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.

Years ago I read the tempest but didn’t remember the story’s ending when I started this book so I don’t know how exact it was. That said I absolutely adored this story and couldn’t put it down. I actually read this is two days. It was incredible and I would love to get a follow up story but at the same time the author finished it beautifully.

Frankly, I should know better than to request Shakespeare adaptations/homages, because while I love the idea in theory, I'm not sure I've ever found one that truly works for me in practice. This is the case here--I loved the idea of a decadent art-deco Tempest, particularly (per the summary) one that would deal with the politics of colonialism, oppression, and enslavement of the spirits. This book didn't fully deliver on the hinted-at political messages as much as I was hoping it would, and the characters themselves weren't as fun to be around as I wanted either. Overall, this was a bit of a miss for me.

I have never read the Temptest and know nothing about it. So when I read that this was a more modern take on it I was a little weary of reading it. I'm so glad I did though! An island with magic and spirits, drama and intriguing, along with secrets? YES please! This was a great book full of twists and turns that made the story. The author drew me in and kept me hooked so much so that I was sad when the book ended. The characters were relatable and interesting.

i read a golden fury, samantha cohoe's debut, last fall when it dropped, and i thought she had a lot of potential as a writer, and you can really see the growth here. lovely prose