Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang

21 reviews

dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous challenging emotional reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I really appreciate how this author writes humans and human responses. 
i absolutely flew through this book. 
and i really liked the bluntness of it. 

my main critizism is the limitations and faults in the worldbuilding.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous challenging dark hopeful fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A stunning reflection on power, greed, morality, and politics through a magical world. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

There were parts of this book that I really enjoyed, and other parts of it that I really did not. I feel that it dealt with some very heavy real world topics in a good way. I also feel that is was very difficult to get into, and that it gave away the ending very early into the book which was my biggest issue with it.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

"There was no future here. There was only this moment and its isolation rendered it invincible."

I loved this standalone dark academia fantasy. The magic system was so complex, detailed and well-thought out. The worldbuilding was amazing, built brick by brick with societal issues that cut deep - the negative effects of patriarchy, greed, ego, misogyny, sexism, classism, racism. So many topics to unpack with a dash of magic that just added another high-stake power in this book's dynamic.

We follow two main characters, Sciona and Thomil. My favorite character from the beginning was Thomil. I loved his grit, his love of culture, him as a whole. Sciona had a lot of character development and by the end of the book, I was sobbing because of everything she was able to accomplish. 

I feel like this story was exactly what I needed at this time. With the way the world has been lately, I toast to the same thing as Sciona and Thomil at the end, "To hope."

This book was very heavy on my heart and should be given a proper amount of time to fully absorb and go through in order to savor reading it for the first time. So many aspects of hard to stomach moments, including abuse, murder, and sexual harrasment, but overall, I'm glad I was able to bear witness to this story. 

I loved how this story felt really full circle, whenever an author alludes back to moments that happened in the beginning of the book at the end, as well, I always feel so much nostalgia. Like the crossing, the toasts that Sciona and Thomil had made, so many details that tugged on my heartstrings as I watched the characters I love go through so much hardship. 

Such a good book I highly recommend this. This story also reminded me of Shingeki no Kyojin and Those Who Walk Away from Omelas.

Chapter 22 where Sciona and Thomil have a flash back to the night before their world was about to change and they *finally* kissed. God I sobbed. The way Thomil loved her. The way all she wanted at the end was his love, too. Sciona saying, to hope, and him returning it by saying to hope, Highmage Freynan. Got me fucked upppp.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

First 5 star of 2025. This book blew me away. There are so many important messages interwoven. The magic system was mind blowing to me and my jaw was on the floor multiple times. I often wondered how this story would fit in it's 400 pages but wow, just wow.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings