Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - Blood Over Bright Haven

where do I even begin? I feel like I need to go stare at a wall for a few hours and contemplate on… everything… after finishing this book.

This was such an incredible read. It’s a story of hope and loss and grief and faith and intention.

There is so much packed into this book it’s hard to know where to even start. There’s questions of morality, is intention what counts most? Or is the result what counts most? Just because you intend to do something good, doesn’t always make it a good action.
There’s so much grief and loss piled onto each other here and it’s heart wrenching but it also shows how every action, every person, every decision makes such a big impact on the world around us.
Hope is a fickle thing too. We can hope for the best but we also need to plan for the worst. We have to be able to find that balance and not lose hope for what is right and good in the world because it’s worth hoping for.

It was so interesting to see Sciona’s character arc evolve throughout the story. In the end she had to learn to live with and work with her flaws to do the right thing and do good for the world and others. Sciona is a character that meant well, her intent was not to cause harm or hurt, but she was selfish to a fault. She struggled to get out of her own head enough to see how much her ideas and decisions and actions would truly impact the world around her.

I really loved the conversation about morality in this story too. It really hits hard. Is intention to do good all that matters? Or is the outcome of your actions all that matter? Or is it somewhere between?

Content Warnings

mjscooke's review against another edition

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challenging dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

issareads's review

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dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

mari_epub's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

roaming_enn's review

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

“We have taken so that we may live.
We have taken so that one day we may give back.
And now the taking is done.”
~the Caldonnae hunter’s prayer~

One of my new favorite books. The book begins brutally. And the book ends brutally. It follows two characters as they make their way in a city, Tiran, that doesn’t appreciate them: Sciona, a woman, and Thomil the Kwen/“Blighter” janitor. Sciona mistakenly assumes that she would be respected once she passes her exam to become the first ever female highmage. But of course, she lives in a world and profession dominated by men some of whom will go out of their way to make her miserable. Thomil was the janitor of the building that she works in until one of the male highmages makes him Sciona’s (untrained) assistant as a humiliation to them both. As Sciona and Thomil work together and get to know each other, they come to learn the truth of the magic that Tiran is powered by.

I honestly didn’t know what to expect from this book. I’d heard that it was like Kuang’s Babel, and it certainly was. But they are also two very different stories. I feel like I enjoyed this one more! It explores themes of racism, sexism, xenophobia, cultural assimilation, theft of culture and language, and mass slaughter and genocide. I cried a lot throughout this book. Often I’d cry near the end of it, but I was crying in like every other chapter. Anyway, this was an AMAZING book. Be prepared for racist and sexist language though. And for one SA scene. Oh, and gory death scenes too, sprinkled like blood throughout the book. In fact, just look at all the trigger warnings. I’ll add as many as I can think of.

Content Warnings

stijlwaters's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A very good read, and a really delightful magic system and world—both of which serve the overarching message of the book. Really incisive and well put together, but my only complaint is the dialogue could really stretch on. I tend to prefer a bit more show than tell.

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