marcus_bines 's review for:

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang

4.0

adventurous challenging dark hopeful inspiring tense 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: Yes

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I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it - a great narrator brought this fantasy novel to life superbly. Wang's world is limited but well-defined and built, and I loved the inclusion of written ephemera between chapters. Sciona and Thomil are enjoyable main characters, and their discovery about what powers the city they live in is a horrific one that propels the rest of the novel. Sharing thematic ground with RF Kuang's Babel, the book goes more or less where you expect, and is well written. I would have happily learned more about the world outside Tiran, or the political life of the city and how it interacts with the magical authorities, and I don't know if sequels are planned but I feel like there's more world to explore here.