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A review by rays_reads
Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang
5.0
Wow. This story was heartbreakingly beautiful. I stayed up till 1am to finish this and just... wow...
WHY WAS THERE NO EPILOGUE GYAT DAMN IT!!!!!
SCIONAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
-----------------------------------------------
Alright, let's get this review started. Sighhhh this book has left me speechless on several accounts and Wang does a fantastic job at tackling topics in a complex manor such as colonization, sexism, human morality, human and land exploitation, religion, family, and ones legacy. I don't think I've read a book with so much depth thats right in your face. Some authors choose to leave it as an underlying message or will drop hints here and there but Wang says "fuck that shit" and slaps it right in your face so you're forced to confront the harsh realities of what it means to be Kwen, living in a foreigner hating government and what it means to be a woman in a man dominated field.
I don't think I'm smart enough to articulate just how much the book goes over but I'll try my best as I touch upon the three main conflicts within this story.
<blockquote> "By the laws that govern your society Kwen can't be raped, can't be wronged, can't be murdered." </blockquote>
1. Colonization. Thomil is one of the main characters we follow in the story as we see just how traumatized and affected he's become by living through Blight massacring his family and living in a country the inherently thinks he's sub-human (boy I wonder where Wang got the inspo from... cuz this situation totally doesn't resemble any minority irl.... totally not....) He goes from being one of the strongest hunters in his tribe to being a man who's constantly keeping his head low, trying to make ends meet, and worried on whether his choices have ultimately damned his niece by keeping their tribes traditions alive instead of urging her to assimilate. And the way Thomil interacted with different characters of the book, Sciona included, you can see just how little the people of Tiran treat the Kwen. Sciona doubted the poor man could read, he was stabbed by a highmage, he saw his female coworkers fear being raped and killed, his ex-lover had her family taken away from her due to poor factory conditions, his niece has to work two jobs... Even towards the end when Sciona disguises herself as Kwen in the mage tower nobody looks at her twice even after shes caught... that's how little the people of Tiran think of the Kwen. Thomil was like the perfect balance to Sciona as the two characters come from drastically different backgrounds so seeing the effects colonization had on both parties was amazing. And when Sciona found out what her people were doing... her argument with Thomil after the realization was one of my favorite things. She believed in her country sooo much because of the religious brainwashing and patriarchy that it took her killing another person to finally see just what her people were doing to the outside world.... (sorry if this isn't cohesive as there's so much I want to say but don't have the capacity to write it out properly)
<blockquote> "So many parents will try to kill everything brilliant about a girl in the name of giving her a good life, a safe life, a chance at happiness." </blockquote>
2. The ego of men. Now this maybe a spoiler but throughout the entire book we follow Sciona as she attempts to start a legacy being the first female mage. I want to speak on her character properly in her own paragraph so I'll mainly focus on the ideals of men and women Wang shows us about Tiran. Men have a very high standing in Tiran... they're basically seen as the second fucking coming of Jesus and I cannot tell you how many times I've wanted to strangle the male characters I've come across in this book. Wang also does a great job at sprinkling the misogynist text throughout the book as the audience gets to see just how long women have been subservient to men, unable to strive for more. It's only when Sciona comes into the picture, sponsored by her male mentor no less, that we can see just how incompetent the male mages are and their egos are eventually what became their undoing.Also specifically Scionas mentor (don't care to remember his name because fuck him) he's a perfect example of the unconscious male ego as he pretends that his sponsorship of Sciona was for her and future female mages but really it was all about his legacy and wanting to fill his own ambition and morality. Because when faced with the truth of what magic in Tiran did he chose to conceal the truth and delusion Sciona as well... I feel like he was a true father figure for her but he wasn't a good one in comparison to Thomil. Another example is when the highmage who SAs Sciona (again idrc to remember the names of any male character other than Thomils) before he attempted to rape Sciona he felt entitled to her work... after insulting her and egging her HE ACTUALLY STILL FELT FUCKING ENTITLED... there was a moment where I thought "oh maybe he's a self-actualized asshole and maybe wants to help" .... my optimism fucks me over BECAUSE NO HE JUST WANTS SCIONAS BODY AND RESEARCH... like bru... The audacity of men in this book was absolutely fucking astounding and it's sad that the only man who is redeemable is one who had to witness the massacre of his tribe... but who knows.. maybe that's what it takes for men to gain some fucking empathy.
3. Human morality. Lastly is human morality... I loved how complex Wang chose to write all the characters. She writes them in all shades of gray and while we do have "true villains" in this story we really see how some people become bad through their circumstances and emotions. Sciona is a big example as she's selfish to a fault yet still choose to do the right thing... As for Thomil he's a majority good but we can see the underlying anger and frustration just waiting to burst through. I felt like he probably could've snapped towards the end of the book but I again like how his personality was contrasting to Sciona's. And going back to their discussions we also see how their conflicting views really show the differences in their morals... It makes the audience think and doubt whether or not we're inheritably good or bad... It's like this... if bad actions = good consequences = good person? Or does good action = bad consequences = bad person? These are the questions Wang poses and I genuinely had to wonder whether or not if I was a good person... (spoiler alert.... I didn't realize jack shit and am in limbo until further notice.. any opinions will be welcomed and considered in the final examination upon death :3) We also see the morality of general human population of Tiran from both Tiran's people and the Kwen and I honestly couldn't help but compare it to modern society.... The fact that it matched sooooo fucking well was lowkey, no... highkey depressing and made me disappointed of my fellow human constituents... but really.... even when faced with reality of the horrors of the outside world... like in the book... humans wouldn't care unless it was happening to them.
Alright this review is getting too long so I'll wrap it up with my gatekeep, gaslight, girlboss Sciona... Sciona is the girl I want to be when I grow (excluding the uhhh racist views and extreme patriotism..) People in some reviews say she's unlikeable on purpose but I fell in love the minute she was introduced. So many times have I read about a FMC's ambitions being pushed on the backburner, them being meek, being pushed into a romance plot with a shitty MMC.... I'M TIRED OF THAT GRANDMA! And then woosh! Wang comes in to save the day with Sciona... She's an ego maniac, selfish, prejudice, determined, ambitious... UGHHH so many things and she's just unequivocally herself. I loved how much she started to change once she met Thomil because she really lacked human empathy in the beginning (lowkey for good reason because the men around her just sucked ASS) and when she finally met someone who wasn't trying to speak over her and actually understand her work and magic she connected with him. Thomil was like a rude awakening for her because not only did Sciona gain a friend but she gained the ability to empathize, to be compassionate, and finally question the beliefs of her religion/country/superiors. LETS BE CLEAR THAT THIS IS NOT A ENEMIES TO LOVERS ROMANCE FUCKKK NOOOOO. This is a story about a woman who was raised in the belief that her god, her country, and man were put above all else in the pursuit of greatness and truth and when she finally realized the cost of that greatness she strove to do what was right... and sure... it might be a little bit of a "white savior" kinda thing but... I don't think that's the overall message of Sciona's character the book. Because Sciona is nobody's savior... girly is not a hero and the author makes it very fucking clear she's not... she's just a woman who wanted to make an impact on the world until she saw just how fucked up the world was and decided to make a different impact... Overall I think her character meant hope. (Look at me being a little optimist EHEHEHEHH) A big reason of why I think that is because towards the end of the book after Sciona realized what she's done, what her country has done, she becomes manic, depressed, and suicidal and hatches a plan that will cause her end her life alongside the council... Now I'm not sure why she ended her life alongside those fuckers but I think she did it because she understood her own greed about alchemy and magic and didn't want to follow the path her ancestors did before her.... also to just say "fuck you" to an entire room of egotistical men. Again, I could be wrong but I absolutely love how she died. Being the biggest man-hater in this world she did the biggest fuck you by draining the last of the magic source and killed all the council members and mages who believed her to be an insipid, stupid girl who was overcome by emotions... but nah.. till the end Sciona's legacy was giving hope for a better future, saying good bye to those she loved, and saying fuck you to the patriarchy.
Overall this story was beautiful. It was a thought provoking piece that kept me gripped by the pages all the way through. The characters were complex, the storytelling was compelling, the magic was scientific perfection, and the plot was heartbreaking. The feeling I got from reading this book was truly one of a kind and I can only hope to replicate it by reading more of Wang's books. She's become a new favorite author.
Overall rating: 5/5
GYAT THIS MIGHT JUST BE MY LONGEST REVIEW YET
WHY WAS THERE NO EPILOGUE GYAT DAMN IT!!!!!
SCIONAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
-----------------------------------------------
Alright, let's get this review started. Sighhhh this book has left me speechless on several accounts and Wang does a fantastic job at tackling topics in a complex manor such as colonization, sexism, human morality, human and land exploitation, religion, family, and ones legacy. I don't think I've read a book with so much depth thats right in your face. Some authors choose to leave it as an underlying message or will drop hints here and there but Wang says "fuck that shit" and slaps it right in your face so you're forced to confront the harsh realities of what it means to be Kwen, living in a foreigner hating government and what it means to be a woman in a man dominated field.
I don't think I'm smart enough to articulate just how much the book goes over but I'll try my best as I touch upon the three main conflicts within this story.
<blockquote> "By the laws that govern your society Kwen can't be raped, can't be wronged, can't be murdered." </blockquote>
1. Colonization. Thomil is one of the main characters we follow in the story as we see just how traumatized and affected he's become by living through Blight massacring his family and living in a country the inherently thinks he's sub-human (boy I wonder where Wang got the inspo from... cuz this situation totally doesn't resemble any minority irl.... totally not....) He goes from being one of the strongest hunters in his tribe to being a man who's constantly keeping his head low, trying to make ends meet, and worried on whether his choices have ultimately damned his niece by keeping their tribes traditions alive instead of urging her to assimilate. And the way Thomil interacted with different characters of the book, Sciona included, you can see just how little the people of Tiran treat the Kwen.
<blockquote> "So many parents will try to kill everything brilliant about a girl in the name of giving her a good life, a safe life, a chance at happiness." </blockquote>
2. The ego of men. Now this maybe a spoiler but throughout the entire book we follow Sciona as she attempts to start a legacy being the first female mage. I want to speak on her character properly in her own paragraph so I'll mainly focus on the ideals of men and women Wang shows us about Tiran. Men have a very high standing in Tiran... they're basically seen as the second fucking coming of Jesus and I cannot tell you how many times I've wanted to strangle the male characters I've come across in this book. Wang also does a great job at sprinkling the misogynist text throughout the book as the audience gets to see just how long women have been subservient to men, unable to strive for more. It's only when Sciona comes into the picture, sponsored by her male mentor no less, that we can see just how incompetent the male mages are and their egos are eventually what became their undoing.
3. Human morality. Lastly is human morality... I loved how complex Wang chose to write all the characters. She writes them in all shades of gray and while we do have "true villains" in this story we really see how some people become bad through their circumstances and emotions. Sciona is a big example as she's selfish to a fault yet still choose to do the right thing... As for Thomil he's a majority good but we can see the underlying anger and frustration just waiting to burst through. I felt like he probably could've snapped towards the end of the book but I again like how his personality was contrasting to Sciona's. And going back to their discussions we also see how their conflicting views really show the differences in their morals... It makes the audience think and doubt whether or not we're inheritably good or bad... It's like this... if bad actions = good consequences = good person? Or does good action = bad consequences = bad person? These are the questions Wang poses and I genuinely had to wonder whether or not if I was a good person... (spoiler alert.... I didn't realize jack shit and am in limbo until further notice.. any opinions will be welcomed and considered in the final examination upon death :3) We also see the morality of general human population of Tiran from both Tiran's people and the Kwen and I honestly couldn't help but compare it to modern society....
Alright this review is getting too long so I'll wrap it up with my gatekeep, gaslight, girlboss Sciona... Sciona is the girl I want to be when I grow (excluding the uhhh racist views and extreme patriotism..) People in some reviews say she's unlikeable on purpose but I fell in love the minute she was introduced. So many times have I read about a FMC's ambitions being pushed on the backburner, them being meek, being pushed into a romance plot with a shitty MMC.... I'M TIRED OF THAT GRANDMA! And then woosh! Wang comes in to save the day with Sciona... She's an ego maniac, selfish, prejudice, determined, ambitious... UGHHH so many things and she's just unequivocally herself. I loved how much she started to change once she met Thomil because she really lacked human empathy in the beginning (lowkey for good reason because the men around her just sucked ASS) and when she finally met someone who wasn't trying to speak over her and actually understand her work and magic she connected with him. Thomil was like a rude awakening for her because not only did Sciona gain a friend but she gained the ability to empathize, to be compassionate, and finally question the beliefs of her religion/country/superiors. LETS BE CLEAR THAT THIS IS NOT A ENEMIES TO LOVERS ROMANCE FUCKKK NOOOOO. This is a story about a woman who was raised in the belief that her god, her country, and man were put above all else in the pursuit of greatness and truth and when she finally realized the cost of that greatness she strove to do what was right... and sure... it might be a little bit of a "white savior" kinda thing but... I don't think that's the overall message of Sciona's character the book. Because Sciona is nobody's savior... girly is not a hero and the author makes it very fucking clear she's not... she's just a woman who wanted to make an impact on the world until she saw just how fucked up the world was and decided to make a different impact... Overall I think her character meant hope. (Look at me being a little optimist EHEHEHEHH)
Overall this story was beautiful. It was a thought provoking piece that kept me gripped by the pages all the way through. The characters were complex, the storytelling was compelling, the magic was scientific perfection, and the plot was heartbreaking. The feeling I got from reading this book was truly one of a kind and I can only hope to replicate it by reading more of Wang's books. She's become a new favorite author.
Overall rating: 5/5
GYAT THIS MIGHT JUST BE MY LONGEST REVIEW YET