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Graphic: Death, Gore, Misogyny, Violence, Grief, Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Infertility, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Racism, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Cannibalism, Car accident, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Deportation
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
I knew it was a story about deep seated chauvinism and its impact on the society and even the greatest minds when those are raised with such beliefs.
I knew that it was an introspection on privilege — Siona who is treated badly by her male colleagues is treating Tommen equally bad if not worse. How easy it is to forget that other people have it worse when you are focused on your own issues. It doesn’t make your issues less; it just puts things into perspective.
I knew that it was about choice — whether you are willing to question your ideals even if they actively benefit you. How eager people are to ease their burdens at the expense of other people. And how hard it might be to even comprehend the evil around you and inside of you.
But I still wasn’t ready for where the plot of blood over bright haven took me. I wasn’t expecting it to be that clear on the mission of getting to the point. I feel like I walked this road with Siona and cried with her and raged with her. I love how the story is not sparing us any suffering along the way. It had to be done like this, like a mirror that she created, that opens right in front of your face and shows you the truth how uncomfortable it really is.
I have a feeling I will be thinking about this book for a long time
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment
Minor: Child abuse, Child death
Wanted to absolutely hit someone with their sexism and racism, and I loved her rants to
Kind of sad
Would recommend to people
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
I think everyone should read this book. It is excellent commentary on so many real-world issues told through a riveting story of flawed, raw characters that you want to root for. Wang tackles racism—specifically against indigenous people—, colonization, collective liberation, hypocrisy in religion, corruption in government, "benevolent" complicity, white guilt/tears, and so much more with such finesse. She asks us all to grapple with the questions: what is the cost of our comforts, and what is the effect on our humanity of the denial of those costs?
The story is a page-turner the whole way through, and hooked me within the first chapter. The magic system is extremely unique and interesting, and the world-building is so well-done. Both are intricate without being hard to understand (plus a handy pocket guide is included in the back!). The series of events is realistic as it pertains to the world/characters and the IRL issues the story seeks to tackle.
Graphic: Death, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation
Moderate: Body horror, Genocide, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Animal death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infertility, Suicide, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, War
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
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!
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Gore, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Colonisation, Classism
Minor: Bullying, Police brutality, Cannibalism, Gaslighting
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, War
Sciona is an interesting character -- prickly and determined and talented and thoroughly wrapped in privilege that she can't see until something shocks her awareness loose, and even then, she struggles to reframe her worldview. It's very real. She's torn between her selfishness and an inherent sense of right and wrong. She remains selfish throughout, concerned with her legacy and her place in history -- but that's not entirely incompatible with taking action to challenge and upend an oppressive system. The book explores intersectionality through her lens: racially privileged, working class (but not totally impoverished), highly educated (thanks to family support and outside patronage), religious minority (but not apostate or, at first, heretical), and the victim of sexism. Two things can be true: She can be oppressed and an oppressor at the same time (and in that lens, her character is a not-at-all-subtle allegory for and indictment of white feminism). Watching Sciona negotiate that as she tries to find a way to make things better is intriguing because it spotlights how difficult the system makes change: Sciona doesn't know what she doesn't know; she doesn't have the experience to take other perspectives into account; she's benefitted from the system and could keep doing so even after she realizes what a trap that is.
I wish we spent more time in Tomil's POV. I was hoping for more of a back-and-forth, but instead he stays engimatic through most of the book.
The intersectional explorations are all worth chewing on, particularly for anyone who may be new to these concepts, but some of the discussions do go on for too long, retreading the same ground. This book probably could have been a bit tighter and shorter. The plot points are very spread out, separated by long philosophical discussions. If that's not your cup of tea, you may find that this book drags in places.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Blood, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Classism
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Classism