3.5 stars.

Bright Ruined Things is a historical fantasy, set in the 1920s on an isolated island beyond the coast of England. Magical control of the spirits on the island and their energies have provided a type of magical fuel that has made the Prosper family very wealthy & powerful. There is a very Gatsby feel about the atmosphere and there is definitely some allegorical work at play in the narrative that adds to the intrigue. The setting is nice and dark with a good gothic flare.

While I appreciated the setting and the basic gist of the narrative, there were some things I struggled with. The magic system was interesting, though at times confusing. The voice of the novel comes off a bit immature. Rated for YA, there are moments where the tone is more middle grade and I expected better of Mae (the protagonist). The characters are interesting, but not as fleshed out as I would like. Instead, they tend to get a bit of a stereotypical development that made them less likable and didn't give me as much interest in their individual outcomes. Lord Prosper, in particular, felt like a bit of a cardboard cutout.

That being said, I did mention that the characters were interesting. I enjoyed Coco quite a bit and there was some good underlying character to Ivo. There was quite a bit to explore with Alasdair and Miles that I think could have gone a long way to furthering the plot and upping the stakes/intrigue. The characters improved as the end neared, and the ending itself did wrap up quite well. It was a pleasant reading experience and not a bad early novel, so I hope to see more from Cohoe in the future.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *