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.