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.

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.

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

I am obsessed with this book! The characters mesmerized me. Mae is unsure of herself, servile, and pining for a different life. I love that she isn't in the mold of so many YA protagonists. The Prosper family brought the magic from the island to the world beyond and are wealthy, privileged, and carefree - except for when they're brooding, obsessing, and manipulating others. For as much as the other Prosper members enjoy extravagance, Ivo is an outsider within his own family. No one understands him as he lurks around the island.

Mae's lonely life revolves around the few times her best friend Coco returns to visit the island and her love of Miles, the brooding, bastard grandson of Lord Prosper. When Mae is cornered into a deal meant to help the Prosper family, her life changes. Will she get the magic she's always wanted? What about love?

I recommend this book! It's the best I've read this year! I would call it literary fantasy.

I will add a content warning of some alcohol and drug abuse mentioned, suicide mentioned, and people mistreating others. I don't want to be more specific and give spoilers.

Bright Ruined Things is a brilliant retelling of The Tempest. Its artistry is impeccable. At its core is a wonderful and incredibly rich fantasy novel, so well built and fast paced that I wasn't able to put it down till I reached the end. I was absolutely captivated by the atmosphere, and the characters.

This novel submerges the reader in a landscape so imaginative and detailed that the information of the world building/plot never feels forced, and is never difficult to understand or picture in one's mind. I had an enjoyable time reading this and it held my attention the entire way through that I finished it within the day! I enjoyed every page and thought that the plot/story was very unique. Would recommend to anyone!

This was a fun retelling of the Taming of the Shrew - or so I have been told (not having read it). All I know is that it was a dark yet really enjoyable book.

The author did an amazing job of world building. I could see this island and the people on it. I could feel the tension build and build. I kept turning the pages to see what would happen next.

Funny enough, although I thought the author kept describing Ivo in a negative way, I had a soft spot for him. So she did an excellent job making him odd by likeable. As for Mae, the main character - I loved her. At first I thought she was a doormat, then I thought she was a conniving witch, then I thought she was spelled and couldn't help it - I really had a hard time grasping her true nature, which made this more fun.

Thank you to the author #SamanthaCohoe the publisher, and #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review in any way (you should see some of my reviews).