A magical island. A storm that strands a ship's crew. A sorcerer who controls the magic. This YA fantasy novel is based thinly on Shakespeare's play The Tempest -- mostly just with names and a few setting and plot elements.

A mix of magic and drama, the story unfolds as Mae is turning 18. She's an orphan, but her father before his death served the Prospero family. Mae longs to belong and to find her place in the world, but.....it's complicated. It's like a teenage soap opera set on a fantastical, magic island. The drama did get a bit overpowering at times, but overall I enjoyed this book.

The intended audience for this book is definitely YA. It was an enjoyable read for me as well....just a bit heavy on the drama at times.

This is the first book I've read by this author. I look forward to more! The coverart is awesome! Very attractive book!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from St Martin's Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of Bright Ruined Things in exchange for an honest review!

I had such high expectations for this book, but it came up a bit short. There were things I both liked and disliked which overall left me with an okay feeling after reading this. I think the world building was extremely well done. I absolutely loved the atmosphere. It had such a magical feel to it, which I really enjoyed. I loved the concept of this magical island and the spirits that lived on it. I also did enjoy how the story was told throughout one day. Sometimes books told like this can seem long, without there really having a break in between key moments, but I think it worked well in this book.

Unfortunately, one aspect of the book that I disliked were the characters. I struggled to connect with any of them. There were times where I liked Mae, the protagonist, but I was often annoyed with her. She lets the Prosper family walk all over her, without defending herself. While I understand her character has never had a chance to leave the island and make a life for herself, I think she should have still been able to stand up for herself. We see her start to grow and change as a person, but this doesn't happen until late in the book.

The romance didn't work for me either. I didn't find myself rooting for Miles and Mae to end up together. He never really gave her the time of day, yet she still wanted to do whatever she could to get him to notice her. He used her to get the information he needed, knowing exactly how she felt about him. I was not a fan of Miles' character at all.

I wish there would have been a bigger focus on Ivo and Mae's friendship/relationship. Ivo was pretty much the only character that I liked. Out of all of the characters to die, I wouldn't have chosen him to be the one, regardless of him being given a hero's death.

While it was not one of my favourites that I've read this year, I did enjoy certain aspects of this book and overall, I did enjoy it.

This is a retelling of Shakespeare's The Tempest (which I have not read), set in the 1920s. There's magic and family drama and it's a lot of fun to read. It dragged for me a little bit in the middle, but once I got over that hump I finished the rest in one setting.
I found this to be enjoyable and would recommend it to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press / Wednesday Books for the ARC!

A reimagining of Shakespeare’s Tempest set in the 20s? Color me intrigued! I love The Tempest, so first let me start off with saying, the story has similarities in that the protagonist is the daughter of a servant who works for the sorcerer Prospero’s family (rather than her being his daughter named Miranda) she is named Mae. There are spirit servants, and of course there is Ariel ( but named Aeris( in the book. The original play centers around an island in which there is a dangerous game of power and revenge going on and this story is set on an island too and there are servants who are reluctant spirits, but thats where the similarities ends (which is too bad because that was the main selling point for me). Mae is the orphaned daughter of servants and essentially grows up with Prospero’s children (she has a massive obsessive crush on Prospero’s bastard son Miles, despite barely even interacting with him and him giving her the barest lukewarm signals, dude treats her like shes a visitor). The story is very soap opera like and nobody is likable, especially our protagonist. The only person I could stand was Ivo and even he wasn’t the best. Everyone in this family is self centered, power hungry, and just obnoxious. Coco is suppose to be Mae’s best friend but doesn’t view Mae as such, Miles her supposed crush is a sullen dude who is only suddenly interested in her in order to use her agains Ivo who is the heir to the Prosper family, and Ivo is just dealing with a lot and trying to protect Mae (he is her ex best friend who has a crush on her and they become engaged ) despite Mae being soooo in love with Miles she still goes through with getting engaged to Miles. Mae wants to learn magic and be accepted into the Prosper family, despite them treating her poorly. She literally lets everyone walk over her and I was just happy to have made it to the end. She’s naive and impulsive, but I guess that can be forgiven due to the fact that she’s 18 and lives a super sheltered life on an island. Sadly this book did not meet my expectations but it did wrap up well with rational conclusions for each character’s story. I did also enjoy Sebastian and was happy with the ending he got because yes, he deserves better. Ivo was a nice character but I just couldn’t get over the fact that he is 7 years older than Mae and has had a large crush on her and acts like an idiot sometimes but hes honestly not that bad compared to the rest of the Prosper clan. Overall, it’s an okay read but it just didn’t work for me. Maybe it’ll work out better for you!

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me an arc in exchange for a honest review*

Bright Ruined Things is my second Samantha Cohoe book I've read. It's a roaring 20s retelling of Shakespeare's Tempest.. Our lead Mae, is an orphan instead of Prospero's daughter . This book is beautifully written and the characters are interesting. Ivo is my favorite, the most complex of the cast- the one not wanting to be part of the family but the only one capable besides grandfather Prosper to use the island 's magic of which the family build their fortune. A book full of deceit and secrets hold to the chest. I sadly did not vibe with the book and Cohoe's debut either. That why it's a 3.5 for me. I still recommend because it's well written , has great scenes and i like spirit magic any time i see it.

This book was incredibly detailed and brought forth an entire new world for me as a reader! I loved how each character was introduced along with their backstories (especially Ivo), and how it somehow intertwined with the plot. The only downside to this novel was that it did feel a bit slow and confusing at times; I wasn't sure where the plot would lead. It ended up being a decent read, though, and I loved the idea of the plot!

A book that gives 1920's Gatsy vibes, full of family secrets, a secluded island and magic? Sounded like an intriguing must-read to me, and I really enjoyed being able to read Samantha Cohoe's upcoming book from Wednesday Books. I went into the book with not a lot of preconceived ideas, hoping to get lost in the world built with aether and spirits, a bit outside my comfort zone but interesting enough to grab my attention.

This book had a lot going on, but in the best way - a main character made to feel meek and mousy, Mae has never left the island and dreams of being worthy of the Prosper love and magic, even though she's not a part of the family. Surrounded by characters who you loved to dislike, each with their own desires to use the magic of the island to their own advantages, no matter who it hurt in the meantime this book grabs your attention and keeps it with fast pacing, great detail and the need to know what will happen in the end.

For me, the ending was just perfect, and I am so glad I picked this one up!

Fully disappointed in a book. At first I honestly thought that the premise was extremely interesting and was hook on what’s happening, but then it turned into a scooby doo chase with characters that lacked depth or coherent thoughts. It was extremely frustrating to read what Mae was thinking or how she refused to put the pieces together when they were quite glaring. Most of the times, it felt like certain things were thrown in to highlight that Mae is meek—I get it. But because of such characterization, it instantly turned me off because I’m frankly tired of the naive and innocent MC trope. Another thing that genuinely bothered me was how Mae allowed men to do whatever they want and how she’s a pushover, willing to do whatever for “power” and “ambition.” It’s untasteful.

Although the author did try to make a spin on Mae’s arc, it ultimately fell flat because there was no depth for her character to begin with. I found everyone else annoying and genuinely disliked all the characters.

One thing that I did like was the variety of ambitious that the author tried to tackle within the book. Everyone wants something, but they’re still awfully annoying (even if they’re supposed to be).

I want to thank St Martin's Press and Net Galley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was intrigued by the premise of this book. It was billed as a YA Fantasy retelling of the Tempest. I have read several other books in recent months that were re tellings, or re imaginings of books. I find this a fascinating genre and wanted to read more. Although I am not in the YA demographic, I have also enjoyed quite a few of these books , particularly in the fantasy category. Bright Ruined Things is a well written , imaginative book. It takes the themes and characters of The Tempest, and gives it a Roaring 20's type of setting. The Prosper family live on an island and control the sprites, who were the island's original inhabitants, by magic.Mae is the daughter of the caretaker, who is now dead. She wants to be part of the Prosper family, but more importantly, she wants to be able to do the magic. Mae thinks she will do anything to make this happen, but will she?The story takes place over a few days, with the Prosper Family planning for their annual First Night Party. There is love, betrayal, romance, magic, and truth telling. The characters are not likeable, but they are interesting. It makes for a fascinating read.

The concept of this novel was interesting but the plot hadslow build-up. I had a hard time getting into this book and some things I thought fell a bit flat. Tthere was a lot of depth missing for the characters & the relationships between them. Sadly i did not enjoy this book.

Mae, nickname Mousy Mae, lives on an island that is just steeped in magic. The magic keeps most humans away while also keeping the islands secrets. Lord Prosper is the patriarch of this island and also a wizard and Mae would do anything to be trained by him in magic.
Coming up on First Night, a time of parties and celebration, Mae is looking forward to seeing old friends she can be comfortable around. At least that is her hope.

This story is truly magical and I definitely recommend it as a unique read!

A phenomenal retelling of The Tempest! Bright Ruined Things is such a unique, and fun story, with immersive worldbuilding, beautifully descriptive writing, and fascinating characters. I loved the Gatsby-era setting, the magic, and the morally grey characters!

“Bright Ruined Things” by Samantha Cohoe

When I first picked up this book, I thought I was in for a normal fantasy romance novel. However, “Bright Ruined Things” by Samantha Cohoe turned into something much more fantastic than I could have ever imagined.
Mae has always lived on the island. It belongs to the Prosper family, perhaps the richest people in the world because they discovered aether. Aether is the source of magic, and it’s the world’s biggest power source now. The aether is created by spirits who dwell on the island and tend to the people who visit.
However, Mae’s time on the island is running short. She was not born a Prosper, and she’s only allowed to stay until she’s eighteen. If she wants to stay, she needs to become a Prosper, and the only way to do that is through marriage. Mae hopes to accomplish that during First Night, which is the day when all the Prospers come home to celebrate. Mae has her eyes set on Miles, but through the coercion of other Prospers accidentally gets hooked up with the wrong man.
Mae labors through the evening to try and set things right and get with the boy she wants, but it soon becomes clear that love and marriage may be the least of the concerns on the island. There’s something odd about First Night that no one seems inclined to tell. There’s something mysterious about the obedient spirits that wander the island, and something even more odd about Lord Prosper himself. If Mae wants to set things right, she’ll have to leave behind all her previous desires and sacrifice all she’s ever known and loved.
The twists and turns Cohoe brings to this book truly astounded me. I thought I knew where the book was heading when we started, but I was joyfully mistaken. It’s an excellent read and kept me at the edge of my seat. Highly recommended!

Reviewed by Bailey Day, author of “The Amazing Imagination Machine” by Suspense Publishing, an imprint of Suspense Magazine.

Wow! This book in phenomenal! It is intriguing, enthralling, full of magic, twists, and turns, and so much more! Whenever I picked up "Bright Ruined Things", I was whisked back in time, and went on quite the adventure with this story.

I absolutely love William Shakespeare's romance play "The Tempest"! As soon as I saw that this book is a retelling of the play set in the 1920's, I just knew I needed to pick it up and read it!

This is the first book I have read by Samantha Cohoe, and it certainly won't be my last! Her writing style is amazing, and she brilliantly builds the world of her book so it jumps off of the page right before the reader's eyes. She weaves various aspects of her book together seamlessly, and the story is fast-paced. Moreover, her characters jump off of the page. Some I liked from the start, some grew on me, and some I absolutely despised others. From good, bad, and everything in between, this book truly has so much in it, and is so unique.

This book follows Mae, a young woman who lives on the island ruled by the Prospers. I do not want to spoil anything in this review, as there is so much that would be considered spoilers in one way or another. I will say, however, that this book is full of magic, secrets, lies, twists and turns, darker moments, and so much more.

If you enjoy reading Historical Fantasy, I recommend this book! It kept me up until the early hours of the morning turning the pages chapter after chapter to see what would happen, and I look forward to reading what Ms. Cohoe writes next!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC of this novel, it is incredible! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I started reading this, but ultimately did not connect to it and had to dnf roughly into 25% into the book. However. I do really like the premise and might have to pick it up again, as it may just be a timing issue.

For some reason I didn't realize Bright Ruined Things was a retelling. I have not read The Tempest and I do not know what it's about so I can't say anything about the similarities. Bright Ruined Things was unfortunately a confusing story that I haven't been able to get drawn into. I didn't really get a feeling for the atmosphere or the characters. And I've seen a few reviews say it has a sort of open ending. I'm personally not a fan of them. While this book isn't for me, I'm sure many others will enjoy it.

***Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the review opportunity.***

Mae has only known the beautiful island that she lives on with its spirits and magic, not the world outside. All she wants is to be part of the island's controlling family and fit in. She also longs to learn the magic of the island. As her life and the island start to unravel, she learns a lot about people she thought she knew, about herself and about life. She now has to make tough decisions. This book draws you in with its wonderful world building where all is not as it seems. A great read. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book. It was fairly fast-paced and well thought out. It had a very soap-opera vibe to it. The romance aspect was a tame love triangle and wasn’t my favorite part, but I did love the epilogue. The ending was great.

I basically skimmed this book to see who the main character ended up with. I didn't care for this book, and I didn't particularly care for any of the characters. The world was dense and confusing, and no one was likable. Maybe it is all Shakespeare's fault, but this book is a pass for me.

Thanks Netgalley and publishers for the free earc.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)

This started off okay for me and it moved at a fast pace but not in the right way? I felt like parts of it weren't fully fleshed out and kind of jumped around. The world building was decent but I don't think I really liked (or invested) in the majority of the characters.