I unfortunately was not the biggest fan of this novel. The romance was very insta-love, and Bristol, the main character immediately annoyed me. The writing felt quite juvenile -- like this was a young adult novel in disguise, posing as an adult fantasy read. I unfortunately won't be continuing on with the series.

This is book one of a new series and one I thoroughly enjoyed. Filled with forbidden romance, deadly faerie curses and pulse-pounding action it had me hooked from page one with its descriptiveness, characters especially Bristol Keats. This book is a story that will have you believing in fantasy, you won't be able to put it down.

The setting, the characters and the story itself is brilliant, there is romance, there is danger, intrigue, suspense and so much more. And here are just enough questions left unanswered to have me hanging out for the next book in the series to arrive. Loving this book and hope that the series will continue to bring more depth and character to the next chapter in the lives of Bristol, her family and all the other characters that are so intriguing.

Thank you NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was the messiest thing I've ever read, and oh lord, why was it THIS long? Nothing happens. Nothing caught my attention. The characters were as flat as pancakes. The plot was so slow for no reason. Nope

Although I did enjoy this and aspects of it kept me entertained, there was just something off about it that didn't click with me. Maybe the constant miscommunication and the way we found out the betrayals in advance, the slightly inconsistent pacing and roller-coaster of priorities? I'm not sure. I did enjoy the more traditional take on the Fae and the training/battle exercises, the mmc, also the magical creatures, always here for the enchanted animals. I did mostly have fun and I'm intrigued enough to find out what happens next.
Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the arc, all thoughts are my own and left voluntarily.

I was really looking forward to this release, even more so because it was a monthly book box pick. It was actually one of my anticipated reads. I was excited to see Mary E. Pearson writing an adult book after her highly popular Remnant Chronicles trilogy and the Dance of Thieves duology which is a fan favourite. I have also loved seeing authors I read as a teen progress into adult novels as I’ve grown older as well. It’s fun not leaving authors behind in memory (yes, I know you can read YA as an adult, which I do) but it’s fun as my tastes in books shifted I was still finding interest in their latest work.

For me this book had its ups and downs. At certain points I didn’t want to put the book down and was desperate to see what came next. On the other hand there were points where I was bored and had no idea what was happening. The idea of humans stumbling into the fae realm is not original and plenty of authors have done this before. The idea of a woman, seemingly normal, becoming some powerful immortal being has been done time and time again but there was something about this book that made it different. Whether it was the two sisters that she left behind, or the unsolved murder of her father, even the potential that she would bring to a world that was seemingly in danger. The world building was tricky for me. There are points where I felt like I understood the dynamics and then there were other times where I felt so lost. I didn’t understand the royal structure at all. There was actually a point near the beginning of the book that I mistook Eris for the love interest. The plot became predictable with Bristol having secret powers had been kept hidden for decades through a power hungry monster than clung to her body. It appeared as a birth mark and grew as the entered Elphame. Her father having a deeper history with the king and the really strange royal structure and the different realms meant that I just gave up trying to keep up with the variety. The book felt a lot longer than it needed to be and if you broke down the core plot and the core points it could have been at least 200 pages shorter. Overall I think this had potential. I’m definitely interested in reading the second book but I did find the ending to the first one really bizarre in the way it ended. There was no cliffhanger as such but it felt very sudden. There's still a lot of unknowns with this plot and characters I think this might be intentional to kind of keep the reader engaged but it definitely didn't live up to the anticipation I had in my head beforehand but all in all it was interesting and kept me entertained long enough to keep me interested in the second book when it comes out.
Thanks for the eARC!

Pure gothic perfection! I just loved this book
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ARC Review

Such a fantastic book!

I loved the characters, the world building, the angst and the twists and turns of the plot.

Bri is a fab FMC, who puts everything on the line for her family. She has such integrity and strength and it was a pleasure to join her on her journey so far.

I can’t wait for the second installment so I can dive back into Faerie & Danu.

Themes/Tropes:
High Fantasy, Romantasy, Good vs Evil, Dark Lord, Chosen One, Band of Misfits, Magical Artifact, Sword & Sorcery, Hero’s Journey, Trials, Dark Secret, Tragic Backstory, Emotional Scars, Enemies to Lovers, Witches, Monsters/Fantastical Creatures, Merpeople, LGBTQIA+, Multi POV & Multiworld.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

3/5 🌶️ rating

DNF at 14%

Ahhhh, I really hate not finishing copies that I’ve so kindly been given permission to read by the publishers, but this book just really didn’t do it for me, and I knew that I would be struggling to get through it. I’ve kept trying to go back to it over the last few months, but I just haven’t been able to get into it.

I think the dual narrative harmed this book - rather than discovering everything first hand with Bristol, we’re getting information thrown at us from all angles before she’s even realised fae exist. I’ve glimpsed other reviews and I’ve seen that this apparently doesn’t improve at all throughout the book so just - it’s a no from me.

I’ve have seen other people absolutely love this book though, so don’t let this put you off - if you love a fae romance book this might be right up your alley.

Thank you to the publishers, and Netgalley, for the copy to review.

I love Mary's writing and was so excited to start a new series from her! This story was unique and I loved these characters! The world building was intriguing and well done! I can't wait for book two!

I'm sorry to say that I had to put this one down. As a long-time fan of Mary E. Pearson, I was so excited for this release and the premise, the cover, even the atmosphere of the first few pages promise a story befitting Pearson's usually fantastic books! However, this one just wasn't that for me. The writing felt clunky, the characterisation was shallow, and the world needed more fleshing out. All of these things combined made it really hard to get through. So, unfortunately, I don't have much to say for The Courting of Bristol Keats.

This was a well written and perfectly executed fantasy with elements of cosyness, but also of surprise and shock too. After loving her other series, Pearson did not let me down again and I loved the short chapters filled with lots of info.

My only pain is that I thought my copy was missing some pages, I can’t believe it ended the way it did! That’s kind of a testament to how good it was though, that I wasn’t ready for it to end.

Can’t wait for the next!

I’m a massive fan of Mary E Pearson and glad she is finally getting the fame and recognition she deserves for her amazing writing and stories, in The Court of Bristol Keats she is ever the masterful writer , perfectly balancing plot, action and romance. I really can’t spoil anything so you have to read for yourself, but I can’t wait for the next and if you haven’t read any books by Mary before, I highly recommend starting with The Remnant Chronicles, it’s where I first fell in love with her work.

💌 First of all, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ebook in exchange for a honest review.

📖 The Courting of Bristol Keats is the first book in Mary E. Pearson’s first adult fantasy series, in which we follow Bristol Keats, a young woman searching for her father, ending up in a new realm, and finding so, so much more than what she came for.

💌 I requested this ebook on NetGalley because I loved Mary E. Pearson’s previous YA works such as The Remnant Chronicles trilogy and The Dance of Thieves duology.

🥀 Betrayal and treason. Those are the two words I would use to describe this first instalment. The plot is filled with a lot of these, and at the same time, it feels like a lot of fantasy books with fae that are already out in the world. But do not get me wrong, I liked this book a lot, and it was close to a 5 stars out of 5 rating. The worldbuilding was also very unique, which I like, as it is probably really difficult for authors to find unique magic systems and worldbuilding that have not been used yet in fantasy books.
The romance felt a bit flat for me, not because it was badly executed, but more because I felt like we were getting a slow burn romance with bread crumbs of love and stolen moments here and there, and all of a sudden, the two main characters are madly in love, out of the blue. I feel like deeper interactions between Bristol and Tyghan would have been needed to have a more personal connection to their love story. I did love Bristol’s personality and her ability to make smart choices.
Also, isn’t the book supposed to be set in France for the “real world” part? In that case, why does the name “Bowskeep” sound not French at all? Just saying, but I might be wrong here.

I will definitely read book 2 when it comes out!

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Bramble/Pan Macmillan for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

TW: grief, violence, murder, body horror, death, bugs, injury

Bristol Keats and her family have spent years on the run from something she doesn’t understand. After her mother walks out and her father is killed in an accident, Bristol and her sisters Cat and Harper all struggle to stay afloat in the small, peaceful town of Bowskeep. She keeps receiving letters from an aunt she never knew about but Bristol just ignores them. As things keep getting worse, Bristol agrees to meet the aunt who promises to help the sisters with offers of impossible, stolen art. That night Bristol discovers her life has been a lie- her father Logan was stolen and raised by the Fae as a child, that he might still be alive but trapped in the realm he once grew up in. Determined to find out the truth and get her father back, Bristol makes a deal with Tyghan- one of the Fae kings with his own reasons to despise Logan- to aid him in finding a long missing door capable of holding back an army of demons and the dead. Tyghan, meanwhile, is the one who drove Bristol’s parents to run for so long and now he suspects that Bristol’s hunt for Logan might finally get him his revenge. Plunged into a world of politics, gods, fairies and magic, Bristol is forced to contend with a series of deadly trials and growing feelings for Tyghan even as he secretly works against her, hunting down Logan Keats to kill him once and for all.

I love books where the Fae are written as dangerous and this one did it perfectly. Bristol is a great main character, I really connected to her feelings about protecting her family even as she struggles to understand why they’ve always lived on the run. The action and tension literally never stopped, Bristol is shoved into trials aimed to test her (non existent) magic almost immediately while trying to find her father. Her gradual understanding of the deadly world she’s fallen into, and her place within it, is definitely my favourite part of the book, especially as she tries to reconcile the life she thought she knew with the truth. The romance between Tyghan and Bristol is paced well, it’s very much a double sided sword and the deliberate caution in their scenes made them so enjoyable; I particularly liked the way that Tyghan’s chapters showed his perspective of things and showed that he wasn’t as unfeeling or enigmatic as Bristol believed. I have a really soft spot for how the scenes where they danced progressed, they were written so lyrically and dreamlike. The gradual reveal of what happened between Logan and Tyghan was great, the pacing was excellent and everything came together so well. I do think it ran a little overlong and there were too many parties but I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series, especially after that kind of abrupt ending.

I LOVED this book! It litereally ticked every box for me and i cant wait to carry on with the story!

-I liked all characters and the main characters had been built up and complemented the story well
-Fae world which always will be a favourite for me and i liked that this one was more on the tradition idea of Fae
-I liked the mixture and coming together of the modern/human world and the Fae world
-Delicious MMC and i really enjoyed the romance- though maybe could have been drawn out the slightest bit more as once theyre admit feelings they really go for it!
-Kept me asking questions all the way through!

I adore the portal magic, the fae royalty, the enemies to lovers & reluctant allies. The way he fell first was chefs kiss! FMC was likeable. I didn’t like the miscommunication trope though, not my favourite. Excited for book 2!

*ACTUAL RATING: 3.75 STARS*

----------- WHAT I ENJOYED ------------
- When I decided to pick up this book, I went in knowing that the author typically writes for a YA audience, and so I was quite interested to see how she approached writing for older readers. I wasn't, however, expecting the writing style to become my favourite aspect of this book. Mary E. Pearson uses perspective in such a fascinating and unique way to tell this story - she not only jumps between our main characters' POVs, but also uses the perspectives of the side characters, the animals and trees, and even some buildings within this world. For me, it made the storytelling feel a lot richer, as it made every element of this world feel alive.

- By swapping between a lot of different perspectives, we were able to learn about schemes and secrets that were hidden from our main characters, allowing us to fully understand the different levels of deception layered within the story. I liked how I felt one step ahead of the characters, and how we got to see them slowly find their own way to the truth. I understand that this is probably going to be very hit or miss for some readers as it creates quite a scattered narrative, but I personally loved it and thought it was simply brilliant storytelling.

- As well as the narrative style, I enjoyed the world the author created. Some elements felt very familiar, as the author took inspiration from traditional folklore and fairy tales which have been used in other popular books, such as The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black. However, the author still managed to make the story feel unique, especially through her magic system. I enjoyed the fact that there were two sides to the magic - it can be taught and learnt in some respects, but some people also have innate powers derived directly from the Gods. It made it really exciting to see what powers people would develop, and created a sense of individuality for each character. I also really loved the fact that the author included spoken spells - it is only a little thing, but something I can honestly say I haven't seen in a fantasy book in quite a while! It was these little things that made the world feel a lot fuller and more realised for me.

- I also loved both the fantasy and romantic plots in this book. The slow-burn romance that develops between our main characters, Tyghan and Bristol, is fantastic. The power imbalance created by Tyghan being king naturally allows for such good tension to build between them. The need for secrecy to avoid court drama is the perfect set-up for all the angst and longing, and it was just done perfectly; I was flying through this book because I just wanted to see what happened between them!!

- The fantasy plot was also really fun: we get to see Bristol navigate this fantasy world on the brink of war, whilst discovering the truths of her family and childhood. It was so fun to see the magic in action through battles, and I loved the training moments for the recruits (people taken from the human world like Bristol) as they got ready for potential war. The action scenes balanced out the romantic developments really well, making the bulk of the story feel very well-paced. I am so excited to see where the story goes in the next book!

------- WHAT DIDN'T WORK FOR ME -------
- Despite the writing style being an element of this book that I ultimately ended up adoring, I did find that it made it quite hard to initially get settled into this book. There was a lot of jumping between characters that we didn't yet know, and we were mainly just dropped into the action in Elphame without having any context to this fantasy world or it's political landscape. This made the first 15% feel quite slow and difficult to get into, and I only felt settled into the story once both of our characters entered Elphame.

- However, the main thing that didn't work for me was the ending...it was just so abrupt! I actually couldn't believe that I had reached the end of the book - I had to go and Google the ending just to make sure there was nothing missing from the arc copy that I was sent!! I know that this is a duology, but it is taking "cliffhanger" to a whole new level because the book simply just…stops. We are left with so many questions with no answers in sight, leaving off at a point that honestly just felt a bit bizarre. I'm now definitely looking forward to the next book as I know I will finally get some answers, but this was such an unexpectedly underwhelming ending to a book that was otherwise going to be a 4.5 star read!

------- OVERALL -------
This book was a really fun fantasy romance, and I thought Mary E. Pearson did an amazing job at crafting this story. However, despite loving the bulk of this book, I was really bamboozled by the ending, making this such a difficult book to rate, if I'm honest. However, I do definitely still think that this book is worth the read if you are looking to fall into a new fantasy world, especially if you have read and loved books like The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. And I know I will definitely be picking up more books by this author in the future!

Thank you again to NetGalley, the Publisher, and the author for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review!

This was my first book buly this author, I've wanted to read her other books for years, and now I want to even more. I loved this book so so much!!! I cannot wait to dive into anything else the author ever writes as this was such a solid and fun adult fantasy, it read a little YA at times to me but I still really liked it

First of all thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

I’m sad to say that this story didn’t grip me like I was hoping it would! The pacing was slow and I felt like I couldn’t connect to any of the characters. I did like Bristol but at the same time felt she wasn’t developed enough?

I absolutely LOVED dance of thieves duology so had high hopes for this one but sadly it didn’t hit the mark.

Sadly, this ambitious mash-up of urban and high fantasy left me underwhelmed. The pacing was slow, the plot felt passive and the characters were difficult to root for.

Having a foot in both an urban and a fae world, this type of fantasy was new to me. It was an adjustment in the beginning as I didn't think the contemporary and fantastical elements melded effortlessly together.

I was initially intrigued by the mystery surrounding Bristol’s parents, but my interest waned as Bristol herself became less focused. She started out determined to uncover the truth, but as soon as she entered the fae realm, this seemed to drop low down in her priorities. Bristol was actually my main gripe with the novel. I found her behaviour to be jarring. She grew up a human, yet was barely fazed by the sudden introduction of fae into her life. She was meant to be the fiercely protective, reliable sister, but she was often impulsive and immature. As this book was categorised as an adult fantasy, I was expecting a protagonist who was somewhat less naive and more level-headed. For these reasons, it was tough for me to sympathise with Bristol when things didn't go her way.

I didn’t like the intended romance between Bristol and Tyghan. They had an insta-hate situation that too soon along the line made a sudden gear shift to insta-love. Whether they were bickering or flirting, I didn’t find their banter to be clever nor fun. As a character himself, Tyghan didn't stand out. He wasn't morally grey, he simply wasn't a great guy, so I wasn't rooting for their relationship.

The plot felt passive as a lot happened off-page. The pacing was very slow and the pages could feel laborious to get through. I wasn't invested by the end, so won't be continuing on to see what happens next.