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Blood Over Bright Haven
Blood Over Bright Haven | M. L. Wang
"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 Tirans 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 doesnt 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? A standalone dark academia brimming with mystery, tragedy, and the damning echoes of the past. (Content warnings for gore, sexual assault, and suicidal ideation)."--Amazon.com.
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Mattsbookaday
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Blood over Bright Haven, by M.L. Wang (2024)

Premise: An ambitious young woman has staked everyone on becoming her society‘s first female high mage, but soon discovers a horrific secret underlying everything she thought she knew.

Review: This is a chilling book, all the more for the way it is all too reminiscent of our own world and the comfortable lies we tell ourselves to hide from inconvenient truths.
Cont

Mattsbookaday Bookish Pair: For another great recent fantasy that constructs new archetypes even as it deconstructs the old, Lev Grossman‘s The Bright Sword (2024).

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
1w
4 likes1 comment
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Bookbuyingaddict
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This maybe in your fantasy , dystopian sci fi section at your local bookstore but after a slow start it spookily rings true “ because good people can turn desperate when the horrors are upon them,especially people whose culture of plenty had left them with no systems to cope with scarcity or cataclysm “

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5feet.of.fury
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I could not put this down. So good, and honestly so many layers, this would be a fun one to dissect with a book club. The way that Sciona grew from the start of the book through the end was just brilliant. & it really hit on the biggest obstacles trying to combat social Justice/societal issues & did it in a way that was very organic & heartfelt to the story.

Areader2 Isn‘t it funny how we view books differently, this was a so so for me 2w
5feet.of.fury @Areader2 I actually expected not to like it because a lot of the reviews were like “todays political climate…etc” and I have enough of the political climate in reality but my library hold finally came in. I was hooked from the first page! I felt Sciona‘s revelations were realistic for someone with her perspective so her not getting it right away felt real. But yeah, it‘ll probably end up 1 of my faves of the year! 2w
Areader2 @5feet.of.fury the growth of Sciona and the last part of the book for me was the best part, I am glad you enjoyed it! 2w
35 likes3 comments
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Bookbuyingaddict
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Reading in the bath 🛀 🥰April sunshine ☀️ and chilly 🥶 evening ; just starting this journey with a collagen hot chocolate ☕️ and an collagen face mask 😷 balm I‘m going down fighting 👵🏻🙅🏼‍♀️🤣

mrp27 Going down fighting 😂😂 me too, me too. 3w
40 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Gryffleclaw95
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Blood Over Bright Haven” is a heavy yet timely read for the world that we currently live in. Wang does a great job writing flawed and morally gray characters with impressive character arcs by the end of the novel. Be warned as this book contains serious themes including but not limited to racism, sexism, slavery, and genocide.

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NikkiCureton
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This is a must read! It‘s very timely and filled with echoes of the world we‘re living in today.

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lumbricuslibri
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lumbricuslibri

“…nothing mattered. Not even the opinions of the greatest men in the world.”

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lumbricuslibri
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Why not her?

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lumbricuslibri
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My next read!

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Addison_Reads
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Loved this book! ? And it had a map and a beautiful diagram in it, which made me love it more.

This dark academia has a unique magic system with a female MC who is determined to prove she belongs in what has always been a "man's world."

It is a standalone fantasy with very little romance. The MC takes on the established powers when she uncovers a shocking secret about their society. Great pace and great characters. Highly recommend!

TiredLibrarian Love books with maps; that one looks beautiful! 3mo
50 likes1 comment
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JuliaTheBookNerd
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#Haven 🖤❤️ #25Alive 🪩🫧 *ੈ✩˚🥂*ੈ✩˚ 🫧 🪩

#BookNerd 🤓📚💙

Eggs Perfect 😍 3mo
43 likes1 stack add1 comment
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BookBr
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Fantasy/science fiction holds up a mirror to real life, and this one is SCATHING. A fascinating look at the dark side of humanity, ego and selfishness — but also the drive to do better. The choice of magic to power a city is an interesting one, with life‘s energy being used to run technology similar to our own. I wonder what we would do, given the choice, and am afraid I know. An absolutely outstanding read, if a difficult one.

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nitalibrarian
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Mehso-so

This was a very OK book for me. I like the author's writing style, but the story just wasn't fully grabbing my attention after a 1/4 in. It even featured a really unique magic system. I honestly had high hopes for this first read of 2025, so a little disappointed.

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nitalibrarian
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Starting this book tonight. I don't think I'll finish it by tomorrow, so it will be my first finished book of 2025.

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Angeles
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The audiobook was excellent. A bit dark for my regular fare but really good

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Areader2
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Mehso-so

I am not in the majority on liking this book, yes it was a creative magic system but honestly too much , there was a whole slew of horrible themes, colonialism, racism,misogyny, and yes it‘s a reflection of society good and evil. But most of the plot except for the last few chapters is heavy, forced dialogue it was repetitive and I found myself skimming.
#readaway2024 book 47

Andrew65 Well done on finishing it 🎄🎄🎄 4mo
19 likes2 comments
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SconsinBookyBadger
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I don‘t make a habit of planning a list. I end up ignoring it anyways. What I usually do is look up on the website to see if books I want are in stock. If I‘m on a time crunch I‘ll place a pick up order. If I‘m in no rush I‘ll browse the aisles and snap pics of books I‘m interested in for later. Today was a rare moment of prepping a list. Simple enough, since it was only one. 😅
@BookmarkTavern #SundayFunday

BookmarkTavern I have so many pictures on my phone of books for later! 😅 Thanks for sharing! 4mo
11 likes1 comment
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bookish_wookish
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Starting this one on my lunch break.

bumpinthenight Oh I love your book sleeve! 5mo
bookish_wookish I got it on etsy! @bumpinthenight 5mo
30 likes2 comments
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TracyReadsBooks
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Set in a world where powerful mages protect a city from the wasteland around it, Sciona Freynan becomes the first female high mage. What should be a moment of triumph quickly turns to horror when she uncovers a devastating truth. Magic, faith, discrimination, science, belief, & truth collide in a story that asks how much someone will forgive being done to others if no harm comes to them & they benefit from it. Dark, violent & entertaining.

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nitalibrarian
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This week's #bookmail from Barnes & Noble. Very pretty editions of One Dark Window, Two Twisted Crowns, Legends & Lattes, and Bookshops & Bonedust. Plus M. L. Wang's Blood Over Bright Haven with a red edge.

Karisa 😍 6mo
TheBookHippie WOWIE. 6mo
Balibee146 I received a similar / same edition of Blood Over Bright Haven a few days ago 😍😍 6mo
30 likes3 comments
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TracyReadsBooks
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Wang is a self-published author who makes the leap to traditional publishing with this book. My biggest complaint about her self-published book that I read was a lack of editing. So far, this one is much better in terms of structure and narrative. Enjoying it so far.

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underground_bks
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A unique magic system and excellent world-building undergird this dark academia fantasy about colonialism and complicity that follows the first female highmage of Tiran and the Kwen janitor her peers assign her as an assistant as the two uncover the shocking truth behind magic. As brilliant as I found Blood Over Bright Haven, it was also a bit predictable and very heavy-handed. Babel Jr.—a less subtle little sibling to one of my favorite books.

30 likes1 stack add
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Nessavamusic
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Blood Over Bright Haven has definitely taken the lead for my favorite book of the year!

#readingbracket2024 @CSeydel

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Nessavamusic
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This is the best book I‘ve read in a very long time. It will be very difficult for anything to be better than this as a top read of the year. It is a standalone fantasy, with a unique magic system, an incredibly developed world and characters that you can both love and hate. None of the characters are two dimensional and no one is perfect. I only put this down because I didn‘t want it to end.⬇️

Nessavamusic It has some slow moments in the first third, but it all pays off. I cannot recommend this more and can‘t wait to buy a print copy when it goes into wide release on the Fall. 5+⭐️ last #roll100 pick of the month done! (edited) 10mo
PuddleJumper Ooo stacking! Always looking for good fantasy books 10mo
42 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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Bookfan1414
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Honestly, I watched a review of this, then read the synopsis. I am 1 chapter into this book. Why does my chest hurt like I‘ve been punched by the Hulk? Hoo boy was that a chapter.