Blood Over Bright Haven – Review

A heavy, raw critique of society, religion, and basically everything we humans have built (and destroyed) in the name of science and progress.

“The question isn't it: How do I stop feeling this way? That's stupid. I can't. The question is: What can I do with this feeling?”

–M. L. Wange

What is it about?

Magic has made the city of Tiran an industrial utopia, but magic has a cost—and the collectors have come calling.

An orphan since the age of four, Sciona has always had more to prove than her fellow students. For twenty years, she has devoted every waking moment to the study of magic, fueled by a mad desire to achieve the impossible: to be the first woman ever admitted to the High Magistry. When she finally claws her way up the ranks to become a highmage, however, she finds that her challenges have just begun. Her new colleagues will stop at nothing to let her know she is unwelcome, beginning with giving her a janitor instead of a qualified lab assistant.

What neither Sciona nor her peers realize is that her taciturn assistant was once more than a janitor; before he mopped floors for the mages, Thomil was a nomadic hunter from beyond Tiran’s magical barrier. Ten years have passed since he survived the perilous crossing that killed his family. But working for a highmage, he sees the opportunity to finally understand the forces that decimated his tribe, drove him from his homeland, and keep the Tiranish in power.

Through their fractious relationship, mage and outsider uncover an ancient secret that could change the course of magic forever—if it doesn’t get them killed first. Sciona has defined her life by the pursuit of truth, but how much is one truth worth with the fate of civilization in the balance?

My Review

100/5⭐

Blood Over Bright Haven has officially become one of my all-time favorites. Yep, you heard that right. From page one, it grabbed me and didn’t let go until the very last word (and honestly, I don’t think 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 ever let go of it either).

This novel is a heavy, raw critique of society, religion, and basically everything we humans have built (and destroyed) in the name of science and progress. It’s about how humanity has evolved into something that willingly turns a blind eye to the atrocities happening right in front of us. A society that worships innovation and technology while forgetting what it means to be 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯.

The story follows a world where everything runs on magic (spells that function more like alchemical code through a “computer” called the Spellograph). Every major innovation comes from it. Sounds fancy, right? Well, here’s the catch: every mage (basically, the scientists) is a man. Until, for the first time in history, the academy accepts Sciona, a female mage. Cue the chaos. From day one, her male peers belittle her, dismiss her work, and twist her words.

Every mage has an assistant, and in a cruel joke, they assign Sciona a Kwen janitor. What they don’t realize is that the joke’s on them, because Thomil (and the loml) ends up being the best thing that could’ve happened to her.

The Kwen are treated as inferior, forced into servitude simply for being physically different and for coming from a culture with distinct morals, beliefs, and religion. The parallels between gender and racial discrimination are painfully clear: unfair, systemic, and deeply ingrained. What hit me hardest, though, was how even women (already devalued) internalize these same ideals of superiority. It made me think a lot about our own world and how easily we perpetuate the systems that harm us and especially now that my classes are making me see everything through a different lens.

Reading BOBH connected so much with what I’ve been studying in my Master’s. The more I dive into communication theories, the more I agree that men and women don’t just communicate differently: it’s about 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳. About who gets to speak, whose voice is louder, and who gets silenced. I saw that play out so vividly in this story, through how Sciona’s and Thomil’s words were constantly reinterpreted to uphold hierarchy.

I seriously need to talk about this book (and its 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨) with someone. Maybe it’s the academic brainrot talking, but I truly believe this book should be a required reading in schools. Of course, it would probably get banned for its gory graphic depictions of violence and discrimination, but that’s exactly the point. If we avoid stories that shake us to our core, how are we supposed to open our eyes to reality?

And let’s talk about M. L. Wang’s writing. It’s poetic, intricate, and 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦; she writes with literal magic at her fingertips. The ending wrecked me (in the worst and best ways), but it was exactly what the story needed. I won’t spoil anything, but… let’s just say life comes full circle, and sometimes, we end up right where we began.

Don’t pick this up expecting romance, lighthearted fantasy, or traditional witchy vibes. This isn’t that. It’s a story that will make you question everything: yourself, your world, and the very definition of creation itself.