Blood Over Bright Haven: A Novel Hardcover – October 29, 2024

Dark, disturbing, and utterly addictive, Blood Over Bright Haven is an absolute must-read. I’m not well-versed in the dark academia subgenre, but you can’t go wrong with this page-turner. It delves into topics of imperialism, racism, elitism, and supremacy, but it’s a damn good book above all.The City of Tiran is impressive. Enclosed within a magical Barrier, it offers its citizens comfort and industrialization made possible by magic. Refugees from the outside, however, can’t expect equal treatment, and they usually scrape by in factories or doing menial jobs. Those who live outside? Dead or soon to be dead through Blight. This lethal light appears from nowhere and strips away layer after layer of human and animal bodies until nothing but blood remains.Within the confines of the walls, Sciona Freynan has the potential to make history as the first female highmage. She just needs to pass the final exam. Since work, studies, and magic are her sole priorities and she lacks social skills or real interest in other human beings, she feels she can do it. Driven by insatiable ambition and hunger for glory and gifted with a brilliant (if obsessive) mind, she has no equals. There’s just one problem - she’s a woman. And most mages believe women are not destined for greatness.To avoid revealing any crucial plot points, I’ll keep the synopsis brief. Wang gradually unveils the true origin of magic and sheds light on the mysterious Otherrealm - from which mages draw energy to power the city. Expect the unexpected. It’s dark academia, after all, where appearances are often deceiving.Blood Over Bright Haven avoids gratuitous violence but contains graphic scenes that may unsettle some readers. It excels at stripping its protagonist from her core beliefs while making her understand the monstrous secrets of Tiran.There’s, of course, a man and a potential for romance. Sciona faces many obstacles, and it is through the other point of view character, Thomil—a Kwen refugee—that we understand how limited her choices are. Their chemistry and dynamics are great. But here’s the catch - we’re talking about M.L. Wang’s book. In The Sword of Kaigen, she has proven to be unafraid of defying readers’ expectations and making bold, heart-wrenching choices. I have issues with parts of the story and the characterization of one of the bad guys, but the ending left me speechless and deserves all the stars.A word about the magic. I’m not usually a fan of magic systems, but I loved how similar to coding it was. How logical and elegant it felt. Bravo! The characterization of most players is top-notch, too.The book itself is relatively short (around 120,000 words) and tells a complete story. It skilfully explores themes of gender injustice, racism, faith, and consequences of intentions. All while providing suspense, action, and personal drama. The second half of the book is driven by anger. A righteous anger that serves as a catalyst for societal change, igniting a fire that propels the characters and their world forward.To provide a balanced perspective, it is worth mentioning that some readers may take issue with the somewhat simplistic depiction of certain characters and the use of narrative shortcuts to convey the message. Personally, I found myself emotionally engaged, and these aspects did not hinder my overall enjoyment of the story.In short, Blood Over Bright Haves is excellent. It tells a complete story, provides a satisfying ending, and is an emotional rollercoaster as the narrative takes bold risks and delivers gut-wrenching twists. Go ahead, give it a read.

Blood Over Bright Haven is such a. beautifully written novel that felt like a breath of fresh air. Lush, immersive, and utterly captivating.Scion was a fascinating FMC, and her character arc was both compelling, deeply satisfying, and morally complicated. The philosophical themes woven into her conversations with Thomil and the other characters added such rich layers to the story. I found myself pausing to think about their discussions often.The ending was completely unexpected, and caught me off guard in the best way possible. It two words, it was tragically beautiful.This book is truly brilliant, unlike anything else l've read this year. It's one of my favorite standalones to date, filled with unforgettable quotes and philosophical themes that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Wow, I am a huge M.L. Wang fan! Her previous book, The Sword of Kaigen, is one of my all-time favorite books. This book is going to be up there. The way that Wang writes is just truly amazing. The things she makes you feel and how she makes you question things are impressive.Sciona is a character that I will think about for a long time. She was orphaned when she was young and lives with her aunt. She’s an up-and-coming in the world of magic. Her mentor is sure she can enter the High Magistry, where she would be the first woman. It’s a male-dominated field, and they do not respect or allow women. She’s powerful, smart, and skilled. She’s constantly treated unfairly and grossly. She doesn’t seem to care too much. She has this way of letting things roll off of her and focus on her work. Then we have Thomil, a Kwen, enter the picture and unravel her world.Wang’s writing was captivating from the very beginning. She’s brilliant at writing such dark themes but making you understand the lesson. Her characters are fantastic and so well-developed. Even some of the side characters added so much to this story. I didn’t realize this was a standalone until about halfway. I think this would appeal to so many! There’s the magic, the dark academia, and the many important themes. It’s not a happy book, but it’s such an important read.Overall, this was a fantastic read. I had high expectations, and it did not disappoint. I have purchased a physical copy because it’s also stunning. Wang is an author that does not fear going there. This book is sometimes brutal, but there’s also love and hope. I highly recommend reading this one. I will be impatiently waiting for the next thing Wang writes!Thanks to the publisher for the gift!

It took me a minute to get into this book as it’s a high fantasy with lots of world building and understanding the magic system. But once I got to a certain point, I could not put it down. This book deals with a lot of sexism and has a shocking revelation . This writing was incredible and reading this was like watching a movie. The imagery written was incredible. Highly recommend this book.