This story resonated with me deeply. I felt a part of the story and despite my struggles with the fantasy genre, I loved every moment of this story! I’m already looking forward to the next books in the series! I’m thoroughly sucked in and loved every bit of it. This is my née favorite author and I’m so excited to see what comes next! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc in exchange for my honest opinion. I found my new favorite series!

This book was received as an ARC from St. Martin's Press - Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was unlike any fantasy novel I have ever read. I loved the concept of Mae being adopted and unfamiliar with her past in her adoptive Prosper family protecting her and introducing her to a magic unlike any other. Now as she turns 18, Mae has a chance to be on her own and see her calling learning about the new magic discovered by Lord Prosper aether. Now the plot took a whole new turn where the spirits are dying, and things are not what Mae remembers when the family returns. I also love books that unlock secrets even the main characters are shocked by. I could not even count on my fingers the times throughout the book where my jaw was open and my heart was pumping so much blood. I only have a few book where I could not stop talking about it to anyone including my family and I am so excited to add this book to that list.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book.

I ended up DNFing BRIGHT RUINED THINGS about 20% of the way through. It was a disappointment because I was excited about a retelling of a Shakespeare play I don’t know much about, but in the end that wasn’t enough to keep me reading.

I know this is supposed to be set in the 1920s, but the only way I knew that was from reading reviews. I wouldn’t have known that from the text itself, which created this sense of timelessness but not in a good way. I felt really disconnected from the setting because the ‘when’ is just as important as the ‘where’ to me, and I was missing that.

The characters didn’t really do anything for me and in the end the story just wasn’t one that hooked me enough to want to keep reading. I’m sure this will be for someone else, because it’s well-paced and well-written, but it just isn’t for me.

This book took me to another place filled with magic, magical sprites, the evil power-hungry Lord and his spoiled rich family. Mae is an orphan who lives on their magical island wanting nothing more than to create a permanent place for herself there, learn to use magic and fulfill her unrequited love of one of the Prospers. The story has many exciting tales and the interwoven stories of Mae and all of the Prospers who live on the island and wield its magic. Many secrets are revealed as the island prepares for it’s annual First Night celebration and Mae finds herself in the middle of it all. Why are the sprites dyeing, does Miles love her back, can she see herself marrying Ivo, how can she fulfill her dream to use magic?
I wish I would have learned more about Ivo but it really adds to the story for him to be elusive, brooding and angry. I felt invested in the character and wanted answers, revenge and love fulfilled. The end ties it all up with a bow but also leaves it open to allow the reader some freedom to decide how they want it to end. I loved it!
This is a great choice for any young reader looking for good fantasy read. I can’t wait to read Samantha Cohoe's other book and see what else she comes out with.
Thank you to Samantha Cohoe and St Martin’s Press for allowing me to read and review this book!

Trigger Warnings*: alcohol and drug abuse (mentioned), coercion (some characters try to use sexual advances as manipulation), death of multiple characters (some happened before the events of the novel), homophobia/outing (outed via rumours, mentioned, and homophobia attitudes are present via other side characters), suicide (mentioned/briefly described), suicide ideation (not pov character, but a side one considers it), supernatural possession & slavery, violence (slapping & gun shot wounds)

*I would like to state that this is not an exhaustive list. I have done my best to note down what triggers I picked up on in the book, and to note them down as accurately as possible. However, I may have missed some, and because this is an arc, things may be subject to change.

I finished this book two days ago, after seeing it marked as 'Read Now' on Netgalley (for 48 hours) and ever since I have been mulling over what I want to say. Since I hadn't heard of this book or the author before seeing it on Netgalley, I went in to it without any expectations, apart from intrigue and curiosity (particularly to see how The Tempest influenced the novel).

One of the strongest parts of the novels was the description of the Island & the Prosper house. It gave me Gothic vibes, what with the secrecy and allure surrounding the Prospers and how they were able to control the aether. So, it was very atmospheric and tense. However, while I feel like that description was effective, I often found myself confused about the time this was set in - if it wasn't for the mention of historical events/hairstyles particular to that time, this could've been set anywhere.

While the protagonist Mae often annoyed me with how she let people walk over her, and found herself easily led, I think she was well written. She started off very sheltered and naïve, having only ever living on the Island being exposed to the Prospers (who, even the best of them, let's face it, aren't very nice people) to standing up for herself, as she began to realise the truth of the Island the relationships with the people around her. Thus, it was easy for me to buy into Mae's motivations surrounding magic - wanting to find a place to belong, to have power and independence - and why she made the (often bad) choices that she did.

The relationships between Mae and the Prosper family are complicated to say, at least. There is her best friend Coco, who she realises might not be as good of a friend as she thinks . . .

Then there's Miles, the boy she's had a crush on forever. I didn't find myself rooting for Miles & Mae at all, and honestly I'm not sure if we were meant to?! He was consistently pretty awful to her, using her to get the information he wanted, and not being honest about his feelings and knowing he could get away with it. Ultimately, I did like where their relationship ended up - it was the best for them, and for Mae. I do think the book could've explored their relationship more throughout the novel, but considering it was set over the course of the day, I can see why it fell flat in places.

The other two Prosper children . . . they were terrible people & and I won't say anything further because of spoilers. All of the characters had complicated pasts & motivations, I do wish we got to see more of it, other than the 'reveal' about it as the plot began to unfold at the end, and then the book just moved on.

And then there's Ivo. Now, Ivo is 7 years older than Mae, and it is hinted at that he's always had a bit of a crush on Mae, which made me feel uncomfortable. She was just turning 18 at the beginning of the book, and it's alluded that Ivo has had a thing for her since she was a minor and he as an adult. Therefore, I was already put off by their relationship to begin with.

Ivo was actually one of the most intriguing and compelling characters - torn between doing what he wanted which he knows is the moral thing to do, and manipulated in to doing the 'family duty'. But, again, hard for me to root for his character & the relationship between him & Mae with how it was hinted he always had a special - not platonic - interest in her.

I was both happy & mad with how the book ended! I guessed where it was going, but I wanted an extra chapter just to see that interaction, but I think it was a nice open ending.

Overall, I do think this was a good book, but there was a lot of depth missing for the characters & the relationships between them.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Bright Ruined Things is a fantasy retelling of The Tempest set in 1920s on magical island.
I'm someone who loves historical fiction, but this was just amazing. I loved the world-building, the setting, the way magic was woven so subtly into the story.
I liked Mae as a protagonist. She was strong and you can easy sympathize with her and her struggles. I liked side characters especially Ivo.
Without spoiling anything, this was a compelling story, that is hard to put down it moves quickly and I really enjoyed it.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Bright and Ruined Things is an intriguing story that follows Mae who lives on a mysterious island that is powered by the Prosper family. As Mae and her friends search to find answers to the mysteries of the island, they discover family secrets and unfold the truth of how the magic is wielded by the Prosper family.

The relationships between Mae and members of the Prosper family were the most entertaining parts to read, especially the family drama. There were points in the story where I wished the author explored more, such as the relationship between Mae and Ivo and more of the world this story was set in. Overall this was a fun quick read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC!

One more chapter... I just need one. More. Chapter.

Humanity is messy, dirty, and life isn't perfect. Sometimes it's bliss to be left in the dark. Sometimes it's better to know.

This is Mae's story about her life and the people she holds as the closest thing to family that she knows. It's her journey to find herself and her chance to stand up for what she wants. I loved this book and just need one more chapter. Not 'want'. Need.

This book was a quick read with a fun storyline and characters that held their personalities on the page. I really enjoyed the way Mae viewed them and also viewed herself.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC! The above review is my own.

Let me start by saying I liked this book. I read it in less than 24 hours.
The story intrigued me, I liked the characters yet I wish some things were explored more in depth.
This book is good. It has magic, a family secret and a mysterious island. I liked seeing Mae grow more and more confident each chapter and I liked finding out all the secrets with her!

Bright Ruined Things is a fun retelling of The Tempest set in the roaring 20s. It follows the rich Prosper family and their control of the only island containing magic and the daughter of their steward, who learns more than she should about controlling the magic. While entertaining, I felt the story went in directions that left me wanting more from it at times. It had potential and lived up to some of it but didn't quite hit the mark at other times. Overall, I'd give it 3.5 stars.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press / Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this eARC.

4.5 out of 5 Stars

***ARC received from Wednesday Books and NetGalley in exchange for honest review, opinions are all my own. Thank you!***

I will admit, I have not read Shakespeare’s The Tempest so I can’t comment on how this is inspired by that story so I’m just going to go off what I have read.

Mae is an interesting character, I both liked and disliked her throughout the book. She has never left the island and doesn’t ever want to leave the island, her home is there it is where she feels like she most belongs. Mae is also interested in learning magic and the only way she can do that is from within the Prosper family but she struggles with how she is going to accomplish that. A lot of Mae’s issues drive from the fact that she seems to have never left this island and all her experience comes from the limited interactions she has with the Prosper family that don’t treat her very well. Sometimes she is strong only to wilt within the same page, its frustrating but its expected. Mae is a character that really just wants to please people. I wish that we had gotten more interactions between Mae and Ivo, there are hints at a budding friendship in their background but its gone by the time the book starts. They also have the more interesting dynamic since Ivo seems to be the one that cares the most about Mae for who she is.

The two character other than Mae we spend the most time with is Coco and Miles. I liked Coco and Miles to a point they treat Mae well but there is a separation between them of the girl on the island and the rich family that lives there. We get hints that Coco and Miles both like and dislike Mae, there is a lot about how the characters really feel about Mae that is left up to the interpretation of the reader. I found that Coco both likes and tolerates her friend while Miles seems to only be interested in how he can use Mae for his own purposes. Yes there is a bit of a romance but it feels forced and heavy handed and I think the story would have been better served without it but this may have been me being more partial to Ivo than Miles who I found infinitely more interesting who wasn’t in this story nearly enough.

One of the best parts of this story though is the family drama, its a family with too much wealth and too little care for other people’s feelings and it made for some fun moments. There was a point when I told myself this is just soap opera drama and normally thats not my thing but I fully enjoyed it when you compare it to Mae who seems to really want to join this family. Like Mae, maybe this family isn’t worth your effort? Each character that gets page time has their own unique personality and unique backstory that while not fully fleshed out makes them at least more than just one dimensional rich people around to be cruel or kind to our protagonist.

I wish the world had been explored a bit more. They touch on magic and the other families on other islands and how aether has changed this but its never fully explored as the store is more driven by the family drama. Its a rich world that we only get a taste of what could have possibly been.

As for the ending… Well, I’m going to interpret that as I want for happiness.

I do love a good Shakespeare retelling! Mae as our protagonist was easy to root for, and I enjoyed learning more about the Prosper family and their magic and she did. The dynamics between the members of the family were filled with tension and emotion, which I also enjoyed. The ending felt a little flat to me, as the reveal just didn’t pack the punch I wanted it to. I also wanted more Ivo and Mae content, as I never liked Miles much.