Bright Ruined Things by Samantha Cohoe follows the story of Mae over the course of an amazingly tumultuous day. She has spent her life on a magical island, where her father was the caretaker. However, since he died and she is approaching her eighteenth birthday, her future on the Prosper family’s island is in question. She does not want to leave, but how can she stay? The solution: marry one of Lord Prosper’s grandsons. She has had a crush on Miles for years but instead ends up engaged to Ivo, the heir to the Prosper magic. The union with Ivo would cement her position on the island, but she doesn’t love him, and Miles thinks Ivo has been doing something nefarious along with his grandfather. On top of everything else, the spirits that work behind the scenes on the island are appearing near death. All the family secrets are revealed on First Night, the lavish party which celebrates when Lord Prosper first harnessed the magic and spirits of the island. Mae must decide what she really wants in life: magic, the love of the man she desires, or something else entirely.
Loosely based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Samantha Cohoe’s Bright Ruined Things is a lush novel set in a time where magic and Hollywood glamor coexist. Beaded silk dresses and lipstick and gold cigarette cases and Champagne, alongside blood magic and spirits who help you dress and serve your tea tray. The supporting cast is multidimensional, and Mae shows satisfying growth over the course of the novel and epilogue. I really enjoyed the story and the touches of opulence and nods to the Bard.
The narrator, Imani Jade Powers, did a wonderful job bringing the world to life with her accent and tones. I found her voice for Mae very believable, and her variation for the other characters was consistent and well-chosen.
I would definitely recommend this book to YA fantasy fans and those who like a little Shakespearean allusion in their reading.
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