✨3.5 stars✨

This was my first time reading a book by this author but I was excited because her other books are often hyped up on social media.

In this book, Bristol and her sisters are left reeling after losing both parents and struggling to make ends meet. Bristol then starts getting mysterious letters from an aunt who want to meet her, initially thinking it to be a scam but when her older sister loses her job (at the hand of the faerie people who want to speak to Bristol) Bristol agrees to meet with the aunt.

The beginning of the book was definitely the strongest aspect especially when we were introduced to the mystery surrounding Bristol’s dad and the connection to this other world.

However, there were certain aspects that fell a bit flat to me. For example, I felt like the book dragged in the middle and then the ending was really abrupt.

I am still interested in reading the conclusion to this duology and I would recommend this to people who enjoyed the vibes of the Cruel Prince world by Holly Black, the faerie world even had a similar name in this.

I received an ARC from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Thank you to NetGalley & Tor Bramble Pan Macmillan for this eARC. I really enjoyed this!

The Courting of Bristol Keats is one of the few ARC’s I’ve read recently that sucked me in from the get go and I ended up reading it in 2 days despite being away with family for the weekend! Hidden identities, epic new worlds, political intrigue and a moody handsome King…Bristol Keats finds herself leaving the human realm on a quest to find out the truth in a world of deception.

I loved the twists and turns in this and the host of side characters, I’m still not entirely sure who to trust which makes me excited for book 2 in this duology! There is rich and detailed world building and a gripping plot, the romance is still there though and the high stakes between the two main characters gives rise to plenty of angst but also swoon worthy moments. I’m rooting for these two!

The Courting of Bristol Keats releases 14th November and I’ve already got my Waterstones special edition preordered!

I started this book on the 28th August and I have only just finished it!

The main reason for this is that it felt overly long and I don't think it needed to be.

The plot and characters were great, but it felt like the story wasn't written well. The writing style is hard to follow and get invested in and it felt like I couldn't connect to any of the characters. I loved that it had all my favourite mythical creatures and magic to read about though! The writers style is very beautiful and almost magical. I read some reviews saying it reminded them of The Cruel Prince but I only see that as they both included fae.

I did enjoy it overall but i just wish it had been a 300 page book instead of 500+ as not much happened until the very end.

The ending was a surprise and left it open for another book, I'm not sure I'll pick it up though.

Spellbinding! My favourite book of 2024! From the first page I was gripped. I read the whole book in 2 days because I just couldn't put it down. This will be on my Christmas Gift List. I love to buy books for secret Santa's and this will be a real treat for whoever receives it. Buy it, sit down and prepare to be transported to a world of secrets and fantasy.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan and Mary E. Pearson for sending me an ARC of The Courting of Bristol Keats.

Bristol Keats has moved around her whole life, as if her family were always on the run from something until her and her sisters managed to convince her parents to stay in Bowskeep. A few months ago her mother up and left, turning up dead not long after, then her father passed away too leaving her and her two sisters behind. Now she is receiving letters from aunt she's never heard of, she has been ignoring them, but money is tight and she is offering her financial help so Bristol gives in and goes to meet her. Only when she gets there she finds out that everything she knew was a lie and her father might still be alive, taken into another realm.

Eager to find out more and potentially save her father, she makes a deal with a fae king, Tyghan, to help close a portal in exchange for help finding her father. Not knowing that he is the man her parents have been on the run from her whole life and he is also interested in finding him.

After reading the Remnant Chronicles series and the Dance of Thieves duology, I knew I would love this and I was correct. I was straight away pulled into this book and found it rather hard to put down. I like how it's not specific pot's we just get to follow different characters throughout the story and get more insight into what they are doing. I must admit though when it came to the world building I was a complete goner, but I was still able to somewhat understand what was going on and enjoy the story.

I really liked Bristol and the fact that she had a backbone, she felt like a very real and relatable character, doesn't back down and stands her ground. She has such a strong love for her family and friends, loved her. Then Tyghan, well he was just great, loved how he acted around Bristol.

Now the ending, whilst reading I kept seeing my %of the book read get closer and closer to 100 thinking how on earth is this going to end, well it was a cliffhanger to say the least. I am in need of book 2 asap and this hasn't even been released yet :') Would absolutely recommend this book!

KEY TROPES:
- reluctant allies to lovers
- secret identities
- magic
- fae and gods
- romantic fantasy
- slow burn
- morally grey characters
- found family
- fish out of water

Bristol Keats is trying to make ends meet for her and her 2 sisters after the deaths of her parents until one day she is offered an enticing deal that could solve all her problems.

I’m so conflicted about how this book made me feel. It has all the angst you would expect and the characters make decisions you don’t agree with and it can be quite frustrating. This book lagged a bit during the first 40% but it really takes off after that, however, I did expect there to be a bigger conflict for them to deal with towards the end. As such, it ends rather abruptly saving all the actual action for the next book.

3.75 stars:

This book had me in turmoil for most of it. Some parts had me hooked and wanting to know more, others had me wishing we could get through it faster, and some parts completely lost me. However, The Courting of Bristol Keats is a richly woven portal fantasy that combines fae with political intrigue and enemies to lovers.

Our main girl, Bristol, is recruited by the fae King Tyghan to journey to Elphame. She’s tasked with locating a mysterious door, training with Tyghan's court, and grappling with her father’s potential survival—all while supporting her sisters back home. Bristol and Tyghan are both haunted by past betrayals and loss, making their gradual connection heartfelt.

This book has so many aspects that I loved, like secrets, betrayal, secret identities, gods and shifters. It's marketed as a romantasy but I feel that readers also need to know this is also an epic fantasy full of magic and worldbuilding, and a shadow daddy. And even though it seemed predictable at times and slightly hindered by abrupt perspective shifts, the story shines in its lush world-building and complex sibling bonds. The cliffhanger ending leaves much unresolved but hints at promising developments to come.

I do recommend this for readers who are wanting more epic fantasy over their romantacy but still want the romance without any over the top spice.

3.5 stars

I thought the world building and the idea of the plot were fantastic. I really felt I was in that world. I really liked Bristol's fellow trainees and love there was no back stabbing. In some books there is always a mean girl etc. This was a nice healthy friendship group

The length was a issue. It felt like nothing was happening for chapters at a time. Even by the end, not much had happened. Half the book could have been cut out and we would have got to the same point. It took me a week to read and I nearly DNF a few times. It's a book with loads of things happening but nothing moves forward.

The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson was one of my most anticipated reads of this year, as I loved the Remnant Chronicles and then loved the Dance of Thieves duology even more! Therefore I was excited to receive an e-arc (all opinions are my own), and dove into the book right away. And it started so good!

I love Bristol, she’s intelligent and shrewd, she knows life’s not fair and there is not a naive bone in her body. It was such a treat to read about an adult character that actually makes smart choices and is adulting.

But then… it got kinda boring? There were some fun parts inbetween the boring parts but basically the boring parts were overwhelmingly too much. I considered DNFing starting from 40% until I reached 85% but I persevered as this is an e-arc and I don’t really want to DNF those.

I’m not really sure where it went wrong. As I mentioned, I love Bristol, I also love Tyghan and Eris and all the other characters, especially the other recruits, and there was enough depth to all the relationships. The love story is great, this is definitely a romantasy. There was a mystery to keep you going and the antagonist… he’s just plain epic. I’ve been pondering what went wrong and I think it’s a combination of a lot repetitive training sequences, and that you already know a lot that the MC doesn’t know yet, due to multiple POVs which lessens the mystery quite a lot. The romance also gave me the ick due to spoilery reasons. And I have to admit: I absolutely hate fairies. The entire world felt familiar, though it’s very elaborate and complex, it is typically faerie. I bet most people will like this though.

What makes this read a 2.5 star read instead of a 3 star is the ending. As in: that was definitely NOT an ending. It just stopped at some random place, in the middle of a spicy scene? And that’s it? So weird!

All in all, I loved the characters and complexity, and do think this is better written romantasy than most in that genre, but I was bored too much to really like this. Such a shame as I believe it does have the seeds of epicness hidden within, it just didn’t bloom. Yet. I’ll definitely be reading the second book to see if it gets better.

It started a little bit slow, but then it picked up with the mystery, thrill and romance. It was a fun new fantasy world and I can't wait for the second book to come out to finish exploring it.

I’ll start by saying, I REALLY wanted to like this. It should've been a win for me— But I just couldn’t get into it.

It was super drawn out, and I needed multiple breaks with other books to actually finish it, it’s a crazy high page count for the pay off. Honestly, I should’ve known better since the authors other work never really clicked with me either, but the premise kept me hopeful enough to try and slog through, to the point where the book just eventually abruptly stops.

The book does a lot of teasing, but it never really delivers on anything, and it felt more like uninspired YA than adult sequel-worthy fantasy. The world-building was fine but never fully came to life, and the insta-love romance and constant introduction of the more of the same characters didn’t really help. (And a very minor point, but as someone who grew up near Bristol, I winced a tiny bit every time the name came up - but that’s probably just me. 😬)

I’m probably being a bit meaner here because I had high hopes, but in a world where there’s so much original and great fantasy, this one just didn’t hit the mark for me. I wanted to love it, but ultimately, it left me underwhelmed. Not sure I’d have finished it if it weren’t an ARC.

A big thank you to the author, Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

3.5 ⭐️

Mixed feelings about this one. The premise and plot line of the book was what initially drew me in. I think maybe the thing that stopped me from being 100% invested was the writing style, which is a definitely a personal preference depending on the reader.

Title: The Courting of Bristol Keats
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Pages: 560
Rating: 4/5

Wow! What a well written, beautifully built world. This wasn't just romance but a great gripping plot twisted with betrayal and hope. Questioning of loyalty and knowing there's two sides to a story.

The characters were great. I couldn't predict where things were going to go and what happened next. There were layers and layers of storyline that had me gripped I was sad it came to an end but the ending really made me chuckle.

The slowburn romance was frustratingly perfect. You know the tension was there and there was so much teasing until it actually happened. *Chefs kiss"

I cannot wait for book two to see how this duology ends. I haven't got a clue where the author will lead us next!


You'll love this book if you like
- slow burn
- enemies to lovers
- grumpy / sunshine
- Fae world
- mildly spicy
- forbidden romance


Will you be putting this on your tbr? Have you read it already, what were your thoughts??

The Courting of Bristol Keats was a great romantasy read, filled with amazing worldbuilding and twists. As my first Pearson book, I had no clue what to expect. The book gripped me from the beginning and had me perpetually ready for the next shoe to drop. The ending was filled with promise for the sequel without being a difficult cliffhanger. I will absolutely pick the next book up!

so! i have a lotttttt of thoughts about this one

i LOVED the world and the atmosphere of elphame. I really enjoyed the setting and the start of this book. It was vibey and atmospheric which i really enjoyed. The beginning of the book definitely hooked me and I was so intrigued by Bristol and this whole other world that was about to be introduced.

I did find that the story slowed quite a bit after that first 20% and it did drag for me a little. However the plot and Bristol’s character did keep me going - i really liked her motivation in this book and I was really interested in how it would all unfold.

Unfortunately, the romance was a huge disappointment for me. I just didn’t believe in their love at all and i don’t feel like it was fleshed out as well as it could have been- i mean they were catching feelings around the 30% mark and for me that is wayyyyy too soon. I also didn’t like Tyghan much as the male main character/love interest so that definitely has something to do with why the romance didn’t do it for me.

The last 20% definitely picked up for me - I really enjoyed the scenes with the main villain. He was really interesting and I wish we actually got to see more of him. I also liked the scene where all the revelations were made; it felt like a long time coming and it was pretty satisfying!

Overall, this was an entertaining read with a solid plot and world, and a really likeable main character. I just wish the romance didn’t fall so flat for me!

This was a surprisingly fast read. I found myself captivated by the world and characters. Wanting to see where the story went.
However I disliked the ending. Mainly because it feels like it just abruptly ends. While I'm fine with cliffhangers this felt a bit more like an unfinished book.
I will definitely be carrying on the series though.

This book is a testament to my biggest belief about books: it's not the story, it's how you tell it.

And can Mary E. Pearson tell it. The first half of this book was a lot of world building, the introduction of characters, history, backstory- but you still go into the plot. Actually, plotS. Several well-woven, intertwining plot lines. And once you get yourself fully situated and familiar with the characters and the world, the book takes off. There were familiar elements- the fae, Elfhame, the mortal who finds herself intertwined in the magical world, and add in some family history, mystery, and a quest to save a loved one. And it was mixed with new twists, romance, found family, *current* family and the bond between sisters- all wrapped up and told in a way that completely sucked me in.

I also need to start checking if books are part 1 of a series because I was not ready for the story to stop when it did. Wowza! But it's a great set up for the next book (when's that coming out again???) and -most importantly- wasn't rushed or jarring.

There were a few characters that I didn't fully resonate with, and the romance -though steamy and delicious!- had too big of a jump for me personally. Did that detract from the reading experience? Not one bit. Can't wait for this series, I'm so invested in the story!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

First book I've read by this author and I have to say that... I don't know, I wasn't completely fascinated by this story!

The premises are interesting but unfortunately while reading I often found myself bored and everything had a "already seen" feel. An enjoyable read and there are some twists that intrigued me and so I will read the second volume but it has an excessively fluctuating pace and I often felt like I was reading a book that was longer than it was.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc

My thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the chance to read an advance copy of The Courting Of Bristol Keats, by Mary E. Pearson in return for my honest review.

This book has already gained a lot of attention and excitement, promising to be a shining new series in the fantasy genre - with several special editions being produced.

We meet our titular character, Bristol Keats, as she’s navigating the loss of her parents while supporting her sisters. Very quickly it becomes clear that her upbringing has been odd, and within the first few chapters the certainty around her father’s death, the mystery of his past and the hidden world of Elphame are brought into front of frame.

I liked the way that faerieland is accessible but out of sync with the mortal world, and that the various fae inhabitants are regularly walking between the two, unbeknownst to those who cannot see beyond glamour. The obvious comparison here is to Holly Black’s folk of the air, given the shared points of reference and folklore used, although the fae here seemed less fleshed out in terms of how they varied from mortals, in terms of morals and motivation.

The political game playing, secrets and magic and many twists and dark turns being made in the shadows were what moved the plot forward, rather than relying on the romance - which was positive.

I think the pacing, and the somewhat confusing and jolting switch of character/point of view/place may have been something that pulled me out of the story. More than once I felt confused as to when or why we’d suddenly moved somewhere else, or were now watching a different character. This may change once the book reaches final printed copy though!

For a first in series (and also having been placed up against such a beloved, established series/other Elfhame) I did certainly enjoy this read and I will be patiently waiting to see where the next instalment takes Bristol and the rest of our fair friends!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because I am certain once the formatting of a published copy is available, some of my gripes about pacing and confusing changes in place and point of view will be non-existant.

Overall Rating : 3.5 Stars

The Courting of Bristol Keats marks the beginning of a captivating new duology by the talented Mary E. Pearson. It follows Bristol Keats as she uncovers the hidden realm of Magic, known as Elphame. During her journey, she makes a pact with the Fae King, Tyghan, promising to return to the human world and ensure the safety of her two sisters. This agreement compels Bristol to help protect Elphame from evil forces and to assist the king in locating his kidnapped brother, which leads to an absolutely dreamy Reluctant Allies to Lovers narrative between Bristol and Tyghan. Written from a Dual POV, the story beautifully reveals the emotions and motivations of both characters which absolutely enriched the overall tale for me. I truly adored both of these characters and the hauntingly beautiful narratives, this is the first book in a long time that I have ever wanted to start annotating due such magical and beautiful writing!

As I read this arc on my Kindle, the formatting sadly made it incredibly hard to read as there was a constant switching in the Dual POV with little to no warning, which made the overall experience quite confusing to grasp. Regardless, when I did finally catch-on with the narrators, I did feel as if the characters and world lacked development and needed more fleshing out. I would have adored to have more of a back-story on some of the side characters, as there were MANY, which I feel as if could’ve been achieved considering the length of the book.

I absolutely adored the first 35% of this book and couldn’t force myself to put it down, whereas the middle couldn’t hold my attention for more than a chapter or two at a time. Leading toward the 70-80% mark, I finally had that feeling of excitement once more and couldn’t put it down until I’d finished it. I both loved and felt something was missing completely from the ending, almost as if it was meant to be a cliff-hanger but didn’t leave you with that feeling. On one hand I loved that we saw a resolution of sorts between Bristol and Tyghan, but it’s left little to my imagination when thinking of the sequel.

Overall, this adult fantasy was beautifully written; I adored the two main characters and the rich backstory of Bristol and her family. Her nomadic life, characterised by the inability to stay in one place for more than a month or two, added such a depth to the narrative that I wasn’t at all expecting. Despite the few things I didn’t enjoy, I absolutely look forward to continuing this series.