Forbidden magic, a family secret, and a night to reveal it all...

This book was spectacular! I loved this fantastical place Cohoe created! I could see everything clearly in my mind as I read, and the plot was written so well. I could connect to the characters, and the book had me wanting to read faster and faster. I loved all the magic woven into this story. Ivo and Mae were my favorite characters. A great read!

This book reimagines the ambition and destruction of Shakespeare's The Tempest.

The Prosper family has all the glitz and glamour and magic that Mae, the steward's daughter, desperately desires. But their wealth comes from the labor of spirits. Spirits produce the fuel from the wells, maintain the properties and even provide music that's constantly on the air.

Best friends with one Prosper, Coco, and in love with another, Miles, Mae worries that she doesn't mean as much to them as they mean to her, and she despairs of having a permanent home on the magical island. Miles and Mae make some discoveries that lead them to believe that the magic that runs the island may not be as innocent as they're led to believe. But then Mae's offered an unexpected chance to marry the wrong Prosper and has some hard choices to make.

The author creates a fascinating magical world on the island. The spoiled, selfish, troubled Prospers and desperate Mae create an explosive combination in this fast-paced drama.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book.

This is definitely something that I can see my students enjoying! It kept my interest and was a cool retelling!

Bright Ruined Things is a 1920's take on Shakespeare’s The Tempest. It's such a fun and unique story that I was completely immersed in. I normally struggle with fantasy books but I loved this one. The author has the ability to completely sweep you away with her storytelling. The story isn't hard to follow and the magic is just sprinkled in throughout which just made for a dazzling tale. Bright Ruined Things is the best book I've read this year!

What I really enjoyed about this book was the story and its setting. As I was reading I felt like I was on the island with Cohoe's characters. The character's were great too. There were some disagreeable characters but it worked the story.
The only thing I disliked was the wordage. It felt like the novel was going between modern language and language that was used earlier (maybe during the time the Tempest was written). Even though the book was mostly written in today's wordage, those sporadic moments where it was not would through me off.
Overall I enjoyed reading the book, and I believe this book would make a good addition to my classroom library next year.

I wasn’t sure how much I was going to like this book after I started since I didn’t like Mae too much, but I liked her character development growth and came to really like and cheer her on. The side characters were all rather interesting, albeit a bit annoying at times. I just wished we had gotten some more scenes with Ivo and Sebastian since they seemed to be the most interesting side characters and not as selfish and frustrating as the others.

One thing that really didn’t sit well with me was the age difference between Mae and Ivo, especially since it was hinted that he had liked her for awhile.. but she was 18 and him 24, which meant that he as a grown man had been into someone underage. As for the story I really did find it interesting and wanted to keep reading in order to find out what was happening and what were all the secrets that were being kept. This was a pretty solid read and while my overall rating would likely be a 3.5 stars I’m rounding it up to 4 stars for the review process.

It took me a while to become invested in the story and I had a hard time piecing everything together in the beginning as it felt like I was missing something. I thought that Mae was a boring doormat of a character and Miles was just...meh. Actually, pretty much all the Prospers were terrible and it was hard to drum up any sympathy for them. Ivo was the one character with the most promise but hw didn't get enough play in the story. I also wanted more references to the 1920's other than the reference to the bob hairstyle and the novelty of Coco's plane flying. Overall I liked the novel but I feel like more could have been done with it.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

William Shakespeare is one of my favorite playwrights . His ability to draw you into a world full of so many different topics is inspiring. He inspires me-his ability to connect with all of his readers.

Bright Ruined Things had The Tempest vibes going and once I found out it was based on that play I knew I was going to love it. It is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays other than Much Ado about Nothing. What’s better than a play about pirates, shipwrecks and magic? A book about all those things and more haha. This book was full of finding balance between magic and knowing when to use and when to not.

This was a brilliant retelling, it had been some time since I’ve last read or seen the play but as soon as I started reading this book, it all came rushing back to me.

I loved Mae-seeing her become more confident and sure of herself throughout this entire book.

I really loved this book! The characters were very interesting and relatable. I really enjoyed where the author took the story. Great book!

Imagine yourself at the era of 20s, trapped in an island where the magic controls the entire area and poor spirits who serve for the best benefits of their master are in danger as the notorious family members scheming against each other and keeping so many deadly secrets.

Tempest is one of the last and underrated, unknown plays of Shakespeare play centered on an island and a deadly power and revenge game of sorcerer Prospero lives with his daughter Miranda( like our MC Mae: but she’s not the daughter of the master, she’s just an orphan who wants to learn magic and be part of the family she strongly connected with, having long time crush in Miles: family’s bastard son) and two servants Ariel ( as like Aeris in this book) and Caliban.

At the beginning of play shipwrecked crew find themselves confused and strangled at the strange island in the midst of the storm and at second act we learn Prospero conjured the storm for his great scheme avenge King of Maples Alanso, and his brother Antonio.

After reading the entire plot line: only similarities with the play seem like events centered on island, the servants are reluctant spirits with name similarities. But that’s all. Rest of it reminds you of juicy soap opera about inglorious self centered, power thirsty family members including Lord Prosper and his son and Ivo are powerful magicians.

Mae was born on this island and her deceased father was loyal servant of the family. Now she’s about to become 18, living in the charity of the family, never left the island and she yearns to become a member of family because of her intense feelings to Miles and she also forms a unique friendship with Coco.

The eldest son Ivo was once upon a time her close friend but when she’s caught as she was secretly stealing one of his sorcerer books, they had a big fight and their friendship were over. Now she’s intimidated by him and the worst part is the family pushes her to marry with him unless she wants to find another place to stay and leave the island urgently.

Things I enjoyed about my reading : Shakespearean intriguing web of lies around the family: everybody has secret agenda, acting behind back of each other.

Action packed last third and the rational conclusions about each character’s stories are well wrapped up.

World building,the chaotic mechanism of Magic’s working were interesting and well developed.

But...
I hate nearly all of the characters including Mae. At the second half I started to tolerate her because finally she stopped acting like spineless doormat and started taking action, standing for herself but she still tried to make a deal with wrong partner which proved how naive, impulsive she was but it was normal because she never left the island, broadening her horizons and she was still 18.

Ivo was so far my favorite character and his emphasis on the entire storyline was so strong but I wish I could read more about him instead of army of spoiled brats, narcissistic douchebag, one dimensional characters! I hated the entire Prosper clan.

I also enjoyed the presence of Sebastian and I wished he would be part of the story at the beginning.

I never supported team Maeles ( Mae-Miles): Mae was so in love with her at the risk of losing her dignity and Miles was using him to replace Ivo’s place from the beginning.

Poor Ivo was the only mature one who carries the burden of big secret but there’s a possibility he must be a wanker (it’s implied he has a long time crush for Mae. He is 7 years older than her which is normal but Mae just recently became 18! WTH dude, you were the only one I supported as the most layered character of the book)

Overall: the conclusion of the book and the world building was great but I didn’t connect with any of the characters and I wished all of them death instead of Ivo so you may guess my wishes didn’t come true!

I’m still rounding up 3.5 stars to 4 because of the strong potential, gothic atmosphere, the creative construction of spirits!

Normally I gave three stars when I read a book with worst kind of characters but the conclusion was truly satisfying and I have to admit this book was better than the debut book of the author.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

A beautiful cover, an interesting premise and a lackluster plot.

“Bright Ruined Things” follows Mae as she eagerly awaits for the return of her friends Coco and Miles to the island she calls home only to she stumble into an engagement with the wrong Prosper grandson. With her attention focused on climbing the social ladder she quickly finds that things are not as they appear and the magic she so desperately craves may cast a shadow over a much darker secret.

Let’s start with what I enjoyed.

Mae was an interesting character and not one I feel I’ve had a chance to read a lot on ya fiction in that she has almost like what would appear as a villain origin story but it’s really just her standing up for herself and making moves no one expects her to do which was a lot of fun to read. Seeing her go from childlike and naive about the world as a whole to someone not afraid to speak her truth was the highlight of the novel.

That being said everything else fell kind of flat? The accompanying characters were rather basic and two dimensional which was a great disappointment when it came to Ivo who I kept waiting to have his moment but he remains off screen so to speak for a majority of the book and it felt like a waste of what could have been a great character. The magic system was weak and I’m not quite sure how it all worked outside of the climax but that too pairs with the cover which is selling this 20s like fantasy novel only there’s no real tie to any time period which was a shame.

There appears to be an attempt to have a conversation about larger issues some of which I don’t think in the correct reviewer to speak on but I would love to pick the brain of other reviewers who have had a chance to read this so there’s no risk of spoilers either.

Not sure about this one I think with a few more drafts it could have really been a hit but instead I’m left disagreeing with the official synopsis in that I expect to have forgotten this novel by tomorrow morning.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

Bright and Ruined Things is a retelling of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” that is set in the 1920s. You’ve got enchanted galas, you’ve magic islands, you’ve got rich families with secrets, and most importantly you’ve got a heroine who clawing her way up from the servants quarters. The world building was done beautifully. Something I particularly liked about this book was the pacing.

I found Mae frustrating at first when reading this book simply due to how she let people walk all over her. However I loved her development and arc as she became less naive and more outspoken.

In terms of the main relationship, if you could even call it that... I wish I could say I liked Mae and Miles but with me it just fell flat. I honestly didn’t really find myself rooting for them and it felt as though he was using her a lot of the time. I was fine with the result of their relationship because honestly it made the most sense and it was best for Mae.

In terms of Ivo, to me, he felt like the most compelling character in the book. However, something that felt weird to me was the fact that it was hinted that he had romantic feelings for Mae, when he’s 7 years older than her and she was just turning 18. Personally this reminded me a lot of Thomas and June from Legend by Marie Lu.

I’m kind of conflicted on how to rate this book because while the plot and world building was great, the characters were really disappointing and I didn’t feel as though I connected with any of them.

Book Review for Bright Ruined Things
Full review for this title will be posted at: @cattleboobooks on Instagram!

After enjoying Cohoe's debut last year, I was eagerly anticipating this book, even though I haven't seen The Tempest in years and remembered only the bare bones of the story. However, I didn't expect to fall so head over heels in love with this book!

The world building is gripping and the storyline so well crafted I was kept guessing the whole was through. The writing style had me completely enthralled, and I was never completely sure which characters I liked and which I didn't!

There was nothing predictable about this book, and that's a big part of why I loved it and felt so drawn in. I wholeheartedly recommend picking it up!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me a complimentary advanced copy of Bright Ruined Things by Samantha Cohoe in exchange for my honest review.

**4.5/5 stars to be exact

Bright Ruined Things is a 1920s style re-imagining of the The Tempest, that definitely serves Gatsby vibes at time. A thrilling ride from start to finish I read this one in less that 12 hours. All Mae has ever known is the island and the magical family that inhabits. Mae strives to feel like she has a place among the Prospers, but perhaps what she wants more than belonging, more than love, is magic and the power that comes with it. A dark, yet glittering YA fantasy/mystery tale Bright Ruined Things explores themes of home, love, family and power.

Cohoe does an amazing job creating a truly atmospheric journey for the reader and the way information is revealed allows the reader to grow alongside the troubled heroine. Though I had not read The Tempest since high school and did not remember it, that did not damper my reading experience by any means. I love books in which each character has a flaw, and the characters here were so complex and vibrant. A complex mystery also kept me racing through this book until the very end. I had very few problems with this book but I will note them. I wish that the romantic intentions had been a little clearer. I get the ambiguous romance Cohoe was going for but the ever shifting intentions did make it hard to truly root for either romance at the end. Lord Prosper could definitely benefit from a little more development to make him a more formidable villain. I also really hope this book gets a sequel because while the ending was somewhat satisfying it was still just ambiguous enough to make me want more

This story resonated with me deeply. I felt a part of the story and despite my struggles with the fantasy genre, I loved every moment of this story! I’m already looking forward to the next books in the series! I’m thoroughly sucked in and loved every bit of it. This is my née favorite author and I’m so excited to see what comes next! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc in exchange for my honest opinion. I found my new favorite series!

This book was received as an ARC from St. Martin's Press - Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was unlike any fantasy novel I have ever read. I loved the concept of Mae being adopted and unfamiliar with her past in her adoptive Prosper family protecting her and introducing her to a magic unlike any other. Now as she turns 18, Mae has a chance to be on her own and see her calling learning about the new magic discovered by Lord Prosper aether. Now the plot took a whole new turn where the spirits are dying, and things are not what Mae remembers when the family returns. I also love books that unlock secrets even the main characters are shocked by. I could not even count on my fingers the times throughout the book where my jaw was open and my heart was pumping so much blood. I only have a few book where I could not stop talking about it to anyone including my family and I am so excited to add this book to that list.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book.

I ended up DNFing BRIGHT RUINED THINGS about 20% of the way through. It was a disappointment because I was excited about a retelling of a Shakespeare play I don’t know much about, but in the end that wasn’t enough to keep me reading.

I know this is supposed to be set in the 1920s, but the only way I knew that was from reading reviews. I wouldn’t have known that from the text itself, which created this sense of timelessness but not in a good way. I felt really disconnected from the setting because the ‘when’ is just as important as the ‘where’ to me, and I was missing that.

The characters didn’t really do anything for me and in the end the story just wasn’t one that hooked me enough to want to keep reading. I’m sure this will be for someone else, because it’s well-paced and well-written, but it just isn’t for me.

This book took me to another place filled with magic, magical sprites, the evil power-hungry Lord and his spoiled rich family. Mae is an orphan who lives on their magical island wanting nothing more than to create a permanent place for herself there, learn to use magic and fulfill her unrequited love of one of the Prospers. The story has many exciting tales and the interwoven stories of Mae and all of the Prospers who live on the island and wield its magic. Many secrets are revealed as the island prepares for it’s annual First Night celebration and Mae finds herself in the middle of it all. Why are the sprites dyeing, does Miles love her back, can she see herself marrying Ivo, how can she fulfill her dream to use magic?
I wish I would have learned more about Ivo but it really adds to the story for him to be elusive, brooding and angry. I felt invested in the character and wanted answers, revenge and love fulfilled. The end ties it all up with a bow but also leaves it open to allow the reader some freedom to decide how they want it to end. I loved it!
This is a great choice for any young reader looking for good fantasy read. I can’t wait to read Samantha Cohoe's other book and see what else she comes out with.
Thank you to Samantha Cohoe and St Martin’s Press for allowing me to read and review this book!

Trigger Warnings*: alcohol and drug abuse (mentioned), coercion (some characters try to use sexual advances as manipulation), death of multiple characters (some happened before the events of the novel), homophobia/outing (outed via rumours, mentioned, and homophobia attitudes are present via other side characters), suicide (mentioned/briefly described), suicide ideation (not pov character, but a side one considers it), supernatural possession & slavery, violence (slapping & gun shot wounds)

*I would like to state that this is not an exhaustive list. I have done my best to note down what triggers I picked up on in the book, and to note them down as accurately as possible. However, I may have missed some, and because this is an arc, things may be subject to change.

I finished this book two days ago, after seeing it marked as 'Read Now' on Netgalley (for 48 hours) and ever since I have been mulling over what I want to say. Since I hadn't heard of this book or the author before seeing it on Netgalley, I went in to it without any expectations, apart from intrigue and curiosity (particularly to see how The Tempest influenced the novel).

One of the strongest parts of the novels was the description of the Island & the Prosper house. It gave me Gothic vibes, what with the secrecy and allure surrounding the Prospers and how they were able to control the aether. So, it was very atmospheric and tense. However, while I feel like that description was effective, I often found myself confused about the time this was set in - if it wasn't for the mention of historical events/hairstyles particular to that time, this could've been set anywhere.

While the protagonist Mae often annoyed me with how she let people walk over her, and found herself easily led, I think she was well written. She started off very sheltered and naïve, having only ever living on the Island being exposed to the Prospers (who, even the best of them, let's face it, aren't very nice people) to standing up for herself, as she began to realise the truth of the Island the relationships with the people around her. Thus, it was easy for me to buy into Mae's motivations surrounding magic - wanting to find a place to belong, to have power and independence - and why she made the (often bad) choices that she did.

The relationships between Mae and the Prosper family are complicated to say, at least. There is her best friend Coco, who she realises might not be as good of a friend as she thinks . . .

Then there's Miles, the boy she's had a crush on forever. I didn't find myself rooting for Miles & Mae at all, and honestly I'm not sure if we were meant to?! He was consistently pretty awful to her, using her to get the information he wanted, and not being honest about his feelings and knowing he could get away with it. Ultimately, I did like where their relationship ended up - it was the best for them, and for Mae. I do think the book could've explored their relationship more throughout the novel, but considering it was set over the course of the day, I can see why it fell flat in places.

The other two Prosper children . . . they were terrible people & and I won't say anything further because of spoilers. All of the characters had complicated pasts & motivations, I do wish we got to see more of it, other than the 'reveal' about it as the plot began to unfold at the end, and then the book just moved on.

And then there's Ivo. Now, Ivo is 7 years older than Mae, and it is hinted at that he's always had a bit of a crush on Mae, which made me feel uncomfortable. She was just turning 18 at the beginning of the book, and it's alluded that Ivo has had a thing for her since she was a minor and he as an adult. Therefore, I was already put off by their relationship to begin with.

Ivo was actually one of the most intriguing and compelling characters - torn between doing what he wanted which he knows is the moral thing to do, and manipulated in to doing the 'family duty'. But, again, hard for me to root for his character & the relationship between him & Mae with how it was hinted he always had a special - not platonic - interest in her.

I was both happy & mad with how the book ended! I guessed where it was going, but I wanted an extra chapter just to see that interaction, but I think it was a nice open ending.

Overall, I do think this was a good book, but there was a lot of depth missing for the characters & the relationships between them.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.