Blood Over Bright Haven | 
pickSciona was an intriguing character, far from perfect but so awesome for that reason. I also loved Thomil. I would have preferred bad guys being also more morally grey - they were just bad and that's it.
This was so dark, I loved that. The beginning was pretty slow but then something was revealed and things felt more interesting.
This was really enjoyable book, even though sad and devastating.
pickVery engaging fantasy. Audio was great!
panI did not like this book. It was very simplistic in it's interpretation of institutional sexism, racism, colonialism, cultural genocide, and religious brainwashing.
All of the characters were one dimensional, there was hardly any worldbuilding outside the dense magical info dumping, and it was very predictable.
pickStandalone Dark Fantasy with heavy topics - colonialism, exploitation, racism, misogyny, religion.
The world-building, including the magic system, was excellent.
Two MCs who clash and get along, growing through their time together.
pickI really liked this stand alone dark fantasy! It‘s pretty heavy, with themes of colonialism and oppression and exploitation, among other things. Definitely see content warnings.
There‘s a well defined magic system and two main characters I really cared about. There were several reveals I wasn‘t expecting, and the end was a surprise.
#bookspinbingo card for April! @TheAromaofBooks
📚Tagged book was my favorite of the month!
🚫2 DNFs
🤼♀️ first nonfiction read of the year was Beck Lynch‘s bio
pickWell this was a lovely surprise! I really enjoyed this magical fantasy book. It is fresh and complex and has multiple layers. It deals with many issues including racism, misogyny, colonisation, faith and morality. Very well done! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
pickBlood 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
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 “
pickI 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.
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 👵🏻🙅🏼♀️🤣
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“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.
pickThis is a must read! It‘s very timely and filled with echoes of the world we‘re living in today.
“…nothing mattered. Not even the opinions of the greatest men in the world.”
pickLoved 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!
pickFantasy/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.
so-soThis 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.
Starting this book tonight. I don't think I'll finish it by tomorrow, so it will be my first finished book of 2025.
pickThe audiobook was excellent. A bit dark for my regular fare but really good
so-soI 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
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
Starting this one on my lunch break.
pickSet 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.
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.
pickA 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.
Blood Over Bright Haven has definitely taken the lead for my favorite book of the year!
#readingbracket2024 @CSeydel
pickThis 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.⬇️
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.
