Title: Blood Over Bright Haven
Author: M.L. Wang
Publisher: Del Rey 2023
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 428
Rating: 3/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Seasonal - Random Library Pick; Cover Lover - Alliterative title
Where I Got It: Library
For twenty years, Sciona 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 at the University of Magics and Industry.
When Sciona finally passes the qualifying exam and becomes a highmage, she finds her challenges have just begun. Her new colleagues are determined to make her feel unwelcome—and, instead of a qualified lab assistant, they give her a janitor.
What neither Sciona nor her peers realize is that her taciturn assistant was not always a janitor. Ten years ago, he was a nomadic hunter who lost his family on their perilous journey from the wild plains to the city. But now he sees the opportunity to understand the forces that decimated his tribe, drove him from his homeland, and keep the privileged in power.
At first, mage and outsider have a fractious relationship. But working together, they uncover an ancient secret that could change the course of magic forever—if it doesn’t get them killed first.
The opening chapter to this book was amazing and sucked me in immediately. I wanted deeply invested in what was going to happen in the city. But then, the story started to get bogged down. I found the explanation of the magic system to be tedious and long-winded. I was willing to look beyond that to focus on the bigger themes and the characters. But those also let me down. The themes of colonialism, propaganda, and misogyny were shoved down our throats over and over until all the factions and thoughts felt like caricatures of themselves. The main character had to stand in for so many different kinds of people and ideas. I couldn’t really connect with either of them. Thomil was the better of the two, but I still couldn’t really connect with him. I think the book would have benefitted from chapters in his POV. Overall, I was pretty disappointed in this one.
Next up on the TBR pile:
