Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Bright Ruined Things in exchange for an honest review.

Bright Ruined Things is technically a Tempest retelling, but as someone who doesn't really like The Tempest, I promise you'll still be able to enjoy it anyways. I really like the environment Samantha Cohoe creates here and that instead of trying to make her characters all super likable and easy to root for, basically everyone is so grey that your loyalties as a reader are constantly shifting. I wish Miles had more of a personality because of how much page time he takes up, but I also could have settled with him being as bland as he was if a few of his scenes were redistributed to other characters *cough cough* Ivo.

I almost really loved this, but I remain hung up on how I feel because looking back, I was 100% only reading for Ivo. I get its the 20s, but Ivo could have been 20. He acts like he's 20. It would affect basically nothing beyond him listing his (I think 7 year) age gap with Mae as a reason he feared she wouldn't like him. (note: it's framed as a reason he's worried she won't be into him, not as a reason he thinks he shouldn't be into a character who literally just turned 15) Most of Ivo's character and this book's final act are really reliant on his feelings for Mae and I just couldn't make myself forget the age gap enough to get behind it.

This novel uses Shakespeare's the Tempest as a jumping-off point, and the initial idea isn't bad: a young woman discovers that the magic island she's always lived on is made magic by the enslaved spirits who live there. But the execution is poor: the story becomes one of Cinderella, albeit with an evil royal family, manipulative princesses, and sullen princes, only one of whom is intelligent enough to know what's going on when the spirits begin to die. The narrator is independent and has a lot of self-esteem, but she's turned into a figure focused on boys and romance and somehow becomes unable to speak for herself for an annoyingly long time. The plot is rushed and decisions don't make sense; characters are uneven and inconsistent; and the conclusion is frustrating as the protagonist, who had achieved some autonomy, allows herself to be sucked back into the morass of the spirit-enslaving family.

Mae, a ward of the Prosper family, has lived her entire life on a magical island which is the sole source of aether. This energy, produced by bound air spirits, powers the outside world. Although treated fairly Mae has always longed to be trained in magic and to really feel part of the family. She is willing to do anything to achieve her goal and one fateful night she chooses to push all boundaries with dire consequences. This retelling of "The Tempest" set in the Roaring 20s with a unique magic system was an interesting premise. I found the plotting to be uneven and loosely woven at times and although the characters were distinctively developed I did not feel invested in them. The conclusion presented as an epilogue caught me by surprise and changed my perspective.. Overall solid read and a good choice if a reader is looking for a little different from mainstream fantasy.

Delightful YA fantasy novel, set on a mgical island controlled by Lord Prosper, and his family. Centered around Mae, who grew up on the island after the death of her father, the Lord's steward. She has a very different life than the Lord's grandchildren, her friends andpeers, and worries what will become of her when the Prospers realize that she is 18, and their promise to care for her will have been fulfilled. As the yearly First Night celebration nears, the family gathers and plots, and her friendships and rivalries take on new and different meanings as the realize how the magic that benefits them all is generated, and whose expense. Well crafter characters and plotline, enjoyable read.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Bright Ruined Things was an okay book. It honestly started off on a good note with me and I was really intrigued in this world. Yet, I found myself getting bored, frustrated, and annoyed quite easily when it came to the characters and the actual storyline.

Now the island that everyone lived on definitely intrigued me. As did the spirits, sprites and all the magical elements I could see. Unfortunately, the characters went from likable to okay to really freaking frustrating to read about. I couldn't connect to anyone and I was highly suspicious throughout the entire book as well.

I'll admit that Mae and Ivo had some moments where I would get a glimpse and I would like where thing were heading. Then something else will happen and I was back to being annoyed all over again. It also felt like not a lot was happening for most of this book. Once the action finally picked up, I was just there for the ride and waiting for the book to be done.

The romance felt a bit forced in some places. So I wasn't really shipping Mae with anyone and I just sat back and watched everything happen. The good and the bad. I'm also not sure how I feel about that ending but I'm glad that I got the chance to read this.

Mae has always lived on the island. After the death of her father, she relies on the charity of the wealthy and capricious Prosper family. With her eighteenth birthday approaching, Mae must soon decide how she wants to make her way in the world. On First Night, the Prospers and their friends celebrate harnessing the magic of the island. As Mae attempts to claim magic for her own, she realizes that magic always comes with a price. Mae must work together with her friends and the mysterious Ivo to find the truth behind the island.

My favorite part of Bright Ruined Things was the beautiful prose and atmospheric setting. You can feel the creeping mist and chill of the wind. The prose is witty and sharp. I did struggle with this book, because I didn't really connect with the characters. The characters felt a bit one-dimensional, with the drama more tiring than enticing. I also wasn’t a fan of the love triangle. While Mae was enchanted with Miles, I personally didn’t see his appeal. The ending will make readers scream with excitement or disappointment- you’ll have to read and decide for yourself!

While it didn’t quite resonate with me, I do think this book will really work for some readers! They will find themselves utterly swept away to a magical island with a mystery deep at its heart. The themes of desperately wanting to belong and the cost of magic land very well. I can’t wait to see what Samantha Cohoe writes next! I know I will definitely check out her next book. Bright Ruined Things releases October 26, 2021. Thank you to Samantha Cohoe, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gorgeous cover, this one is filled with a great story to match. I really liked the idea of magic in this world. The well and aether and how it's used as a form of. . . power but also responsibility. The story is compelling, one that makes you want to keep going "just one more chapter" as you wonder who is which key player and who Ivo is. Because that is a big question for our main character, who is torn between two men - one who has been a lifelong 'out of reach' crush, and another who is mysterious and unnerving but also shown in a new light since an offer was made. I liked Coco and her wild, fiery personality. I also really enjoyed how the story played out, how it concluded and I'm dying to know what comes next.

I hope this is at least a duology. I'll be watching this author for more!

<i>A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.</i>

I think my favorite part of this book was the setting with the magical island and rich family, it reminded me a lot of Gatsby. Other than that aspect of the book, it was very hard to get into and enjoy. The plot was hard to follow and the characters were not well developed that it took me far longer than usual to read a 350 page book.

This is the first book I have read from Samantha Cohoe and I loved it! Filled with magic and mystery, this story will grab your attention from the very beginning! I can't wait to read more from this author!

This book had me hooked from the beginning, now ive never actually read the tempest before so i had no idea what i was getting myself into too. but that cover and the blurb told me I had to read it so when i got approved I got so excited!!

Mae really blew me away, I loved everything about her character and the way she grew her in journey. She went from always wanted to being accepted by this family she was "adopted" into and never wanting to leave the magical island she lived on. To sacrificing everything to save the island and adopting her own self worth.

The mystery and the story had me hooked the after getting to a certain point i kinda figured everything out and i mean if you read the tempest im sure you knew the answer right away but i just thought the whole thing was beautifully written and the world Ms. Cohoe built was just amazing.

I automatically fell in love with Ivo the brooding boy who holds the world on his shoulders, his story made me shed a couple tears. I wasn't a big fan of Memphis and Coco they both didnt deserve a friend like Mae and when they finally came to their senses i felt almost like it was a little too late but that was just my opinion.

I really hope you guys pick up this book and give it a chance, it is definitely worth it.

This is a DNF for me, just like with Cohoe's first book. I made it about 40% through, but I found the characters to be childish and confusing. This book seemed right up my alley - 1920s, magic, aether (giving me some steampunk vibes) but it fell flat for me.

I received an advance copy of Bright Ruined Things from St Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Bright Ruined Things follows Mae, a girl who has lived her whole life on a magical island but never truly belonged. Tolerated but not embraced by the powerful family that controls the magic around her, Mae longs for respect, for belonging, and most of all, for magic of her own.

I loved the atmosphere of this novel. The author wove a rich tapestry featuring no end of mysterious characters and endless twists and turns, set against the backdrop of the roaring 20s.

My favourite part of this book was Mae's journey from a meek, passive girl who thought little of her own worth to ultimately finding her agency and refusing to allow herself to be mistreated any longer. Reading how she was mistreated time and time again by the Prospers in much of the book was painful, but more painful than that was how Mae thought she deserved nothing more, and groveled for any scrap of attention they deigned to give her. Watching Mae evolve throughout the story until she was finally able to stand up for herself was deeply satisfying.

Overall, Bright Ruined Things was a satisfying read, although it might have benefitted from faster pacing.

Errata "...and Lord Prosper like to make a good impression on First Night." Verb is wrong tense.

"The last time I had seen Coco, she didn’t know how to fly. She couldn’t have gained very much experience landing one since then." This appears to be missing the words, 'a plane' in place of 'one'.

I can understand people wanting to rip-off Shakespeare. He ripped off enough people himself, let's face it! Let me also say up front that I'm no big fan of his. I think he was derivative, plodding, and primitive in many ways, but he did have a flair for the dramatic and he did have a nice turn of phrase here and there. I have a personal ambition to see all of his plays either live or via the silver screen just because, and I'm not there yet, but I've hardly been pursuing this goal avidly. I do think though, that if you're going to attempt something like this, you owe a bit more to your reader than your average YA novel, and that was the problem here. It's very much your average YA novel which is to say, not good.

The first problem is first person which with very few exceptions, I typically detest because it's all 'me, me, me' all the time. It's limiting. It's unimaginative (especially since most every YA writer uses it), and it's tedious to read; far too self-important, and so inauthentic. I quickly grew bored with the narrator.

Loosely (very loosely) based on Shakespeare's The Tempest, which was produced over four hundred years ago, this story - which is not set in that same time period - has more in common with Cinderella than ever it does with Shakespeare! It tells the tale of Mae, the daughter of a late steward of Lord Prosper, so we're told, who is the patriarch of a magical island that produces 'aether' - an energy source that's sold on to others elsewhere. So essentially, Prosper is a sort of oil baron, but his golden goose seems to be failing and Mae, who is pretty much an outcast from the Prosper family, especially now she's turned eighteen and expects to have to leave the island, is determined to find out why.

The most annoying thing about Mae is that she's such a limp character. She has no internal engine herself and seems quite willing to be buffeted along by everyone else's energy rather than her own. We're told she longs to remain on the island and fears being expelled because she isn't family, but we're given no reason whatsoever why she should have no interest in exploring the world, or why she should have any loyalty to the family that treats her so shabbily. It makes her seem boring and one-dimensional. Also, she's so changeable as to be a blur rather than a well-defined and strong female character. I didn't like her at all. As I find quite often these novels, I much preferred one of the other characters - a woman named Coco.

Worse, we're immediately plunged into a tediously trope YA love triangle involving Mae and two grandsons of Prosper: Ivo, the clichéd bad boy, and Miles, the clichéd sweet guy. That made me yawn the instant it was presented, because it is so unimaginative and it has been done to death in countless YA stories before this one. I guess I should be thankful I didn't have to read about anyone's "bicep" (yes in the singular - this is YA after all!), or about gold flecks in one of the guys' eyes. But then I DNF'd this at 25%, so maybe those 'classic' descriptions came later.

I didn't finish this, but it seemed to me that Miles could well turn out to be the bad guy and Ivo the good one in the end. I could quite easily be completely wrong about that. It also occurred to me that Mae could well be one of the Prosper family herself when all's said and done, through some shenanigans in the past. Miranda, in the original, was Prospero's daughter after all, in the tradition of the Italian commedia dell'arte. It was that kind of a YA novel anyway, but I had so lost interest in any of these characters that I couldn't even be bothered to skip to the end to find out!

All this despite being initially intrigued by the book description. Taking a page from the excellent 1995 movie Richard III, this novel is set in the twenties, although apart from a airplane flying to the island at one point, it could have been set at any time. There was no twenties vibe to it at all, and the only reason I really 'got' that it was the twenties was through a gratuitous mention of Bessie Coleman (misspelled as 'Bessy' in this novel), who was a black pilot in the early twenties, before she died, of course in a plane crash.

Going with The Tempest was an interesting and ambitious aim, but it was sadly let down by the YA writing. I read things like, "Coco would help me get out of marrying Ivo, but not because the idea was unthinkable, or awful, or absurd. Because it wasn’t what I wanted. And that wasn’t good enough at all." I'm sorry, but from what Mae has said earlier, that was exactly it! And these sentences would read better were they conjoined with some punctuation, such as a semi-colon and a comma.

I didn't get the point of the author using correct grammar in some places and poor punctuation in others, but this was an advance review copy so hopefully the errors and nonsensical writing will be corrected before the final version gets loose. I also encountered some other examples of problematic writing, such as:

"I suppose she has her reasons," I said. "He runs the second-biggest island. Rex is his family’s only magician. It’s what everyone wants her to do."

And yet Mae has a problem with what others want her to do? How hypocritical.

I read, "If the solution were as simple as telling Grandfather, don’t you think Apollonia would have done it already?" No, I don't, because this is a YA novel and rather than do the sensible, obvious thing and tell important things to people who need to know them, which is what real people do, everyone is hoarding secrets here, which is what fictional YA people routinely do. Again, it's unrealistic, and it creates palpably fake tension. A wiser writer would have found ways to add mystery and intrigue without having the main characters do such patently dumb things, and make such juvenile and brain-dead decisions.

Typically for YA, this novel is obsessed with looks: "There were some people who said Apollonia wasn’t beautiful." Who cares if the 'wicked step-sister' is beautiful or not? It has no bearing on the story, but it does reveal volumes about Mae's shallow and nauseating character. It's really rather pathetic. Also, it demeans Mae to have her so focused on such shallow traits, without at the very least augmenting them with something deeper and more meaningful. It betrays the main character and makes her just as vacuous, and lacking in smarts and integrity. It gives her just as little appeal as everyone else who she herself criticizes!

All in all I cannot commend this as a worthy read because it has far too much trope, and far too many faults.

Bright Ruined Things is a retelling of The Tempest set in the 1920's on a magical island. Mae is the protagonist, a young woman who fears losing her place on the island. It's a well written story with a twist at the end. I really enjoyed this book and hope Samantha Cohoe does more retellings of Shakespeare's play.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my advanced review copy.

I think I prefer this to a Golden fury! This book struck me immediately. It’s absolutely stunning. The prose were vivid and the plot was very intriguing! I also loved these characters so much more.

My feelings toward this book are super mixed. I'm tempted to give it four stars because of the last page alone, but I don't feel like that's true to my feelings toward this. It was good, but it didn't quite meet my expectations.

I think my main problem with this was the lack of plot. It was there, but it was very slow moving. Our main character, Mae, was very passive, and wasn't very involved in the plot. There was one quick spree where she tried to plan, but it just ended up going wrong anyway.

The character that saved this for me was Ivo. I'm not sure why, but I loved him! Other reviewers have picked on that he is 7 years older than Mae, which I didn't realize. I chose to ignore this fact, which doesn't make it ok, but made my reading experience much more enjoyable. Anyway, he was the perfect morally conflicted character, and I wish we would've gotten to see more of him.

When I looked at the cover, I really expected a flapper-era fantasy. I was super disappointed by the lack of atmosphere. I wanted to be totally immersed in the setting! Instead I found it vague and unimpressive.

Although I didn't love this book, I'll still be checking out the author's other works. This had a ton of potential, it just didn't reach it.

Thanks to Samantha Cohoe and Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Mae has lived on the island her whole life, surrounded by spirits and magic that she has never been able to touch - no matter how achingly she wants to. Surrounded only by the Prosper family who may soon cast her out, she is desperate to belong and be worthy of the only semblance of friends and family she has ever known. Bright Ruined Things is set over the course of a single day where Mae is forced to decide just how much she is willing to sacrifice to achieve her dreams. Full of secrets and mystery this book drags you into its atmospheric world right from the first page.
The first thing I read about Bright Ruined Things was that it was a reimagining of The Tempest. This intrigued me, the cover was really pretty, and I am a fan of fantasy books set in the 20s so I decided to download it. This would prove to be a good decision.
I studied The Tempest in GCSE drama and remember almost nothing but I could definitely see the inspiration from it in the story and I thought it was a really brilliantly done re-imagining of the play. I especially loved the setting of this book on a secluded island surrounded by the ocean, mysterious magic and people who had me constantly guessing at their true intentions, all leading up to the climax of the story at First Night. I finished this book in one day, and even though I didn't always like all of the characters I found them all so intriguing to read about as their secrets and motivations were revealed. Also, as someone who normally prefers romance in her books I was surprised at how much I really liked how this book ended in terms of the possible romances even though it wasn't really what I was expecting.
I feel like this is the perfect rainy Autumn/Winter read to enjoy curled up under a blanket and spend a few hours completely immersed in this captivating world and Cohoe's writing.

I did not expect to like this book so much. But I did. And I devoured the content of this book to the core that I was devastated upon finishing it. The plot is so riveting and Cohoe's storytelling is wonderful. I can't get enough of the magic. the tale, and the characters. Each and every cousin was wildly interesting on their own. Their personality traits are all so unique that it added to to the element of my interest in this book. There is one particular cousin I liked that I am deeply invested in. The ending was also satisfying, in some ways, all the loops were filled in although Mae's heart was not. But the last lines... Oh I would die. I went into this book thinking that all I will get is Fantasy, I was not informed that there would be romance. But bestie, the romance totally ruined me. I'd offer my first born to get endgame of the one that I was rooting for. At the very least, the ending kind of gave me an answer that I was deeply wishing for.

Mae is such a fascinating character. I got angry at her at some points, but I also grieved, dreamt, and felt the magic with her. Her voice was interesting enough to get me absorbed fully into the book. Another interesting character, and the one that I loved the most from all the cousins is Ivo. Ivo is such a pretty name. So is his character. He found his way into my heart and I fell in love. He was a conundrum at first, but that what made him interesting to me. His characterization was something I did not expect but I did know there were still layers hidden behind the permanent scowl etched on his face when forced to socialize.

Bright Ruined Things is one of the books this year that I did expect to fall for. These days I'm not someone who can devour reading up to 50% of the book in one sitting, but this book proved to be an outlier because this book is so intriguing and mysterious that I can't get enough of it. Cohoe's writing is magical, and this is the first work of her that I have read. Now, I am looking forward to read more of her books because of the pleasant experience I had with Bright Ruined Things. I would surely recommend this book to my friends as soon as this gets released.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me an arc in exchange of an honest review of this book.

This was a beautiful version of Shakespeare's "The Tempest". Well written with a dash of flare and will leave you satisfied!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinion was not affected by the free copy.

I was really excited about this book, because I don't see that many reimaginings of "The Tempest" being done. However, this book falls into the category of "loosely based"/"inspired by". I guess I'm getting to be a snob when it comes to reimagining/retelling of a classic story, because I expect them to have some similarities to the original. This one has the basic concept of a man named Prosper (Prospero) living on an island with a girl named Mae (Miranda), and there are spirits and magic. But that's about where the similarities end.

If this book didn't try to pose as a reimagining of "The Tempest", I would still say it's "okay". It does have a lot of Shakespearian-type drama and people conspiring against each other; it just isn't very faithful to the story of "The Tempest". In this one, people seem free to come and go from the island, where in the original Prospero and Miranda were trapped there. Mae is also a bit less naive than Miranda. She's still sheltered in the sense that she hasn't left the island, but Miranda has never seen any humans other than her father before the titular storm wrecks a group onto their shores. In this book, the plot revolves around some suspicious stuff going on with the island and its spirits, and some personal drama. If the marketing were changed to more honestly say the book was inspired by characters and settings from "The Tempest", that'd be fine. At the very least, it would've lowered my expectations.

I'm not even sure what to say about the romance. Ivo was definitely the only interesting character in the whole book and the only reason why I bothered reading past the 20% marker. I didn't really get why Mae was interested in Miles since he was basically an asshole the entire book and made it clear he wasn't interested in her. I felt so bad for Ivo because the text made it seem like the only reason Mae didn't want to be with him was because he was "odd" and wasn't good-looking.

I couldn't tell this book took place in the 1920's, and honestly setting it in any definitive time period takes the reader out of the experience. I was pulled out of the story the moment the narrative mentioned a plane. A character was seriously able to FLY A PLANE to the island. Ugh. If the book was going to be set in the 1920's, alluding more to that era would've helped. Have the characters hear jazz music, have them say 20's slang, something! I think that the 20's would worked in this setting if the author used it and kept more faithful to the original story. I'm not expecting a beat-by-beat, but just using the names and the setting isn't enough.

I'm sure I wouldn't be nearly as angry if "The Tempest" wasn't one of my favorite plays from Shakespeare, or if I wasn't aware of much more faithful reimaginings. I'm sure some other readers won't mind, but as for me, I'll be re-watching "West Side Story" or "10 Things I Hate About You" for faithful Shakespeare reimaginings.