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

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I think if this had been a few hundred more pages, it could be a 5 star for me. The magic-system and plot were brilliant, and most characters were very realistic and well developed. However I felt it was missing a bit more political world-building, a few extra characters (maybe another POV?) and character relationships which left it feeling a bit simpler than it could’ve been. The themes were so relevant and painfully real, but they were also overly blunt and I feel Wang could have written them with more subtlety and trust that her readers can make the connections themselves. Despite these things, this was an excellent, unique book that I would recommend to anyone wants more of themes in Babel by R. F. Kuang, or a short standalone fantasy that is very unique and packs a punch.
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