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morybaby's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I think this book is very reflective of our society. M.L. Wang is insanely talented and I will read anything she writes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, and Classism
mk_loisirs's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I need to return to this once I gather my thoughts. Phenomenal.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Religious bigotry, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
bookishvicky's review against another edition
4.75
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing group for a digital copy of Blood Over Bright Haven for a fair and honest review.
“It was a beautiful thought– for a different world that was just, kind, and not about to collapse.”
Today is November 7th, 2024. And I am sick reading this book. I had to skim read the final ten pages for how much I wanted to scream and cry and throw up. This was not the thrill of Maeve Fly throw up, but rather the raw, hopeless, pulling out your hair kind.
M.L. Wang– you are a genius. You have delivered us a beautiful book about imperialism, racism, capitalism, classism, sexism; and you’ve done so in such a realistic way I almost want to refuse to review this book.
While the opening chapters were a touch slow and difficult to get through, the climax seemed to last half the book. I was sickened reading things I’ve seen on social media in wake of police brutiality and recently with the election. I don’t believe I can give this gorgeous book justice with my words.
“The path to God wasn’t laid for women like her. It was laid on their backs.”
Blood Over Bright Haven is bleak. It’s horrible. It shows the cruelties of men in power, language of war and conflict that negate human life, dangerous ideas that men in power in my country tote in our helpless faces. This book is violent and disgusting. This book is a raw, horrifying, nauseating truth.
This book is so important. I cannot recommend it enough.
However-- the characters are one kind of dimensional, and I feel like at times Sciona was very much white feminism-ing her way through some of the book. The end was... i dont know. On one hand, how else would it end, on another, it's so bleak and a bit white savior-y. I'm undecided. Maybe this book is actually horrible. I don't know. It's. Wow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Minor: Animal death, Genocide, Gore, Miscarriage, and Blood
nina_rae_131's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Blood Over Bright Haven by ML Wang is similar to Babel by RF Kuang in that it has similar themes. They both explore racism, xenophobia, and colonization, along with misogyny. Sciona is very similar to Letty as they are both "white" women in a misogynistic society, who think their struggle is the end all be all, without even considering the struggles of POC/the Kwen. Like Letty, Sciona became angry and violent when confronted with the truth, although Sciona ultimately handled it better.
Sciona's behavior was infuriating at multiple points. Thomil, the voice of reason, was a welcome perspective, although it was difficult to watch how he was treated by Sciona. In that vein, their romance was also difficult for me. It very much felt like a colonizer romance, but ultimately, their relationship at the end of the book was satisfying for me.
The big secret was a bit predictable for me, and I've seen other reviewers complain that more people should have figured it out, but I disagree. This society is very religious, thinking they are superior with god given magic. It makes sense that they would not consider where their magic came from. Even Sciona, seeker of truth, did not want to believe it when she saw it with her own eyes.
Sciona's final plan was interesting, but the way she ignored Thomil's advice was frustrating, showing that she still didn't appreciate him and his knowledge.
The ending was open-ended, but I felt like it worked for the book.
It may sound like I complained a lot, but this book was phenomenal. Sciona's character was extremely believable for a "white" woman in her society. I loved Thomil and Carra, and their relationship. The magic was unique. The critiques of racism, colonization, misogyny, etc. fit well within the world and make you think about ours (although they are a bit heavy-handed at times). The ending was satisfying, and it leaves you thinking about where this world will go from there. This book will stay with me for a long time.
Sciona's behavior was infuriating at multiple points. Thomil, the voice of reason, was a welcome perspective, although it was difficult to watch how he was treated by Sciona. In that vein, their romance was also difficult for me. It very much felt like a colonizer romance, but ultimately, their relationship at the end of the book was satisfying for me.
The big secret was a bit predictable for me, and I've seen other reviewers complain that more people should have figured it out, but I disagree. This society is very religious, thinking they are superior with god given magic. It makes sense that they would not consider where their magic came from. Even Sciona, seeker of truth, did not want to believe it when she saw it with her own eyes.
Sciona's final plan was interesting, but the way she ignored Thomil's advice was frustrating, showing that she still didn't appreciate him and his knowledge.
The ending was open-ended, but I felt like it worked for the book.
It may sound like I complained a lot, but this book was phenomenal. Sciona's character was extremely believable for a "white" woman in her society. I loved Thomil and Carra, and their relationship. The magic was unique. The critiques of racism, colonization, misogyny, etc. fit well within the world and make you think about ours (although they are a bit heavy-handed at times). The ending was satisfying, and it leaves you thinking about where this world will go from there. This book will stay with me for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, and Colonisation
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Infertility, Suicide, and Abandonment
ktkeps's review
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying and Death of parent
Minor: Infertility and Cannibalism
eusteph's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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
5.0
I expected nothing less than a five star book from M.L. Wang, and she delivered.
Was this as devastatingly brilliant as The Sword of Kaigen? No, and I frankly don't think I will read a book that does to me what that book did. Still, this was action packed to the brim and beautifully written.
Connecting to the characters was easy as was putting myself in their shoes when they dealt with tragedy and moral questions.
I found the ending extremely satisfying (yay for stand-alone books) and it left me longing for another book of Wang's.
It may be time to give Girl Squad Volta a try.
Was this as devastatingly brilliant as The Sword of Kaigen? No, and I frankly don't think I will read a book that does to me what that book did. Still, this was action packed to the brim and beautifully written.
Connecting to the characters was easy as was putting myself in their shoes when they dealt with tragedy and moral questions.
I found the ending extremely satisfying (yay for stand-alone books) and it left me longing for another book of Wang's.
It may be time to give Girl Squad Volta a try.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, and Xenophobia
beccarwolf's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
A book that mirrors the worst of our society.
Sciona thinks that she has broken the glass ceiling when she’s accepted as a Highmage in the oasis city of Tiran. When she remains unaccepted by her peers, Sciona maintains diligence in her work with the aid of her Kwen assistant, Thomil. Her persistence in her work leads to revelations that are hard to swallow and even more difficult to remedy.
Sciona’s character development is both frustrating and realistic. She’s unlikable in her egocentrism. And I still liked her.
Top ten for the year? Perhaps.
Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Sciona thinks that she has broken the glass ceiling when she’s accepted as a Highmage in the oasis city of Tiran. When she remains unaccepted by her peers, Sciona maintains diligence in her work with the aid of her Kwen assistant, Thomil. Her persistence in her work leads to revelations that are hard to swallow and even more difficult to remedy.
Sciona’s character development is both frustrating and realistic. She’s unlikable in her egocentrism. And I still liked her.
Top ten for the year? Perhaps.
Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Sexual assault and Suicide attempt
Minor: Suicide
redrin's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Sexual assault and Suicidal thoughts
jadorelecafe's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
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?
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
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Infertility, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
k8teviola's review against another edition
challenging
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? It's complicated
5.0
Riveting book. A look into the politics of intersectionality and blind oppression wrapped within a highly thought out magical world. Frustratingly realistic characters that make you want to root for them
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Colonisation
Minor: Miscarriage