The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! đ
novelty_reads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Despite me loving Shakespeareâs works, I have never read The Tempest. I knew that this book was based on it in some way but I hoped that it wouldnât disadvantage me.
Bright Ruined Things follows Mae, a young girl who lives on an island in the care of the Prosper family, a family of which uses the magic of the island and turns it into clean energy to propel the outside world. Mae has never been on the mainland before and wishes to learn how to convert the magic from the island. She knows this will be impossible as Lord Prosper only teaches his kin however, that doesn't stop her from trying to learn as much as possible. Soon she starts questioning the very foundations of the world around her as she realises the cause of the Prosper's fortune is far more sinister than first thought.Â
Let's start with the positives, or the things I enjoyed. This book was very atmospheric and lushly written with this mysterious, intriguing and haunting quality to it especially in relation to the island, its magic and spirits. I really liked this quality as it made the Prosper's island seem magical in the dangerous sense. I also liked the overall theme and discussion surrounding capitalism and greed and the extremes people go for money and reputation.Â
I think my main negatives stems from wanting more from the story, the characters and the plot. I found the pacing quite slow as the main action happens towards the end of the book. Despite liking the world, I felt bored because nothing really happened in the first half apart from the main character pining for Miles while being proposed to by Ivo and also desperately wanting to learn magic. While I didn't mind Mae (she was an okay character but I didn't really connect with her), I did get a bit annoyed by the side characters (namely the Prosper's). I found them shallow and at times, annoying to read about. I couldn't connect to Miles' and Mae's relationship because I didn't really feel the chemistry between them.Â
At times, I shipped Ivo and Mae more than the main pairing. There were times I thought they had a great relationship and other times I would be proven wrong. At the end, as much as it hurts for me to say, I was sitting back, awaiting the book to finish because I felt disconnected from the story, plot and characters. That being said, I'm happy I read this book but I don't think I'd be reading this again.Â
ACTUAL RATING: 3.2 STARS
Despite me loving Shakespeareâs works, I have never read The Tempest. I knew that this book was based on it in some way but I hoped that it wouldnât disadvantage me.
Bright Ruined Things follows Mae, a young girl who lives on an island in the care of the Prosper family, a family of which uses the magic of the island and turns it into clean energy to propel the outside world. Mae has never been on the mainland before and wishes to learn how to convert the magic from the island. She knows this will be impossible as Lord Prosper only teaches his kin however, that doesn't stop her from trying to learn as much as possible. Soon she starts questioning the very foundations of the world around her as she realises the cause of the Prosper's fortune is far more sinister than first thought.Â
Let's start with the positives, or the things I enjoyed. This book was very atmospheric and lushly written with this mysterious, intriguing and haunting quality to it especially in relation to the island, its magic and spirits. I really liked this quality as it made the Prosper's island seem magical in the dangerous sense. I also liked the overall theme and discussion surrounding capitalism and greed and the extremes people go for money and reputation.Â
I think my main negatives stems from wanting more from the story, the characters and the plot. I found the pacing quite slow as the main action happens towards the end of the book. Despite liking the world, I felt bored because nothing really happened in the first half apart from the main character pining for Miles while being proposed to by Ivo and also desperately wanting to learn magic. While I didn't mind Mae (she was an okay character but I didn't really connect with her), I did get a bit annoyed by the side characters (namely the Prosper's). I found them shallow and at times, annoying to read about. I couldn't connect to Miles' and Mae's relationship because I didn't really feel the chemistry between them.Â
At times, I shipped Ivo and Mae more than the main pairing. There were times I thought they had a great relationship and other times I would be proven wrong. At the end, as much as it hurts for me to say, I was sitting back, awaiting the book to finish because I felt disconnected from the story, plot and characters. That being said, I'm happy I read this book but I don't think I'd be reading this again.Â
ACTUAL RATING: 3.2 STARS
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Death, Emotional abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
capitalismallisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This ya fantasy standalone shows us 1920s wealthy family intrigue through the eyes of a girl on the periphery. The orphaned Mae is largely ignored by the Prospers even though she has been permitted to live on their magical island since her father died in childhood. Terrified that they will send her away from the only home she's ever known, she has trouble saying no to even their most high-handed demands, including an unwelcome engagement to the eldest grandchild of the patriarch (cue uncomfy age gap: 18-year-old girl meets 25-year-old boy ew). Ivo is the family heir, responsible for harnessing the island's magic through the labor of spirits, thus perpetuating the family's vast wealth. Unfortunately, Ivo's been pining for Mae while she's been obsessing over his cousin Milo, so no one is on the same page here. Mae feels unseen and cornered, panicking about a future outside her control as well as a mysterious and believed impossible malady striking the island spirits.Â
While I know the story intended to show the dark side of this family and their relationships, I struggled with the fact that even the ones meant to walk on a slightly lighter shade of the morally grey spectrum still felt sticky and toxic to me. Mae's gaslit by her best friend about some seriously traumatic experiences, belittled by one romantic interest and controlled by another, and generally insulted and managed by everyone. I don't think it's necessarily bad to have Mae learn to protect herself more and gain confidence despite these putdowns. However, her path descends into bitterness, revenge, and schemes as if her past role as mediator and dreamer is as embarrassing as her tormenters would have her believe. Essentially, I didn't mind the growth or loss of innocence but didn't feel like she retained some of her initial strengths after remaking herself.Â
Also, I didn't care for the ending, to be honest. It's a bit open (not, I believe, for a sequel, but for drama). It's also a sort of stilted ending for some of the relationships rather than a smooth or powerful conclusion that might have felt more meaningful. I only felt irritation towards Mae's final moments with each Prosper.Â
I think readers who enjoy morally grey characters, vicious drama, and dark magic will enjoy this more than I did. Thanks to Wednesday for my copy to read and review.Â
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Bullying, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Addiction, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Lesbophobia, Outing, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Gun violence
beforeviolets's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Thank you so much to Wednesday Books for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review!
TW: blood, blood magic, sexual harassment, sexual assault (brief, though sudden), sacrifice, gun violence, violence, death, fire, murder, self harm (for magic), magic performed on others without consent (helpful and harmful), slavery, torture, mind control, misogyny (externalized and internalized), outing, slut shaming, toxic relationship, suicide (offscreen, past, brief), substance addiction (mention), alcohol, underage drinking (brief), alcoholism (mention), vomit (mention) death of father (offscreen, past), death of mother (past, childbirth, mention), fatphobic description
This work as a whole was an interesting and entertaining fantasy story. The setting was unique, the plot twists were interesting, and as a whole it was an easy read. However, my negative thoughts outweighed my enjoyment of reading this work.
As a retelling, this book just really isn't one. I can see the connections to the Tempest (especially with some of the names) but with the way that this book veers so drastically from the original text, those connections mostly hold the story back or make it confusing (such as the fact that in the Tempest, Miranda is Prospero's daughter but in this book, her counterpart's love interests - yes, INTERESTS, and not in a polyamorous way but in a poorly written love triangle way - are his grandchildren which creates some odd circumstance of indirect incest). The names should have just been changed more and it could have just been comped as "the Tempest meets Great Gatsby" in terms of vibes instead of material.
As a fantasy story, I also think this book fails. The first person POV detracts from the story, especially since a large element is the atmosphere. It felt as though it limited the author from being able to use descriptions and atmospheric choices to the fullest. The pacing is all over the place from the very beginning of the book, making it hard to grasp onto a narrative rhythm. This book takes place over the course of a day and needed a more steady pace to make that feel like a compelling choice. There was literally a part where the characters spent THIRTY PAGES walking to lunch, yet all the climactic scenes happened so swiftly and abruptly that I barely was able to process them. Things are just introduced and then the story just moves along too swiftly, so there's no room for twists or speculation or tension.
I also felt really icky about the way this book approached the MC's character arc and development. It seemed to be revolved around the idea of the MC learning to stand up for herself or to not be so passive in her life. But a lot of the specific language around this was worded in such a way that it seemed that it was on her to learn to "not let things just happen to her/not let people take advantage of her," which I didn't like. She has literally never interacted with a single person outside of this family that manipulates and belittles and abuses her, and yet the narrative tone tells us that she is essentially failing as a person by fawning and not standing up for her self? As if she hasn't essentially been emotionally beaten into passive and silent behavior to keep herself safe? It felt very much like victim-blaming to me.
I also just felt utterly disgusted by the fact that EVERY single man in this story had to make at LEAST a pass on the MC, and at most literally sexually assault her. Her love interests were still awful and emotionally manipulative and kind of violent, yet because they weren't literally trying to SA her, they were considered good? Why is the bar this low?
And last but not least, there was ONE queer character and it seemed as though her queerness only existed so that she could be outed as a plot point. Was not a fan.
TW: blood, blood magic, sexual harassment, sexual assault (brief, though sudden), sacrifice, gun violence, violence, death, fire, murder, self harm (for magic), magic performed on others without consent (helpful and harmful), slavery, torture, mind control, misogyny (externalized and internalized), outing, slut shaming, toxic relationship, suicide (offscreen, past, brief), substance addiction (mention), alcohol, underage drinking (brief), alcoholism (mention), vomit (mention) death of father (offscreen, past), death of mother (past, childbirth, mention), fatphobic description
This work as a whole was an interesting and entertaining fantasy story. The setting was unique, the plot twists were interesting, and as a whole it was an easy read. However, my negative thoughts outweighed my enjoyment of reading this work.
As a retelling, this book just really isn't one. I can see the connections to the Tempest (especially with some of the names) but with the way that this book veers so drastically from the original text, those connections mostly hold the story back or make it confusing (such as the fact that in the Tempest, Miranda is Prospero's daughter but in this book, her counterpart's love interests - yes, INTERESTS, and not in a polyamorous way but in a poorly written love triangle way - are his grandchildren which creates some odd circumstance of indirect incest). The names should have just been changed more and it could have just been comped as "the Tempest meets Great Gatsby" in terms of vibes instead of material.
As a fantasy story, I also think this book fails. The first person POV detracts from the story, especially since a large element is the atmosphere. It felt as though it limited the author from being able to use descriptions and atmospheric choices to the fullest. The pacing is all over the place from the very beginning of the book, making it hard to grasp onto a narrative rhythm. This book takes place over the course of a day and needed a more steady pace to make that feel like a compelling choice. There was literally a part where the characters spent THIRTY PAGES walking to lunch, yet all the climactic scenes happened so swiftly and abruptly that I barely was able to process them. Things are just introduced and then the story just moves along too swiftly, so there's no room for twists or speculation or tension.
I also felt really icky about the way this book approached the MC's character arc and development. It seemed to be revolved around the idea of the MC learning to stand up for herself or to not be so passive in her life. But a lot of the specific language around this was worded in such a way that it seemed that it was on her to learn to "not let things just happen to her/not let people take advantage of her," which I didn't like. She has literally never interacted with a single person outside of this family that manipulates and belittles and abuses her, and yet the narrative tone tells us that she is essentially failing as a person by fawning and not standing up for her self? As if she hasn't essentially been emotionally beaten into passive and silent behavior to keep herself safe? It felt very much like victim-blaming to me.
I also just felt utterly disgusted by the fact that EVERY single man in this story had to make at LEAST a pass on the MC, and at most literally sexually assault her. Her love interests were still awful and emotionally manipulative and kind of violent, yet because they weren't literally trying to SA her, they were considered good? Why is the bar this low?
And last but not least, there was ONE queer character and it seemed as though her queerness only existed so that she could be outed as a plot point. Was not a fan.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Slavery, Torture, and Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Gun violence, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Vomit, and Fatphobia
girlonbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
 I was given a free Advanced Reader Copy of Bright Ruined Things by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
đđđđ Four Stars (as rated in the fireworks at midnight)
On an island where the magical family Prosper rules supreme, âmousyâ Mae is regarded as an outcast and even a nuisance. Known for her meek and eagerly obliging nature, all Mae has ever truly wanted is to be accepted by the family she depends on and to learn the magical skills for which theyâre known the world over. On the eve of the summer solstice, Mae stumbles on something that could very well be her ticket into the world thatâs always shut her out. With her days on the island numbered and her options limited, Mae is determined to finally take what sheâs always wanted. But this magic comes with a price that Mae isnât exactly in a position to pay. At least, not without a little helpâŚ
đđđđ Four Stars (as rated in the fireworks at midnight)
On an island where the magical family Prosper rules supreme, âmousyâ Mae is regarded as an outcast and even a nuisance. Known for her meek and eagerly obliging nature, all Mae has ever truly wanted is to be accepted by the family she depends on and to learn the magical skills for which theyâre known the world over. On the eve of the summer solstice, Mae stumbles on something that could very well be her ticket into the world thatâs always shut her out. With her days on the island numbered and her options limited, Mae is determined to finally take what sheâs always wanted. But this magic comes with a price that Mae isnât exactly in a position to pay. At least, not without a little helpâŚ
âI had finally realized how little I could wring from the Prospers by trying to please them. If I wanted more, I would have to take it.â
Real Talk: Shakespeareâs The Tempest is just not that great of a story. The thing drags, the characters are tiresome and forgettable and I always leave it wondering what the actual point of it was. Understandably, I went into Bright Ruined Things (being a retelling of the former) with very low expectations. Its predecessor just doesnât have that much for one to work with. So you can imagine my utter delight at what this turned out to be. Cohoe has taken one of Shakespeareâs most lackluster comedies and exponentially improved it by â*gasp*â turning the thing into a tragedy! What island magic is this!? BRT is the ultimate glow up for what is an otherwise pretty uninteresting story. So here I say, âSamantha Cohoe, if youâre reading this, what are the chances of us being gifted another Shakespeare retelling by you one day? And would you consider doing The Comedy of Errors next?â
⨠Read this book because: youâre into books set in the 1920âs, flawed characters, complicated friendships and love stories that arenât at all what they seem â or even what you wanted them to be.
⨠Content warnings for this book: bullying, neglect, threats of sexual violence, adultery, abuse, imprisonment, kidnapping, trauma, fire, death, enslavement, gaslighting, toxic relationships
Follow me on: Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr | Pinterest | Goodreads
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Colonisation, Confinement, Death of parent, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Slavery, and Toxic friendship
More...