? What are the impacts on people, especially the most vulnerable of them, and how do real people and real communities react when their entire world is upended?

The plot maps very well onto the real world, and very clearly showcases and eviscerates the way the Global North exploits the labor, resources, and lives of the people in the Global South. All in all, this is a visceral novel that was a journey to read

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang is easily a six star read for me. I have read 50 books in 2024 year and I can only say that about three of them. The whole time I was reading the book I was reminded of the quote “All that is necessary for evil to triumph over good is for good men to do nothing.” -Author unknown. I find with most fantasy books it takes me a little longer to get attached to the characters and to get truly invested in the story. That was definitely not the case with this book. I was sucked in within the first chapter. The plot and character development are both perfection. There is NOTHING I would change. I sincerely appreciate NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for selecting me to read and give my honest review of this book.

Wow! What a book. The main character in this story actually pissed me off so bad for most of the beginning of the book and I almost DNFed but I’m so glad I kept going because it just gets so much better. This was an absolutely heartbreaking, hopeful, and beautiful dark academia book with strong displays of feminism, racism, and classism. I did find the feminism in this one alittle too in “in your face”- it seemed every male save for the MMC in the book was a terrible person. It was also a very predictable story line. I saw someone else say that it was more about watching the FMC’s reactions as she figured out everything that was really obvious to the reader from the beginning but I did enjoy it and I will definitely purchase the physical copy of this book to keep on my shelf. Recommend!

I have never read a fantasy book like this. Sciona is the first female highmage in Bright Haven. Along with her assistant, a former janitor, she uncovers a shocking truth about her perfect world.

The world was so well thought out and although the ending completely wrecked me, it was perfect.

First I would like to thank you to M. L. Wang, NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book started off with a literal bang! I was on the edge of my seat within a few pages. After the first chapter we start to get more information on this magic system, main characters and setting which were all so unique. I really enjoyed the magic system which works kind of like a written code on a typewriter of sorts. The whole idea that the city is powered by all of these spells is pretty fun but also leads to a horrifying discovery.

This book has most everything you could want in a book. Action, romance, politics, magic, and so much more. The book does cover some really hard topics which makes the relationship between Sciona and Thomil such a layered read. This book also gave me so much female rage!! The restraint Sciona carried with her through a previously males only role was wild. Just reading how these males spoke to her or handled her made me so mad.

This was my first M.L. Wang book and it won’t be my last! So many emotions from a stand alone!!

Oh no.

I've probably mentioned this before, but I'm going to mention it again -- once I clear my Del Rey backlog, I will no longer be requesting any of their titles. We do not vibe.

As you may know, I used to be a very snobby high fantasy reader, but lately, I am tired of how white/cishet/male the genre is. As I search for fantasy written by women, preferably BIPOC women, I am continuously disappointed in my East Asian reads.

Green eyes are the rarest in the world. A quick search states they are only 2% of the population. So, why is it that so many fantasy novels, namely Del Rey's, written by Asian women, include them? And terrible representations of colonialism?

Yes, this is a colonizer romance. Granted, it's a little different in that Sciona, the woman, is from the colonizing party. You may ask, "What makes this a colonizer romance?" and "Why does this offend you so much?"

Sciona's people use a form of magic called siphoning. This steals the energy from a different source. This source comes from the natural resources of a neighboring nation, specifically, (view spoiler). This is called Blight, but what it is is a travesty. If you can't "see" colonization, and are from the west, boy, do I have some interesting news for you.

I truly don't go into these books wanting to hate them. I want to be surprised. Sciona is not smart. She is annoying, petulant, and very sheltered, even when she thinks she is the smartest person in the room. Thomil, her Kwen assistant, is seen as less than and other, because he comes from the lands with Blight. Their working dynamic gives me the ick. Their "romance" gives me the ick. Everything gives me the ick.

Colonizer romance is not "just" enemies to lovers. Enemies to lovers must be equal in standing. This is oppressor/oppressed. It's giving Stockholm Syndrome. It's not cute.

Buddy read with Zana

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey

I have to be honest - I did not finish this book. The prose was dense but unrewarding. It was frustrating to have such an interesting plot without compelling characters.

It's a masterpiece. I was immediately captivated and unable to put this one down. Destined to be a classic!

This book was a little slow to get into, mostly because I feel the Definition of Terms at the end should have been at the beginning so I could follow better what was going on. However, once I got into the book, it was interesting. I feel this is more a mixture of Sci-Fi and Fantasy, not strictly a Fantasy book. That being said, the interaction between the characters was well thought out, the story line was unique. The portrayal of racism and sexism in the novel were also well thought out and written. It gives the feel of a dystopian world with a touch of the industrial era thrown in. The ending was also a little surprising, however, somewhat enjoyable. I say somewhat because of the happenings of what happens to one of the characters. Overall, I enjoyed the book and feel it was well written.

An absolutely riveting standalone dark fantasy / academia novel that takes place in a fascinatingly unique world and follows two main characters who will captivate readers from the start (especially Sciona). The strongest part of this novel is the atmosphere: it's dark and mournful, and packs a deep emotional punch. The weakest aspect is the pacing: certain scenes, particularly in the middle of the novel, are a bit awkwardly dragged out. However, as a whole "Blood Over Bright Haven" is a can't miss story for any dark academia fan!