The Courting of Bristol Keats is the first book in an adult fantasy duology. Mary E Pearson has beautifully woven an immersive tale full of romance and fae. I was instantly sucked into the world and was completely hooked on the plot for the majority of the time. I thought that there was the perfect blend of both romantic and fantasy elements, making it the perfect read for fans of both genres. The ending was completely unexpected and I still don't know how I feel about it, however, I overall really enjoyed this book and I shall be eagerly awaiting the sequel.

This was my first Mary E Pearson book and it certainly won't be my last! I highly look forward to checking out her previous fantasy books.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!🥰

I would describe the vibe with the following words:

whimsical, magical, mysterious, humorous, romantic and adventurous.

I loved the world the book was set in and that there always was a surprise around the corner waiting for you.
It did have a bit of a build up but that was just fine for me and really helped with enjoying the story later on.

You could catch me laughing, wondering and being thrilled while reading this!

Thank you to Net Galley and MacMillan for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Bristol Keats has always known that her parents have something to hide. When they both die in tragic circumstances a short time apart, Bristol and her sisters struggle to get by.

Bristol then finds herself being ‘courted’ by Fae who suspect she has magic abilities that could save their kingdom, and she discovers the whole new world of Elphame. In exchange for her abilities, Bristol needs their help in searching for her father, who she now believes may not be dead after all.

From the very start, the book reminded me of The Cruel Prince. There is a strong romantasy and adult element, with a hint of political intrigue.

Unfortunately, I didn’t gel very well either the characters or the world. I found Bristol to be a frustrating character and I struggled to connect with the relationships she had. I didn’t agree with a lot of her decisions, and the romance plot felt strangely forced.

I also struggled with the world building. The book switched between Bristol and Tyghan’s (the king) perspectives, and while Bristol was in the dark about the truths of Elphame and her family, we, as the reader, were not. It made the narration a bit disjointed, and ruined what could have been some fun twists if we were limited to only Bristol’s perspective.

The political element of the book didn’t feel very fleshed out, and it was similar to other books I’ve read. It didn’t bring anything new to the table to make it stand out.

The move from YA to adult is quite stark, and there is some spice which added to the romance. I read a few other reviews about the ending of the book and I agree that it was… extremely odd.

One thing I did enjoy was the actions of some of the characters being morally grey. I thought that the writing encapsulated these dilemmas very well.

It was mostly well-written, and I do feel that a lot of people will enjoy reading it. It’s just not for me!

"The Courting of Bristol Keats" by Mary E. Pearson is a dark romantic fantasy novel about a young woman, Bristol, who goes into the world of the Fae searching for her father. Through a fast-paced plot, Bristol uncovers secrets about herself and her parents that shatter her entire understanding of her family.

I enjoyed this book, and it was really fun to be lost in this magical world, which included loads of different fairy kind creatures. The main two that appeared are from Scottish and Irish mythology, the Tuatha and the Fomorians. Despite these mythological and folkloric references, I would not say the book is in any way focused on a specific known story, apart from the general emnity between these two groups. Pearson simply uses the various kinds of words that could refer to Fae for her worldbuilding. The lushness of the fairy court, the mystery, and the diverse art descriptions of the paintings, buildings, and clothes were incredible. I really fell for this world of glamour and wonders. My only small complaint of the book is that there were a lot of characters, and I would have benefited from a character list.

The novel's focus is split 50/50 between the romance between Bristol and Tyghan and the conflict between the Kingdom of the Danu and the Fomorians, with the two often colliding. The two characters' individual responsibilities and ambitions are often sabotaging the integrity of their love despite their genuine emotions. It was very interesting to watch how the relationship between Bristol and Tyghan is paralleled with Maire and Keatus's backstory. The questions and answers that Tyghan didn't accept for his once best friend are also his truth when it comes to his relationship with Bristol. The narrative often made me ask the question as to whether they would choose differently and sacrifice love for all their other relationships, their sense of right and wrong, and duty.The questions that dominate both aspects of the book are "Is love a good enough excuse for hurting others? Does it justify everything?" The relationship of Bristol's parents has opened a can of consequences in both the war and the new relationship between Bristol and Tyghan.

I can't remember the last time I read a Fae fantasy book, even though I generally love fairies. I know I must have read one in the past, but it must have been years ago, so I am not able to compare it to other books of that subgenre. As a general fantasy reader who also enjoys fantasy romance books, "The Courting of Bristol Keats" was very enjoyable, offering both exciting battle and magic scenes and swoony, spicy ones.

I read the title and thought it would be a Gothic bridgerton style book - it definitely wasn't! It's modern world and the land of the fae.

I like Bristol's character, her emotions realistic and relatable. I enjoyed the world building, which wasn't overcomplicated.

Lots has been left unresolved at the end and I can't wait to read the following book/s!

Only marked down as the ending felt like it was missing another chapter.

I struggled to grasp the plot, the appearance of places, and the characters in this book. It lacked an introduction explaining the existence of a fantasy world alongside the human one. The character of Bristol was particularly irritating and unlikable. Additionally, the book's conclusion was quite bizarre. Not for me sadly, but I think others may love it

The Courting of Bristol Keats is my favourite fantasy romance of the year so far! The characters are morally grey and complex in a believable and interesting way. I was on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen when Bristol found out what the court was hiding from her. The dialogue is great and I wasn’t bored for a moment in this novel! (I was actively reading this on my lunch break at work.) I felt genuinely immersed in the fairy realm in a way I haven’t done since reading ACOTAR or the Toby Day series so I will definitely be continuing it when more comes out!

The only reason this isn’t a five star from me is the pacing. At times the jumps between chapters are quite difficult to follow and I was confused by how much time had passed. The ending of the book didn’t feel like an ending at all. I was genuinely confused when the novel closed off where it did. It felt more like a part one rather than a book with a complete story arc.

However, despite these issues, Mary E. Pearson had me by the throat with this one. I will definitely be buying this when it comes in store and throwing it at all my fantasy romance loving customers.

The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson was such an incredible ride! From the very first page, I was hooked. The mix of forbidden romance, faerie curses, and nonstop action had me flipping through the chapters like my life depended on it. The world-building is absolutely stunning. Pearson's realm of fae, gods, and monsters feels so rich and alive that I was completely immersed.

Bristol’s journey was full of twists I didn’t see coming, and the tension between her and the morally grey fae king, Tyghan, kept me on the edge of my seat. The romance had that perfect blend of tension and mystery, while still leaving me wanting more. And the emotional depth of the story? Wow. There were moments that had my heart racing, breaking, and soaring all at once.

I also loved how the story explored themes of second chances and forgiveness in such a raw and real way. The characters, even the side ones, were developed beautifully, and their banter added a nice balance to the darker, more intense moments. The ending left me speechless – a cliffhanger that guarantees I'll be counting down the days for the next book.

If you love fantasy with a good dose of romance and high-stakes action, The Courting of Bristol Keats is a must-read! Mary E. Pearson has truly earned her crown as the new queen of faerie.

The Courting of Bristol Keats was an absolute page-turner, with a gripping storyline that kept me hooked from start to finish. The character development was exceptional, bringing each character to life in a way that made their journeys both relatable and compelling. I particularly enjoyed the pacing of the story—it was perfectly balanced, keeping the tension high while allowing room for the world-building to shine.

The intricate world of fae and mythical creatures was vividly portrayed, adding layers of depth to the narrative. The blend of romantasy and fantasy elements was seamless, drawing me deeper into this enchanting universe. The plot twists were masterfully executed, keeping me on the edge of my seat and making the story truly addictive.

The writing itself was beautiful, with each word carefully chosen to evoke strong emotions. Whether it was joy, sadness, fear, or excitement, I felt every moment, which is a testament to the powerful storytelling at play. The emotional impact was undeniable, as the story deftly navigated the highs and lows of the characters’ experiences, leaving a lasting impression.

The ending left me reeling, questioning, and double-checking for more chapters—I wasn’t ready for it to be over. It’s rare to find a book that leaves you simultaneously satisfied and craving more, but The Courting of Bristol Keats did just that. Now, I’m eagerly anticipating the second book in the series and can’t wait to see where the story goes next!

A big thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book had so much potential, but unfortunately it didn't go beyond the idea. The main character Bristol enters the world of the fae to find her father. Never make deals/accept gifts from fae, but of course Bristol does the opposite. Her search leads her to burying herself with the fae king Tyghan, but of course he is hiding important facts from her.
It's all so full of clichés. The story has a lot of borrowings from Holly Black's Folk of the Air series. I know it's all based on mythology, but I would like to see some variety. Spicey's scenes are completely out of place and cardboard. And the ending.... I read it several times and then re-downloaded the book because I thought that part of the chapter was lost, but no - the book really ends literally in the middle of a sentence.
It's strange. And boring.
I really liked the Dance of Thieves duology, so I was excited to read the author's adult novel, but unfortunately this is just not my story.

✨️ 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘭 𝘒𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴 by Mary E. Pearson.✨️

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐜𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧 | 𝐓𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐀𝐑𝐂.

Fantasy stories with fae elements are right up my alley, so I was looking forward to diving into 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘭 𝘒𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴 by Mary E. Pearson, featuring a parallel fae world, secrets, dangerous fae, and a heroine on a quest. But I have to admit, despite my high hopes, this book just wasn’t for me.

From the outset, I was intrigued by the mysterious setup and the high stakes Mary E. Pearson laid out. The first few chapters promised so much, and I was eager to see where Bristol’s journey would take her. But as the story unfolded, I found myself struggling to connect with the plot and characters. The world-building felt a bit rushed to me, and I found it difficult to visualise the places and understand the rules of this fantasy realm. 💫

Bristol, our main character, didn’t quite win me over. Her decisions often felt impulsive. The romance felt a bit rushed. I was hoping for a slow burn with more emotional depth. By the time the book reached its conclusion, I was left scratching my head, wondering if I had missed something. 🤔

That said, I can see how this book might appeal to others. The concept of an alternate fae reality has potential; it just didn’t quite hit the mark for me. 📖📚

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

This is the first time in a long time that I’ve had such fun with a Fae Romantasy. The Courting of Bristol Keats is a breath of fresh air in this very popular genre!

The Fae were a varied species, no brooding shadow daddies to be found, and the world takes you back to those classic early Fae books from the 2010’s.

The main thing in this story is the romance, which I actually enjoyed quite a lot. It didn’t feel rushed, they fit well together, and the romance wasn’t more important than the plot, which was just as good.

The ending was a bit sudden? It wasn’t quite a cliff hanger, it felt like a strange point to stop, but I think I liked how unique that was.

If you love the Fae but you’re tired of seeing the same thing over and over again, this is for you!

I couldn't push myself to finish this book. I didn't connect with the characters and compared it to a lighthearted version of The Cruel Prince. As much as I like Pearson's Dance of Thieves and eagerly await her next book, I found the concept to be boring. Even though the writing is good, having too many characters introduced at once weakens the plot :(

A couple of chapters into the book, I was convinced that THIS is how you write a dark fairie story! All the elements were there (portals, magic, morally grey fae king, danger for mortals, Elphame, Beltane, dark secrets...) and they were executed perfectly. Spiced up with the notion that fae are hiding in the mortal world by means of glamour, promising even more revelations, twists and turns.
Towards the middle part though, the book seems to lose its tight narration and purpose. I was especially sad that the setup of the band of apprentices didn't form the full found family I was hoping for. Though that's more on me though than the book, because I'm a sucker for found family.
I also found the aspect of the tick-creature a bit over the top for what it was there to achieve.

Apart from these criticisms though, it was a really engaging read. A lot of aspects to be explored, real good characters and side characters, lots of banter, non-annoying romance and many twists - although the answers to some secrets came to the reader way before the characters, which made it a bit weird already knowing what the MCs didn't.

Had the book not tried to squeeze too many plotlines into one narration, this could have become a highlight. I'm still interested to continue the series, especially with that ending....

4,5/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @panmacmillan for the eARC!

#TheCourtingOfBristolKeats #Netgalley #Bookstagram

[ARC provided by NetGalley and Tor Bramble. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review The Courting of Bristol Keats.]

Rating: 2.5/5

As someone who adores fantasy, and specifically anything involving the fae, I was immediately drawn to this adult debut from Mary E. Pearson featuring forbidden romance, deadly curses and the enchanting realm of Elphame. From the first page I found myself sucked into the mystery that is set up and the high stakes that are laid out, but unfortunately it was downhill from there. I wanted so badly to enjoy this magical story but as I turned each new page - and there are a lot of pages in this book - I found myself becoming more and more disenchanted with the plot, characters and world that this story is set in.

The story is led by Bristol Keats who, along with her two sisters, is struggling to stay afloat having recently lost both of their parents. When she discovers that her father might still be alive and that everything she knows about her family is a lie, she embarks on a journey to a hidden realm where gods, fae and monsters roam. But first she must make a deadly bargain with the fae king, Tyghan, not knowing that he is the one who has been hunting her family down for years.

I enjoyed the first 20% of this book as the set up is very intriguing and leaves you with a lot of questions to be answered. At this point I quite liked the characters and was keen to see how they would develop as time went on, but as we near the 50% mark, it’s clear that the development will take quite a bit of time. I felt that the first 60% of this book could have easily been cut in half as it seemed to drag on and on with very little actually happening. I really struggled getting through each chapter and found myself easily distracted which I think comes down to the confusing nature of the writing. There’s a lot thrown at the reader with little description to back it up. Characters come and go, locations breeze by, but nothing really sticks out.

Another issue that I had was the cast of characters that we’re introduced to. I was never able to feel close to any of them and found a lot of the relationships (platonic and romantic) difficult to get behind. Perhaps this will be developed further in the next instalment but to have spent 500+ pages with these people and feel quite distant from them all isn’t a nice position to be in for such a long book.

I’m sad that I couldn’t get into this story because I’ve heard such fantastic things about the author, but this hasn’t deterred me from checking out her other books. Although I struggled with this book, I’m certain that a lot of readers will really enjoy the world that is laid out and I’m sure the next book will pick up on some things that I found a little jarring with this one.

DNF at 24% - in the beginning I quite liked this and was excited to see where the story was going to go but the book seemed to loose itself and the pacing was all over the place - I got bored

I know very little about fae romantasy and wasn’t expecting much from this book beyond hoping to have a good time. And you know what? I really did!
This is the story of Bristol Keats, a small-town girl who lives with her sisters after the death of their parents. One day, she discovers that the world she knows may not be the only one that exists, and she has reason to believe that her father may still be alive. To uncover the truth, she is forced to enter the Fae, where a task awaits her, along with a slightly grumpy (but obviously handsome) master of the realm named Tyghan.

The beginning of the book is a bit slow, but once the action picks up around the 20% mark, the plot moves along smoothly and becomes a really good read. That's when we start getting snippets of information about the mystery of Bristol's father's disappearance. As the plot progresses, we learn more about his relationship with the Fae and Tyghan himself through multiple POVs. I enjoyed this non-linear approach because it makes the book hard to put down—it draws you in, making you eager to find out what really happened.

What I didn’t quite like at first was how quickly Bristol accepted the existence of the fae realm, her family's connection to creatures from another world, and the fact that she herself had to go there. It felt a bit too convenient for the plot. Later on, I came to realize that such things are extremely hard to balance in a fantasy novel—Bristol making a huge drama out of the revelation wouldn’t have been ideal for the plot either…

As for the characters, Bristol certainly has the potential to become a fully developed heroine, even though she’s not my favorite type of FMC. Tyghan, on the other hand, felt like a somewhat generic fae prince—still cool, but basically how I imagine every fae male lead in a romantasy. I did enjoy their banter though. There are also quite a few secondary characters in the book, some of them very likable, but unfortunately, we don’t learn enough about most of them.

All in all, I might not be the biggest enthusiast of fae books, but this story drew me in, and I will definitely read the sequel. I recommend this book to all romantasy fans looking for an engaging story with plenty of mystery.

This book 👌🏻👌🏻 I was sucked into this story from
The first page. I love the urban fantasy vibe, the relationships, the depth to the characters and the twists and turns. Considering that I had only previously read Mary P’s YA books before, this adult fantasy is awesome. I’m very excited for the next book. I’ve currently rated it 4 stars because so far I have only read the ARC , however I think maybe it will be a 5star once I read the finished printed book (that I have already preordered)

Now THAT is how you write a romantasy!

This is the perfect mix of fantasy and romance - not too much of either one.

It took a little while for the story to get going and to get invested in the characters, especially Bristol’s sisters - but once it got me; I was hooked.

I love the fact it was a bargain and a little bit of manipulation - these characters are thrown together in the best way. I may have also swooned a little bit…

Thank you to Mary E. Pearson and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read :The courting of Bristol Keats as an ARC.

Key words : fae, rescue mission, fantasy

This book wasn’t for me. I stumbled to understand the plot, what the places and characters looked like. There was no preface as to how there could be a fantasy world parallel to the human one. I found Bristol to be really annoying and not that likeable. The end of the book was so strange as well, I thought I was a standalone turns out it might be a duology ? I think some people might like it but it tasted bland to me.
Thank you again for letting me read it.