Blood over Bright Haven Audiobook By M. L. Wang cover art

Blood over Bright Haven

A Novel

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Blood over Bright Haven

By: M. L. Wang
Narrated by: Moira Quirk
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About this listen

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 standalone dark fantasy from the author of The Sword of Kaigen.

“Powerful, thought-provoking. . . . Fans of R.F. Kuang’s Babel will find much to admire here, from the intricate magic system to the unflinching exploration of societal issues.”—Booklist

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.

©2023 M. L. Wang (P)2024 Random House Audio
Fantasy Gaslamp Science Fiction Steampunk Wizardry Magic Users Thought-Provoking

Critic reviews

“A scathing but truthful look at the world we live in, and a stunningly powerful story.”—Terry Brooks

“Powerful, passionate, and painful, this book is like a file baked into a birthday cake: a surprise when you first bite down on it, but also a tool that can set you free. Innovative and brilliantly written, this is a glorious jewel added to the crown of dark academia.”—Seanan McGuire

“Wang deftly incorporates elements of science and philosophy into dark academia in this provocative stand-alone novel.”The Washington Post

What listeners say about Blood over Bright Haven

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Engaging Story Unique World Excellent Narration Thought-provoking Themes Masterful Performance
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Painfully Relevant

I listened to this book in it's entirety in 2 sittings. it really struck a chord with me. beautifully written, fantastic world, building, great magic system and intense characters tackling subjects that are painfully relevant today.

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The story

The story was great and so was the performance
A nice standalone to listen to

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A tragically lovely story

Story:
Pros- I loved this story. I don’t come across stand alone fantasy often, so I was intrigued. This was a tragically lovely story. The characters were compelling and imperfect in the best of ways.
Cons- I don’t think I have any. Small nitpick is sometimes I think the main protagonist overlooked obvious things that makes it a little unbelievable to the reader.

Narration:
Pros- This was top tier narration. The use of accents, tones, inflection was all masterfully done. It was a pleasure to listen to her read.
Cons - honestly, no cons. The narration was fantastic.

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Excellent performance to match a brilliant story

Absolutely adored this performance, which was perfect for this beautifully magical story. I listen to a lot of audiobooks, and this is now most definitely a shining stand out.

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Keeps you engaged the whole time

I knew there would be twists and turns but I still loved where it went

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    4 out of 5 stars
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It's aight

It's aight. A little strong with pushing woman power but, I enjoyed most of it kind of predictable once you saw her stance on all things super woman power.

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Agonizing. I loved it!

1. Authors, please hire Moira Quirk to read your books, I would listen to her read almost anything at this point.
2. This book is incredible. Dark, brutal, unapologetic. It deserves its comparisons to RF Kuang’s Babel, but it is also completely unique. I am going to sneakily recommend this to every conservative fantasy fan I can find.

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Relevant themes

Thought provoking and emotional. Great themes ran throughout the book. Things that I as a reader could connect to very easily.

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Excellent narration Great story.

Story was quite good, but lagged a bit. The overall was entertaining and kept my attention. I will read more by this author.

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Outstanding

Literally couldn’t pull myself away from the story! I chose to do an immersion reading with the physical book and I can’t tell you how much of a game changer it was! Highly recommend! To Hope Highmage Freynan!

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