Promoted as a retelling of The Tempest with a 1920s setting (either of which would have likely been enough to draw me in), I came to this book primarily for the magic, the intrigue, and a castoff getting what she's due. And while I got some of that, most of what I got was ambivalence on the horrors of slavery and admissions that if the oppressors did not have to be made aware of what extraordinary torment they were inflicting on the spirits, they would have easily chosen to allow it to continue (but that's ok because they feel bad that that is who they are). I can't get behind this one.

The instant Mae turns 18, she is flooded with anxiety that the Prospers will cut her loose from the pact they made to care for her after she was orphaned in her adolescence. After all, her father had been a very loyal servant, but in the end, he was nothing more than that to them. Instead, she finds they have been planning something even less enticing -- marrying her off to their least favorite grandson, Ivo.

Sullen, awkward, and often aggressive, Ivo is yet everything Mae wishes she could be. Chosen to be the heir only after his cousin Alasdair abdicated his rightful place, Ivo has been fully trained in all of the secrets of the Prosper magic that has gifted them all such incredible affluence. Mae has never wanted anything more but a slice of that power herself -- desperate to EARN her place among these barons and to never again face the prospect of having to leave it all behind. While Ivo is offering a great deal more than she could ever hope to find with anyone else, the fact remains that he will never allow her to learn magic of her own, will never see her as an equal. And that Mae can just never abide. When she is offered the chance to have it all for herself, will she decide it's worth the price?

While I was consistently annoyed by the juvenile sneaking around and listening in and wild speculating that litter this book, as well as confusing plot points that are all but abandoned later on, my problem with it runs much, much deeper. I can't get into it without some spoilers, but I will suffice to say for now that the depiction of slavery and its morality is irresponsible at best.

My great appreciation to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for the review.

I was really anticipating this book (The Tempest is my favorite Shakespeare!) but, unfortunately, I am DNFing at the 25% mark. I can think of several friends I would recommend this book to, but the writing style just isn’t to my personal taste.

I can say, though, that the atmosphere is really well done and the island setting is super intriguing! I do find Mae to be quite an irritating main character without a lot of depth, but the book definitely has enough atmosphere and setting to make up for it.

I’m really disappointed this one wasn’t for me, but I would definitely recommend giving it a go.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an e-ARC of this book, however all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I've been putting off writing this review for like six months now primarily because I wanted to find a way to soften what I'm about to say next, but I really just... I hate Mae. She's weak willed, gullible, annoying and unfortunately our POV protagonist. If I hadn't been reading this on my dearly beloved kindle I would have lobbed this half-way to Timbuktu any number of times. She somehow managed to give me an instant migraine every time I sat down to read. She kept making stupid decisions that only served to drive the plot forward (a very lacking plot at that). I also sort of thought we were passed the part of Y.A. where the girl has to be boy obsessed.

Also, all of the relationships in the book are so dang toxic. The love interest, the friendships.. everything. Ivo is borderline abusive, Coco is toxic... it's just all so... frustrating. Pairing this with our main character lacking a backbone, it is a recipe for some problematic scenes. However, I do have to feel for Coco as her being a lesbian was only so she could be outed as a plot point, which is really just lazy writing.

Another thing that irked me was that this was supposed to be set in the 1920s and I had no idea aside from the synopsis. It didn't feel like the 1920s. The world-building was sorely lacking there. I wanted the glitz and glamour of the 20s and I got... well an island somewhere.

Overall, I'm not really sure who I would recommend this to. Someone who likes questionable relationships, but in Y.A.? *squints* That sounds very problematic.

I have really mixed feelings about this book. Most of the book was a three star read for me, interesting enough to finish but not standing out. However, I absolutely loved the ending, so I’ve rounded this up to three and a half stars.

Overall, this book had some strong aspects—a magical mystery, atmospheric setting, and a compelling concepts.

However, I personally struggled with the main character for a few reasons. First, she sorely lacked competence. To clarify, I am not frustrated because she wasn’t a Katniss type character. Not all female characters need that type of competence. But Mae didn’t really know how to do anything—except run fast and wait for her terrible friends to come for the summer. I honestly have no idea what she has been doing for 18 years to have picked up literally no useful skill.

I realize given her situation that some of this was understandable, but I still didn’t enjoy reading a whole novel through her eyes. This lack of competence was exacerbated by her accepting emotional and verbal rejection, mocking, and abuse from a very toxic and entitled family. In addition, she was extremely indecisive—wavering between love interests, plans, and intense emotions within almost every chapter. While I felt for her, these aspects made her internal monologue extremely frustrating and slogged down the story. I think this would have been much stronger as 3rd person POV to combat this issue. Everyone connects to characters different, so I am sure there are readers out there who will love Mae, I just didn’t connect to her the way I would have liked to.

I did love Ivo as a character, and, by the epilogue, Mae became a character I enjoyed reading about. I just wish the journey hadn’t taken so long to get there.

If you are look for a magical jazz age book about family secrets and characters trying to find a place where they belong, than I think you will enjoy this!

The book it definitely slow paced, but I did end up getting hooked in, curious to unravel the family secrets. I liked Mae as main character and found the world really interesting.

Overall, I enjoyed this and would recommend checking it out!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved the characters and imagery of this book however the title basically tells you how this book will play out. What starts are bright things become ruined things and I was kind of left with the feeling of what was the point...? But I still enjoyed the journey it took me on which seemed to be enough for me to finish it. Definitely recommend for my fellow YA readers!

This was an okay book. The plot started out good, but the main character, Mae, came off as whiny and naïve in the worst possible way. None of the characters grew beyond one-dimensional and they didn't stand out in any way. The romance felt forced and lacked any real spark. The best part of this book was the island itself and the spirits, with the magical elements- those were cool and exciting; unfortunately, the author didn't really focus on them so much as the character drama that was lackluster at best.

These were the inner ramblings of an almost 18 year old that seemed very naive due to her upbringing and her so called friends. I’ve never read Shakespeare’s the Tempest, but even after reading the plot and a bit about its characters, I can’t really see a connection of the story line or characters.

A lot was happening that confused Mae (and me tbh) and instead of talking to people, she accused and made rather rash decisions. I guess when it came to her age, it’s understandable, but Coco and Miles were supposedly older and weren’t any better.

Ivo was a complete Mystery to me. His knowledge about what was going on and the magic he was able to wield made me like him though. I was kind of rooting for him from the beginning.

That last 19 sentences were pure torture and I think Mrs. Cohoe knew that!

Alive. Smiling. Finally free.

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

Actual Rating 3.5: In Bright Ruined Things, the focus and surrounding plot is the mysterious discovery by Mae regarding the house spirits who seem to be dying. She’s been manipulated to be engaged to one of the Prosper grandsons, when she in fact is in love with another. Those two elements drive our main character in the decisions she makes. Mae takes steps throughout the story to balance her own feelings as well as the high society context that the Prosper family inhabits, and those elements of the plot are very engaging.

The mood and the aesthetic of this book was really fun, I enjoyed the mysterious elements and how the 1920s backdrop weaved itself perfectly into Shakespearean tropes. As a Young Adult novel, this book kept my interest throughout and I believe that those who enjoy young adult novels with some mystery elements will also enjoy this book!

A big thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for a free copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Full review to come on armedwithabingo.com on Feb 2

I wanted to love this book, but it wasn’t what I thought it would be. I was hoping it would be Diviners-esque but it wasn’t.
I’m not really sure what this book was to be fair.
Nothing was really explained, the world wasn’t built well and I had no idea what was going on or why or what it meant.
Mae’s character changed dramatically over the course of the book, the majority of which was held over a day. She goes from sweet, to selfish, then evil, then cold and uncaring. In 24 hours.
The other characters were slightly confusing.
Sebastian was the only one I wanted to know more of and he was a bit part player.
Overall, this wasn’t really a great book. I’d pass.

I was intrigued by a re-telling of the Tempest set in the 1920's and excited to check this out. I expected more elements from The Tempest, but this book is definitely geared for YA readers, many of whom won't have read that play before. I don't think the intended audience will be missing those elements.

This will be a great read for YA fans who like magic and drama!

Content Warnings: death, slavery, grief, drug use/abuse, alcohol, addiction, gaslighting, bullying, murder, sexism, sexual harassment, confinement, abandonment, death of a parent

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In this 1920s-infused take on Shakespeare’s The Tempest, we follow Mae as she navigates the politics and power of the family-ruled island she calls home. The cutthroat Prosper family has everything Mae has always wanted - magic, power, a sense of belonging. All of that changes in one night when Mae finds out that the family patriarch is keeping secrets and not everything is as it seems.

What I loved:
• The world-building and magic system were wonderful. Well thought out and beautifully executed. It was interesting, especially the spirits and their music.
• Although there were times that I disliked Mae, I loved her character growth. She is quiet and a bit of a pushover because she’s desperate to fit in with the Prosper family. When she finally stops doing that, and calls her so-called friends out, it was just perfect.
• Of course, my favourite character was Ivo. I always go for the sad, reclusive, mysterious men. Especially if they’re powerful and self-deprecating.

What I wish were different:
• I wish there had been more. Not just because I wanted to keep reading but because I felt like the ending was a bit rushed and like it isn’t finished yet. Perhaps the author ending things like this for a sequel if they wished to.

Overall, Bright Ruined Things by Samantha Cohoe was a great read and I would definitely recommend it. It was a well-paced and incredibly intriguing YA fantasy about forbidden magic, ambition, and family secrets.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 3/5 stars.

I wanted to like this a lot, but I really just....felt meh about it. Honestly, it probably is 3/5 instead of 2/5 just because of the gilded age vibes...everything else was just...meh. The premise seemed really cool, and I'll admit that I've never read the Tempest...but I don't know what the point of half of the plot was?

Mae was the most indecisive, helpless protagonist. It was very much "oh no, pity me, no one likes me, let me change my mind and my intentions 600000 times." She could never be in the wrong!! Coco and Miles were also equally obnoxious.

Every time the plot had narrowed down from all of the branches it was going on, it exploded into more branches. It's like...the plot was as indecisive as Mae was. Also, the ending? Was abrupt? And didn't really resolve anything?

Oh, and yeah, there's 'magic' with the spirits. and an ounce of colonialism and classism. oh, and since it's the gilded age...we get some good patriarchal crap about women.

Bright Ruined Things takes my favourite Shakespeare play, The Tempest, and injects it with all of the glitz and glamour of the 1920s (a la The Great Gatsby). The atmosphere and the characters held my attention until the very end; none of the characters are particularly likeable, but their ambition, scheming, betrayal and secrets made it so that I couldn't put this down. It's a beautifully-written, immersive story, and one that I hope to read again soon.

Now, prior to receiving this ARC, I had never heard of Samantha Cohoe. Which, now that I have read Bright Ruined Things, I can honestly say is a Shakespearean tragedy in the making. Thank goodness I have rectified such an error now. I have not enjoyed a Tempest inspired retelling as much as I did this one since reading Miranda and Caliban by Jaqueline Carey, and that is saying something! This book felt like The Tempest re-imagined in the same universe as The Great Gatsby, and I adored every word of it.
Part of what makes a good retelling is that it takes elements of the source material without directly copying them. Bright Ruined Things had all of the key themes ingrained in The Tempest. It examined the relationship of man versus nature, and the innate duplicity of conquest and conqueror. It also picked up on some lesser known themes, such as the exploitation and demonization of feminine power, and the archetype binary of the idealized naïve virgin versus the vilified cunning seductress. However, it played with all of these narrative themes in a way that framed them around one very important question: Does being a bystander make you innocent?
Bright Ruined Things is a study in morality using characters that I found fascinating and loved—even if some of that love was love-to-hate. I just wish it had a more decisive ending, but that’s a personal preference.
In case it isn’t insanely obvious, I would absolutely recommend picking this up ASAP!

If I could sum up my reading experience with one emotion it would be mad. This book just made me furious the entire time for several reasons as nothing about this worked for me. At its core, this story could have had potential, but all of it was wasted on an overly dramatic plot and unlikeable characters. This felt like one big messy family drama thinly veiled as a fantasy story full of characters who had no redeemable qualities. In all honesty, my two-star rating might be too generous.


Writing:

The writing in and of itself was fine as I was able to get through the story with only minor issues. One complaint I had would be that there were a good amount of very short sentences, which is something that I find hinders my reading ability. It makes the writing choppy and it flows oddly as my brain just keeps abruptly stopping.

The only other issue I had was the use of nicknames. The main character is constantly called Mousy Mae which, while it is used for a reason, becomes annoying rather quickly because of how often it was said.

At the beginning, it also includes a very basic family tree, which is great to see but it would be nice to see it look a bit better for the final copy.


Plot:

Let's get this out of the way first. Apparently, this story is supposed to be a retelling of a Shakespeare play called The Tempest. I was not aware of that at all as it was not stated anywhere in the synopsis on Goodreads, and I only found out about it because of the reviews. I cannot fault NetGalley on this as it is part of the description on there, but any readers who are finding the book through Goodreads should be made aware of this. Also, since I do not know what the play is about, I cannot comment on how similar the plots are to each other.

Now, as I said in the introduction, while this is penned as a fantasy, it plays out more like a family drama which is something that I did not want nor need. At the center of the family drama, we have our main character Mae, who is not part of the family and is thus the worst outlet for this story (and not just because I simply didn't like her). As I said, this entire story focuses on the Prosper family, so having an outsider who is not part of said family be the person you are getting the story though, doesn't work because what is happening has nothing to do with her.

Aside from the overly dramatic story, this was also missing a lot of needed context. There are a lot of complex relationships in here, and we are thrown in the middle of it without really knowing how it all started. The characters would reflect on something that happened in the past and it was like you were expected to know what happened already (even though you don't).

Finally, as I was reading along, as a reader does, I was trying to predict what direction the plot was heading in, and I liked the version playing out in my head better than the actual story. I was also so bothered by the way the story was unfolding that I skipped all the way to the end to see what happened... Overall though, this story just didn't deliver the fantasy story I was expecting and was left with a mess of family relations instead.


World-Building:

The world in this novel was lacking a lot of, well, building and clarity. The story takes place on a magical island, one of only a few, and the Prosper family makes their wealth on mining something called aether. We are given hints of a world but not much else context to fill it as the reader is left with a lot of questions.

For a standalone novel, it is crucial that you establish and develop some form of a well-thought-out world, but the world here seems to be only crafted to the extent to somewhat support the plot and no more than that.

My other issue with the world-building is that this is supposed to take place in the 1920s, and not once does it feel like it is. If you are going to market your novel as being partly historical, some effort must at least be made in order to actually make it so. I think the only hint of this being set in the 20s was the mention of bobs being a hair trend. Other than that, this could have taken place at any point in time and no one would have noticed the difference.


Characters:

I would say that this story is primarily character-driven seeing as the story focuses on Mae and the Prosper family (and Rex) almost entirely. For me, to enjoy a good character-driven story, I need the characters and the relationships between them to be well-developed and likeable. That is most definitely not the case here as all of the characters, with the exception of one, were all unlikeable and the dynamics between them were underdeveloped and overly dramatic.

Don't get me wrong, a character doesn't have to be likeable for the story to be good, but when the story itself isn't good and all you have going for you is the characters...them being unlikeable does not help. Even the one character I liked I couldn't enjoy because of the way the author handled them (I will talk more about this in the spoilers).

Now, let's go straight into my main reason for disliking this book - Mae. Mae is our main character, and I wanted to shove her off the cliff of the island the entire time I was reading this. That's how frustrating it was to be inside of her head. She was stuck so far into her own world that all her actions come off as selfish and reckless, and those actions are sadly what drove the story.

She constantly jumps to conclusions with no real evidence and would not see reason beyond it. Her character also made no sense at points, as her actions didn't line up with her desperate situation.

I also simply had not one ounce of sympathy for her character. As I said earlier, not only is she reckless, selfish, and presumptuous, she is also nosey. Everything that happens in this book was all because she just couldn't keep her nose where it belonged.

Regarding the rest of the cast of characters, they felt more like archetypes than actual characters. Miles was the black sheep, Alasdair was the playboy, Coco was the rebellious one, Apollonia was the prim one, and Aeris the spirit was basically Peeves the Poltergeist. Ivo was the only character that I liked even though he also fell into an archetype of being the broody one. None of the characters were utilized well.

In terms of character relationships, I was not here for any of them, mainly because it got really annoying real fast because of how much Mae thought about Miles. There were also just a lot of gaps in all of the relationships. Because of where the story starts, Mae and her relationships with the members of the Prosper family are already established, and we are thus missing a lot of context as to how said relationships grew.


Concluding Thoughts:

I don't even know how to sum up this reading experience other than saying that I wouldn't recommend this to anyone really. If you are looking for a well-developed fantasy or a book that radiated 1920s energy, then this is not for you. If you are looking for a messy family drama, well, maybe give it a shot?

Thank NetGalley and Wednesday Books for allowing me to review this title.

Cohoe's stunning writing and intriguing world make for a very engrossing read, and I finished this book in one sitting.

While it is a retelling, knowledge about The Tempest isn't necessary to be able to enjoy this story. My memory of the Tempest was fuzzy, but I quickly became immersed in the world once I started the novel. I could so clearly imagine the mystical island, the spirits that roamed around, the magic in the air. Our protagonist, Mae, has been living on the island almost all her life but was still utterly entranced by all the enchantments, as was I. It was such a vibrant place and excellent setting for all the chaos that would later go down

The fantastical elements of the novel were fascinating to read, though I wish it had gone into more depth about what exactly they can do with their magic. The descriptions of the magic use itself were pretty but vague enough to leave parts of it up to imagination - even if I do wish more detail had been given.

Mae was exactly the type of protagonist I like to read about - the shy character who everyone underestimates. She's a lonely individual who has lived on the island her entire life, but never a proper resident of it, and so desperate to win the approval of the Prosper family to fully make the island her home.

She’s emotional and naive, but has so much wits about her than it made me so happy to see her begin to use that to her advantage. It was wonderful to see her gain more confidence and power and come into her own as the book went on.

That’s not to say it wasn’t upsetting to read about Mae being overlooked and underappreciated. I especially disliked reading about her infatuation with one of the other characters, Miles. Truthfully, I disliked the romance aspect the most. but fortunately that was not a large part of the novel, as it focused more so on the mystery and Mae’s growth.

Alongside Mae you had her best friend Coco, Mae’s crush Miles, and the mysterious Ivo on the outskirts, alongside all the other people in the Prosper family. All the characters were so multi-faceted which you began to see more as the story went on.


Overall, Bright Ruined Things is a well paced and beautiful written story that revolves around freedom and confinement, and learning to be your own person outside of what others expect of you. Full of great worldbuilding and an intriguing mystery, it was an enjoyable read, barring the romance that I was not a fan of. I would definitely recommend this to fans of magical settings and coming-of-age stories.

Last year I read A Golden Fury and forgot to make notes while reading it because the storyline sucked me in. So when I saw Cohoe had a new book releasing, I raced to request an ARC. Yet again, Cohoe has sucked me in with a storyline so engaging that I made very few notes. So I’m just going to wing this review as best as I’m able. I will say that I haven’t read The Tempest, as this is a parallel. Out of the wide variety of books I read, Shakespeare doesn’t do it for me. So I’m glad I have nothing to compare this story to.

The characters are fairly shallow. They’re not too in-depth, but it helps to draw you into this incredibly dramatic storyline where you’re unsure what exactly is going on, but you’re compelled to keep reading. When I got about 3/4s of the way in, I felt I was reading a soap opera in real-time. There was so much drama, so many delicious secrets coming to light, that I looked at the clock, realized it was 5 hours past bedtime, shrugged, and kept on reading.

This story is so very addicting. You’re unsure who to cheer for outside of Ivo, but you keep reading because you don’t need to cheer for anyone. You just want everyone to spill the tea. I’ve read a few reviews where people were unhappy with the ending. I feel the same way. We went through such a dramatic story, where things worked out as they were meant, until they didn’t. So what was it all for? Sometimes a book needs an ambiguous ending, but this was not the book for it. So it was a bit of a letdown in that area. Overall though, this is such a fun read. Thank you, St. Martin’s/Wednesday Books, for sending this along!

Bright Ruined Things certainly held some magical moments but overall I found myself not loving the stories or the characters. I thought the storyline had really good potential and I liked the setting a lot. I just wish there had been more intrigue!