Jacob P’s Reviews > Blood Over Bright Haven > Status Update

Final thoughts: Overall a good listen. I enjoyed the final sequence with the Kwen escaping; came full circle with where the story began but now I understood the world and mechanics. The whole schtick of Sciona being a savant but being a woman in a man's world was too on the nose when complaining to someone from basically a slave class man who had even less. It felt a bit preachy at times. Sword of K did it better.

Very close to the end. The final sequence was quick, action packed and punchy. Spoilers: I loved the revenge and irony of blight being set up on the mages after Sciona drank the poison after her verdict. Thomil and Sciona kissing before that was odd to me though and I think would've been more impactful if they didn't especially given she was sexually assaulted not long before this - felt misplaced.

Spoilers: and boom the plan put in place is executed and all is revealed to the masses. Although Sconia showed everyone where their magic comes from (killing living things outside of Tiran) it didn't result in what she thought, instead Thomil was right there were riots and the lower classes paid for it. There has been a lot of crying in this book and Sconia's character prior to her gaining consciousness seems to...

Spoilers: as it turns out, the government and the high mages know about the magic source and that the other realm is just the Kwen lands. This is diabolical and Sciona reacted as expected, outraged. The prose in this book is great, it progresses the story and keeps the environment pictured in mind. The characters are okay/consistent The standout is the worldbuilding and magic system. Buildup and payoff have been good

Nah this alchemist Dr. single handily exposes how sexist this world is. Goddamn, wanting to lobotomise Sconia because she is struggling to deal with the fact that every time she used magic it sourced from and killed someone or something that was living. He had the gall to say that because of her gender and chosen field she cannot handle the pressures wtf. Look good writing and all, but this tripped me up a bit haha

...breakthrough with mapping technique from a history book depicting origins of Tiran and founding fathers. I suspected the kwen were the originators but I didnt guess that the blight was literally the sources being used in Tiran- what a brutal revelation. Interesting concepts to say the least. Pacing is solid, characters are ok (their development/arcs feel a little cliche/predictable though). Worldbuilding is solid

I only recently just realised the way these mapping and sourcing spells are being cast are through a spellograph which from deduction and context is a typwritter of sorts (like that image on the cover art) - very interesting concept to modernise scrolls and magic use. Thomil and Sconia have it out over morals and ethics which finally needed to happen - Sconia is so intelligent but also so ignorant. The...

... To what they think. Sciona questioning whether what she is doing is what a male in her position would do and how it's perceived. Like I get it's character development about her being against it but I was expecting more show not telling. I like the world that's being built, the pacing is solid and the threads are there with many questions which I can/have drawn my own conclusions but we shall see how it pans out

So there are two races the Kwen and the Tiran. The Kwen seemingly are the lower caste for some reason about not accepting a god at a point in the past (although this is likely just the propaganda the Tiran spout). Sciona is Tiran and has taken Thomel as her assistant which isn't normal. There are a couple repetitive themes which I feel are being overused, Sciona not caring what others think then reacting...

It's taken about 18% for the magic system to be explained to a Kwen (Tom) whom acted as the readers channel for basic understanding of how the world works. So far so good, the characters are still developing but Sciona is definitely showing her colours and the challenges she faces. The new problem to solve is a major project leveraging specialist mapping and sources to expand the livable space of the Tirans.