Ruined
Billed as perfect for fans of the wildly successful television series Bridgerton, Ruined is a Regency-era graphic novel that seeks to capitalize on the series’ popularity. Shy, demure Catherine Benson is the female protagonist, and it is she who has been “ruined,” which in Regency England makes her damaged goods. Her unfortunate status leads to a marriage of convenience with the dashing, but rather disreputable Andrew Davener, who is willing to marry Catherine to get at her dowry so that he can fix his crumbling family estate.
The couple’s forced proximity plays havoc with their emotions in this slow burn of a romance. Secondary LGBTQ+ and BIPOC characters make their appearance to update the Regency era for 21st-century readers (despite the timeless appeal of the genre). The choice to tell this story as a graphic novel also feels like a ham-fisted attempt to appeal to today’s youth, those who watch a lot of Netflix and tend to be open to diversity when it comes to ethnicity and sexual orientation. The only problem with this is that the works of author Julia Quinn, which Bridgerton is based on, are vastly superior to this perfectly serviceable but otherwise unremarkable romance.
The art is pleasant with a dreamy undertone and pastel palette though, unfortunately, like the story itself, it does not stand out. For the cost of this graphic novel, a reader can purchase several novels by more skilled authors of the Regency genre and likely gain more satisfaction.
