𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐌. 𝐋. 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐠
Magic has made this city an industrial utopia, but magic has a cost and the collectors have come calling. This standalone dark academia novel brimming with mystery, tragedy and the damning echoes of the past follows two characters.

Sciona has devoted every waking moment to the study of magic, fuelled by a mad desire to achieve the impossible: to be the first women ever admitted to the High Magistry. When Sciona finally becomes a highmage, she finds that her challenges have just begun.

Thomil was a nomadic hunter from beyond the magical barrier who survived the perilous crossing that killed his family. He sees an opportunity to finally understand the forces that decimated his tribe, drove him from his homeland and keeping these people in power.

It would appear Sciona’s peers did not realise the taciturn assistant they forced upon her has secrets of his own and an obsession with uncovering the truth. Their fractious relationship between mage and outsider, may lead to them unmoving the secret that could change the course of magic forever. If it doesn’t kill them first.

The magic system is fascinating, the issues of the selfish pursuit of prestige is startling and it subtly shows the inadequacy in our reality. An easy five stars.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐞𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐌. 𝐋. 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐠

From NetGalley, I received the trad published version of Blood Over Bright Haven ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 🌟 rounded up. This is one of the best fantasy books I’ve read in awhile. As a standalone, it is so well written and tackles relevant social issues- imperialism, racism, faith, and gender inequality to name a few. M.L. Wang truly mastered the history and world building of Tiran. The way that magic was used and treated more as a science in this novel was fantastic and refreshing.

Tiran is an industrial utopia that utilizes magic to power its infrastructures and day-to-day functions for its citizens. The novel predominately follows Sciona, the first female Highmage, and Thomil, her assistant. Both characters come from completely different backgrounds- one an orphan dedicated to her studies of magic and a Kwen refugee worker. Because of her general lack of social awareness or relationships, Sciona is often obtuse and selfish in her thinking. When she is met with a discovery that challenges her faith and morals, she is forced to face the reality of her prejudices. This inner turmoil helps to push the plot forward with her actions that cause great conflict in the city of Tiran.

Overall, this novel was great. None of the side characters felt like fillers; they all served a significant purpose. I can offer no critiques other than it feeling flat and void of emotion at times. I will definitely be purchasing a hard copy of the new publication when it comes out in October.

ML Wang has so many strengths, but I think chief among them is her raw ability to portray humanity, in all its beauty and horror and selfishness and tenacity and love.
This book is another triumph for Wang, evidenced by her continued mastery of prose, character growth, and above all, profound emotional connection from character to reader. She trusts the reader to understand her message.
Wang really has proven herself to be a powerhouse in fantasy and in literature. Blood over Bright Haven is brimming with hope amidst tragedy. I loved it.

I want to thank netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All I can say is wow, great character and world building. Highly recommend and can't wait to see where the author goes next

I don't think there's any world where I cannot give this book five stars, as I sit here sobbing at the beautiful parallels between the start and the end of this book.

From the get-go, this book appears to have everything I need in an elite-tier book: a absolutely insane and kind of complicated but very fascinating magic system, a dark academia environment, a woman breaking glass-ceilings into male-dominated spaces, and a pair of unlikely allies. This book does have all that, but it also dives so much deeper on themes of religion, what it means to do and be good in the world, what we owe to ourselves and our community, the cost of our choices, actually understanding what our true beliefs really mean and do we actually want to believe in those things, and how all of these themes come together in a fantastical world but make us truly reflect on the world we live in today. ML Wang, you are a true genius and I will listen to anything you have to say!!!

I'm not going to lie, the first 20-30ish% of the book is dense in trying to understand the world, the magic, and what the greater mystery/concern is. There are a lot of conversations that characters have in debates that are painful to read because of how reflective they are of our society. But all of that is so important in helping us get the greater message of this book, which to me is that throughout everything, despite the hardships and the differences we may have, the chance to hope exists. Sciona hopes to make a difference with her magical discoveries. Thomil hopes that he can keep his people's memories alive. Carra hopes for a chance to live the life her parents hoped for her. Good or bad, hope is at the core of pushing us to do what we think is right.

Standing ovation for an incredible book. Thank you, ML Wang!

(And thank you to NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review)

An incredible tale of mystery, tragedy, and truth. How easily one can commit evil acts simply because they turn an oblivious eye to the truth. How change is possible with the right motivations. My heart has ached right along with these characters, I’ve cried, I’ve raged and I have smile. I cheered on Scionia and Thomil and Cara and wanted to so badly for a found family ending. But alas, my heart was broken. This will be a book that I will not get over soon.

With such an intricate magic system, a mysterious blight that’s enough to terrify readers, and a society that seems to have it all but underneath lies something incredibly dark and sinister, and characters that are well thought out, flawed, but still wonderful, it’s not wonder I couldn’t put this book down. It will leave you on the edge of your seat and fearful of what’s to come but hoping for something better and wishing it wasn’t a standalone.

It took me a few days to really get into it but whew once it gets going you don't want to stop reading! Blood Over Brighthaven is a tense, quick-witted novel about a brilliant mage who wants to put her name in the history books and the stubborn janitor who becomes her assistant.
I really liked the analysis of colonialism in this book. Sciona was not always likeable as a main character but she's extremely believable as a person within a colonialist society who discovers exactly what the price of her magic is.

Thomil is one of the last surviving membors of his tribe and has to keep his head down and reign in his fury in order to make a living. He's always honest with Sciona, and I really loved their relationship. He doesn't soften any edges for her and she needs that in order to come to the conclusions she reaches.

It's a brutal story, honestly, but it's very well written and I found the characters compelling.

A huge shoutout to M.L. Wang, the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was definitely a different style read than I’m used to but I wasn’t against it either. It had a very dark feel to it. There were some very graphic scenes in the book that could be unsettling to people but the characters and the character development is absolutely amazing.
This probably wasn’t a book I would personally pick up again, but I do highly recommend it if you fancy the dark, and disturbing style of books!

This was such a good, feminist dark academia story in a fantastical world! I think I'm finding what I like in dark academia, and this book is that! I love a good standalone, and I really liked the character growth in this. I do think that some of the social commentary was a bit heavy handed, but overall I had a really good time with this!

This review is of an ARC for Blood Over Bright Haven provided in exchange for review.

Five stars, and I would give more if I could. This book was Babel, but if you put Jasnah Kholin and Kaladin Stormblessed (of the Stormlight Archives) at the helm. Dramatic comparisons aside, the world building - and you must stick with it for a little bit, because the magic system is explained deeply and quickly - the characters, and the overall themes explored will sit with you for awhile.

We start with Sciona Freynan, the first female to ever be admitted into the prestigious ranks of the Tiran highmages, as she begins a research project that is needed for the good of all within Tiran. She is ambitious, driven, confident, and understands that everything she does will either create opportunities or ruin them for the women who will one day follow in her footsteps. She is such a well-written embodiment of female drive - and I say that rather than female rage, because her drive is the kind where she strives to be perfect, to be so unquestionably the best that men are forced to acknowledge her, rather than loudly or violently demanding their respect. (No hate to female rage though; we live for female rage.)

The conflict she and her assistant, Tommy (WE LOVE TOMMY WITH ALL OUR HEARTS) uncover is one that speaks to an incredibly real, human injustice and unbalance of powers. The way the story is shaped made me feel the weight of all of Sciona and Tommy’s decisions and actions, and its conclusion has me sitting in silence, just THINKING about this book.

(Because I feel it is necessary to include: there were many tears shed. I love crying over books. I love gasping and biting my nails in angst. If you also love all of these, this one’s for you.)

"This was the most righteous, most logical, most human anger that could fill a soul."
In Tiran a woman is only allowed the opportunity to test for Highmage once every decade. Sciona has been working toward this for twenty years, and has become the first female Highmage in history. The way M.L. Wang writes about sexism, racism and colonialism is beyond anything l've read.
There is no other way than to draw parallels from what's happening in real life to the history and life of the Kwen people. It makes you sick to your stomach, by the last chapter I felt hope but deep sadness for everything Thomils people still have ahead of them.
I went through the full spectrum of emotions reading this. I will never forget this story, this was the most original magic system l've ever read in my life. I cannot wait to read everything M.L. Wang writes.
Thank you NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group for this ARC.

4.75/5 ⭐️

M.L. Wang is gives another masterclass in character writing. The characters of Blood over Bright Haven are so good I think talking about them might be somewhat of a spoiler… suffice it to say they’re complex and deeply flawed people in a borderline grim dark kind of story. While the characters are the stars here the world is very interesting even if not super fleshed out, the introduction alone is breathtaking in one of the most intense openings I can remember. My biggest gripes about this book is it feels like there should be more, I believe there is potential for many more books written in this world or even just about the characters within. Alas this may never be the case and maybe that’s ok.

Absolutely stellar, a favorite book of 2024! Wang is officially an auto buy author for me now. This is a dark gritty stand alone fantasy with deep and intriguing characters and a plot that engages from page one and doesn’t let you go. I’m still thinking about this book weeks after finishing. This is one of those rare books that I will continue to recommend to anyone for a very long time.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review!

M.L. Wang is becoming a must read for me no matter the story! First with Sword of Kaigen and now with Blood over Bright Haven!

I really enjoyed this book. It covers some serious topics but didn’t feel preachy about them. This world feels lived in and you can understand all of the character motivations. The magic in here is also really interesting and felt really scientific. If you are fans of A deadly education by Naomi Novak and Babel by R.F. Kuang you should definitely give this book a read!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This freaking book got so many emotions out of me... Just as many were frustration and the urge to smack Sciona in the face...but an emotional response is an emotional response. Highly recommend to anyone looking for an immersive, utterly unique story with characters who'll stay with you long after you finish.

Can we get more industrial fantasy, pretty please?

After reading the sword of Kaigen I knew this was going to be good! I’m not one for dark academia but this was everything I hoped for and more! I will be adding this to my list of recommendations. I’m a life long M.L. Wang can after this!

A brilliant read that I'll be thinking about forever.
Excellent world building, exquisitely flawed characters. Intricate magic system. Themes of sexism, colonialism, bigotry and much more that the author does not shy away from which makes an engaging read.
This is dark academia at it's finest.
M.L Wang is a talented writer and I'm very glad to have read this book.

This is a master piece. I will be buying the edition when it releases! The female character Sciona wants to prove herself in a male dominated world of mages. Sciona thought studying was the difficult part of qualifying to become a mage, but what she discovers along the way has her questioning everything she has known.

I made it about 20% through this book before I guessed almost all of the plot. Made it to 40% before stopping for over a week to see if I was still interested…turns out I was. Now even though it was predictable, those final few chapters were extremely satisfying. The ending leaving us with just a sliver of hope was excellent. I would Absolutely recommend this as a good standalone if you can accept the really obvious magic systems and outcomes.

[received an arc from random house publishing and netgalley, thank you!]

i admire this book for a few of its qualities: i liked the magic system, and i appreciated that it was willing to make its protag deeply enmeshed in the discriminatory mindsets of her society. it's a nice change of pace, to make your main character admittedly terrible, especially when they need to do such a sharp 180 in the course of your book! i liked the discussions of the diaspora wanting to preserve their culture in a predominately white world, even when it was life-threatening, and i liked that the main character isn't given grace by at least one person. that being said, i don't think that i liked this book that much--mostly because a lot of its most hard-hitting sections are less impactful because they're delivered so heavy-handedly. every character says exactly what they feel or what their motivations are, and if they don't the pov character helpfully tells you exactly what kind of subtext is going into their words, and there were so many conversations in here that is just exposition-exposition-unsubtle characterization-exposition. i like that this world has a lot of thought put into it, but we really don't see much of it, because the main characters are almost always in a lab or a library just talking about the outside world. you don't really see a lot of the marginalized communities that characters are always talking about other than their representative main characters, which forces every conversation to include some kind of outside commentary just to remind you that other people have it bad and even worse, just off-page.

but back to sciona! like i said, i liked that she sucked! i liked that someone calls her out within the first chapter for being pretty much entirely self-serving despite her rallying for feminism. i liked that you can see her cut corners and swerve around the truth in her mind when she's confronted on her worldly beliefs. that being said: [spoilers about character discussion on my goodreads] other than sciona, thomil was ultimately fine as a character, and like i said i liked how he has to navigate assimilation into a hostile society not just for himself, but for another, younger member of his family. that was cool! and every other character in this book is just a prop for the plot with a name. ultimately around 3/5 stars.