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

Did not finish book. Stopped at 37%.
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

0.0

I guess you can publish anything mind numbing enough these days. A white savior arc with a colonizer romance is disgusting enough— but to beat me over the head with basic sociology, religious fanaticism, bland characters, boring dialogue, and a flimsy magic system? I think writing the entire magically marginalized community as one nameless, faceless mass was the last straw for me, because it’s one thing to write about colonization. It’s another thing entirely to replicate the colonizer mindset by stripping the marginalized of all agency and identity through your writing. And then there’s the painfully outdated take on feminism that borders on pick-me. An ambitious woman who rejects everything feminine and is rewarded, how original. “I’m not like the other girls! I’m smart!” That’s just lazy writing, and another way the author replicates a sexist mindset in the writing, in a way that is not only not fun to read but also dangerous for young readers who are still building their critical analysis. Spare me. And the romance? I am sick and tired of romantasy as it is, but to make it basically a Stockholm syndrome situation will not be borne. Disappointing and absolutely maddening. 
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