A c0ming-of-age story inspired by The Tempest, set in 1920s Britain. We follow Mae, a stewards daughter, as she figures out what her life will be like now that she's turned 18. She learns that doing what is right is often not what we want the most. I really loved following along with the twists and turns that make this book hard to put down. It gripped me from the first chapter, as the story develops the reader is left trying to riddle out what's happening to the sprites on the island. Along with understanding the complicated Prosper family, Mae finally pulls the reins of her life and hopes to get some magic of her own. I would definitely recommend this book to those who love Great Gatbsy and its grand and rich storytelling. Samantha Cohoe writes a thrilling and delightful story in her newest YA Fantasy.

Samantha Cohoe’s latest novel takes readers to a magical island, where the Prosper family has subdued the spirits and used their power to produce a fuel source that has granted them unimaginable wealth and influence. Mae, the orphan daughter of a loyal servant, longs to be taught magic, and to find a place within the family she has learned to love and envy from afar. As First Night approaches, however, the night when the Prospers flaunt their riches to the world through an extravagant party, Mae begins to question the facts her life has been based on. The Prospers, it turns out, have secrets–and some of them could be deadly. This imaginative, high-stakes thriller takes inspiration from William Shakespeare’s The Tempest to present a historical fantasy that feels wholly and wonderfully original.

Bright Ruined Things is an engrossing mystery about the lies people will tell and the lives they will ruin in order to climb to the top. Its strongest points where its plot, world building, and character development! Thank you so much for a copy of this one!

A delightful read. The magic of the original Shakespearean text, "The Tempest", remains in this story made a bit more accessible to today's youth. I believe young readers will leave this book excited to tackle reading Shakespeare. =The narrator does a wonderful job, and transports readers to this magical island.

Put this in the hands of Brigid Kemmerer, Shelby Mahurin, and Leigh Bardugo readers.

This was such a unique and new storyline. The story opens and focuses on Mae a young woman who lives on an island full of magic owned and managed by the Prosper family. Mae’s biggest dream is to be able to do magic herself, but the more she seeks it the more she realizes something is not right on the island after all. The story takes place over the course of a single day, and wow I can’t even begin to say how exhausted she must be after it’s all over! This out of the box fantasy kept me enthralled and needing to know more the whole time. I also loved the narration so well done!!

I really loved this book!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my advanced listeners copy of Bright Ruined Things.

What I Loved-

*The Audio- Bright Ruined Things is narrated by Imani Jade Powers. She is absolutely wonderful. I was first introduced to her voice last year while listening to The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon. (If you haven't read/listened to that book I highly recommend it.)

*The Characters- I loved them all! Even the ones I wasn't supposed to. I found them all equally interesting and unique. I enjoyed the relationship dynamics and the drama surrounding them. This book wasn't overly dramatic imo it fell somewhere in the middle. It was perfect. The characters really carried the story for me.

*The Atmosphere- This book had amazing atmosphere. From the first chapter it really sucked me in and I was engrossed with the setting and the story.

*The Writing- This book is beautifully written. It was young adult but didn't translate that way. I feel like people of all ages can read and enjoy this book equally as well. If the fact that this book is labeled as YA is hindering you from giving it a try: don't let it.

Why This Book Lost a Star-

*The Magic- This sounds silly because this book is very magical. I really loved the paranormal ghostie aspects of the story. I liked the vague sense of what was going on in the beginning regarding the magic and the island. The last portion of the book lost me. I know I'm weird and the most action packed part of the book is supposed to be exciting.

After everything was said and done and we reached the epilogue the author won me back.

Overall- Highly recommend. I can't wait to read more by this author.

I’ve never read “The Tempest” and thought this sounded interesting. Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy the author’s writing style and wasn’t a fan of the characters either. I ended up giving up on this one. I’m sure others will love this book but it just wasn’t for me.