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r33dabook 's review for:
Blood Over Bright Haven
by M.L. Wang
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
TL:DR
- Is this a good book? Sort of.
- Is it an overhyped book? Maybe, if you're new to the themes of colonization and oppression.
- Better than Harry Potter? Anything is better than HP, especially considering their author would side with the mages of Tiran and call it feminism.
- Good plot? Overall, yes.
- Important themes? White feminism/savior complexes. Sexism. Oppressor guilt and denial.
- How are the core themes expressed? I'll tell you rather than show you, just like the book.
- Dark academia? It’s more post-academia with a lot of the dark.Sitting in a lab for a third of the book isn't really 'academia' as people are familiar.
- Good magic system? Again, if you are new to fantasy, sure.(It's honestly soft-magic disguised as a hard-magic system, and it's sort of basic. 'can do anything magically, just add syphoning') .
- Great characters? Carra FTW.
- How are the mages? All Mages Are Bastards.
- What should you read next? Babel by R.F. Kuang ... or any ethically and morally sourced non-fiction, history, or critical theory book. You will be shocked at the parallels.
First time writing a review here. I felt compelled to after finishing this one. It frustrated me in ways, so credit to the author. Some spoilers ahead, and themes mentioned in great detail. Read at your own discretion.
- Is this a good book? Sort of.
- Is it an overhyped book? Maybe, if you're new to the themes of colonization and oppression.
- Better than Harry Potter? Anything is better than HP, especially considering their author would side with the mages of Tiran and call it feminism.
- Good plot? Overall, yes.
- Important themes? White feminism/savior complexes. Sexism. Oppressor guilt and denial.
- How are the core themes expressed? I'll tell you rather than show you, just like the book.
- Dark academia? It’s more post-academia with a lot of the dark.
- Good magic system? Again, if you are new to fantasy, sure.
- Great characters? Carra FTW.
- How are the mages? All Mages Are Bastards.
- What should you read next? Babel by R.F. Kuang ... or any ethically and morally sourced non-fiction, history, or critical theory book. You will be shocked at the parallels.
First time writing a review here. I felt compelled to after finishing this one. It frustrated me in ways, so credit to the author. Some spoilers ahead, and themes mentioned in great detail. Read at your own discretion.
This was a good book if you’re new to the genre or are feeling the urge to resist controlling systems of oppression for the first time. Rather than a 'show, don't tell' mentality, it really drives in the explicit exposition of telling you just how bad the magical world is at every turn. It was predictable only because it brutally mirrors reality. This book was a linear path from naive belief in how right people will insist they are through any godly means of justification, leading to horrifying rejections of truth in the name of maintaining power. The frustration I felt reading every conversation between characters was so constant, I had to keep reading just to believe the cycle of insanity would end. Trying to make sexist genocidal maniacs understand their failures as humans is just as exhausting to attempt as it is to read about. I think that makes me fit the definition of insanity more than the characters, to believe a government would ever come around to positive morals. But, at least I have empathy, actually caring for the characters who are somehow more level headed than I to realize their stories end in tragedy. Fortunately, the empathy only extends so far in the light of taking up arms to change your means against an oppressive government. That was at least something to root for. Unfortuantely, I had hope for the characters and their world, but that only came with the same cycle of insanity I kept all the way up until the very last sentence of the magical appendix at the end. Turns out I was just as naive as the white mirrored mage character's belief in their world. And in that, this book really rounds out in tragedy, for the oppressed and the oppressor who feels they've done good. I didn't love this book, but it's not the worst of it's kind. It's worth the read if you're looking to get started in dark fantasy (not academia, I truly do not consider this a dark academia book. The academia is only in Sciona's testing, then her sitting in a lab for a third of the book. The magic itself, though presented as academia, is really just them writing HP style spells for anything (faucet, cars, dome, heat, summon giant weight, etc.), with no explanation, and then coordinates to syphon energy for it... it's not that complicated, in fact, it's the plot of the non-canonical FMA movie from almost a decade and a half ago. I think it was evident early on that the energy had to come from somewhere, and it only took the first chapter to make a good guess about where that was. That should not have been so surprising as some people make it out to be. Hopefully the folx who read this and liked it learned something meaningful about how a book can make you feel angry at your own world, and pull at least some good themes from the story that can be taken into more stories and life. Sadly, this is one that all ends just as dark as it began, but with a minor bang to the oppressive systems, for what it's worth. It gets an extra .25 star for the themes it did include, even if frustrating and flawed. Enjoy.
If you like this book, go read Babel by R.F. Kuang. It's a lot more 'show, don't tell' than Bright Haven and has deeper themes that are made more impactful because they aren't hitting you over the head constantly with cycles of dialogue exposition. The direct inclusion of racism and appropriation in what might as well be a 1:1 historical reference of cultural theft and white supremacy is more immersed and with greater impact in Babel, do not skip it. You will like both. Both are good. Thanks for reading.
Edit: Read a couple other folx reviews and felt empowered to bring my rating down a bit.I wanted to add that although the ending has a note of satisfaction, the characters representing oppressive regimes fail to unsettle their identities from their patriarchal and racist society. The oppressed peoples are also not given a chance to decolonize and fully tear down the structures of their oppressors. I think that it was a pretty big miss to leave it where it ended, even if intended to reflect dark themes. In this way, it felt close to Babel, which I think may have done it better by allowing the core characters be more successful in the defeat of their enemies by their own means, not a white savior Sciona type. Anyway, if you enjoyed this book, I have so many questions as to why, and hope it was because now you'll start thinking about all the ways it applies to your own life and how you can do the work Sciona attempted, but better. Thanks for reading.
If you like this book, go read Babel by R.F. Kuang. It's a lot more 'show, don't tell' than Bright Haven and has deeper themes that are made more impactful because they aren't hitting you over the head constantly with cycles of dialogue exposition. The direct inclusion of racism and appropriation in what might as well be a 1:1 historical reference of cultural theft and white supremacy is more immersed and with greater impact in Babel, do not skip it. You will like both. Both are good. Thanks for reading.
Edit: Read a couple other folx reviews and felt empowered to bring my rating down a bit.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault