#bright ruined things

[quirkycatsfatstacks]

Review: Bright Ruined Things by Samantha Cohoe

Review: Bright Ruined Things by Samantha Cohoe

Author: Samantha CohoePublisher: Wednesday BooksReleased: February 15, 2022Received: NetGalleyWarnings: Outing, suicide (mentioned), drug abuse, suicidal ideation Samantha Cohoe is back with another brilliant novel, Bright Ruined Things. This one blends historical fiction with fantasy in all the best ways, creating a tale that feels both familiar and new. Oh, did I mention that it’s set during a…

[noveltyreads]

Bright Ruined Things by Samantha Cohoe Book Review

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Despite me loving Shakespeare’s works, I have never read The Tempest. I knew that this book was based on it in some way but I hoped that it wouldn’t 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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

ACTUAL RATING: 3.2 STARS

[guide-to-galaxy]

3 DNF Book Reviews || Starting the Year Off Strong

Well, can’t have them all! Have 3 books that I decided not to finish after trying them out! Remember, just because I didn’t enjoy them doesn’t stop you from enjoying them – either if you’ve already read and enjoyed them or if you’re wanting to pick them up. No judgment here. I ranted for two of the books so this post is a bit long but you know that can be good sometimes! Disclaimer: I received…

[elliepassmore]

Bright Ruined Things review

3.5/5 stars Recommended for people who like: retellings, The Tempest, roaring 20s, unlikable characters, magic This book reminds me a bit of Knives Out except without the satisfying stick-it-to-em ending. None of the characters were likable and all of them treated Mae terribly at different points (as a note, Mae is also an unlikeable character). I could not for the life of me figure out why Mae wanted to be part of the family so badly. I can understand the family sticking together because that's what rich assholes do, but Mae is outside of it and could stand to leave the island to live life. To be fair, I've also never read the Tempest, so maybe this sticks close to it, I don't know. Mae's main goal is to stay on the island, become part of the family, and maybe learn some magic. She puts up with a lot of shit, and deals it back in turn, in the name of these three goals. As several other reviewers have said, Mae is pretty underdeveloped and feels way younger than she actually is. I get that she never leaves the island, but do they not have a radio? Books? Like?? The relationships between characters all feel pretty rushed and underdeveloped as well. Coco and Mae are supposed to be 'best friends' but it's clear from the get-go that Mae is just convenient for Coco and that the other girl doesn't really care that deeply about her (superficially, sure, but deeply I doubt). Likewise, Mae has a crush on Miles, which is understandable since it seems he's attractive, but he doesn't really seem to give her the time of day until Mae seems useful. Ivo is a difficult character to figure out because I don't feel we really ever get the full story behind him and Mae's relationship/interactions. However, I will say that despite all the issues Ivo has (and he has plenty) he was probably my favorite, and his and Mae's interactions felt more genuine that some of Mae's others. I'll be honest, I definitely saw the issue with the spirits coming before the characters figured out what was going on. Maybe it's because I live in this world and have read lots of fantasy books and those two things combined make it obvious, but I also feel like Mae should've realized sooner the issues and quandaries that arise with having magical spirit servants tied to your bloodline. It's incredible how many people were willing to do terrible things to harness magic. I wish the magical element got explored a bit more. Some of it I understand, but some of the stuff that was going on with the spirits I feel we got around to a little late in the story and I'm a little confused on some aspects of it. I would also like a more thorough explanation for why so many family members had a 'yes, this is fine' mentality and, if they didn't, why it was hidden from some people and not others. Miles plays somewhat of an interesting role here and I feel like he really could've been used to examine the situation I've vaguely alluded to, but instead I feel like he kind of just uncritically perpetrates what his family has been doing.

[sweetsouldhavernas]

Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David ↳ UNDER COVERS

[o-i-w-u]

:)

(reblogs appreciated!)

[crabsnpersimmons]

Do you sketch in pencil or do you just go straight to pen?

thanks for the question! it depends on what i'm drawing!

if i'm just doodling without any plans, i may go straight in with a pen. it's a habit i developed from my school days because i didn't like the feeling of pencil on paper. these are examples of when i just went straight in with pen:

the first two i drew with felt tip pen and ballpoint pen respectively and left the sketch as the lineart. the third one, i sketched with a ballpoint pen, liked it, and decided to clean it up with white out and add cleaner lineart on top.

now, if i know i'm going to draw something complicated or something i know want to clean up later, i'll usually start with a coloured pencil sketch and then... decide if it's a lines first day or colours first day. you'll usually notice some stray sketch lines because i honestly don't care to clean them all up perfectly. Some examples here:

usually, i do lines first because that's what i'm used to. also because getting the lines done gets me closer to a finished drawing (a bad habit of mine is stopping once the lines are done). but recently, i've been being too precious about doing lines, so i decided to switch things up and colour first, which has been helping me to not overthink my lines too much.

[jeanmoreaue]

I have a hot take about the bear magnet— it’s not a teddy bear, it’s a realistic bear with a beret that Kevin thought was funny since he used to joke that Jean should wear a red beret (because French)

(also underneath the scribbles I wrote out a note from Kevin to Jean.. for realism..)

[emyn-arnens]

look at this disgrace

[cottonraincoat]

I keep thinking about this and it is absolutely bizzare but just say Alderaan blowing up could have been for a moment as bright as a star, then it would have been visible at least a few dozen lightyears away, a few dozen years later. So even years after the Empire had been defeated there could have been planets that are just witnessing the initial explosion, where in the silence of someone else's night, for one moment, Alderaan's sun seems to flash slightly brighter, before dimming again.

[sleaterkinnie]

WERE SO FUCKING BACK

[junglesupport]

a clearer version of that clip cuz I'm normal abt them 👍 ivan just put it in front of juns mouth to imitate him and their giggles after...

[tommygettingwrittenoff]

i need eddie to get another guy friend in season 8, and buck loses his shit about it (again), so he breaks up with t because he's convinced that the weird feeling he gets when he sees them together is because he is Really attracted to the new guy.

[us-the-voices-and-more-voices-2]

me: why don’t I remember some things

also me: OH YEAH L TAKES OVER FOR LIKE 87% of EVERYTHING

[karmaphone]

no offense but some of y'all really do make Being Miserable more of a thing than it needs to be in tolerable but unpleasant situations