<i>Blood Over Bright Haven</i> drew me in from the very first page. ML Wang has a way of captivating readers with her writing and making us care about her characters very quickly. First, with Thomil in the prologue, and then again, with Sciona in the first chapter. I was hooked from the start and cared deeply for both characters, despite how flawed Sciona was in particular.

My only major gripe was the ending. While one character arc was extremely satisfying, hitting the climax that the arc had been very obviously building toward, the other character arc felt unfinished. The question of this world’s future was left unanswered as well and that, to me at least, felt very lazy. Wang essentially dropped an atomic bomb on her own story and then walked away. Where was the resolution? What are the implications of any of this? The fact that I’m struggling to even picture how the characters would move forward is indication enough that something wasn’t done right. While Wang cleverly wove her way through raised stake after raised stake, I expected more to come from the ending. It’s like she knew how she wanted to utterly turn upside down the world she created, without knowing how to or wanting to deal with the aftermath.

The dark cloud that was the ending is really hanging over me when I consider what to rate this. At this point, it’s a 3.5 rounded up because the messaging about racism and sexism was very strong and extremely relevant when allegorically applied to our world today.

<i>A big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, for providing me with an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review!</i>

I expected nothing less than a five star book from M.L. Wang, and she delivered.

Was this as devastatingly brilliant as The Sword of Kaigen? No, and I frankly don't think I will read a book that does to me what that book did. Still, this was action packed to the brim and beautifully written.

Connecting to the characters was easy as was putting myself in their shoes when they dealt with tragedy and moral questions.

I found the ending extremely satisfying (yay for stand-alone books) and it left me longing for another book of Wang's.

It may be time to give Girl Squad Volta a try.

The premise is very promising: a woman wants to become the first female High Mage in history. She has studied her entire life to get to that point. She performs very well during her entrance exam, which is biased because she's a woman and nothing is really expected with some nepotism males, but she gets the job. However, the men are incredibly sexist, and think they are being funny when they give her a janitor as a lab assistant.

This lab assistant has been relegated to that position because of his ethnicity. He lost most of his tribe trying to get into the city because some kind of force takes a lot of the people outside the city. In order to survive, he does what he has to do.

They work together, trying to figure out this huge project, and in doing more research, and really getting to know each other (Sciona has some SERIOUS bigotry), they find themselves getting closer and closer to a solution for the main problem, but find themselves lost after finding out the magistry's dark secrets.

The premise of the book is very good. Sciona is very no-nonsense and goal oriented. She goes through some very difficult trials and you do feel for her. Thomil is a star, incredibly smart and capable. The twist in the book - I can honestly say I did not see it coming. At all. It did not even cross my mind, and I love that.

I didn't LOVE this book, but I completely understand that I am in the minority. I recommended this to my husband, who is obsessive over Brandon Sanderson, because this writing felt evocative of that.

A engrossing standalone fantasy woven through with unique magic, while telling a raw tale about the price of power among classism, and the dangers it brings.

I think I physically yelled “the AUDACITY!” two dozen times and still couldn’t put it down. I was so caught up in the world building that I really felt the real indignation of the characters. They are fighting racism, sexism, dogmatic beliefs, and all around delusions. I also loved how the magic system was complex but still easy to understand. Also I love Carra. She is the best.

Omg. From the very first chapter i was intrigued by this story, and i basically went in blind so i had no idea what was going to happen. I’m so glad i did that because the way that this book SHOCKED me and got so intense so suddenly about 40% through was crazy. And then the end of this book was so sad but powerful.

The onlyyy thing that i didn’t like was how dumb sciona sometimes was for how smart she was supposed to be. Otherwise, i have never read m. l. wang’s books before, but i definitely will read more now!

What a book!

I've had the Sword of Kaigen for ages and had heard all the praise for M. L. Wang's writing, yet I was not prepared for my first contact with it, which ironically was through Blood Over Bright Haven instead of the Sword of Kaigen.

M. L. Wang's writing is beautiful. It's been a long time since I've felt that way about an author, despite reading many books that I've liked this year. The first scene in this book shook me to my core. It was visceral, haunting, devastating, yet so incredibly powerfully written. I could not imagine how the book can possibly continue in the same manner, but Wang showed me. Reading Blood Over Bright Haven is not smooth sailing, nor is it necessarily pleasant. I was anxious, I felt pain for the characters, I felt absolute horror from what was happening in this world.

The book is, more than anything, a mirror, funnily enough as a mirror is also a major plot device in the book itself. And just as the mirror in the book reflects the ugliness of that world, the book serves as a mirror to our world, and poses moral questions which are relevant in both our worlds.

I will spare all the details of the plot, because I feel it would be a disservice to the reader - I went in not knowing much of anything about the story and the journey I had was so raw and powerful that, despite my sadness at times, I would wish the same for any other person who picks this book up, and please - do read it!

I don't think this world will leave me soon, even now I think I haven't had the time to think through the ending, the hopeful tone of the book still clashes with my bleak experience with it, and that is something that I'll have to mull over for a while. What a book...

Dark Academia is a genre I love but am yet to find a favorite in. M. L. Wang, most known for Sword of Kaigen, writes perfectly within the tropes of the genre while also critiquing the cost of progress, technology, and empire. I loved the world building in this book and the characters, but do have to wonder who this book is written for. Most of the novel is from the POV of Sciona, who becomes the first high mage woman in history. She reads like a white feminist coming to terms with racism towards the indigenous people in this world called the Kwen; all while relying heavily on her assistant, Thomil, who is Kwen, to do so. I think many BIPOC readers will want to throttle Sciona for the position she ultimately puts Thomil in, and I was frustrated by the romantic plotline that developed between the two of them... It felt unnecessary! I wish that this story was simply told from Thomil or Carra's perspectives... :|

Blood Over Bright Haven is a beautifully written, dark academia standalone. I’m keeping my review short because I highly recommend starting this book with as little knowledge of the synopsis as possible.

Some of the things I really loved:
-The magic system. It’s very unique and well thought out.
-The politics.
-The two main characters. They are from very different backgrounds, and it was so nice to see how they grow and change throughout the book.
-The tension.
-The ending!

Blood Over Bright Haven is perfect for those who love a fast paced, dark fantasy.

4.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

My gosh, thiswas one hell of a story! Sciona Freynan has always focused on her studies, hoping to become a high mage of Tiran one day. This is a very difficult feat to accomplish. But it happens! The other high mages, all males, are giving her hard time, but they have no idea how smart and how much of a fighter she is. I don't want to give away more, but I want to say that it is a story of love, resilience, empathy, greed, the writing is impressive, the world building and the magic are very complex, and I absolutely loved it. The end is chef's kiss! I do not recommend it to readers who are not used to reading fantasy, though. The spells and backstory are quite intricate and it took me a while to get into the story. I read this as an ARC but I loved it so much that I will get myself the hardcover and reread it. Sciona is a queen, and her Kwen assistant Thomil is a man I fell in love with ❤️

**Features:**
- Dark academia
- Explores themes of sexism and xenophobia
- Protagonist with questionable motives and morals
- Technical, ‘engineer-like’ magic system

**Summary:**

For most of her life, Sciona’s only focus has been to become the first female High Mage in Tiran’s history. However, when she finally achieves what no woman before her has, she finds herself facing uncharted waters that are far more treacherous than she could ever imagine. The only help she has is from Thomil, a janitor that has been appointed to be her lab assistant. Despite his lack of lab experience, Thomil has something no mage does: extensive knowledge of the world beyond Tiran’s magical barrier. After the last of his tribe was killed in a desperate attempt to reach Tiran 10 years ago, Thomil has longed for answers about the magic that has led to the loss of almost everything he held dear. Thomil’s hunger for truth and Sciona’s mission to prove herself will lead both down a dark and dangerous path of secrets.

**Thoughts:**

This book had me captivated from the first heart wrenching scene to its fitting conclusion. The harrowing opener focuses on Thomil and his niece arriving in Tiran and wonderfully sets the tone of the book before introducing Sciona and building the world. Sciona’s is the type who wants to be ‘good’, but whose ambition and narrow world view often warp her perspective. I think Wang does an excellent job making Sciona a deeply flawed character who I still was invested in seeing grow. However, it was Thomil who really shined for me. Both the magic university and Tiran itself are very insular, so Thomil’s perspective provides a lot of the broader world building and I felt it was essential to understanding the broader implications of the characters’ choices and discoveries.

This book is not a steampunk book, but the way magic works made me compare it to that subgenre a lot. It felt very technical and, for lack of a better word, academic. The mages of this world felt like an interesting blend of researcher and engineer with different specialties. Since the work they did directly impacted the way the city functioned, it gave extra weight to the people who truly wielded power. While it does make mention of a classist structure that limits access to this knowledge for many, I didn’t feel it was ever fully explored. My only real complaint is that in general, this book doesn’t explore its themes in a way that feels truly nuanced. However, it integrates these themes really well into the overall journey making it both easy to enjoy and meaningful.

This is the second book I have read by M.L. Wang and I already know I will be reading anything that she writes. In this book she weaves a beautiful tale of a woman working to break the gender roles of her society and a man who makes her question her beliefs, but also this book is somehow full of magic and a commentary on tyrannical societies? Will be recommending to all of my friends!

I was warned going in that this book dealt with some heavy topics, and yet I was still not prepared for to in the end. Since finishing, I’ve just been sitting here trying to figure out how on Earth I could possibly write a proper review without giving everything away. Quite honestly, I still don’t really know how to do it. What I can say is that this story was incredibly well written. I think M.L. Wang’s prose and style might be one of my favorites for the year. It’s so nuanced and emotional, yet she captures brevity and annoying tendencies in characters really well. I wanted to smack Sciona many times at the beginning of the story because she is so unwittingly bigoted against the Kwen. Yet, that’s all she knows, so it’s hard to fully blame her (even though I really wanted to at times). It was refreshing to see her realizing these prejudices the more she interacted with Thomil. Thomil, who is my favorite character and also breaks my heart. His story is just so tragic from start to finish. The losses and hardships he go through are many, and it truly made my chest ache a little. The ending was beautiful and painful, with a hopeful note for the future. All in all, this story didn’t quite fulfill my need for happy escapism, but I really don’t think it meant to, and I absolutely loved it anyways.

This book has really solidified Wang as an auto buy author for me. Her writing style resonates with me in a way that is visceral. The reaction I had at the climax of this story had me feeling every spectrum of emotion, and that is the mark of a talented writer. I loved the growth between the 2 main characters who could not be more different, but the same in so many ways. Everything from the plotting, to the pacing, to the character work was flawless. Absolutely going to be in my top 5 reads of this year. You are doing yourself a disservice if you don't read any of M.L Wang's work. |

This was a goddamn masterpiece of a dark academia story. The world-building is brilliant and the magic system is brilliantly crafted. I don’t think my review will be able to adequately explain how good this book is. It is definitely a contender for book of the year.

“The men and mages of Tiran will do what they do, and the lot of everyone else is to accept it. It doesn’t have to be that way.”

This book almost broke me in the best way possible. The first chapter alone is so trauma-filled that I had to pause before continuing. It hits you hard and fast but then draws you back in with fascinating magic and some really great characters. Sciona and Thomil are characters with such well-defined motivations and are able to have such incredible growth arcs.

“Because good people can turn desperate when the horrors are upon them - especially people whose culture of plenty has left them with no systems to cope with scarcity or cataclysm. Good people will turn monstrous when it’s down to their survival or someone else’s.”

And there are so many moments that have such impactful real world parallels that it is kind of scary. M. L. Wang’s writing is so well-paced and original and I cannot wait to read more. I’ve always heard that Wang’s The Sword of Kaigen is the best standalone fantasy book (and I will be reading that soon, I swear), but I think Blood Over Bright Have also deserves that title.

Thank you to @delreybooks for my copy of Blood Over Bright Haven! All thoughts are my own.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year and it lived up to all of my expectations. It is clever, dark, and addictive. M.L. Wang explores morality, belief, civilization, and systems of power. She does not shy away from hard questions or pull her punches. This is one that will stick with me for a while, just like The Sword of Kaigen did.

The magic system here is incredibly unique. It is an elegant system with clear rules and limits (and major consequences). The plot was good, quick paced and addicting. There are relatively few characters, but they all feel like complete, complex humans. I loved that our main character is deeply flawed. She is a part of the system and believes in it's goodness wholeheartedly. In the beginning, you see that she has the same ingrained prejudices as all the rest, so it makes her growth so much more visible and interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing an ARC of this book!

Blood Over Bright Haven is a heart-pounding, immersive, devastatingly brutal masterpiece. I devoured this book in under 48 hours, and I will be thinking about it for years to come. Blood Over Bright Haven contains a unique magic system, magical university, danger, and deceit.

Perfect for fans of adult dark fantasy/sci-fi blends.

I received an ARC from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey for this ARC Copy!

I don't even know where to start with this book but OMG I loved every minute of it. I loved the world building that only feeds you what you need at the time and answers your questions slowly but in such a way that just makes you appreciate it so much more. The characters writing was phenomenal. I was was shocked and left with my jaw on the floor more times than I can even remember, and it felt like every single big reveal was so impactful and visceral that there is no way to not love this book.

This book was ok for me- a dystopian fantasy with an interesting magic system. The world building was good, but I felt the focus on classism and colonialism was being hammered to the reader and would have benefited from some editing work- I started to feel like I was reading nonfiction or a text book.

I'm not usually a dark academia fan but I loved this one. It felt bigger than most other DA books. I loved the characters (the main character got on my nerves sometimes but because she was supposed to) and the magic system was just really cool. A great read overall!