A review by unthank
Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.5

Good 
  • Despite the slow start it began to pick up in the second half. The climax and ending of the book was a total page-turner. 
  • It presented the brutality of living in a racist and sexist world without feeling like this brutality was included for the sake of being voyeuristically grimdark.
  • The story really hit the sweet spot of despair and hope. 
  • The magic system of the world is interesting and well thought out. 
  • The heroine was given space to be flawed and complex. She was a really good example of how a progressive person living in a racist society will make racist assumptions. The changes in her belief system and world perspective over the course of the novel felt well earned. 
  • I enjoyed the chemistry between the two leads. 
  • The story was an interesting examination of intersectionality. 

Bad
  • Occasionally the dialog felt a little bit too on the nose regarding the themes of the story. 
  • The first half of the book was slow.

YMMV
  • The book contains an in-depth exploration of themes that some people might find difficult. While I felt like it struck the right balance between despair and hope, it's ultimately not a happy story. 
  • The opening scene included one of my biggest first-chapter pet peeves. I appreciate this scene a lot more having read the entire story and seeing where the author ended up going with it, but it definitely almost put me off the book.

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