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.

A thrilling romantic fantasy full of dangerous fae, even darker family secrets and an addictive romance that will leave you breathless. Pulled into a dangerous world of magic and intrigue, she makes a deadly bargain with the fae king. But what she doesn’t know is that he’s the one who drove her parents to live a life forever looking over their shoulders.

A bargain struck between them will find these characters thrown together, but the distrust between them may be their undoing, even if they can’t stop thinking about each other in the process of their scepticism about the other. There was always something new and fascinating to learn about the world that the author has created, filled with magical creatures, dangerous magic and a beautiful world you will never want to leave. A great adult fantasy debit from one of my all time favourite authors!

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐜𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐥 𝐊𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐄 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧

4.5 STARS

This book may have reignited my love for fae romantasy!

There are so many books coming out now that use the lore and mythology of the fae in similar ways, it's hard to find a book that stands out. While this means that most fae stories have similarities, and this was no exception, The Courting of Bristol Keats stood out for it's exceptional world building and gripping storytelling.

Mary E Pearson masterfully balanced plot and romance. The romance had good tension, a little yearning and just enough open-door scenes that ensured the book read as adult, without sacrificing the plot. My only gripe was that the MMC seemed to come to the conclusion he was in love extremely swiftly, and I would have liked a little more of his POV so that this realisation would have felt more developed for us as readers.

I was expecting this book to end on a gripping cliffhanger, as so many fantasy stories do. But, while there are SO many questions that I have, the book ended in the most unexpected place, and really had me checking to make sure I didn't miss a final chapter!

The Courting of Bristol Keats follows Bristol who is struggling to stay afloat with her sisters after the death of their parents. Bristol starts receiving letters from an aunt who she has never heard of so she decides to meet her. It turns out that her father might still be alive so she has to journey to a land full of fae. Bristol ends up making a bargain with the fae king, Tyghan but he knows things about her parents and wants to find her father as much as Bristol.

This was a perfectly average fantasy romance. Personally I found the romance to be quite weak, it just wasn’t developed enough for me. The fae elements were interesting but nothing spectacular when compared to other fae books. It was fine but I won’t read the second book.

Mary E. Pearson has crafted an utterly spellbinding fantasy in The Courting of Bristol Keats! Bristol’s journey from her quiet life to a realm of gods, fae, and monsters is a riveting adventure filled with heart-stopping action and breathtaking romance. The intricate plot weaves forbidden love and dangerous bargains into a tapestry of emotional depth and high stakes. Tyghan, the enigmatic fae king, adds layers of intrigue and tension that kept me glued to the pages. This book is a masterful blend of fantasy and passion, exploring the complexities of love and the sacrifices we make for those we hold dear. It’s a captivating start to what promises to be an unforgettable series.