Samantha Cohoe

Bright Ruined Things

Megan Lowe

I wanted to love this book, but it wasn’t what I thought it would be. I was hoping it would be Diviners-esque but it wasn’t.
I’m not really sure what this book was to be fair.
Nothing was really explained, the world wasn’t built well and I had no idea what was going on or why or what it meant.
Mae’s character changed dramatically over the course of the book, the majority of which was held over a day. She goes from sweet, to selfish, then evil, then cold and uncaring. In 24 hours.
The other characters were slightly confusing.
Sebastian was the only one I wanted to know more of and he was a bit part player.
Overall, this wasn’t really a great book. I’d pass.

Latitude Tamarind

You know that subplot in The Magicians season three about how there were fairies working for that rich family and making them appear to still have magic? That’s basically this book’s vibes, if that subplot were also a retelling of The Tempest? The vibes are really really good. The ending kind of ruins things — they are bright ruined things, I guess — but I enjoyed being taken on this ride. Also, a fantastic audiobook narrator. Three and a half stars (rounded up for NetGalley). Bookshop link here. Published Feb 15th, 2022.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Bright Ruined Things

Author: Samantha Cohoe

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 2/5

Diversity: 1 queer side character

Recommended For...: young adult readers, fantasy, mystery, The Tempest retelling… kind of, set in the 1920s

Publication Date: February 15, 2022

Genre: YA Fantasy Mystery

Age Relevance: 15+ (Parental Death, Abelism, Violence, Animal Violence and Death, Parental Abandonment, Sexism, Drug Abuse, Death, Classism, Sexual Content, Coercion, Romance, Homophobia, Outing, Suicide, Suicidal Ideation)

Explanation of Above: There is parental death mentioned and parental abandonment is shown very slightly. There is one scene where an abelist comment is said in regards to mental health. There is one moment where the MC questions about an animal death and how they died, but it’s very brief. There is some sexism in the book, some homophobia and a case of outing, and classism is sprinkled throughout. There is drug abuse mentioned very briefly and, because it’s in historical terms, you wouldn’t know it’s talking about drugs unless you knew the terms. There is death shown in the book. There is some sexual content in regards to talk about sleeping together, but nothing is shown, and there are some characters who try to use coercion/sexual advances as manipulation. There is also some romance scenes with kissing and feelings. There is also some mention of suicide and suicidal ideation in the book by a character. There is also a bit of violence in the book, including fighting, guns mentioned and seen, airplane crash land (non-graphic), fire being set, slaps, and imprisonment.

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Pages: 352

Synopsis: The only life Mae has ever known is on the island, living on the charity of the wealthy Prosper family who control the magic on the island and the spirits who inhabit it. Mae longs for magic of her own and to have a place among the Prosper family, where her best friend, Coco, will see her as an equal, and her crush, Miles, will finally see her. Now that she’s eighteen, Mae knows her time with the Prospers may soon come to an end.

But tonight is First Night, when the Prospers and their high-society friends return to the island to celebrate the night Lord Prosper first harnessed the island’s magic and started producing aether – a magical fuel source that has revolutionized the world. With everyone returning to the island, Mae finally has the chance to go after what she’s always wanted.

When the spirits start inexplicably dying, Mae starts to realize that things aren’t what they seem. And Ivo, the reclusive, mysterious heir to the Prosper magic, may hold all the answers – including a secret about Mae’s past that she doesn’t remember. As Mae and her friends begin to unravel the mysteries of the island, and the Prospers’ magic, Mae starts to question the truth of what her world was built on.

Review: This was a so-so book. The book had an interesting premise with the arranged marriage, set in the 1920s, and I was really intrigued with the spirits and how they worked. I also liked the mystery/fantasy element and how the book was set over the course of one day. The book is also The Tempest inspired, but it’s very slight.

However, I really did not like this book. There’s not a lot of backstory to this book and I was confused throughout the text on what was going on and how we got to where we were. To my *not* surprise, when I was writing this review I discovered that most of the backstory is in the synopsis, which I absolutely hate in books. Books and synopses should stand alone and one shouldn’t depend on the reader having read the other for it to make sense. The beginning of the book was so cluttered and confusing I almost DNFed at 13% and sometimes I wish I did just go ahead and DNF it. There was a bit of flowery language, so maybe that’s what the cause was, but I also felt that the magic was just too unexplained and that things happened but weren’t explained. The book didn’t really explain why the story was set where it was either and there was some sort of weird love quadrilateral thing and then it went to a triangle and then to a regular romance, but it was like the author didn’t know where to go with the book for most of it. I never got a sense of who the main character was as there was no character development beyond “all of these kids are horrible and say horrible homophobic or sexist things or try to do sexual coercion, and their parents are either dead, not there, or addicted to drugs”.

Verdict: Overall, this book was not for me but you might have better luck.


"A deftly-plotted tale about ambition and belonging, Bright Ruined Things takes Shakespeare’s The Tempest and brilliantly reimagines its themes of family and love. Cohoe writes with a magic that dazzles and cuts right to the core." - Chloe Gong, New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights Forbidden magic, a family secret, and a night to reveal it all... The only life Mae has ever known is on the island, living on the charity of the wealthy Prosper family who control the island’s magic and its spirits. Mae longs for magic of her own and to have a place among the Prosper family, where her best friend, Coco, will see her as an equal, and her crush, Miles, will finally see her. But tonight is First Night, when the Prospers and their high-society friends celebrate the night Lord Prosper first harnessed the island’s magic and started producing aether – a magical fuel source that has revolutionized the world. With everyone returning to the island, Mae finally has the chance to go after what she’s always wanted. When the spirits start inexplicably dying, Mae realizes that things aren’t what they seem. And Ivo, the reclusive, mysterious heir to the Prosper magic, may hold all the answers – including a secret about Mae’s past. As Mae and her friends unravel the mysteries of the island, and the Prospers’ magic, Mae starts to question the truth of what her world was built on. In this YA fantasy, Samantha Cohoe wonderfully mixes magic and an atmospheric setting into a fantastically immersive world, with characters you won’t be able to forget.

Courtney Passio

The concept, writing style and cover of this book are literally EVERYTHING. I could completely imagine the 1920s flapper style on a beautiful little misty island full of spirts. The only downside I really had with this one was the fact that I couldn’t connect with any of the characters. I wasn’t even a fan of the MC but that could have been because of the slight love triangle that was happening and the fact that I can’t stand them lol but I feel like this book could find its fans, especially if you love unique ideas and 1920’s inspired settings!

cossette

content 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), parental abandonment 

still very unsure on my rating but at the moment i have settled on 3 stars

Taylor Sedona

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me a complimentary advanced copy of Bright Ruined Things by Samantha Cohoe in exchange for my honest review.

**4.5/5 stars to be exact

Bright Ruined Things is a 1920s style re-imagining of the The Tempest, that definitely serves Gatsby vibes at time. A thrilling ride from start to finish I read this one in less that 12 hours. All Mae has ever known is the island and the magical family that inhabits. Mae strives to feel like she has a place among the Prospers, but perhaps what she wants more than belonging, more than love, is magic and the power that comes with it. A dark, yet glittering YA fantasy/mystery tale Bright Ruined Things explores themes of home, love, family and power. 

Cohoe does an amazing job creating a truly atmospheric journey for the reader and the way information is revealed allows the reader to grow alongside the troubled heroine. Though I had not read The Tempest since high school and did not remember it, that did not damper my reading experience by any means. I love books in which each character has a flaw, and the characters here were so complex and vibrant. A complex mystery also kept me racing through this book until the very end. I had very few problems with this book but I will note them. I wish that the romantic intentions had been a little clearer. I get the ambiguous romance Cohoe was going for but the ever shifting intentions did make it hard to truly root for either romance at the end. Lord Prosper could definitely benefit from a little more development to make him a more formidable villain. I also really hope this book gets a sequel because while the ending was somewhat satisfying it was still just ambiguous enough to make me want more

Bright Ruined Things

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