Book Review: Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang

“Because good people can turn desperate when the horrors are upon them—especially people whose culture of plenty has left them with no systems to cope with scarcity or cataclysm. Good people will turn monstrous when it’s down to their survival or someone else’s.”

Sciona has devoted every moment of her waking life for the past 20 years on magic and it might finally pay off, she is about to achieve the impossible: to be the first woman ever admitted to the High Magistry in Tiran. When she finally breaks that glass ceiling, she realizes that she will never get the respect she has desired all her life from the male highmages.

Her new colleagues will stop at nothing to let her know she is unwelcome, beginning with giving her a janitor position instead of a qualified lab assistant position. What no one realizes is that Thomil was a nomadic hunter from beyond Tiran’s magical barrier, working for a highmage. He’s finally able to understand the forces that decimated his tribe, drove him from his homeland and keep Tiranish in power. When Sciona and Thomil discover an ancient secret that the order has spent years protecting, Sciona is faced with the most difficult choice of her life.

“Truth over delusion. Growth over comfort. God over all.“

This book is a standalone book which is rare in fantasy, and it is a dark academia fantasy novel filled with mystery, tragedy and questions of morality. I think in our capitalist world today this book is not that farfetched. How much are you willing to give up the comforts that you’re used to just because you’ve realized that it’s at the expense of other people who you don’t know?

The clothes we wear, the phones we used, the stability we have in our different western countries all come with a cost and how much are we willing to turn a blind eye. Even though this book makes you wonder what you would do if you were Sciona and the people of Tiran, it is also not preachy at all. You only start linking these themes to real life once you’re done. You think more deeply about the book and that’s when the threads start connecting in your head.

“It matters because you’re a child. The future ultimately isn’t mine or Sciona’s. It’s yours.”

I wondered what I would have done if I was in Sciona’s shoes and I realized that all the technology and magic we harness is at the expense of the rest of the world and frankly, I would have done the opposite of what she did. I understand her actions to be noble and the right thing to do but I know that I wouldn’t have been a good enough person to do it.

Also, everything Thomil predicted would be her people’s reaction proved to be accurate. People do not want to be bothered by you exposing that their comforts come at the expense of other people. People might claim to want to be do the right thing but when push comes to shove the majority of human beings will choose their group being on top over doing the right thing that benefits other groups.

“You’re the worst kind of murderer, I think… The kind who won’t even acknowledge her crime. You’ve never worshipped a god of truth… You worship a delusion.”

This stand alone adult fantasy forces you to think but ultimately, with the way Sciona’s noble intentions turned out, it also forces you to face the reality of the world. People are good, yes, but people are also incredibly selfish. I recommend this book. I gave this 4 stars on Goodreads.

Leggy