The 1920s in the West is an era that is looked upon with nostalgia. Parties, prohibition in the US, new inventions, and much more, the 1920s is a lovely fitting for a Shakespearean retelling. I haven’t read The Tempest, but I did read through the Sparknotes analysis and summary before beginning the book so I could have some context of the story. A stormy Mediterranean island is our setting for our book, and rather than Lord Prospero and his spirit servant Ariel, we have the Prosper family and their horde of speechless spirits and a stronger spirit who can speak, Aeris. However, rather than centering the family politics of Prospero, Bright Ruined Things focuses on Mae, the daughter of the Prosper family who has grown up with the patriarch’s children and wants to be treated as their equals. Beyond those differences, you’d have to seek out someone who knows The Tempest much better than me!
In Bright Ruined Things, the focus and surrounding plot is the mysterious discovery by Mae regarding the house spirits who seem to be dying. She’s been manipulated to be engaged to one of the Prosper grandsons, when she in fact is in love with another. Those two elements drive our main character in the decisions she makes. Mae takes steps throughout the story to balance her own feelings as well as the high society context that the Prosper family inhabits, and those elements of the plot are very engaging.
The mood and the aesthetic of this book was really fun, I enjoyed the mysterious elements and how the 1920s backdrop weaved itself perfectly into Shakespearean tropes. As a Young Adult novel, this book kept my interest throughout and I believe that those who enjoy young adult novels will also enjoy this book!
The plot towards the end felt like it unravelled a bit, and too often I felt that Mae didn’t have the information she needed solely because characters refused to tell her or mocked her by saying she should have figured it out herself. However, it was overall a solid story and I’m very glad I read this!
A big thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for a free copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Final Rating:
Be sure to check out Bright Ruined Things. It is out February 15th, 2022!
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