I don't even know where to begin. My brain still hasn't processed what it read, and tears are clouding my vision as I write this.

Ever since I read The Sword of Kaigen, I have been eagerly awaiting Blood Over Bright Haven because I loved the first book; I consider it one of my favorites and rated it 6 stars. The writing style and emotions Wang evoked in me were enough to make me decide to read Blood Over Bright Haven (and because I promised Alison I would read it so we could discuss it together and love Sciona), and it did not disappoint.

In fact, Wang exceeded my expectations.

This is the kind of book I want to write, the emotions I want to evoke, the world I want to create. I'll start by saying that I began this book with a latent fear of what it would bring, as I didn't want to read any spoilers, and knowing that M.L. Wang was going to break my heart. What I didn't know was how much she would... Duh, Ale, didn't you learn your lesson with The Sword of Kaigen?

Indeed, I didn't learn my lesson, lmao.

𖥻 Plot. Sciona is a sorceress struggling to make her own way in the world of magic and sorcerers, who are all men and look down on Sciona simply because she is a woman and believe that women are inferior to them. Entering the High Magisterium is a victory for Sciona, but her journey is far from over, especially considering that there are men who want her out and away from that field of study, provoking and humiliating her. Little by little, she and her new kwen assistant (whose past and knowledge are extremely helpful to Sciona) unearth a secret upon which the foundation of Tiran is built.

𖥻 Worldbuilding and magic system. I find the worldbuilding and its distribution interesting, even more so considering the role that the magical system plays and how the book revolves around it. I must confess that I had a little trouble trying to understand the magical system and how complex it sounded when I imagined it (it's a me problem tho). However, it is a unique and well-developed magical system,. I loved how the magic works, what it feeds itself from and how it keeps the city going.

𖥻 Characters. Sciona is perfect in her imperfection. My beautiful Sciona. My tragic Sciona. She is far from perfect, and that is what makes her realistic. At first, I thought she was very selfish, self-centered, and even arrogant, but then I realized that I identified with her. I identified with her ambition, her thirst for knowledge and power, her desire to prove a point, her stubbornness and foolishness, but I also saw myself in her process of enlightenment and deconstruction in such an unfair and violent world and society.

I loved the way Wang portrays Sciona's blindness to the world: its injustices, inequalities, and the privileges enjoyed by a few, because it didn't affect her as much as it did others. Yes, Sciona is a constant victim of insults and humiliation from her male contemporaries simply because she is a woman, but every so often, Sciona ignores the sacrifices made by her family so that she could have a high-quality education. Not only that, but Sciona is oblivious to the inequality between Tiranish women and Kwen women until she truly opens her eyes and realizes what she has ignored for practically her entire life.

Thomil, on the other hand, is the counterpart to Sciona's ignorance, since he has lived his entire life knowing what the Curse is and has been a victim of it, seeing almost his entire family die. Thomil knows the horrors that the Curse can cause, so he decides to seek a “better life” for himself and his niece, Carra. They are considered and labeled as “savages” and “inferior beings” because they are foreigners and do not have the same physical traits and ideologies as the Tiranish. He shows Sciona the horrors kwen people have suffered and still suffer inside Tiran, and that they are not savages.

It is worth recognizing Bringham as an overly influential and important character throughout the book. It is not only because of the kindness he showed Sciona or the supposed faith he had in her so that she could become the first Highmage to reach the High Magisterium, but because of the secrets that are revealed later. Bringham is a murderer and an oppressor, and he knows it. He lives in a place and a society that despises its people, humiliates them, and renders them invisible, but uses them as cheap labor, exploits them, abuses them, and even murders them because they are not considered worthy or civilized. Despite his kindness and calm demeanor, Bringham knows what he has done, and carries with that guilty, believing that Sciona can be a "good legacy", that people will praise him for having faith in Sciona and see her success. But this man is broken, empty and his hands are stained with the blood of thousands.

Carra may seem wild and full of rage at first. But as I continued reading, I realized that she is simply a child. A child who lost her parents because of the Tyrans and because of a curse that takes lives as easily as plucking a flower. Carra is the result of deep-rooted hatred born of years of abuse, humiliation, violence, mockery, sexism, and loss.

This book opens your eyes. It makes you realize the comforts you live in and the privileges you enjoy, which we often take for granted. It shows the injustices and inequalities experienced by a people under the boot of the oppressor, who disguises himself as a savior in order to take advantage of them in silence.

The supposed savior lives off the misery, suffering, and hard work of the oppressed, telling himself that he is doing the right thing, that his god does not allow heretics or offenses, that it is his duty. The supposed savior justifies his actions, violence, and murders with delusions of grandeur and supremacy, telling himself that he has a responsibility and duty given by his god to civilize those who do not follow his ideals or religion. The supposed savior does what he must do, justifying himself with the innovation, development, and well-being of his own people.

The supposed savior exercises systematic and deep-rooted oppression, a doctrine intrinsically linked to religion, considering those who do not belong, and those who do not want to belong, as savages, heretics, and inferior beings. The supposed savior exerts social and academic pressure, being able to manipulate history, the past, the present, and the future to maintain the illusion of a peaceful and centered civilization, and to suppress those who threaten to disrupt the peace they have worked so hard to build through violence, humiliation, denigration, sexism, and mass murder.

The oppressor hides his true face behind a benevolent mask that smiles kindly, while his eyes shine with a thirst for power and violence; his eyebrows arch with the satisfaction of knowing that he is a conqueror and can have whatever he desires; his hands move across a social board that divides his people by caste and gender, causing them to hate one another; while his boots oppress, crush, annihilate, and break those he has allowed to enter, silently reminding them that they will never be like him. And the people, the “real” people that the oppressor cares for, turn a blind eye or are simply oblivious to this reality, ignoring it and pretending everything is normal.

Why should this cycle of peace and tranquility be broken by a few murders? Why should this bubble of ignorance and privilege in which “normal” people live be burst if it constitutes their security and a false illusion of peace and a utopia that is built by oppressed hands and bleeds thanks to them? Why allow someone so insignificant, curious, and innocent, and above all a woman, to come and question God, his principle, and the foundations of the righteous people that were built on genocide?

This entity has existed long before this woman. We have seen its germination, development, and fruits for decades and centuries. We cannot allow someone as weak and insignificant as a woman to ruin the peace and tranquility, innovation, and technology we have created for our people, just because she discovered the truth and couldn't handle it. She is a woman, after all: her gender has been proven to be weak, emotional, and prone to succumbing to stress and emotions. It will be easy to repress and dismiss her, to pretend that she suffered an emotional breakdown because she was not strong enough to withstand academic pressure.

Oh, now that the woman has shown the truth to the people and the savages have revolted, we can let the savages show God's true people their true colors. No one will believe this woman who has dared to abuse our generosity, who has foolishly believed that she can prove a point that we, the focused and respected academics, have already discovered before.

Accusing the woman of witchcraft and treason is the solution. She has already caused enough chaos among our citizens by sharing a truth that affects no one but herself and a couple of savages. Killing her is the answer to everything.

There is no happy ending for traitors and heretics, for those who do not know how to respect order and believe that spreading the truth will wake up the rest. It is easy to manipulate history as we please: we can wipe it off the map and turn its story into an anecdote, a horror story for children and for those dreamers who long to make a difference that goes against our principles and the will of God.

However, hope prevails. As long there's hope, there's life. Even if it's not hers, but she will have done something bigger than the world imagines. Despite the awful things she did in her ignorance.