This is a dark dystopian story that covers some deep social topics. I wasn't in love with Sciona, but her characters' quirks are explained by her backstory. The world building and magic system were in depth and unique enough to keep my interest. However, as involved as the story is, it had a hard time keeping my interest at places. Overall, it was an enjoyable read.

Tis is my first book by this author, and it will not be my last. This is a dark academia setting with a magic system (my favorite). It's an emotional rollercoaster, characters have great depth, and well written twists. The ending was great! An over all great. Page turning read!

It feels illegal to rate this any lower than 4 stars…but I am. Let’s get into it!

Wow, this book is loved. A ton of reviewers I follow rated it 5 stars. It came as no surprise, seeing as her previous book is also VERY loved. I have yet to read Sword of Kaigen, and I look forward to it later this year! I happened to see this book on NetGalley, an ARC for the new cover, and I got approved! I couldn’t wait to see what the hype was about.

Well, it’s just okay. I loved Thomil and Carra, but I didn’t care much for Sciona. The magic system was cool, but the setting left a lot to be desired. I predicted the plot twist quite early on, so the climax had less of an impact for me. I also struggled with the pacing, but that seems to be a me thing, rather than a writing issue.

I think sexism is a very important topic to discuss, and it adds a lot when added to fictional stories. It brings opportunities for perspective and change in their world and ours. In this book, I don’t think it was executed right. Maybe it’s the shallow representation of its effects, or Sciona’s insistence on bringing it up to the audience often, almost obsessively, but I got annoyed rather than inspired. It’s a shame, really.

Overall, I wanted more. I wish Thomil and Carra were the main character, I was much more invested in their story. Give it a try, I am clearly in the minority. So many people love this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for this ARC.

Absolutely outstanding in every way. Raw and emotionally intense, this is an exquisite allegory for contemporary American social justice issues. I've rarely read a book with such a naked and clear message that was also a tour de force of characterization and plot. The worldbuilding is outstanding, the characters are compelling. It delivered consistent gut punches from beginning to end with incredible pacing and beautiful prose. I finished it in a day, I could not put it down even when I'd figured out what was coming and where the story was going. One of the best books I've ready in a long time.

-A couple note:s
-my library has Sword of Kaigen, and it circulates quite often, so we're likely to purchase this one as well.
-This would probably fall under dark academia, not because of the aesthetic, but because that subgenre is supposed to be a critique of academic society. In this case, how innovation just leads to new ways of putting lives in the meat grinder.
-The prose is good. The main character twists in her morals and egotism, which can slow the pace at times, but I wouldn't necessarily call that a bad thing.

The FMC is the first female mage which is actually a research position. and it’s got politics, arguments about religion, cultural appropriation and assimilation. It is SO good. When I tell you putting this book down was the hardest thing I did all week, please understand that I’m a doctoral student in finals week.
<spoiler> I generally prefer a solid HEA where the FMC and MMC end up together so the fact that I loved this book is a testament to how good this book is. </spoiler>

I was excited to read this book based off the great reviews and summary. At first it was not that enthralling or relatable. I found myself getting bored with the magic system explanations. After there was a breakthrough on knowledge of the Blight I thought okay, here we go. But then I only managed to read until 51%. I’m not one to not finish a book, but I’ll give this story a break and might come back to it at a later date.

I don't know whether to thank you or blame you for this emotional damage I just received. This book devastated me, enchanted me, and broke my heart. I don't know how to recover, and I don't know what to do with myself now. What can I possibly read after this? 😭

This book was so beautifully written and the magic is very unique! I will not give any spoilers but this novel will rip your heart out! Another amazing stand alone from M.L. Wang!

I’m very indifferent about this book. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great. It just… was.
Simultaneously, I feel like I didn’t read enough but I also read too much? There was so much detail about the wrong things and not enough detail for what was important.

I still recommend this book. The plot was still interesting, despite the poor execution.

I was going to wait a while and sit on my thoughts for this book. But as I’ve sat here in my tears, I realized I know exactly how I feel about this book.

I was kindly given an ARC for this book through Netgalley, and I could not be more grateful.

There are few words I have in mind to describe this story. I think “powerful” is the only one I have right now. This story did not go at all how I thought it would. I could not put this story down to save my life, it was captivating from the very beginning. Not just because of the characters, but the world building, while complicated, was never too hard for me to understand.

I genuinely do not know how some authors can make up a fictional world, that everything just intrinsically makes sense, down to the last molecule. This world was incredibly well thought out, and echoed a huge part of today’s world.

The overarching plots were extremely hard to convey and handle correctly. But, somehow, this author just knocked it out of the park! We tackled sexism, living in the patriarchy as a part of a marginalized group, and xenophobia. It was all done with such care, and truth. I cannot express the love and appreciation I have for this beautiful, but heartbreaking story based on new beginnings for those who deserve/need it.

I loved these characters as if they were my real, living breathing friends. I felt their emotions, high and low. I grieved with them, I loved with them, I laughed with them. I am a better person after reading this novel because of our two main characters.

If you enjoy high fantasy, a lot of world building, magic system plotting, and politics- this is the book for you. I loved this book so much. 5 stars. An absolutely beautiful novel.

This book has such a unique magic system that kept me highly engaged. The book addresses the prejudices of people and the hope a community has when they come together. This was a beautiful story of two people with very different backgrounds that worked together to see the world in a different light.

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

There were aspects of this story that I loved - the magic system, the world building - but ultimately there were too many things that detracted from the experience for me and left me feeling lackluster about the whole thing, especially after how much I loved The Sword of Kaigen.

The themes of the book were perhaps thrown a bit TOO much in your face - I felt a lot of the book was dependent on characters being sexist or racist/xenophobic just to make them caricatures of bad people, if that makes sense. It was too heavy-handed.

I was riveted.
I felt entranced, disgusted, hopeful, enraged, proud - everything. I love to feel it all. Only great writing can do that, and this delivered. The characters were so complex! It touched on classism, racism, feminism, capitalism, religion - all without having to say anything too directly. The world building was new. which is an accomplishment with the fantasy genre, and it was clear. It was intellectual, but easy to follow. I’m obsessed. I admit I’m happy that this is a standalone, but also a little depressed that it’s over.

I need maybe two days to digest everything, and then I need to go find “The Sword of Kaigen” because this author is so, so amazing.

Magic has made the city of Tiran an industrial utopia, but magic has a cost—and the collectors have come calling.

An orphan since the age of four, Sciona has always had more to prove than her fellow students. For twenty years, she has devoted every waking moment to the study of magic, fueled by a mad desire to achieve the impossible: to be the first woman ever admitted to the High Magistry. When she finally claws her way up the ranks to become a highmage, however, she finds that her challenges have just begun. Her new colleagues will stop at nothing to let her know she is unwelcome, beginning with giving her a janitor instead of a qualified lab assistant.

What neither Sciona nor her peers realize is that her taciturn assistant was once more than a janitor; before he mopped floors for the mages, Thomil was a nomadic hunter from beyond Tiran’s magical barrier. Ten years have passed since he survived the perilous crossing that killed his family. But working for a highmage, he sees the opportunity to finally understand the forces that decimated his tribe, drove him from his homeland, and keep the Tiranish in power.

Through their fractious relationship, mage and outsider uncover an ancient secret that could change the course of magic forever—if it doesn’t get them killed first. Sciona has defined her life by the pursuit of truth, but how much is one truth worth with the fate of civilization in the balance?

Another amazing grimdark from ML Wang. A dark acadamia novel that probably did the best magical school trope in the best way I have ever read in a fantasy novel. Best of all, this is a stand alone! Everything was done to perfection in this book. Also, check out Sword of Kaigen, it is just as amazing!

Blood Over Bright Haven strikes a similar chord within me that The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin did when I first read it. I also, unsurprisingly, can see why this book has been comped to Babel by RF Kuang countless times. There’s a “perfect” utopian city, magic that seems—at its core—limitless, and a group of people who believe themselves divinely ordained and have consequently dedicated themselves to innovation and invention as a result of that. And then there’s our main character.

Sciona is an unlikeable, egotistical, and sometimes downright cruel mage scraping by in a world that spits on the idea of women holding any sort of power. And it’s her unlikeable, egotistical nature that really makes her character arc shine. Did I want to shake her for the comments she’d regularly make about Thomil and the Kwen? Absolutely. But watching her growth as she pursued truth over comfort made me so extremely emotional.

I suspected that BOBH would be a five star read the moment that chapter one had me in tears. M.L. Wang’s writing is visceral and poignant and certainly doesn’t pull any punches, especially when it comes to violence. I’m so glad that, in the wake of finishing, my hunch was correct.

I hate throwing the word perfect around, but this book really was the definition of it. In five hundred pages, BOBH manages to rip apart an unjust world and expose its bloody history all while inspiring hope. Hope for change. Hope for better days. And hope that one day, the cruel powers in charge might face their reckoning. The Tiranish built their empire on the backs of the Kwen and the way that this story unraveled was so incredibly satisfying.

My thoughts are horribly disjunct because I’m still wildly emotional over that ending, but M.L. Wang is certainly an author to keep on your radar. Her world building and magic system is so unlike anything I’ve ever read before, and, despite this book’s length, she has such an excellent grasp on pacing and what it takes to write compelling characters. Though this is my first book written by her, it certainly won’t be the last. I need her to continue to rip my heart out of my chest.

If you like:
- Babel (and, specially, the “on the necessity of violence” part of it)
- Dismantling unjust regimes
- Incredible character work
- Bloody, bloody action
- And unlikeable characters who don’t quite redeem themselves but come very close

Then I can’t recommend this book more.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Sciona's one goal in life has been to pass the exam to be a high mage and study magic at the High Magistracy at the University of Magics and Industry. She finally passes and is able to attend, but all is not as it seems. As she enters the school, Sciona has to navigate the many treacherous people and events. that's been going on. This book is scrumptious, intriguing, thrilling, and will leave you on the edge of your seat. I couldn't put it down and stayed up til 2am to finish it.

Engaging, immersive, and entertaining. This is a recommended purchase for collections where fantasy is popular.

This book takes place in a dystopian society where a female becoming a mage is near impossible, and once attained, unlikely to be without oppressive treatment from male counterparts. In this setting, Sciona discovers a well hidden secret that could alter the foundation of the entire civilization. Faced with mystery, political intrigue and high stakes choices, she must decide if the battle is worth fighting and whether the outcome would be preferable to the present flawed system. This is a great read for anyone that loves complex world building, strong character development as well as an intriguing and captivating plot.

This review will be available on goodreads under Penelope Rose on 4/24/2024

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6453131660

No fantasy book has ever made me think so hard about the real world. I’m blown away by M.L. Wang’s tale. It has themes of sexism, classism, racism, prejudice, and injustice.

Yes, it has magic (and it’s a phenomenally intricate math-and-science-based system, at that). However, I implore you to read this even if you wouldn’t normally read fantasy. It explores *so* many things that actually happen every day. It will cause you to do self-reflection and introspection. You will be horrified. You will shake your fist at the sky. You will weep.

Have you witnessed injustice? Did you do anything at the time to stop it?

It’s time to confront our innate prejudices and take a hard look at what attitudes we might be perpetuating, inadvertently or otherwise.

I received an eARC, but I’m already planning to preorder the hardback edition as soon as it’s published. This should be required reading.

I’m a better person for having read this.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Del Rey for my copy. All opinions are mine alone. M.L. Wang—you’ve created a masterpiece.

I’m predicting this will win multiple awards. So let it be written.

You took reality and reimagined it to be a story with you at the center, all designed for you, all for your taking. Well, not today! This story is about my ego and what it will do to the world!”

Blood Over Bright Haven takes no prisoners. This book gets its teeth into you and doesn’t let go until you reach the definitions at the end.
I took multiple breaks because, especially at first, I was getting physically frustrated with Sciona and the whole of Tiran. But that in part is the point.

These characters, their beliefs, and their society is flawed. Just like we, our beliefs, and our society is flawed. And against a backdrop of dark academia we’re able to see ourselves reflected. And hopefully challenge our view of the world and make it a better place.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.