Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang

64 reviews

adventurous challenging emotional 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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark reflective sad 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

Incredibly impressive how flushed out this book is for a standalone high fantasy! 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
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
challenging dark mysterious 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

This was excellent, such an intriguing and horrifying magic system, but you can also see parallels with our world reflected in it. I liked the ending
having sciona die but be ambiguous for carra and thomil was excellent


Wanted to absolutely hit someone with their sexism and racism, and I loved her rants to
the doctor for example


Kind of sad
that her aunt and cousin abandoned her but also realistic...


Would recommend to people 

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

As the wheels of innovation turned, power stayed the same.

I honestly don't have much to say about this book that's not effusing praise. I have no reason to be giving this a 4.5 stars instead of 5 other than it just didn't give me that 5-star feeling. It's nothing to do with the quality of the book—the characters, setting, worldbuilding, prose, and plot are all top notch. I really enjoyed that this book leaned heavily into the academia part of dark academia and didn't just use it as an aesthetic. The magic system was so interesting and unique; I've never seen anything like it. Be warned: the ending was incredibly sad, but also hopeful. I also loved the romance
but you should be ready to cry your eyes out
. The plot twist was done well too—just enough telegraphing to let most of us figure it out, but still heartwrenching all the same. 

If you like morally grey characters, dark academia and incredibly unique magic systems, this should be your next read. I'm mostly surprised you haven't read it already, given the hype. I think it lives up to it. I highly recommend!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

I. Loved. This. Book.

Go read it!!

I still cannot put into words the way this book affected me. The premise sounds so simple, but it is interwoven with such complex issues and thoughts that are so brilliantly handled and discussed. The characters are so amazingly fleshed out and morally gray. They are understandable while also being frustrating. The magic system is unique and the world reflects so many different places and times we are familiar with.

It is amazing. Probably my top read of the year.

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

It was incredibly boring and unoriginal, very predictive and the tragedy was exaggerated.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark reflective 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

I have never read anything like this. This is feminine rage. Ego and genius that leads to delusion and madness. Social injustice and oppression that leads inevitably to vengeance and violence. All laid out so brutally and so beautifully that I am in awe.

This dark academia forces the reader to reflect on power and responsibility in a country where misogyny and racism are layered into society and justified through religious belief.


My favorite scene, edited slightly to shorten:

"Witch!"a voice cried out among the screams of the dying... But true witches...  had never practiced such evil magic. They had used their magic to heal the sick and watch over those they loved. Sciona was no witch... She had always belonged here with these insatiable men, her brothers in greed and ego. Sciona's only distinction among these mages was that she was a more honest monster than any of them, and she would die an honest mage of Tiran: finely-dressed and filthy-souled, taking with arrogance what was not hers to take. 
"I will not turn my eyes, though light burn me."

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

i’ve read the sword of kaigen i should have been prepared for this book but i was not. loved the magic system and the world. i thought it was frustrating but very striking how naive and  dense sciona could be when she of all people should know how it feels to be prejudiced against. the end destroyed me (which i should’ve been prepared for) but it made sense and honestly a nice clean ending would not have been at all on theme. i’m going to be thinking about this book for a while.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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

4.75⭐️1.75🌶️

Fantasy 
Dark Academia
Gothic
Curse
Witchcraft
Class struggles


Tw: mysoginistic content, suicide contemplation, suicide attempt, murder, religious deconstruction, gender inequality, religious deconstruction, 

“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.”

Blood Over Bright Haven is one of those books that really gets under your skin in the best way. M.L. Wang weaves a world that feels both magical and brutally real, tackling serious themes like gender inequality, class struggles, and environmental decay with a sharp, critical eye. The main character, Sciona, is so complex—her ambitions and flaws make her relatable even when she’s making tough choices. It’s refreshing to read a fantasy novel that doesn’t shy away from real-world issues.

The world-building is stellar, especially the way magic and society are intertwined. The pacing is a bit slow, but that’s actually a good thing because it allows the characters and plot to really develop. You’re not just following along with a magical adventure—you’re being challenged to think about deeper issues.

The ending sticks with you. It’s not necessarily happy, but it feels earned and leaves you reflecting long after you’ve finished the book. If you’re into complex, character-driven fantasy that doesn’t pull any punches, Blood Over Bright Haven is definitely worth checking out.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings