Join a book club that is reading Blood Over Bright Haven: A Novel!
Blood Over Bright Haven: A Novel
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The first woman ever admitted to a prestigious order of mages unravels a secret conspiracy that could change the practice of magic forever in this “provocative stand-alone novel [that] deftly incorporates elements of science and philosophy into dark academia” (The Washington Post), from the author of The Sword of Kaigen.
“Bears comparison to groundbreaking works by Ursula K Le Guin . . . the best fantasy novel of the year”—The Guardian
The stunning first edition hardcover features red stained edges, gold and red foil on the jacket, a full-color endpaper map, and an interior illustration of an in-world magical item
AN ELLE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
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.
“Bears comparison to groundbreaking works by Ursula K Le Guin . . . the best fantasy novel of the year”—The Guardian
The stunning first edition hardcover features red stained edges, gold and red foil on the jacket, a full-color endpaper map, and an interior illustration of an in-world magical item
AN ELLE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
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.
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
Spoilers****
One woman’s slow, eye opening discovery, that the World of Magic she’s fought tooth a nail to become apart of is actually evil as fuck. When Sciona finally acquires the title of High Mage, as the first woman permitted into this elite field, she faces an uphill battle of misogyny and sexism. In an attempt to undermine and humiliate her, the assistant assigned to her is….Thomil, the janitor. The strong and stoic refugee is actually a warrior, former hunter, and the last of his people. Forced to find safety in the city to save their dying clan he and his niece are the only survivors after “the blight” kills everyone else on their perilous journey. As Sciona dives into her research and begins to unravel the source of the magic she seeks to wield with Thomil’s keen and honest eye they uncover the truth (which unsurprisingly he already knew). What follows is a story of duty, honesty, integrity, and hope. A really beautiful and inspiring book.
Normally, when I say I enjoy a book, I call it something like “delightful.” That is not a word I would use to describe this book.
It was POLITICAL.
It was frustrating.
It was enraging.
It was heart breaking.
It was honest.
Sciona was exhausting during the first half of the book because she was REAL. The way she spoke about the Kwen and how she regurgitated her religious texts in defense of her people’s behavior was startlingly accurate compared to people in today’s society who HIDE behind their religion and justify their (inhumane) acts using scripture.
However, unlike others, she realized and was able to (ultimately) face the truth - LIVING through the core ideals of their founding principles.
To avoid spoilers, I won’t discus the ending. But I will say it was honest.
Very dark and heavy fantasy that is a great parallel for our world today. More people should reads books like this one.
Magic, utopia... a distinct hierarchal class system, a society built on religious intolerance and female oppression, a realm that sees outsiders as impure servants only good for labor and fuel...
I did not expect this book to grip me in such a way! I was raging along with the main character. Although as shocking as this civilization acted to defend their beliefs, it's not as shocking when you lift your head from the pages and look around. I'll be chewing on this book for days...
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.