Cover Image: Bright Ruined Things

Bright Ruined Things

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2.5 stars for an interesting but ultimately somewhat disappointing read!

Bright Ruined Things caught my attention by flaunting so many things I typically adore in fantasy stories: forbidden magic, secluded locations, secrets galore and a Gatsby-esque vibe to top things off. Sadly, all of these components didn't really come together to make an compelling story.

The romance ultimately only watered down the story, and I honestly didn't care for either the love interest nor what little chemistry they had between the two of them. I actually think that Mae's dynamics with other characters on the island are far more interesting and worthy of exploration, but that sadly didn't happen. Ultimately, there was just too much going on here for any one part of the story to be fleshed out in a satisfying way, making all of them fall short. The romance wasn't incredibly engaging, the atmosphere suffered for it, and the magical island felt underdeveloped.

While I did enjoy the atmosphere and ultimately didn't have a bad time reading this book, it just felt quite lukewarm to me. I am, however, interested to see further work of the author, since this book definitely holds promise of something more.

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Honestly, this book was an overall nice, fun time. I ended up listening to the audiobook while working on some chores and misc work, and it was the perfect companion to keep my brain distracted! I think I ended up listening to this in almost a single day, it was just the perfect level of engrossing and was exactly what I needed to be, even if it won’t make any of my favorite lists!

I feel like this book got the pacing down really well, because we start at an interesting point in the story that still gives us enough time to get our bearings before the intrigue really starts picking up. Over time, secrets begin to unravel faster and faster, and it really felt like such a steady and comfortable increase that I really have to commend it! I also absolutely loved that this whole book takes place over the course of a single day. It made the story even more interesting, narratively, and it goes to show just how much can change in the span of 24 hours. It also actually managed to feel like a whole day, and was the exactly right amount of events (and again, paced perfectly!) to make it feel realistic.

I also found the plot quite intriguing (though my only experience with The Tempest so far was a single, messy reenactment in my Shakespeare class, where I honestly hadn’t the slightest what was actually going on because I was too stressed over what I had to act out next). It proves that this book stands on its own beyond its basis as a retelling, and I always really appreciate when a story is strong beyond the original tale it draws its inspiration from!

Overall, I found myself quickly enthralled and invested in these characters, and I genuinely really enjoyed the time spent with this story! I have another of this author’s books to read, so I think I’ll get to that real soon, after how much I liked this.

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This book is amazing! I adored the way the history was told from the character's perspective. It's a unique. It realy has a beautiful writing. I can't wait to read more works of this author.

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2.5 stars

Mae lives on a magical island with the Prosper family. As their ward, Mae is on the outside and dreams of being able to learn magic like Ivo the Prosper heir.
Every year the Prospers host a party called First Night where people from the mainland come to the island to celebrate the anniversary of Lord Prosper producing aether using the island's indigenous spirits.
The First Night also means that Mae's best friend, Coco, will be returning to the island, as well as Miles, Mae's crush.
However, things start to unravel when the spirits begin to die,
What is happening to the spirits?
Will Mae be able to to stay on the island now that she is eighteen?

Mae was a mixed protagonist for me - I felt sorry for her with how she was mostly forgotten by the Prospers while most of them went off to the mainland during term time. I liked Mae's character development, but I didn't really connect with her and wasn't invested in what happened to her.
None of the characters really stood out for me, except maybe Ivo, who I would like to find out more about.
The setting of the island was interesting.
The plot was mixed for me - I found some of it to be predictable, but it also surprised me. However, I wasn't gripped.
The writing style took me a little while to get into, but it was easy to follow.
I'm disappeared that I didn't enjoy this more.

Overall, this was a mixed read.

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- thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an early review.

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The Tempest is one of my favorite Shakespearean plays. I was curious to see how this would be retold in the 1920s. While this story is well-written, it lacked the charm of the original. The characters do not seem like their Shakespearean counterparts. Still, I recommend this for fans of Shakespeare!

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What a bizarre retelling of the Tempest…I loved it! A family of magic Weil sees whose power is built on mystery. It turns out their strength comes at a price, and it’s not one that seems to be worth it. Our main characters struggle with the truth of their secret island and their family’s deceit, and work together to change things for the better. Part retelling, part witchy tale and part ghost story, the moving pieces all come together to tell a grisly truth and change things for this magic controlling family

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Bright Ruined Things is a glimpse into the sparkly world of the Ultra-Rich and those that have power. Mae has grown up with the Prospers for most of her life. She feels like family and for the most part, they treat her like family. Until the wedding comes and every lie and truth is revealed. The 24-hour duration of the book places a ticking time bomb on the reader from the start, making the read fast and page-turning. Yet with the stage set for an exciting read, the short duration does not allow for depth or growth of the characters, especially the protagonist. Everything seemed overly rushed and superficial. This is also compounded by the fact that the cast is fairly large and can often be hard to keep track of.

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Bright Ruined Things is a retelling of Shakespeare's The Tempest set in the 1920'.
What sounds like a great premise, unfortunately left me a little disappointed. I liked the cast of characters, but never really believed they were authentic in the 1920 setting. It almost felt like cos-play to me. I think I wanted a more immersive experience in that regard.
The pacing was great and the tension was well maintained. Overall I felt like this book might have made a better screenplay to adapt into what surely would make for a delightful film, which I would be absolutely interested in seeing!

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What's better than a stunning Shakespeare retelling? One that manages to deftly place a familiar story in a completely new time. Bright Ruined Things is a fantastic adaptation of the Tempest for both fans of the bard and those who don't know him at all.

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*Arc provided by Wednesday Books and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review."

The premise is that Mae lives on an island with this family that is insanely wealthy and harnesses the islands magic to produce a very lucrative fuel source for the world. The catch, the island is full of spirits and they're dying. With everyone in the family making their way back for a huge party nothing, but drama ensues.

Bright Ruined Things is billed as a retelling of The Tempest. I personally haven't read that Shakespeare play so I couldn't tell you if it does it justice or not. I initially requested this because the cover gave me Great Gatsby vibes and it said there was magic.

Overall,, the book fit the description it was just a bit slow paced for me.

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An interesting story that had more potential. I like fantasy and the creativity it brings. This was a story that could have had more depth. There are multiple characters and you don't ever get a chance to really understand their motivations for their choices. I felt the story theme was one that was done a hundreds times: power taken from others and then the origin suppressed and covered up. It was slow in the first half and tried to build a romance into but failed. I'm not sure I would be excited to recommend this book but for most they would find the story platable.

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Mae has lived on the island the Prospers oversee for as long as she can remember. But now she’s 18, and the Prospers’ obligation to her father has expired, she knows her time is running out, and she may never get a taste of the magic that keeps the island prospering. (Ha.) But tonight is First Night, the yearly celebration of the anniversary of the Prospers discovery of the island and the spirits that inhabit it. But Mae is about to realize that the magic she’s always craved may not be the gift that it seems, and this First Night may just be the last.

I didn’t know what to expect from this read but it’s not at all what I was given. If the cover wasn’t clearly 1920s vibes I wouldn’t know that there was a specific time period to this story at all. It’s a very loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, though more inspired by the Bard’s tale than based on; there are plays on names and the magical elements can find their origin in the play, but that’s about how closely linked it gets.

Mae might be the most pitiful protagonist I’ve ever read. Even odder, she’s very aware of the fact that she’s pitiful but does nothing to change except in very specific moments – that were honestly my favorite of hers – that were so out of character and even more fleeting, that it’s almost as if they didn’t happen.

The romance aspect was very confusing. Mae’s childhood crush clearly doesn’t feel the same way she does, but gives in to her wishes, which leaves a very one-sided relationship and leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The surprise romantic interest is hinted at and never resolved or given any time to live and breathe before it is abruptly cut off. I’d say I appreciate that Mae doesn’t end up with any one person but the epilogue hints that she does – though the book ends before we get to see any of it.

Something about this book leaves me so completely unsatisfied that it angers me. There are no consequences for actions that are decently despicable, the little character growth that there is feels unearned and unrealistic, and we’re told there’s more to this story but aren’t allowed to see it unfold.

Trigger warning: bullying, neglect, threats of sexual violence, abuse, imprisonment, kidnapping, trauma, fire, death, enslavement, gaslighting, toxic relationships.

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Instantly gripping and well written. Fantastic storytelling. I couldn't stop thinking about it and tbh I'm not sure I can even now that it's over.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

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I absolutely loved this book! I found it hard to put down. I highly recommend reading it! You won’t be disappointed.

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This one was just okay for me. There wasn't anything that really stuck out plot or writing wise that knocked me off my feet. Characters were pretty cookie-cutter characters who were exactly who you would expect them to be.

Personally I don't know that I will pick up another Cohoe book after this one. I read her previous book as well and I just wasn't in love with either of them. While this one definitely stepped up the game, I'm not a huge fan of that last page cliffhanger ending with the romance sub-plot. There was a LOT with this romance plot that I just didn't understand and couldn't get behind.

Honestly, I considered DNFing this book multiple times but kept reading because I wanted to know what the big secret was and it just wasn't that good. The pieces that we were trying to put together never really went together. The other characters kept telling the MC she was stupid for not getting it but like... I didn't get it either and I'm LOOKING for it. The whole "this is why we have magic" plot just didn't hold up for me. part of that may be because this world was never really fleshed out enough for me to understand it. I don't know if that was deliberate to keep the BIG SECRET a secret, but it's just not my style.

Also, I've heard a lot of people talk about this 1920's feel of this and I just don't see it. Unless you're talking about the style of clothing maybe? But legit, it's a remote island. There's no tv and their electric is from *MAGIC* it could be set in any time period.

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I did enjoy the writing. I thought everything flowed well and really brought forth this air of mystery and such to what was going on.

While I thought the writing was good, I do wish that I connected more with the characters. I never connected with them which means they didn't have a lasting impression on me. I hate this as I loved the writing and would have loved to have been more invested in the story than I was.

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Samantha Cohoe's Bright Ruined Things is a standalone young adult fantasy, a retelling of Shakespeare's classic play the Tempest that, at the same time, has certain gatsby-esque vibes. It follows the story of Mae who lives on this private isolated island that belongs to the wealthy family of Prospers. While she's surrounded by magic, Mae doesn't have any of her own but when the spirits of the island start dying, she's sucked in the mystery.

I must say that the worldbuilding was quite an interesting one, which in the world of YA fantasy, is rare. Especially since the story is standalone, I feel like the author did a great job at describing how the magic worked, how the world worked, and made me intrigued. The element of spirits and their mysterious deaths was another that made me want to read the book further.

The thing that didn't work for me was, unfortunately, the characters. I couldn't really connect to Mae and although there were moments when I almost liked her, most of the time I couldn't really understand her choices, or she made me frustrated, even annoyed. This is sadly not only Mae but most of the characters. On top of that, the romance in this book felt also flat for me and I didn't really care for any of the ships.

Another drawback for me was the pacing of the book because a lot of the time I felt bored and I didn't have much motivation to continue reading. I would much rather pick up other book than this one.

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It’s no surprise that young adult characters are sometimes judged from a mature, experienced lens for decisions that are very much based on their ‘young’ age. So I always set a reminder for myself while reading YA books: don’t judge the protagonist too much for their choices and simply comment on them from the story’s purpose. Reading Bright Ruined Things forced me to go back to this reminder again and again. Mae has lived all her life on magician Lord Prosper’s private island—in a mansion where spirits serve the rich family. Her presence, as the daughter of a passed-away mansion’s steward, is an orphan barely tolerated and will be in exile on her eighteenth birthday.

Mae fears this family but also desires to belong, especially on this land she has always called home. She has a best friend, Coco, who is the Lord’s granddaughter and has a crush on Coco’s cousin, Miles, who is disaffected. Luckily, Mae is offered a chance to marry in the family: to the adopted son, Ivo, who is a grumpy heir to Lord Prosper. When a legendary First Night rolls in to celebrate the yearly commemoration of Lord Prosper’s harnessing the island’s magic, Mae is determined to capture Miles and become a magical Prosper—to not just escape the engagement with Ivo she’s suddenly thrust into but also to still belong and reap the protection that comes with this powerful island.

But the land is dying and the spirits are sickening, making it difficult to harness magic. As the perfect evening unravels betrayals and secrets, and Mae attempts to save the island, she is torn between the magic she has always aspired to inherit and the realisation of what it demands in exchange. Spanned over twenty-four hours, this intriguing story about social ladders and glorious worlds follows a complicated mystery with suspenseful undertones. Sadly, the marketing fails the book as it isn't truly a retelling of The Tempest but is simply inspired by the Shakespearean tale, and the 1920s setting feels vague. The time it promises to take the readers back to, with the Gatsby vibes, seems like any random secondary period owned by rich people and magical spirits. While Chloe Gong’s debut is set in 1920s China, there’s a timeliness that These Violent Delights delivers through the world-building, culture, and fashion. Not to compare but Cohoe doesn’t manage to transport us to an era that could’ve made for a great backdrop for this story. Similarly, the glamour promised through the cover also seems unpolished and a better recommendation for that particular aspect would be Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles.

Mae is a determined protagonist but isn’t a strong heroine right from the start. She is often just a victim of the magical system put in place by those high up in class hierarchy, and even those she associates with (Coco, Miles, and Ivo) drive her through the respect or commitment they command—even if unsaid—through the magical power they hold. Though, the story does give her this need to simply be a catalyst because of the confinement she has always experienced and the curiosity that has always plagued her mind. So she can be understood as a main character but can’t really be cheered for. Still, there’s a change, a development in her personality worth appreciating towards the end. Unfortunately, the slow pacing makes you choke even before you reach the changing lanes and the relationships that could have motivated a reader to push through—whether romantic options or the almost-manipulative friendship—don’t give you enough to hold onto. The quirky Ivo did pull in and the ultimate revelations did surprise but the glimmering bits were overshadowed by the rest.

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This book had amazing vibes, very atmospheric and lovely writing. I enjoyed that it was a retelling of The Tempest, and I felt like that was a very original decision. I would be happy to read more from this author as this was a delight.

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