The Courting of Bristol Keats has immersive world building, dark family secrets, lies and miscommunication, and a clever romantic plot line that I couldn't get enough of.

When Bristol Keats accepts a gift that ties her to faerie, her entire world is thrown upside down and she is forced into a battle between heroes and monsters where lines quickly become blurred and no one is as they seem. To save her family, she may have to betray her heart.

I did enjoy this book but I must admit some bits I did struggle with. I found it hard when the pov changed as no title or any indication of who’s pov you were reading just had to figure it out. The first half did feel a bit long and dragged out which again made it harder to get into. That being said I did love the character of Bristol Keats very strong and motivated by protecting her family. The book is highly detailed and focuses more on the fantasy than romance which I did like.

Mary E. Pearson is a fantastic fantasy author and I was so excited to receive an arc of her first adult book!
The Courting of Bristol Keats is filled with adventure and mystery. It’s a classic story of a mortal in the fae realm, with some familiar fae elements, and the world building is amazing. I liked this depiction of Elphame more than other books.
The romance is good but isn’t the main plot point which made the fantasy aspects of the rest of the book all that more intriguing.
However some parts were a bit of a slog to get through, and there were so many characters and connections/secrets to remember, it made it difficult to follow sometimes. Also a very abrupt ending with lots of loose ends?!
I’d still recommend this to fantasy and fae lovers as I did enjoy it and am already excited for the next book.

(3.5/5⭐️) 📚 Thank you NetGalley and Mary E. Pearson for providing me with an ARC of this book!

The rundown:
What I loved:
- Bristol as a character. She is a family person through and through. Determined. Speaks her mind. I love characters who aren’t afraid to ask questions and push buttons even if it’s a Fae King/God.
- Relationship dynamics.
- The plot as a whole! Thoroughly enjoyed the book’s concept and premise of the story. It’s unique despite being similar to other fae books like Cruel Prince.

What I disliked:
- Lots of random changing perspectives without any sort of introduction or title as to who it is until you’re a few pages in.
- Too many characters. Hard to keep track who is who and who there are to everyone else.
- Perhaps too detailed in the ways I didn’t want. I wanted a bit more world building and character descriptions but felt like details were focused on the plot which felt a bit drawn out

The beginning was super immersive but feel like after 50% through it felt a bit drawn out. It also felt like there wasn’t much of a conclusion, though I know it’s a duology so I suppose more questions will be answered. Would have preferred if it was a standalone but don’t hold me to that as I have no idea what’s in store in the next book. However, the ending doesn’t really sit right with me and felt like it ended half way through something. Definitely a different type of cliffhanger than I’m used to.

Overall, I still enjoyed the book! Do I wish it was shorter/more condense and perhaps a standalone? Yes. Will a read the second book? Yes. I will also give this a reread when the fairyloot book comes because the kindle ARC formatting was awful which I think ruined my reading experience a tad bit.

3.75 star

Thank you NetGalley and panmacmillan for the ARC.

-> tropes: enemies to lovers • fae romantasy • found family • morally gray mmc • slowburn • forbidden romance • secret identities

I like reading about fae so of course I was excited to pick up this book! It took me a few chapters to really get immersed in the story, but the world building and the twists and turns really kept me engaged. The fae world that the author created was very interesting, with different creatures and types of magic!! It also had great balance between the intriguing plot and the angsty romance.
I loved the fmc Bristol, she’s so strong and loyal and relatable. And the rest of the characters were awesome, forming a wonderful familial bond that literally melted my heart <3
Sadly the story felt too long and dragged a little. I think the book could have been shorter. While the end was awkwardly abrupt, I'm looking forward to the next book!!

“𝙉𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙥𝙩 𝙖 𝙜𝙞𝙛𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙛𝙖𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙤𝙬𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣—𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙖𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙗𝙩𝙨.”

The Courting of Bristol Keats is Mary E. Pearson's highly anticipated debut adult fantasy novel, set to release on November 12th. The story follows Bristol Keats, a young woman who is determined to care for her sisters in their quaint town of Bowskeep following the tragic loss of their parents. Things got interesting when she started getting these mysterious letters from an unknown aunt. They reveal some shocking family truths that made her think her father might still be alive, held captive in a dangerous realm she never knew existed. Bristol's quest to save him leads her to make a risky bargain to an arrogant fae, who has his own motives and a dark connection to her family. Their encounters are charged with an intoxicating tension, as Bristol is drawn to him against her better judgment. She must confront not only the fae court’s deceptions but also the long-buried secrets of her own family.

Honestly, the book started with so much promise. The world-building is incredibly rich, and the mysteries surrounding Bristol's family are so intriguing. I was really drawn in at first, but as much as I wanted to stay invested, I found myself struggling to stay engaged as the story went on. The pacing slowed significantly in the middle, and the momentum that got me excited initially started to wane.

I think some readers might enjoy the slower pace, as it allows them to really dive into the world and characters, but for me, it felt overly drawn out. I also think I would’ve connected more if it had been written in first POV. As we've discussed by another ARC reader, the way it’s written gave away key details early on, so by the time the FMC finally pieced things together, the impact of the revelation felt anticlimactic. There was a lot of potential for suspense and surprise, but knowing so much ahead of time had me just waiting for her to catch up, which ended up making those moments less thrilling. I kept thinking that if we were experiencing the story through her direct thoughts and feelings, we’d be more immersed in her journey. It would have been powerful to unravel the mysteries at her pace, letting each discovery hit with the same shock or excitement she felt. I think that shift could have brought more emotional depth and made the whole story more engaging, especially in those pivotal moments.

That said, there’s a lot to appreciate in Pearson’s writing, especially if you enjoy detailed world-building and character depth. I think many of you might enjoy it more than I did, so I’d definitely recommend checking it out when it’s released. Plus, this is just the first book in the series, and the next one might turn things around for me, like with other Romantasy series.

Would I continue to read it? Yes, since I’m already invested in the story and want to see how it ends.

Overall, it’s definitely worth giving a try.

Thanks to author, PanMacmillan and Netgalley for granting early access to this book. Please note that this review is based solely on my personal thoughts & opinions.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC.

First off, I enjoyed how the reader’s are in the same space as Bristol Keats where we don’t understand anything going on despite getting peeks from Tyghan point of view. Then we are learning at the same time as Bristol is learning and the rules of the new world.

The book gives similar vibes to The Cruel Prince but in a more fun and enjoyable way.

One thing I have the problem with is the jumping PoV. It isn’t made clear right away which PoV it is until after a paragraph or two. Also I love short chapters but it didn’t work here as the PoV change after a chapter. So I feel like barely learn anything before we jump into a whole new scene and storyline.

Immaculate.
This book was a rich, epic fantasy. Yes, there were elements we’ve read before, but the author spun them into something spectacular.
The world building was intense, crafting complicated and beautiful settings for the reader to visualise.
I honestly loved this book so much! The fantasy and character development was first and foremost, with found family and other relationships developing and exploring. There’s an enemies to lovers trope, but the romance didn’t consume the book, it felt truly like a fantasy with an element of romance and I loved that.

3.5 stars

This is the sort of book I took pleasure in reading at a slow pace, over a couple of weeks time, really taking time to immerse myself in the story and the characters. No rushing, no skipping, just savouring the fae world and enjoying the gift of reading.

That being said, at times it was just a little too slow. But there were many wonderful moments between Bristol and Tygan to counteract the slow pace.

I loved the mystery surrounding Bristol's parents, and the romance was absolutely top notch. It really lived up to the title of the book, and was just so intimate, with enjoyable banter and thoughtful conversations.

My least favourite thing were the unclear and unexpected perspective changes, which were confusing, and frankly ruined what could have been an even more amazing mystery, revealing information at wrong points in the story.

The ending was satisfying in terms of the romance, but it left me feeling a little disappointed plot wise.

Occasionally engaging but often disjointed, a new fae romantasy which doesn’t quite deliver.

Bristol Keats is not having an easy time. Her parents have died young and she’s returned home to help her sisters make ends meet. When she’s offered a mysterious painting from an aunt she’s never heard of, she’s desperate enough to meet.
Tyghan’s court is desperate, a new ruler of Elphame is going to be elected but they’re running out of time to stop the evil king wanting to take over. They need someone able to find and close doors. They need Bristol Keats.
Bristol makes a deal she never thought possible in a world she just might be made for, but nothing is as it seems and no one is telling her the full story.

I really wanted to read this but it just didn’t deliver. The author is apparently well known for YA and this reads like YA with a tad more spice. (And by spice I mean sex scenes by someone uncomfortable writing sex scenes - or at least that’s how it read to me).

I think the unfortunate thing about this book is that it’s entering a genre with a saturated market and the stuff that’s already out there does it a lot better. If you’re not an avid romantasy reader you may enjoy this foray but I would still struggle to get over some of the plot problems.

The enemies to lovers made no sense. There wasn’t a build up or any character development or chemistry. Romance aside there was just a lot of characters and it was quite hard to keep up.

The plot was really confusing and I kept wondering where it was going. Though I do want to talk to someone about the ending …

Though the term #shadowdaddy makes me feel violently ill, I don’t think Tyghan is up there with Rhysand or Xaden, though I would be very grateful if someone would help me pronounce his name.

Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for my #arc

3.75/5

The Courting of Bristol Keats has an amazing concept and world, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to its potential for me. The world-building is definitely one of the highlights—it’s rich, detailed, and had me hooked from the start. But the sheer number of characters introduced throughout the book became a bit overwhelming. There were so many people to keep track of, and I often found myself confused about who was who, which made the story harder to follow at times.

The pacing also felt off. The main relationship between Bristol and Tyghan seemed to develop way too quickly and felt a little forced. A lot of important scenes felt like they were skipped over, so I never got the chance to really sit with their connection or feel the depth of their relationship. Instead, it felt rushed, and I had a hard time fully investing in them as a couple. Also, despite being marketed as an enemies-to-lovers story, their dynamic felt more like a “dislike-to-lovers” arc—there wasn’t enough tension or animosity to make the eventual romance feel earned.

Another thing that bothered me was the multiple POVs. The story jumped around a lot, which made it difficult to really connect with any one character. It often felt like the narrative was all over the place, and it was hard to stay engaged when the focus kept shifting so frequently.

As for the ending, I was hoping for a bit more closure, especially since this is part of a duology. It didn’t really feel like a satisfying setup for the next book—it just kind of ended abruptly, leaving me with more questions than answers.

That being said, I still really liked Bristol and Tyghan as characters. Even though their relationship felt a bit rushed, I loved their dynamic and chemistry, and I’m curious to see where the story goes next. While the book had its issues, I’m still invested in the world and the characters, and I’m hoping the next installment will give me more of what I was hoping for.

The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson is the first book in the series of the same name.
 
We follow Bristol whose parents disappeared, and she needs to make ends meet with her sisters. She is particularly interested in art and that is also how she gets in trouble and accidentally struck a bargain with Tyghan who is no other than the fae king. All of this has to do with her family and her world is completely turned upside down. This concept was so cool and reminded me a bit of a more adult version of The Cruel Prince.
 
My favorite part was when Bristol entered the faerie world of Elphame and she unlocks even more secrets and outgrows herself. I like seeing characters who push their comfort zones and Bristol totally did that.
 
The cover is absolutely stunning and draws you in and totally matches this story. It’s whimsical, magical and with a portion of forbidden romance and I really enjoyed it.
 
The Courting of Bristol Keats is an amazing start to a new fantasy series and I’m already looking forward to the next installment. 4,5 stars.
 
(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an arc.)

Thank you for the publisher for the earc!

It was a strange book. There were some good elements, but overall I felt disappointed. It took me 2 weeks to finish it, and you know that I’m usually a fast reader. I was struggling hard, but not with the story itself, more like the writing and pacing were off. Honestly, this book felt like ACoTaR, aka a book-long prologue.

I admit, it took me a while to realize that we start at our world and not in a fantasy one. But once I got over it, I really enjoyed the main story, the whole training to fight off something that Bristol couldn’t even imagine. I did love Bristol’s character, she was brave, smart and wanted to keep her family together.

I know many people said it feels like an insta love, but I have to disagree. I loved the way the romance was written, it felt real. It’s true both of them immediately felt something, but they got to know each other slowly. But honestly, everything else about the romance plot felt off. It felt really weird that Bristol got together with his father’s best friend. I understand that time went differently in the two worlds, but still!

Oh and the ending, what was that? I still think my copy was missing chapters. We were literally in the middle of a scene. Why?

Overall, I would recommend to save your time and money by not reading this book.

4⭐️s

I absolutely loved this book! From the beginning to the end, the writing had me HOOKED (unsurprisingly).

This story follows our main girl Bristol, and her two sisters. After loosing both of her parents, Bristol is thrown into the world of Elphame after discovering that her parents may have ties to the fae world…ones the Keats sisters knew nothing about. Desperate to help her sisters, and potentially find her father alive, Bristol will do just about anything - including working with the uptight king that seemingly wants nothing to do with her.

While the overall plot of this book was nothing crazy original, it was still a wonder to read. There were a few twists and turns, especially the small minor detailed ones, that really had me invested! The best thing about this book for me was the characters. Most of the characters I thought were decently flushed out, but there may have been one or two more side characters than needed (training mentors, bosses etc) and they felt a little one dimensional. The main two characters of Bristol and Tyghan were great, both individually and together - my only hang up is that I wish we actually saw them more together on the page than before they were officially together; i loved the frenemies and the ‘will they wont they’ vibe! I really really liked them together, and hope in future books (pls?) that we can see more and see them properly settle into being eachothers forever.

A massive theme in this book is relationships. Wether its strange parental figures or missing brothers or complicated loves or even your relationship with yourself, there are so many different complex relationships that are discovered and unfold on page. I liked getting to see a few different POVs through out too, but really liked that it stayed in third person.

My only big negative is that the storyline of finding Bristols dad seemed pointless at times; she wanted to find him yes, but as readers we know that he left her and her sisters, knowing that time runs differently in the mortal world and he had been gone for so long. Just didn’t seem necessary to me and could have been a “big reveal” thing instead!

This book felt like a warm hug coming back to a setting that I know and love. If you liked The Cruel Prince, but want something a little more romantic, then this is the perfect book for you. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my eArc!

I had very high hopes for this book and whilst it was enjoyable and the characters were well written it was too slow for me overall. I love the premise though and hope the next book will be a bit of a faster one to get going! If you love world building and slow burn then this is definitely for you.

Unfortunatly DNF at 18%. I don't like doing it for ARCs but whenever I tried to read the book, it felt like the hardest job of the day. I don't doubt there will be a lot of fans for this story, but I just couldn't connect

The Courting of Bristol Keats sounded amazing, unfortunately it didn’t live up to how amazing it sounded. However there were things I liked about it, like the writing style, the world, magic and the multiple points of view. I found it to be an interesting and intriguing story but it was slow paced and it felt unfinished in a way like vital parts were missing. As much as it pains me to do it I dnfed at 49%. I wanted to read this all the way through but I don’t think I can go any further.

Where do I start?

I haven’t been so obsessed with a fantasy in a long time.

This was the perfect read.
Bristol is this human girl that has lost both her parents. One day someone get in contact with her about some arts.
Because they are in need of money she decides to meet with this mistero person. During this meeting she meets Tyghan.

He’s arrogant and a king in fairyland.
But also he needs her to save his world. So they decide to do a bargain, he’s going to help find her father, who apparently is not dead but just in his world and in exchange she will help him with her “magic”.

Of course one thing lead to another and they fall into each other arms,

This was so good.
The romance
The plot
Chef kiss

I loved this, Romania’s will always have my heart and this really fit the bill. I had a ball reading it, so many emotions and it’s rare an author manages to make me feel the rollercoaster of highs and lows myself.

Just dropping a star because it felt like part of the book was missing at the end, which i did see another reviewer say too.

I was having such a great time with this book and kept thinking, "finally! A romantasy with actually good writing that clearly went through the editing process and wasn't just pushed out quickly to try to generate money while the genre is hot." (I clearly have a highly in-depth monologue.) I loved the journey and the romance and the overall themes immensely. However, the ending was jarring. It just stopped? So abruptly? I honestly thought I was missing part of the book. We didn't even get to the climax of the book. It felt like the author wrote too long of a book so they just chopped it directly in half, not caring where it split. It was so weird and I didn't like that publishing decision at all. I will definitely still read book two regardless, but this could have been done better in my opinion.

3.5/5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.