Blood Over Bright Haven by M L Wang

Blood Over Bright Haven by M L Wang

Blood Over Bright Haven is the first novel that I've read by M L Wang. It has been on my shelf all year, watching me, waiting for me to finally pick it up. I wish I hadn't waited so long. It is an Elle Book of the Year, it is all over TikTok, and it has phenomenal reviews on both Goodreads and Amazon. It deals with bullying, death including of children and animals, genocide, gore, gun violence, racism, slurs, and hate crimes, infertility and miscarriage, suicidal thoughts, blood, sexism and sexual assault, violence, police brutality, grief, murder, gaslighting, abandonment, war, injury, classism, and even cannibalism. That being said, this book was not difficult to read and most of this is not graphic.

Sciona is the first woman to be admitted into the High Magistry at the University of Magics and Industry, an honor that she has devoted her entire life and every spare moment to achieving. She did it for the girls who will come after her, sure, but mostly she does it because she's proud and a bit arrogant and wants the proof that she is every bit as good as the men she works with. After she receives her robes and starts working on the Magistry's next big project, eager to prove herself to her peers (many of which still believe that she does not belong), her assistant, Thomil, opens Sciona's eyes to the many prejudices that she had against his people, the Kwen. He also gives her insights that help her to make a huge breakthrough and discover something that shakes the very foundations of what she believes. And now that the discovery has been made, she's not sure she can continue living her life the same way. And she's not sure that she should, even if she could.

I cannot say enough about this book. It was incredible. The characters are so well put together and not even close to perfect. They are so relatable with their many faults yet immensely loveable. The setting and the plot were both interesting and unique, it starts off in a way that really gets you invested in the story and the pace does not slow down. It does lighten up a little, otherwise I may have had a heart attack, but it moved quickly and I was never bored. But the magic system was what really got me, it was something I've not seen before and I found it to be so interesting and explained in a way that made it fairly easy to understand. The ending was inevitable and I hated it but I also loved it, I had to sit by myself quietly for about 90 seconds after I was done just to come to terms with everything that had happened.

I'm giving Blood Over Bright Haven by M L Wang 5 stars. And this one deserves every bit of those stars. It was emotional, it was challenging, it was inspiring, it kept me on the edge of my seat. I already wanted to read The Sword of Kaigen but now it's moved to the top of my list and I can't wait to read it. If you read this, email me. I want to talk about it.

For more from M L Wang, check out https://mlwangbooks.com/

Pairs well with blueberry scones and lighting the world on fire, but not enjoying it while you do it.