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.

The Courting of Bristol Keats follows Bristol, who along with her two sisters, has been recently orphaned. They are struggling to stay afloat when Bristol begins to receive letters from an ‘aunt’ she has never heard of. Bristol learns that her father may be alive, and has been kidnapped by terrifying creatures and taken to another realm – the one he is from. Desperate to save her father, Bristol travels to the land of fae and makes a deadly bargain with the fae king. What she doesn’t know is that he is just as determined to find her father - dead or alive.

While this book had a great premise and I enjoyed some aspects of the story, I found it to be far too long and the pacing was inconsistent. The plot didn’t take off until the second half, which made the first half feel very difficult to get through.

I didn’t feel very connected to the characters, and this might be because there was a lot of them. The abundance of POV’s was confusing and affected my enjoyment of the narrative. I would have preferred less side characters and either single or dual POV, to allow for more character development.

I enjoyed Bristol’s relationship with her sisters, and the slow-burn romance between her and Tyghan at the start. However, it became very insta-lovey and the feelings seemed to come from nowhere. I would have preferred more tension and angst before they inevitably got together.

I was left feeling very dissatisfied by the ending, which felt like it ended in the middle of a scene. I genuinely thought that my eARC was missing a few pages at the end as it felt like such an unnatural way to end a story.

While I did have some issues with this book, the writing was lush and magical, and I am definitely going to read the authors previous works. I’m unsure if I’ll continue this duology or not - I feel like I need to sit with my thoughts for a while.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan/Tor Bramble for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is an enjoyable fae romance - anyone who enjoys this genre and the books of Sarah J Maas is going to enjoy The Courting of Bristol Keats. Bristol lives an ordinary if impoverished life with her 2 sisters in smalltown America, both her parents are dead and she is struggling to support her family. Her life is overturned when she meets Tyghan, King of the Fae and his advisors - she discovers that she is far from powerless, her entire past is a lie, and who and what she is can affect the lives of all the fae. It's a good and entertaining start to a new series and I look forward to the next

Thank you to Panmacmillan – Tor Bramble for approving my request for a Netgalley eARC of The Courting of Bristol Keats.

My thoughts and feelings about The Courting of Bristol Keats are very mixed. There are things to love about this book, but at the same time reading it felt like it was reinventing the wheel. I want to be able to recommend this book but I can’t as it just wasn’t for me at the end of the day because it was just too similar to other books like The Cruel Prince series by Holly Black. There was just nothing unique in the characters, plot or storytelling that made this book stand out.

Worse still how thick this book is – which makes the first half slow and difficult to get into. I nearly DNFed so many times, but was spurred on by Bookstagram friends who kept telling me it gets better. Too much worldbuilding information and characters complicate the first half that you feel a little dizzy with all the information thrown into the story.

The second half of the Courting of Bristol Keats is flows faster, bringing in intriguing worldbuilding of the fairy courts and finally developing some individuality to the narrative. The romance between Bristol and Tyghan isn’t groundbreaking but I liked them as a couple and enjoyed their banter and connection with each other.

I liked reading second half of The Courting of Bristol Keats, but struggled with the length and complexity of this book at times. I think if the first half had been shorter and better structured, I would have enjoyed this book a lot more. I’m not going to continue to read the sequel as it didn’t enthral me over all and felt predictable and similar to a lot of other fantasy romance stories based on Irish Celtic Mythology.
I won’t be reviewing this book further than Goodreads as I feel it would be unfair to the author and others who might enjoy The Courting of Bristol Keats.

Really enjoyed this book overal, the world building was fantastic and I fell into the world and couldn't get out of it again.

Loved this book. It was not what i was expecting at all but i fell in love with it.

Bristol is one of 3 sisters, they have lived their life moving constantly from place to place, their parents would mysteriously move them in the middle of the night and none of the girls ever felt safe or settled. Their parents have now both died and Bristol and her sisters are coping the best they can, until one day Bristol is told her father is still alive but is in another realm and Bristol may be blood marked and if she can close some magical portals the king will help her find her father.

I thoroughly enjoyed the world this was set in, i liked Bristol as a character and i may have falled a little bit in love with the king too, i was completely rooting for him.

Great story, would read more if this was a series, it could be, not sure.

Thank you so much for providing me with a review copy of The Courting of Bristol Keats. Unfortunately I've had to set this one aside for now, I've read over 50% so I would like to return to it in the New Year if possible. It had a really strong start but I feel like my interest has decreased which could be a mood thing.

Having read and enjoyed some of the author’s YA novels, I was really excited about her debut adult fantasy and the premise was really intriguing, but, sadly, this wasn’t exactly what I expected. I felt the action dragged out too much and sometimes there were too many points of views that left me confused. Also, I think that some of the writing and timeline was a bit off and I expected more of a cliffhanger at the end. I enjoyed the plot and the characters enough that left me curious to see what happens next, but it took me a while to finish it.

Overall, I really appreciated the main conundrum in this. Everyone was partly responsible for the way things turned out, and I love me a proper conflict. But while I understood why everyone was mad, I didn't exactly *feel* it, and that is one of my main problems with the entire book.

Another was the premise. Right off the bat, we know these 3 sisters love each other, have gone through a lot and can only rely on one another. So it makes perfect sense for them to just let the middle one go off to a world they *just* learned about with nothing but a few supplies, pages from a book and a pat on the shoulder. Sure. I would totally let my sister do that, no problem. (I get narratively *why* we're doing this, but I'm not going to excuse it.) There was no urgency as a result from this, so nothing was really propelling the story for me. This probably wasn't helped by the fact that the author opted for omniscient narration, since it undid all sort of possible suspense. Oh, and there was no character development to keep me interested either.

The third problem was the meandering. You can't convince me someone desperate to save their father is fine twiddling their thumbs for months because of a promise. Bristol is barely doing anything to search for him. She spends most of her time in class or dancing with the LI. And not that I dislike their relationship overall, but people need to stop labelling it slow burn when the characters are getting together after a month of knowing each other. Please.

In fourth place, we have the fact that nothing in this was new or refreshing. I've not read Sarah J. Maas, but even then I've seen all these tropes and ideas done this way before.

Lastly, I'm all for friendships, especially women friendships, but you could have switched them out for each other and nothing would be different except their magical abilities and one distinct trait, which mostly shone through thanks to the narrator.

Speaking of, big props to the narrator. She was absolutely the right choice, delivered on all levels, including the male voices. And I'll throw in a compliment to the author's writing. She created really evocative passages, especially in the beginning.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Mary E. Pearson, and Pan Macmillan for the chance to read and review this book.

I flip-flop between loving this book and just liking it.
This is the first Mary E Pearson book I've ever read and I'm glad I waited for her adult/Romantasy debut. You can definitely tell that she catered to a YA market but I'm hoping in book #2 she will come into her own.
The Courting of Bristol Keats revolves around Bristol, an absolutely ordinary girl from Bowskeep. We're meant to believe this despite the fact that her parents kept their whole family on the run for majority of her life, until they settled down in Bowskeep, and then her parents died... The book follows Bristol, intensely independent and stubborn, as she tries to provide for her family until an aunt she has never heard of wants to give her a gift. As with all fairy-bargains, the deal goes wrong and Bristol abandons her sisters to live in Elphame whilst they try to figure out if the niche branch of magic Bristol has will save their world. I enjoyed the plot of the book and the characters. They were complex and likeable and infuriating. But the world-building was lazy. There were characters who were supposed to be half-human-half-creature people but we were never given a proper descriptions. I don't know how any of its works.
The other things that bugged me was the intertextual references that Ms Pearson threw in - Elphame will always remind me of Elfame in Holly Black's books. The references to the "cauldron of plenty" will always remind me of ACOTAR. "Anastacia Wiggin's Encyclopedia of Faerieland - you mean Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries. I started keeping notes of the references as I felt like I was losing my mind.
My review sounds negative but I actually enjoyed reading the book and hate that I can't read the second one yet. Its incomplete.
Miscommunication is never my favourite trope but INTENTIONAL miscommunication where the FMC just gets over herself? love it.
It was a good, not fantastical, but solid. Gimme book #2, please