Blood Over Bright Haven is one of those books where the reader knows exactly what the authorial intent is in telling the story. There is no nuance, there are no shades of grey. The reader is hit over the head repeatedly with societal issues of racism, patriarchy, elitism, etc. The prose is basic, which further hammers home Wang's point that humanity is always divided into the oppressor and the oppressee.

All that being said, I devoured this book. Wang set up her protagonist as one of the elite mages, blinded to societal ills by her ambition, and her own struggles with being a woman in a man's world. Sciona Freynan is essentially a white woman with a white woman's privilege and a white woman's tears and she's frequently informed of these attributes by other characters. If this was a contemporary novel, Blood Over Bright Haven would be panned as a white savior narrative, but because it's a fantasy set in a completely different type of world, it seems to escape these criticisms.

I did like Blood Over Bright Haven, but I do have some criticisms regarding lack of nuance in the characters and the plot is pretty thin. The magic system is just steampunk with a different name and a different source and I don't feel that Wang really stretched the bounds of creative fantasy. But the story is engaging and I did read most of it in just a couple of days. I'm just not sure that I feel like there was any new ground broken in this book.

Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for the arc for review purposes.

There is something captivating about how ML Wang writes that I struggle (in a good way) to describe to other people and Blood Over Bright Haven was no different. It didn’t grab me the same way Sword of Kaigen did but I was still sucked in and invested in what was going on. The story premise was very unique and I found myself reflecting on the very first chapter when similar examples came about as I read. I felt Sciona’s struggle as she learned, shared with the power that be, her shock there after sharing and ultimately what she does about trying to help/change the situation. The ending was shocking and just like SoK has me yearning for an aftermath follow up that may never come. Ms. Wang is a great writer and I am very happy to see her success growing with time. I anxiously await her next book and will quickly buy it as soon as it is released.

Thank you so much Del Ray for this ARC review copy.

This was my first M.L. Wong book and it definitely won’t be my last.

This book was everything.. so many thought provoking themes, so many great characters moments for Sciona. Dark academia… a really unique and intriguing magic system. I really really really loved this book. I dual read with with both my kindle and the audiobook and it was such an immersive experience for me. A solid 5 Star read for me.

I absolutely adored this book! The writing was breathtaking, the magic system is innovative and intricate, and the pacing was perfect. The development of the worldbuilding was enough to keep me engaged but not overwhelming, and the character arcs were fantastic. Easily a top read for me and one I'll definitely be recommending to friends!

The layers. THE LAYERS this book as. Each peel back of the onion to reveal more. This book is almost perfection. (How could it not be when I make a Shrek reference in the review?)

This is pretty masterfully written. The characters alone! But I have to mention the magic system. Sometimes books fail when that isn't well thought out and this one did not miss the mark.

DNF, I’ve tried to start this a few times, and couldn’t get into it. I’ve heard great things and will be trying to pick it up again in the future.

So I requested Blood Over Bright Haven because I thought "hey, that looks like a fun dark academia/magic/fantasy vibe". And that was true, for about the first 40% and then M.L. Wang blew me away with where she took this story and the themes she addressed. While no easy read, due to the topics addressed, I think Blood Over Bright Haven is an absolutely brilliant book. Thanks to Ballantine, Del Rey, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have to confess that I went into Blood Over Bright Haven expecting something of a TikTok Romantasy/Dark Academia and I can only apologise to M.L. Wang because Blood over Bright Haven is a different beast altogether. At its best, Dark Academia interrogates the stories we tell, the things we tell the next generations, and the secrets we keep from them. Blood Over Bright Haven does that. At its best, Fantasy and Science Fiction create a secondary world in which themes and issues of our own world can be discussed. Blood Over Bright Haven does that. This is a novel about power, who is allowed to have it, and oppression in all its forms. Through the stories of Sciona and Thomil, M.L. Wang confronts the reader with how women, even upper-class ones, are stifled and denied access, and how minorities, including the working class, are used and abused, oppressed and ridiculed. The novel reminded me a little of R.F. Kuang's Babel, as I have seen other reviewers mention as well, in part because these themes are obvious. I know some readers prefer a subtler approach, but I think that occasionally we do need to be hit in the face with them. That is not to say that Blood Over Bright Haven is unsubtle, but when it wants to make a point, it makes it clearly. You'd have to really read past most of the novel to not walk away with questions and thoughts regarding power structures and how we might be benefiting from or playing into them.

Sciona Freynan has dedicated her entire life to studying the magic that keeps her city, Tiran, going and flourishing inside its dome. Outside awaits nothing but the Blight, which ravages all life, and endless winter and darkness. Inside, Sciona is about to take the exam to become a highmage, something no other woman has been allowed to become. Once a highmage, however, Sciona realises she still has to fight for the respect that should come with the title. Given a janitor, Thomil, rather than an assistant, she sets out to prove everyone wrong. Thomil is a Kwen, more precisely a Caldon, a tribe which died from the Blight when they tried to reach Tiran. While Sciona faces difficulties as a Tiranish woman, Thomil shows her the oppression the Kwen experience as second-class citizens. Together, they explore the secrets of Tiran's magic, stumbling upon a horrifying truth that will change everything. Blood Over Bright Haven switches back and forth between Sciona and Thomil's perspectives and I felt that they were mostly well-balanced. I cannot necessarily speak to the representation of minorities through Thomil and the Kwen, but reading it I did feel that Wang built in space for the varieties of difficulties that minorities face. The moments in which Thomil had to make himself small horrified me and yet they felt recognisable from what I have heard from friends.

I adored Sciona, but I also had my issues with her, and all of it had to do with how recognisable she was to me, as a white, middle class woman. See, one thing I was worried about, once the novel's themes started becoming clear about a third in, was that Sciona's POV would hinder Wang's development of them. Sciona is, after all a highly-educated young woman who has reached the highest echelons of society through her own hard work. Through her own struggle, she is blind to those of others. But Wang made Sciona's initial blindness a part of the book in a way which raised it to new heights in my estimation. This is also why her characterisation was something difficult for me to read. In my early adulthood I was a staunch (middle class) Feminist entering academia and for me the gender conflict was the defining one of my life. Meeting new people at university and experiencing more of life, I came to truly realise the continuing heavy influence of class and ethnicity. I am slightly ashamed that it took me until university to fully grasp this and seeing Sciona going through the same realisation was slightly rough to read. I wanted her to be smarter, but only because I wish I had been smarter. By making Sciona's learning process a component of her story, Wang crafts a complex story that avoids falling into the "how could she have known, poor girl"-trap, forcing readers like myself who recognise themselves in Sciona to sit with our own accountability and culpability in the oppression of others.

This is my first time reading anything by M.L. Wang, but I've added her The Sword of Kaigen to my TBR. Blood Over Bright Haven was initially self-published and I am very glad it found a traditional publisher and thereby its way to me. In this novel, Wang crafts a world which felt rich to me, from its history to its practices and customs. Wang also employed history and religion themselves for her world-building, crafting entire philosophies which back the actions of her characters. I also loved getting snippets from these texts throughout because I love books within books. Her characterisations are also solid and I appreciated that she let her characters be flawed. In her single-minded drive for highmage-dom, Sciona is frequently unlikeable, but in a way that felt realistic. Thomil is equally complex, torn between a desperation and a fury he cannot always balance. Again, I cannot speak to the representation as much as with Sciona, but it came across as well-informed. I do recommend taking the Blood in the title seriously. This is a bloody book, with murder and death taking place on page explicitly. Similarly, discrimination, racism, misogyny, and (attempted) sexual assault feature in the book. However, none of this is included for sensationalism's sake, but rather because these horrors exist in our own world and we need to face them head on.

Blood Over Bright Haven was not what I expected, but it was exactly the kind of book I needed to read. A stunning, bloody discussion of power and oppression, but also of hope in the face of it all. I did read most of Blood Over Bright Haven in 2024, so it would have been one of my favourites of that year, but now that I finished it in 2025, I can continue talking about it for a whole other year.

I feel like this book has changed me. The ROLLERCOASTER of emotions that I went through…This book touches on so many experiences I have had and witnessed. I took this book so personal and could see the beauty within it. All the characters were engaging, the world building was immaculate. My poor heart 😂 I am changed. I will think of this book forever.

After a somewhat disappointing year of reading, "Blood Over Bright Haven" swooped in at the last minute to become one of my favorite reads of 2024.

This book hooked me immediately with the first POV chapters for each of the main characters. The introduction of the blight and how it completely ravages the human body was at once horrific yet fascinating. The magic system was unique and complex, which was masterfully introduced with Sciona preparing for and taking the High Magistry exam--which is why I also believe I became so invested in her success so early in the book. As Thomil and Sciona's narratives intersect, the reader learns more about the complicated magic of this world in a way that I appreciated, as Sciona walks Thomil, a magical layman, through its complexities. As Thomil learns more about this magical system, the layers of the corruption beyond the misogyny and and class inequality begin to emerge.

While I guessed the big plot twist by page 30, there were still plenty of twists and turns to unravel. There were even some predictions I had early on that felt SO correct, and kept being validated by information farther along, but didn't pan out how I expected. Besides that the only other issues I had with the book was the span of pages where both characters are processing some information they've learned and the reader watches their mental health spiral, understandably. Those pages, however, felt slow because of where they fell in the book--I was waiting for the climax of the book, so to pause at that moment, I felt compelled to skim a few parts.

The story is mostly fast paced, intriguing, engaging, and heartbreaking. When I catch up on my TBR pile already haunting my nightstand, I'll be ordering "The Sword of Kaigen" and enjoying more of this author's work.

Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang checked all of my dark academia boxes, and I greatly appreciated all of the complex themes that Wang navigated while drawing readers in to the evolving relationship of Sciona and Thomil.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

𝕒𝕣𝕔 𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 ✨

𝓖𝓮𝓷𝓻𝓮: Fantasy
𝓣𝓻𝓸𝓹𝓮𝓼: Social & Political Issues, Hidden Truth, Unique Magic System, Morals In Question, Desire for Justice

🗡️𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰: 4/5 ✨

🗡️𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓜𝓪𝓰𝓲𝓬: This concept is so intriguing & I loved the magic system, it was really interesting & had me dying to know more. I definitely want more of this author & this world! It was so powerful to see the FMC’s journey from having a single mission in mind while wanting to prove others wrong to seeing the wrongs done to so many others right before her eye;
some she even had a hand in. She has to wrestle with her sense of morals vs her life long dreams & beliefs as well as face the fall out of choices made both around her & by her. Our MMC gets brought so low at the start & I loved seeing him get pieced back together & for his wounds & beliefs to get challenged as well. There’s so much character development in this book!!

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕

I loved this one so much. The story, the intricate magic system, the characters. God the characters. M. L. Wang does amazing character work and it absolutely shines in our MC.

I will be making M. l. Wang an instant buy from here on out.

Great book. Great dark academia vibes, magic system and themes. Wang explores colonialism, feminism and much more themes i a compelling and captivating way. You won’t put it down.
Although I think The sword of Kaigen is better, this one was great

This was one of my favorite reads this year. I enjoyed the sophisticated plot and themes. And I appreciated a book that challenged me and made me think. I also appreciated that there were no easy answers and no easy way out or easy fix to an extremely complex and vast problem. In some ways this reminded me of some of Ursula K. Le Guin's works. I look forward to reading more from this author!

It's much easier to tell yourself you're a good person than it is to actually be one.

Oh my heart. My heart.

"But he meant well."
"Why does that matter?"
"Because...well...obviously, it matters!"
"Why?"

Sciona has had to work four times as hard as any other mage in her cohort. She's twice as good, but because she's a woman, the road is harder to climb. Because no one has ever succeeded what she's about to do—become a high mage within the city of Tiran's magistry. Every ten years a woman gets to try, and every ten years a woman fails. But when Sciona succeeds, she finds the struggles are only just beginning when she learns how Tiran sources its magic...

"But whatever illness has taken me, you're all in the advanced stages."

What do you do when you learn your entire world is built upon a lie?

Speculative fiction is a reflection of the times we currently live in. Our thoughts. Our fears. Our hopes and dreams and nightmares.

This is a gorgeously written allegory of capitalism and the United States (because what other country, beyond the UK, is built from this level of hypocrisy and whose actions affect the entire world?), and the impact of white feminism within white supremacy. Of complicity and course correction and rightness—and the harm of unintended consequences. Of how far those in power are willing to go to stay in power, and then justify their actions.

In refusing to be a stepping stone, she had made herself a boot.

I don't know that I liked Thomil's ending, though, although I understand why it was the choice in the moment.

However, definitely a top read of 2025. And now I must finally read The Sword of Kaigen.

Truth over delusion. Growth over comfort.

I received an ARC from the publisher.

Sciona earns the distinction of being the first highmage. She lives in the bubble of Tiran where they do not leave to keep themselves safe from the Blight. She faces discrimination and hate for being a woman in her position. Between her and her assistant, Sciona figures out where Tiran is getting the energy that powers their bubble. Sciona sets out to fight the system that controls this power.

It's been a long time since I read a stand alone fantasy that was this good. Even at over 500 pages it read so much faster. I will say that part of the science of the mapping did go over my head but it did not hinder my enjoyment of the book at all. I think the romance aspect was unnecessary as Sciona and her assistant could have easily been coworkers without much change to the story. However on the other hand I did like that the romance did not take over the story. I loved this book so much and highly recommend it!

Sciona has spent her whole life working for one goal: becoming the first woman highmage in Tiran. When she finally manages to secure a spot, her colleagues spun her and the only person available to be her lab assistant is Thomil, the immigrant Kwen janitor. By trying to work together on an expansion project, Sciona and Thomil uncover some world shattering secrets.

What an amazing book. Yes, the first big reveal is pretty telegraphed and obvious for someone who's read some fantasy books. But it doesn't matter. The author manages to work this twist in a very unique and unexpected way. After the twist, I thought I knew where the story was going but I was really wrong. The story that she created is just so interesting. I loved the magic system that she created that combines something akin to coding with magic - I love when the magic system is born as science, that is studied and experimented upon. The stakes feel high and the pacing is really good. The story is extremely well plotted with action moments combined with smaller moments, but still impactful.

And the book really shines with the characters. Sciona feels like a real person. She is oppressed for being a woman trying to thrive in a man's world (the high magestry). However, she is still extremely privileged for being from Tiran, and not being an immigrant. In the beginning, she has no idea of her privilege and it's really interesting to see the work that M. L. Wang does when dismantling Sciona's beliefs and self-assurance and building someone not entirely new but someone who is aware. The author, through Sciona and Thomil's interactions, tackles so much. Sciona and Thomil working together was some of my favorites scenes. But their conversations and discussions were really amazing. Thomil is another character that feels like another real person. It would be so easy to make him just an angry character that is looking for vengeance. But he is so much more than that, and the growth that he goes through because of Sciona was also really well done.

And I loved the ending.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

This book goes STRAIGHT into the brutal world where our characters live, and we don’t get a break, y’all. Sciona is training to be a mage, working her way up the ladder meant for males, and wanting to make not only a name for herself but a place for women at the top of the magic hierarchy. Thomil, her unlikely assistant, is a second class citizen, low born, destined to only ever work jobs trust Bright Haven’s ruling class wouldn’t ever do.

Wang really does a LOT in this book. As a standalone fantasy, it’s got a huge arc. Sciona is unlikeable, unrepentantly dominant in her area of research/theoretical magic, and through her many conversations with Thomil, we see how little the regular citizens know of how their magic comes to them. Through the course of the story, we very naturally hit not only gender roles and classism, but colonialism and racism as well. I was very impressed!

The (very) dark academia vibes, magic school, creative magic system, unreliable, unlikeable female, it’s all there and we really, really love it🙌

I enjoyed every moment of reading this book! The world building was amazing and I really felt the main characters emotions as they dealt with such a difficult discovery. I cried multiple times which is always a indication of a good book to me!

I feel like I will say the same thing everyone else has already said. However, all good things need to be repeated.

The magic system is so original and amazing. Typing out your spells on a typewriter and hitting the return button to activate it seems so simple but genius.

The Blight and what it truly does was shocking and genius.

The characters made you hate or love them and the only character that wavered in my feelings was our main heroine. At first you rooted for her, then you realize just how naive she is, then you watched her grow, and at the end, when all the things have been done, you realize, while not as bad as other, Sciona is just as flawed in using others as a stepping stone. And while I shouldn’t have loved this realization, I found it so human like that it made Sciona even more real to me and it was genius. Basically, this entire book was genius!

While the ending is gut wrenching, it was the only ending this book could ever have.

It did get a little slow for me off and on but that is my only complaint.