Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing me with an eARC in exchange for a honest review.

Wow, the reviews really aren’t lying. M. L. Wang does it again with another fantastic, wholehearted enrapturing Fantasy.

I will easily admit that I am not a high Fantasy girly. And when I am, the majority of the time, they’re High Romantasies (if that terminology exists). I find it very difficult to not be bored with many High Fantasies without a heavily present romantic plot. A character flaw, maybe, but it’s the truth. When I previously read M. L. Wang’s The Sword of Kaigen, I thought it was great, truly, but it still wasn’t quite my vibe of Fantasy. Yes, it’s so much more than just a war story but, in general, stories containing strong war plots are not typically my favorite. So, I had similar assumptions going into this one, expecting good things but knowing that it may not capture my heart and attention as it may well deserve. Well I can thankfully say, it blew my expectations out of the water. This will simply be my go-to fantasy recommendation going forward. I think all fantasy lovers will eat this up, whether you’re a Brando Sando person or a SJM fan.

It really is incredible the scope of topics in which this novel touches on. Misogyny & Sexism, Classism, Racism, Religion, you name it. And while those themes are heavily explored, it is not torturously repetitive or bogged down in political propaganda. It was, however, infernally infuriating how relevant and realistic the themes were, Wang did such a fantastic job with them.

Our FMC was very flawed but incredibly relatable and realistic. It was easy to roll your eyes at her one moment and want to punch the people around her the next. She was clever, stubborn and passionate all in one, it was fantastic to get to know her. Then the MMC was quite easy to fall in love with. His mix of softness and strength was endearing, and his love for his niece was heartwarming. And I loved the dynamic between the FMC and MMC. It was unique to see the relationship between a FMC in a position of power, despite the endless sexism she faced, and the MMC in a vulnerable, position with no power. They really made quite the pair.

Truly, this book blew me away. I am so exited for it to be (re) released into the world and I think we will continue to see incredible things from M. L. Wang going forward.

Note: PLEASE check trigger warnings before picking this book up!

I haven’t gotten around to reading it, but I can’t count the number of times I’ve had the book “The Sword of Kaigen” pop up as a recommended title. So much so that I went ahead and ordered a copy through the recent Kickstarter that was live recently even though I still haven’t read it! All of this to say, I was very excited when I found an ARC of this title at ALA and immediately scheduled it down as one to review this fall. Let’s dive in!

As I said, it’s been unavoidable to not hear all of the praises sung for Wang’s previous novel. This left me with quite a high bar of expectation going into this one, and I’m happy to say that it largely lived up to this! So many aspects of this book were masterfully done, from the gaslamp/dark academia world-building, to the deep characterization of our two main characters, to the careful and thorough exploration of themes of misogyny, prejudice, ambition, and the careful balance between one’s intentions and the corresponding results.

As characters are always at the forefront for me, let’s start there. I really enjoyed both of our main POV characters. Sciona’s story, however, stood out. She begins as what I have to believe is an intentionally unlikable character, full of ambition and self-interest. Given the barriers that have been placed before her, however, it’s also easy to see how she has become the person she is. To succeed, she has had to “buy in” more fully than any of her peers, face added challenges, and constantly push through the prejudices of those around her. In doing so, she has needed to fully entrench herself in the culture into which she is trying to make headway. As her story unfolds, and she discovers more about her world, we see her grapple with the shocking revelations buried beneath much of her existence.

The story also grapples with many challenging topics. I was especially impressed with how carefully and thoroughly these themes were explored. Nothing was presented on a platter to the reader with a simple platitude or a bright arrow pointing towards “THE RIGHT WAY.” Instead, the book presents situations and conflicts, from the practical to the more abstract, and lets the reader, alongside the characters, struggle with the morality of it all. How far does one’s intentions take you when the results are bad? Or the opposite?

By the time we get to the end, I was deep in all of the feelings. As is expected, given the themes, the story goes to some dark places and there are no easy answers to be found here. However, I also can’t say that it doesn’t resolve in a way that felt earned and also necessary. Overall, I thought this was an excellent read and I’m excited to check out the author’s previous book when I finally get my hands on a copy!

Rating 8: Detailed world-building, intricate character work, and a thorough exploration of difficult but important themes all cement Wang’s place as a fantasy author to keep one’s eye on!

Review will go live on The Library Ladies on October 30.

Blood Over Bright Haven is a stand-alone high fantasy story with a complex and unique magic system, in a dark academia setting, and topped with female rage.

brief synopsis:
Once every 10 years, the city if Tiran allows a woman to take the test to become a highmage (a council of the highest magic wielders). The novel starts out by following Sciona, our fmc, as she is moments aways from taking the test. After she becomes highmage, she starts to uncover dark secrets and even darker lies that threatens to break the idyllic future she has devoted her entire career towards…

Things I liked
-I loved this book, point blank.
-the amount of heavy themes this book was able to successfully tackle, such as: systematic oppression and racism, wholistically trusting faith, and misogyny.
-I loved both main characters and their development arcs.
-I also really liked the supporting characters.
-I was absolutely shocked by that ending, but I believe it was the most fitting for Sciona’s character, and honestly, you don’t see that type of ending often, and it packed a punch.
-The pacing was consistent throughout the book, and the plot continued to move forward at a steady pace.
-Chapter titles - a small detail to add but I always appreciate when it’s done.
-Excerpts at the beginning of each chapter, it adds to the worldbuilding.

Didn’t like
-Long chapters
-Heavy world building in the beginning, it was necessary for the story, and I did enjoy it, but it was a bit confusing to follow at first

My goodreads review can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6616870381

It’s taken me like a week of sitting with this story to finally get my thoughts in order enough to write this review!

In the city of Tiran, magic fuels an industrial utopia, but at a steep cost. Sciona, an orphan with an unrelenting drive to become the first woman admitted to the prestigious High Magistry, has spent two decades mastering her craft. But when she finally earns her place as a highmage, she finds that her trials are far from over. Assigned a janitor as her assistant, Sciona is unaware that Thomil, a former nomadic hunter, harbors his own dark past—and a mission that could unravel the very foundations of magic. Together, they uncover an ancient secret that could change the world as they know it, though it may come at the ultimate cost.

Blood Over Bright Haven is a book that left me utterly speechless. M. L. Wang weaves a compelling narrative that not only captivates but also packs an emotional punch, drawing you into a story brimming with depth and introspection. From the very first page, I found myself hooked by the complex characters and the high stakes in this dark academia world.

One of the standout elements of this book is how the pursuit of truth serves as the driving force behind the characters’ growth and development. Sciona’s relentless ambition to break barriers as the first woman highmage and Thomil’s quest for answers about his past create a fascinating, tension-filled dynamic between them. Their struggles feel so real and raw, and Wang’s ability to weave their stories together with larger societal issues adds an even richer layer to the narrative.

Despite being a relatively small fantasy book, Blood Over Bright Haven delivers a ton of emotional weight, touching on themes like legacy, family, vengeance, gender injustice, misogyny, love, social status, faith, justice, sacrifice, extreme religionism, prejudice, and colonialism. Each theme is explored with care and nuance, leaving you as a reader introspective long after you’ve turned the final page.

The world-building in this book is immersive, and Wang’s storytelling is absolutely masterful. The action scenes are gripping, the emotional stakes are high, and the character arcs are beautifully written. I particularly loved how the book forces you to confront difficult questions about power, legacy, and the cost of magic—questions that linger with you as the story unfolds.

My advice: go into this book as blind as possible. Let Wang’s brilliant writing and the unforgettable character arcs sweep you away. Blood Over Bright Haven is a powerful standalone that leaves a lasting impact—don’t miss it!

I absolutely loved this retelling of Cinderella mixed with Brave with a "save the world" complex. The telling of a hero who must overcome the odds to save society will have you hooked until the end. Very well written and you will be skipping sleep to finish this.

Another standout book for M.L. Wang!

A thought provoking, interesting, fantasy books that explores the themes of colonialism, racism, sexism, classism through a unique magic system.
The FMC, Scions, is an unlikeable, privileged student trying to become the first female high mage in history. Though she sees the injustices to women in her culture, her sights do not go as far as to see the injustices done to the Kwen people by her own, including her.
Throughout the book we see Sciona grapple with the truth of her society, with the help of her assistant , a Kwen man, Thomil.
While I do feel that Sciona did have character growth, something about her role in the story bothered me, which stops me from giving this book 5 stars.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it.


Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for an advanced e-reader copy of this book.

Blood Over Bright Haven is an exciting academia fantasy book about realizing everything you’ve been taught and believe isn’t quite what it appears. It’s a wonderful story about finding the truth. There are topics surrounding race, class, and bigotry. I really want to recommend this book to all fans of fantasy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

After coming off of the high of Sword of Kaigen, I was extremely excited to read more from M.L. Wang. She does such a good job at pacing and characters. I haven't read too many dark academia books, but this was so addicting. I recommend everyone stop and read this book.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with an eARC of this book.
~
I… did not like this at all. I wanted to so badly - the concept was super interesting, but ugh. The first half of the book is dreadfully slow. So much time is spent describing a magic system that I still found super confusing. It was a strange mix of magic and science that I just don’t think worked.

The main character, Sciona, undergoes exactly zero character development. She’s annoying the *entire* time. Everything she does serves to stroke her own ego, including her big “sacrifice” at the end.

I saw a few other reviewers call this a “colonizer romance” and I have to agree. The white lady (Sciona) decided that she knew best despite the marginalized character (Thomil) literally telling her “Hey, don’t do this, I don’t want this for my people”, and yet she implements her big plan at the end anyways and is shocked when no one sides with her or the Kwen, and the Archmages and Highmages begin killing them in the streets.

Overall this felt like it was trying to shove every theme of racism and sexism into one book, and it continuously shoves them in your face to the point that it’s annoying. It even goes so far as to have the FMC be sexually assaulted randomly by another Highmage, and yet nothing happens after the fact to build off of the tension from the scene. I would have DNF’d this around the 30% mark if it hadn’t been an ARC.

Thank you for an earc. This book was incredible. M.L. Wang is an autobuy for me. I loved Kaigen, but this book was even better in my opinion. I'll immediately fell in love with the 2 main characters and thought the world building was done very well.

Thank you so much to Del Rey and NetGalley for an eARC of this book!

The only word that I can think of to describe this book right now is brilliant. It is brilliant in its ideas and in its execution. I’m at a loss for words writing this review because there aren’t enough words to describe the feelings this book ignited in me.

We follow our two main characters. One of them is Sciona, who has lived in the city of Tiran her whole life and has devoted herself to the magic that powers the city. She dreams of becoming the first woman to enter the high magistracy. When her dreams come true, she is faced with the cost of being the first woman in a male dominated field and the cost of a revelation that may cost her life.

Thomil watched his entire family die ten years while attempting to cross into the great city of Tiran. He watched as the Blight took them one by one, stripping flesh from bone and bone from body. He knows what pain is and continues to suffer it under the boot of the high magistracy where he is employed. Until a new highmage enters the picture, one who is willing to question the world and finally beyond all else, listen.

This book explores the depths of intersectionality and discrimination in its many forms by exploring more than one kind. We see Sciona struggle as a woman and Thomil struggle as Kwen, what the Tiranish call the people beyond the border of the city. The insight that these characters provide to each other is so incredible and the way that they help each other progress is the reason this book is as amazing as it is.

The characters in this story what the definition of morally gray should be viewed as. There is a massive discussion throughout the book of what makes a person “good” in the eyes of God. Intention or effect? And it is addressed wonderfully through these characters who are a realistic mix of right and wrong. The entire focal point of religion in this book is also incredibly impactful because we see the characters question the ideals of this God who is supposedly “all good” and the way that this commentary is discussed and how it contributes to the story honestly leaves me without words to describe it.

We’re also introduced to an incredibly complex magic system in a very simplistic way that positively impacts the reading experience for the rest of the book. This magic system is through spells on a “spellograph” which is basically a type writer used to form and power spells and the amount of thought and consideration into the limits and powers of these spells as well as correlating them to a industrial revolution inspired city? Its brilliant.

The pacing in this book is reason enough to pick it up. It’s fast paced but thorough in its explanations and it pushed by the development of the characters throughout, meaning the world changes as these characters change the way they see it. I genuinely finished this book in two sittings because I couldn’t put it down.

The last thing I will say, read the last few pages with “Like a Prayer”, but the choir version, playing. It will make you cry.

You know that feeling when you’re reading, and your throat gets tights and your heart is racing and you try not to skim ahead because your adrenaline is pumping and you NEED to know what’s going to happen?
Yeah, that was me on chapter one of this book.

Simply put, this book is exceptional.

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘯, 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳. 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘳, 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳𝘴.
𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦: 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦.
𝘔𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦, 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘭 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘨𝘦𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.

𝘈𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘦𝘭 𝘫𝘰𝘬𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘭𝘢𝘣 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘭.

Blood over Bright Haven is a well written fantasy book that checks every box.
✔️The plotline & magic system are well developed
✔️The themes are emotionally rich and relevant
✔️The world building is fresh and easy to follow
✔️The characters are so wonderfully complex

This is an intelligent, exciting, perfectly devastating standalone book and I loved it.

𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙫𝙞𝙗𝙚𝙨:
𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘢
𝘙𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘮, 𝘚𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘮, 𝘌𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘮… 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘴
𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮
𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵
𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦
𝘚𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨
𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦
𝘉𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘭 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴

warning: this is an emotionally heavy book that could cause crying .

I received a free copy of Blood over Bright Haven in exchange for my honest review ☆

M L Wang has done it again, having first come across her works with Sword of Kaigen I was really happy to see I was offered this read and I am so happy to say it did not let me down

I would say this novel is a mix of fantasy and dark academia and it is so well done, I am a fan of Wang's writing style and her ability to pack so much into so little writing. While this isn't actually a small book I do think it's hard to write impactful and full bodied stories (in the fantasy genre) into stand alone novels and this is the second time she's done it.

The novel follows Sciona, a woman with the potential to become the only highmage in the history of Tiran, a city made great by magic industrialisation, kept safe within a barrier protecting those within from Blight.
During her studies she is aided by Thomil, a Kwen (hailing from a tribe outside the barrier and now lives a life of servitude) and through him she begins to understand the world in which they live, and which magic is built on.

[spoilers here on]

I enjoyed all the characters, Sciona and Thomil aghh I wish they had more time, I really enjoyed them together and seeing their relationship evolve along with Sciona's faith and morals.

I cannot imagine going through what Sciona does when she finds out the truth, her whole life has been in pursuit of magic, but at what cost.

"Truth over delusion. Growth over comfort"

The highmages believe women, and Sciona, unfit to be mages when it is Sciona who is in fact the only one to actually hold up their ideals.

Her determination is her defining trait and what propels her through - in her magical studies, in becoming the only female highmage and in her ultimate decision.
I think the ending really made this book; it was a brave choice and the right one.

"Thomil said that a woman was weighed at the gates of Heaven by her actions and their impact. Well, Sciona was going to leave an impact. Whatever happened next, whether it led to Hell or Heaven, she was going to have a hand in directing it. Sick or sound, good or evil, she was still Sciona Freynan. And Sciona Freynan didn’t slow down. Sciona Freynan would be remembered."
She wasn't wrong!!!


I really would recommend this to anyone, I hope M L Wang becomes a big name in fantasy, its so deserved and I will personally be reading anything they put out

This has got to be just me... because every review I have seen of this has been nothing but raving thoughts and 5 stars around the board, but I just find myself so bored and struggling to push myself through. I'm not sure if it's the timing of reading this and I'm just slumpy and need faster pace, but as of now I am marking as DNF at 60 percent because I've given it plenty of time to wow me and unfortunately so far it isn't. Hopefully I'll try to pick it back up later once the hype has died down and see if I go in with lower expectations it helps.

Thank you Del Rey for the e-arc! All opinions and thoughts are my own!
I honestly don’t even know how to start this review because that was single-handedly one of the best books. I have read this year. An absolute masterpiece of emotion, worldbuilding, and morality. This is my first time reading a book by ML Wang and I am stupefied by how exquisite and masterful that writing was.

✨the world✨
The world of blood over Bright Haven is dirty, harsh and full of lies. A supposed Utopia built on blood and misdirection. From the very first page, the world is constantly developing. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to understand the magic or it would get a bit too complicated but ML Wang was able to craft a very complicated and unique system of magic while explaining it flawlessly. I was able to comprehend everything that was going on and even have a pretty good grasp of how the magic worked. This book up for success being able to understand this type of system and how it relates to the world is extremely important for this book.

🖤the characters🖤
Morally gray doesn’t even begin to cover this book. Sciona is such a complex character, full of intelligence, ego, humanity, and shame. Thomil is such a real and raw character. ML Wang does not shy away from portraying these characters painfully authentically and painfully real. They both represent so much in this world and the harsh truths that people shy away from. There’s so much that I cannot even describe adequately.

Truly, this book is a wonder and an actual masterpiece.

Thanks to NetGalley for the E-ARC!
Before starting the book, I saw a one-star review asking who Blood over Bright Haven was written for, and I can honestly say it was written for me. I requested it on a whim because of the color, but what hooked me was the magic system, described like computer programming, with sub processes, mapping, variables - the idea of having to get a program 100% right in the first draft, no bugs, with intense consequences was an intensely stressful undercurrent for the entire book. I very much doubt I would have been as engrossed if it hadn’t spoken so directly to me.

Sciona was fantastically unhinged and unredeemable, and I deeply admire M.L. Wang’s unflinching refusal to give her a true redemption arc. Thomil certainly was more deserving of protagonist status, but I think part of the point of the book is how little time we get to spend with him. There was something both abstract and deeply familiar about the world M.L. Wang created, balancing echoes of our world with the one she built to tell her story. There were certainly parts of the book that felt clunkily thematic, but overall the novel deals with difficult themes well.

The best recommendation I can give is that I stayed up till 4 AM to finish the book in one sitting, and I haven’t done that since I was an middle schooler with no real obligations.

After being shattered by “The Sword of Kaigen”, I shouldn’t have expected anything less from “Blood Over Bright Haven”. Wang’s writing is so effective and propulsive. Even though I guessed the hidden source of Tiran’s magic early on during Sciona’s exam, instead of ruining the reading experience it heightened everything, because I was filled with dread wondering when Sciona and Thomil would make their discovery and what would happen when they did.
I could talk forever about how perfectly this story landed for me, how impeccable the writing and the pacing were, and how much I adored the characters. I think a lot of books have tried to do what this one does, but few can match its strength.
I can’t wait to put “Blood Over Bright Haven” on display at my store, and tell absolutely everyone how good it is. And I hope that “The Sword of Kaigen” gets it’s moment in the tradpub sun as well, so when customers ask me for recommendations I can put both books in their hands.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the early read.

M.L. Wang does it again!!! This book was incredible and I highly recommend checking this one out!!!

One of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did not disappoint! ML Wang has ripped me into shreds all over again.

I see a lot of people dislike Sciona. However, I found Sciona to be a compelling character. One who felt genuine and raw in her portrayal. She’s someone driven by a deep desire to prove herself, not through relationships or love, but through achievement, because that’s the only path she believes is available to her. She is a product of her environment. Is it her fault for her government and the men in her life to gaslight her??

Thomil is the sweetest thing ever and already on page 5 I was ready to run and protect him. Being a minority myself, I connected a lot with his character.

Again, ML Wang did not come to play. This book brought out a lot of emotions for me. Definitely looking forward for more books by her!

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang had a promising description, but unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite live up to the excitement I felt going in. The themes of racism, sexism, and religion really intrigued me at first, and I was ready for a deep, impactful story. But as the book progressed, it felt like things just... didn't go anywhere. The world is constantly portrayed as harsh and oppressive, and while the plot twists added to that bleakness, the characters didn’t seem to do much about it. They felt oddly passive in the face of everything going on.

That being said, I really enjoyed the world-building. It was detailed and easy to understand, which made it fun to explore, especially as we learned the magic system alongside Thomil. The first quarter of the book is dedicated to fleshing out the world and magic, and I was hooked during that part.

The overall message of the book was solid, and I think it was conveyed well. But Sciona, as the main character, was insufferable at times. While I appreciated the dynamic between her and Thomil, I just didn’t buy into the huge shift in her character. It felt like there wasn’t enough happening to justify that quick of a change.

One thing to note—this story is definitely more academia-driven than action-packed, and I think that’s where I struggled. The last third of the book had some action that helped keep me engaged, and that’s what bumped this up to 3 stars for me.