M.L. Wang is quickly catapulting herself to my top author's list. This grabbed me from the start and was an absolute emotional roller coaster.
This book tackles sexism, xenophobia, capitalism, and colonialism with tact. There are important ethical and theological debates and conversations throughout the book as a method of character development between Thomil and Sciona. The magic system might be the coolest, and definitely the most unique one that I've read to date.
Honestly, I can't find a single flaw in this book.

3.5⭐️

M.L. Wang’s Blood Over Bright Haven is a bold exploration of complex themes such as oppression, sexism, capitalism, and racism, deftly woven into a narrative that often balances hope against a backdrop of societal bleakness. Wang’s ability to handle these subjects with nuance sets her apart, presenting readers with a thoughtful engagement rather than simplistic solutions.

The magic system is a standout feature of the book, particularly the innovative concepts of mapping and siphoning. These elements contribute to one of the most unique magic systems I’ve encountered, although the extensive explanations can feel overwhelming at times. The first chapter hooks you with its gripping premise, but subsequent pages often descend into heavy exposition that sometimes feels akin to a classroom lecture. As much as I appreciated the depth, I wished for a more seamless integration into the narrative.

The setting—a rich academic environment—offers a tantalizing backdrop that enhances the story, and the coding-like typewriters as magic conduits are a delightful touch. However, despite the intriguing worldbuilding, the pacing suffers. There are moments of lull where the plot should be advancing, creating a sense of unevenness that detracts from the overall experience.

Sciona, the main character, presents a complex challenge. Her growth is rewarding, yet her initial anti-feminist and racist attitudes are difficult to reconcile with as a reader. This internal conflict makes it hard to fully root for her, even as her character arc unfolds in a compelling manner. Wang’s exploration of her beliefs, particularly the ethical implications of intentions versus consequences, adds a significant layer to the story. The dynamics between Sciona and Thomil invite readers to reflect on their own beliefs, though the journey may be uncomfortable.

While the climax delivers some satisfaction in resolving the antagonistic forces, the conclusion leaves much to be desired. An open-ended finale feels less like an intriguing invitation to ponder the future and more like a missed opportunity for a more definitive resolution.

Ultimately, Blood Over Bright Haven is a thought-provoking novel with a powerful magic system and complex themes. However, its pacing issues and the struggle to fully connect with its main character left me wishing for a more cohesive experience. Despite its flaws, Wang’s storytelling ability and thematic depth ensure it will resonate with many readers, sparking conversation long after the last page.

This is a standalone novel and it’s so well written. Sciona has been studying magic since young with the goal to be the first woman admitted to the High Magistry. Watching her work her complex magic in the trials and be in control over her skill was fascinating to watch. I enjoyed that Sciona was not a character cutout we would usually see. Her nerve and defiance stand out. She is in it not just for the credit of her work but also for the glory. She loves power and wants to leave her mark on the world. She can be selfish and yet we still see the good in her.

When her fellow high mages assign her a custodian as her lab assistant we see her rise to the challenge of both teaching him and building on her own skill. Thomil is a character whose people have been beaten down and forced to be subservient when that is not who he is at all. Watching both Sciona and Thomil grow as characters was both heartbreaking and bittersweet. There is some romance but it is not the focus. It felt real. You will feel every gamut of emotion.

Yes, it could fall under dark academia but it’s a lot more than that. It’s a heavier book than I was expecting while still being hopeful. It asks a lot of questions. Just looking at the title and the cover after reading evokes a strong emotion now. I won’t be forgetting this book anytime soon. Read this as soon as you can.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine|Del Rey for sharing this book with me in exchange for my honest review.

Are you looking for a really unique, intense, emotional, and incredible read?? Look no further than Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang!!

From the start, this story pulls you in, shocks you, and makes it hard to put down. The magic system is unique and complex. While it’s sometimes hard to understand at times, you mostly figure it out by the end. It also helped learning the magic system thru Thomil’s eyes.

This story tackles really tough issues like misogyny and racism. As a woman, there were many times I could understand and relate to Sciona. I loved watching her take on the patriarchy at every turn.

M.L. Wang really built an incredible world, story, magic system, and characters. As someone who often sees twists coming, there were so many I never predicted! I really enjoyed this book!

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gosh, why is it such a struggle to put into words how much I ATE THIS UP? FINISHED IT, LOVED IT, and now I need this book in every edition possible!

Set in an industrial utopia governed by high mages who source their power from the Other Realm, this story takes us through the journey of Sciona, the first-ever female High Mage. As she enters this elite order, she uncovers a secret that could forever change the practice of magic. The depth of themes in this novel is at times hard to read, prejudice, oppression, sexism, religion, and the corruption of patriarchal societies, also has themes of hope through found family and the dream of a better society..

The magic system is nothing short of incredible, thoroughly detailed from spellcasting to the mechanisms of siphoning magic, even down to the spellographs. Admittedly, some aspects went over my head at times because your girl here is surviving on two brain cells, but the amount of thought and structure in the magic system deserves applause!

Sciona is a protagonist worth rooting for as she navigates a male-dominated society and struggles against ingrained barriers. Her journey felt painfully real which highlights the very real frustration women face in traditionally male spaces. F*ck the patriarchy! Sciona is deeply relatable, but also flawed, selfish, and occasionally frustrating, which made her human. She has real desires, ambitions, and vulnerabilities, all of which brought her character to life.
One of the best aspects of the book is the dynamic between Sciona and Thomil, her lab janitor turned assistant. Thomil’s tragic backstory hits hard from chapter one. Despite his status as lower class and Sciona’s own struggles with acceptance, the two form an unlikely alliance. When they uncover a conspiracy, their conflicting perspectives on how to handle it create tension and depth that I absolutely loved.

This story is beautifully and well thought out, with complex worldbuilding, a well-developed and detailed magic system, and flawed yet relatable characters. I’m not usually one to cry over books, but tears were shed! From chapter one to that last chapter, this book pulled at my emotions in a way few others have.

Highly recommend if you’re ready to be emotionally destroyed and left staring at the wall for the unforeseeable future.

Thank you Del Rey for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is probably the longest review I will ever write for a book, but it was earned.

Incredible. Perfection. There cannot be any criticism. This is the best book I have ever read, which is a huge statement considering how much I read.

The themes in this book are its strongest element. Racism, sexism, classism, and immigration to name a few. This would be an incredible book for assigned reading for a class. It contains so many topics to dissect, I wish I had a group of people to discuss it with.

This is set in a dystopian world where the city of Tiran is protected by a barrier from the blight- which essentially kills the people that live outside of this barrier. These people are known as Kwen.

The magic system is one of the more unique ones I have read, and was so interesting.

A university in Tiran contains the highest level of essentially magicians- highmages who invent and produce to keep Tiran and its people within it, functioning. Only men can become highmages, although women are given the opportunity to test in once each decade.

Which brings our main character Sciona, who becomes the first ever woman highmage.

Sconia as a character is so complex and deep that she is so hateable at times, but other times you have to root for her. She is so flawed, but how much of this is her and how much of this is the society she’s been raised in? She is brilliant but fails to realize she supports what she believes is “right” so blindly without always grasping how flawed her morals can be. She steadfastly abhors the fact that she is looked down upon because she is a woman, but fails to realize her hypocrisy when she does the same. - “sciona foundered, frustrated by her inability to come up with a logical answer when tiranish culture was the one built on logic. The kwen were the illogical ones, everyone knew that”

I NEVER use the highlight feature on my kindle and I was highlighting lines of this book like it was my job.
I literally do not know how I’m going to read another book after this and be able to give it 5 stars because it just will not compare to this one.

Blood Over Bright Haven
By: M.L. Wang
Stars: 5 Stars
Format: Ebook
Review: Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang is an extraordinary read and one of my favorites of the year. Wang crafts a rich, intricate world with one of the best magic systems I’ve encountered, complete with “coding-like” spellcasting and spellographs. She addresses complex themes like oppression, sexism, capitalism, and colonialism with nuanced storytelling, embedding messages of hope and healing.
Set in an industrial utopia, we follow Sciona, the first female High Mage, as she navigates a male-dominated society full of prejudice and corruption. Sciona’s journey is both compelling and relatable, reflecting the challenges women face in such spaces. The story’s ethical depth shines through the evolving dynamic between Sciona and her assistant Thomil, whose tragic past adds weight to their choices and conflicts.
Wang masterfully explores intentions vs. consequences, leaving readers with much to ponder. Blood Over Bright Haven is a profound exploration of societal issues through a unique Dark Academia lens, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a deep, thought-provoking read.
Recommend (Yes/No/Maybe): 100000000% YES
Thank you, NetGalley and Del Rey for allowing me the opportunity to review the title.

Fantasy academia with a side of Brave New World. With that dystopian lens, this novel feels best viewed as a vehicle for discussion, primarily, and a story second. The emotional and intellectual heart lives in Sciona and Thomil’s interactions, both outsiders but still unequal, their work together underlining the oppressive hierarchies and doctrines at work around them. Sciona rages against the patriarchy, which would see all women demure and docile, while Thomil endures racial prejudice and hatred. Everything is dealt in extremes, hence the Huxley comparison.

The end leaves a bitter taste, which I’m sure is intentional. I’m not particularly fond of the bleakness. There can be hope in sadness, and there isn’t here.

I feel like I’m being overly vague, but I don’t want to give away the main beats. I guess I’ll say, at many points, I was riveted by the moment and the raw emotion. That first chapter death sprint. Sciona’s exam. The cascade of discovery into shattering disillusion. The screams of rage into the night.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang takes place in a world full of science, technology, magic, and most of all, dark secrets that could tear apart the society that has been built on hidden atrocities. The story follows Sciona, a recluse, diligent, frighteningly intelligent, and dangerously ambitious mage seeking to become the first ever woman admitted to the High Magistry, those mages who sit at the top of magic society, in terms of research, resources, and power. However, once her dream has been realized, she slowly realizes what a lie she has followed her whole life. In this journey of discovery, her sole companion is a Kwen janitor, Thomil, who was unwittingly made her assistant.

This book is incredibly emotional and tackles such heavy issues as being complicit in genocide, institutional racism and misogyny, religious fundamentalism, and more, all in a way that seems very respectful and real. Likewise, the magic system was incredibly fascinating, combining a very scientific industrial revolution-esque aesthetic to magical transfers of energy and alchemical reactions. The magic system too is directly built into the book's twist concerning the dark underbelly that this world is built on and around which the story focuses, adding a certain horror element to the magic as well, something which is intimately felt by the characters.

Content warning for mentions of forced sterilization and abuse and depictions of sexual assault and genocide

I would recommend this to anyone looking for an excellent dark fantasy or dark academia novel that is not afraid to confront some of the heaviest issues of our age.

"She is, in my estimation, the greatest mage of her generation. I have confidence that, given time, my colleagues will come to see what I do in her: innovative spirit and determination the like of which Tiran has not seen in a century. She embodies all the virtues we value in the Magistry and lacks all the psychological weaknesses common to her sex. Thus, it is my firm belief that her induction into our ranks will herald a new era of magic and expansion.

Feryn tells us that the role of a mage is to shape history where the lesser mind is not equal to the task. I stake my reputation as an archmage when I say here is one worthy of that responsibility. Here is a mind equal to the task."

I mean. Wow.
Wow wow wow wow wow wow WOW!!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!

INSTANT best seller in my brain and INSTANT book that’s going to live in my brain rent free for the next 10-20 years.

Blood Over Bright Haven is a dark fantasy novel that follows a girl named Sciona as she is preparing to try and test into a prestigious league of mages—but they’re an exclusively male organization that won’t even let a woman take the test on a regular basis. they allow one woman to try every 000 years. the mages are responsible for creating the magic that powers the seemingly utopia city of Tiran. Sciona has been determined since childhood to become one of them. when you look past the glimmering surface of Tiran, you’d find a minority group of people called the Kwen—people who were native to the area outside of Tiran’s barrier but moved into the city for safer living. outside of Tiran, the world is harsh and there’s a mysterious power called the Blight that kills anything near it, seemingly at random.

I struggled a little bit at the beginning of the story (I often do with new fantasy worlds, especially when I have a feeling the magic system will be complex), but it didn’t take me long to settle in. I’d say by chapter 2 I was having a difficult time putting the book down.

I also want to say right away that I LOVE the way the magic system is set up in this story. the way M. L. Wang took complex magic, and built it together as if you were writing code on a computer (or populating Excel formulas, if it wasn’t obvious I do office work before) was so fascinating for me to read.

plot: ★★★★★
I thought the plot was soooo fascinating, especially considering our (speaking as a white American) history of not wanting to see things that we’ve done in the past as bad, especially in scenarios where the intentions weren’t necessarily bad. I was a little nervous about the book hitting a “white savior” trope, but I don’t really think that happened here since Sciona is repeatedly flawed and has her flaws pointed out to her and she’s not exactly successful in her saviorism. I just really liked the journey that Sciona and Thomil had to uncover both of their feelings towards each other, the mages, and the Kwen.

writing: ★★★★☆
the writing and the world building was probably my favorite part. I said it once already but I really loved the magic system. I think because it was something that felt similar to things we do in the real world, it felt like something (like Sciona) that I could actually do too. I think this also helped play into relating to Sciona as a character—being able to look at what these powerful mages do and having the feeling of “I could do that too”. I do wish we could have gone more in-depth with the city political officials and how they would handle everything, or even Sciona’s father. also would be thrilled to see a future Tiran (hint, hint @ M. L. Wang).

pacing: ★★★★★
I think this was a medium and fast paced story. it alternates a bit as the story goes, but it never feels like it’s dragging.

romance: ★★★★☆
so the romance is LOWWWWWW on the priority list in this story. it does exist, but it’s such a small fraction of the story, it almost doesn’t feel like I should mention it. but I want to, because even though it was small, I still feel like it was impactful. do I wish I could have had more? absolutely. am I still happy with what I received? absolutely.

characters: ★★★★★
PLEAAASSSEEEEE I love our core group so much. Carra was a little rough (intentionally so, I imagine) but I love how unapologetically “her” she is and how unwilling she is to bend for literally anyone. she was a breath of fresh air in the fantasy genre. Thomil was more of tortured soul type of character, but he still had his edges. he was a bit softer than Carra (maybe just more beat down by life) but still had grit. he was also just a bit of a softie inside (imo) once you got past his shields.

and of course, SCIONAAAAAA!!!!!!!!! I fcking love this girl. nothing but respect for MY highmage freynan!!!!!!!! I love how flawed she is and how the story really takes steps to make her work THROUGH her flaws and her misguided mindsets. she never just instantly changes. she sits with her thoughts and beliefs and talks through them. I also love her need to be challenged by discussions and her desire to talk things through in order to fully understand them because I’m the exact same way.

over-all: ★★★★★
I loved this book. I can see myself picking it up again many many times in my future. it absolutely gutted me, but in the best way possible.

Happy traditional pub day to Blood Over Bright Haven aka the book with one of the best female MCs I’ve read in so long 🙏🖤

“She would do more than take his stupid joke, she decided; she would grip it tight and fashion it into greatness he couldn’t fathom.”

I’ve leaned that when @milesofpages tells you to read a book, you read that book. Or in this case, pre order it and then head over to netgalley with a mad hope they’ll approve you (thank you @delreybooks for deeming me worthy)

Sciona Freynan is my idol. She’s unabashedly egotistical, honest, and determined to not only reach her goals but achieve them on her terms. It was refreshing to follow a FMC who’s 27. Don’t get me wrong— I love YA. But the change of views and wants was a great change of pace.

“I’m not sweet. The world isn’t about love for me. It’s about power.”

Especially when coupled with the masterful plot and world building. I could’ve spent forever exploring this world, from the tribes and their lore to the Founding Mages and Sabernyn’s notoriety.

The social commentary in this book is razor sharp and I loved how M.L. Wang handled it. The way she depicted the denial of discovering everything you’ve believed in is a lie and how you can let that information change your mind, coming to terms with a new reality isn’t something I’ve read often.

“But a woman who wanted glory…that was a woman who had something really wrong with her.”

Honestly, just go read this. You slip in easily and before you know it, end up heartbroken.

#BloodOverBrightHaven:⁣
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Thanks for the gifted book @prhaudio @delreybooks @randomhouse #RandomHousePartner ⁣
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This is my favorite book of 2024. I haven’t felt this way since One Dark Window. I sobbed, I cheer, I gasped, I cried a bit more. This book really brought out the emotions from me. It might as well be a green book, because you know greenies somewhat do it for me.⁣
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Sciona was a beautiful character. Full of strength and grit when the world is against her, my god I loved her. ⁣
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Audio was phenomenal. This was one I savored because I did not want to end. Moira Quirk, she did the darn thing. Knowing it’s a standalone hurt because I needed more, I wanted more of this world. The magic, the casting, the hierarchy was so fascinating and easy to understand.⁣
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I’m still emotionally unwell from the ending. Absolutely one of my favorites, even if I can’t remember the title correctly (ever).⁣
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Out trad pubbed today, please grab this gorgeous book (inside and out) ⁣
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QOTD: What’s a book you absolutely love? Or what are you reading?⁣
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#MilesOfPages #MLWang #DelReyBooks

This story about magical worlds is so different than I expected. In Tiran, magic is available if you can study enough you may become a highmage. However, Sciona is the first woman to gain the title. Her peers are not thrilled and treat her terribly. When they decide to offer her the janitor for a lab assistant, she decides to take on the challenge. However, her new assistant is a Kwen, he comes from a tribe outside Tiran who lost his family to the blight. His kind is treated less than human. Together they uncover secrets about their world that could get them killed and dismantle everything they knew about magic. Great book!

Perfect fans of Full Metal Alchemist and 86

This book altered my brain chemistry.

I was not expecting to find myself so engrossed in this book, but darling I was.

Part sci-fi, part fantasy mixed with dark academia and dystopia this book is everything. I went in thinking this book was going to be a run-of-the-mill dark academia fantasy.

I was quickly proven wrong.

I'm not sure I have the words to describe what a triumph this book is. It's well-written, thought-provoking, and introspective. It's brutal and honest. It poses questions and addresses issues without offering any half-baked simple solutions. Because complex problems have no easy answers.

The book is as horrifying as it is hopeful. This book might go down as my favorite book of the year.

I won't say much else except that if you have even the slightest interest in this book I urge you to check it out.

Happy book birthday to ML Wang, on the trad pub release of Blood Over Bright Haven! I gobbled up this book in two days-and I’ve been waiting anxiously to post a review until release week. This is certainly one of those books that it’s better to go in blind than to know too much context-at least, that was my own experience with the novel. I’ve read Sword of Kaigen, and absolutely ate up the epic fantasy, deeply entrenched (and entrancing!) magic system, and ML Wang’s depth of storytelling. Considering that Blood Moon Under Bright Haven is shelved under Dark Academia, I had no other expectations other than the precursor that I would read this author’s grocery list.

Blood Over Bright Haven is a novel set in an eerily dystopian city ruled by a religious system and text of an assembly of mages, Tiran. Our MC, Sciona, is an orphaned magician tasked with being the first female mage of an elite echelon of mages that rule over the city’s prosperity. The story unfolds through Sciona’s gritty, determined personality—which the reader will, throughout the book, slowly begin to realize is not all that it seems. Her story is interrupted by the likes of a janitor at her workplace, an unlikely pair that becomes the focus of the novel. Full systems, political systems, religious systems, and chock full of intriguing social commentary, readers of R.F. Kuang, Leigh Bardugo, and of course fans of Fullmetal Alchemist, will love this book.

As I went in completely blind, I was pleasantly shocked by the themes in entrenched in Blood Over Bright Haven. ML Wang’s understanding of character, in creating a main so viscerally disillusioned and at times utterly despicable—yes, it’s giving all things Vicious (VE Schwab, Yellowface, etc.)—and yet, so nuanced. Brava! Without going into depth, I would characterize this more under the lines of grim dark, in the grand scheme of things. Everything is NOT what it seems through the eyes of our first character’s point of view, and I love the misdirection—without getting too far into it and spoiling things, it’s the driving stake of the novel. And the ending? Brilliant.

Sciona has had to work harder than all her peers but is now on track to become the first female high mage. The city she lives in is under a dome primarily run by magic. The people outside of the city are seen as inferior but they make up a significant amount of the labor force. After achieving her dreams of becoming a mage, Sciona soon learns that her difficulties in being accepted have just begun. Instead of being assigned a qualified lab assistant she is forced to work with a janitor. Much to her surprise the janitor, Thomil is more than what he seems. A former hunter from beyond the dome, Thomil is driven to discover what magical sources killed is family and tribe. Together they uncover a deadly secret that the elite magical community has been hiding.

I really loved this book. Sciona and Thomil having to work together to overcome society's limited expectations of them really drew me in. The focus on imperialism and questioning why the elite get to be who they are and how they hold power over others was handled very well. I really enjoy dark academia so the setting was really interesting. The world is well thought out and feels lived in. The magic system is also really innovative. I enjoyed Sciona and Thomil as main characters. Seeing Sciona's world view get broken into pieces and rebuilt was fascinating. I look forward to doing a reread of this soon.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

That ending, my goodness... I am dead. Simply dead. ML Wang has done it again with a book that couldn't be more different than her earlier works.

I would recommend this book to fans of Babel, and also to people who thought the message in Babel was spoon fed to the reader a little too obviously. I'm not 100% sure I would call this a dark academia - it's a fantasy with an academic setting, sure, but it is just so much more.

Read it to see the parallels with our own society and get righteously angry. I know I did!

And the magic system is based on coding - so cool!

Seriously, after a slow start (the beginning might be a little info-dumpy, but I forgive it) the book takes off and never takes a breath. I'm trying really hard to avoid spoilers because you really need to experience this one for yourself. Five stars!

Unequals in every aspect, the first female Highmage Sciona and her Kwen assistant Thomil, become the most unlikely pair as they take on the leaders of a flawed magic system aimed at benefiting the powerful while destroying the weak. Revelations threaten to destroy the stable conditions of the city and familial bonds once thought to be unbreakable.
This dark academia full of rivals, blood, and displaced families really picks up around the middle of the book. We're set up for a sequel, and I really hope it happens

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this novel! <i>Blood Over Bright Haven</i> comes out on October 29, 2024.

<i>Blood Over Bright Haven</i> follows Sciona, a woman devoted to magic and determined to carve her own path as the first woman admitted to the High Magistry at the University of Magics and Industry. Finally having achieved her goal, Sciona finds herself inundated from the start with challenges from her new colleagues, who are determined to make her feel unwelcome and inferior. Paired with an a janitor from the lands outside of the city as her new assistant, Sciona finds out that the cost of magic may come at a price she never could have imagined.

I have been interested in this novel since it was self published, and I'm so happy to see it receive a traditional release! <i>Blood Over Bright Haven</i> is a fantastic stand alone fantasy. It grapples with truth and power and the high cost of both. Sciona is such an interesting and well rounded character. We see her grapple with her beliefs in a way that is frustrating but also authentic.

The writing is great -- I was sucked into the story from the first chapter, interested to uncover what the magic system was. This is a story really interested in the pursuit of knowledge and study, and while I may not necessarily call it dark academia, I think if you enjoy that type of novel, you'll like this. Sciona is certainly relentless in her pursuit of knowledge.

I thought the world building was well done; it was just enough to get me interested in the complexities of Tiran and the Kwen without falling into too many info dumps.

Even though she very much annoyed me in some parts, I did enjoy following Sciona as our main character. I also really like Thomil -- I do wish we had a bit more chapters from his POV. The balance between the two felt a little off and could have been woven throughout more smoothly, though I do understand why a majority of the chapters are from Sciona's POV.

I don't want to say much because I think folks should know as little as possible before going into this one. Content warnings for some pretty tough descriptions of violence and death, as well as racism.

I think if you liked <i>Babel</i> by RF Kuang, you'll enjoy this one. It has similar themes of knowledge v power, settler colonialism and violence, etc.

Blood Over Bright Haven spares no emotional punches. Revolution is necessarily messy. Change is always hard fought and this is never more true than in the skirmish between the peoples of this book.

I was so hype for this after the Sword of Kaigen. While it's an incredible world built from the ground up, it's just not as strong of a book, relying heavily on in your face main social issues that are thinly veiled similarities to the world we live in today. I DO love this book, but the black white men/women poor/wealthy dynamics are so blatant. Which is the same criticism as I had for R.F. Kuang's Babel. It repeats itself over and over.

However, what makes this stand out from similar works is how much we see our main characters struggle with character growth, and really push the boundaries of their thought processes. It avoids the trope of main characters who are immediately on the side of right/wrong. This book acknowledges that internal struggle.

Definitely read this if you love fantasy books that tackle the social issues of the world we are living in today. It is rich in magic, lore, and human emotions.