Having been a fan of Mary E. Pearson's young adult series, like The Remnant Chronicles (which I still think about), Dance of Thieves, and Jenna Fox Chronicles, I was really intrigued and excited to see Pearson's entry into full-fledged adult fantasy.

Bristol Keats and her sisters are struggling after the loss of both their parents. When Bristol receives letters from an unknown "aunt," she discovers that her family history is a complete fabrication — and that her father may still be alive, kidnapped by creatures from another realm. Determined to find him, Bristol enters a world of magic with gods, fae, and monsters. There, she makes a deal with the fae king, Tyghan, unaware that he’s the one behind her family's troubles and just as intent on finding her father —whether dead or alive.

Because of my familiarity with both YA and adult fantasy and with Pearson's work — I was doubly disappointed here. I'm not sure what the impetus for making the shift to adult fantasy could have been, but I am not sold on it having been Pearson’s intention. The Courting of Bristol Keats retains all the earmarks of a young adult fantasy (particularly those from a decade ago), but with some sex scenes and adult language sparingly peppered about. Bristol herself is only 21 (nay, begging pardon — she turns 22 during the narrative), and yet she still felt every bit as "grown up" as the sixteen-year-old protagonists of typical YA fare. Additionally, there's a lack of freshness, with echos of series that have come before, like Holly Black's The Cruel Prince.

This is one of those books where the story itself is interesting, but the execution doesn't quite able to hold up the weight of the full narrative.

This was amazing. I love Mary E Pearson’s other books, so I couldn’t wait to read this. This book was fantastic. I read an ARC and also ended up requesting the audiobook ALC as I’m trying to branch out with my audiobook genres and I loved listening to the story even though fantasy can be harder for me on audio.

What I struggle with these days when it comes to adult Romantasy/fantasy romance is finding a book that truly balances both and still makes you root for the couple while also being invested in a million other plot points. I think the author did a tremendous job with the balance in this book. It was a coming of age story about Bristol, a romantic journey, and also an adventure in a new world with conflicts, magic, secrets, and deceit. I felt invested in everything.

This did have open door romance and wasn’t YA. Bristol was in her 20s, but I feel like the way the spice was written could be considered appropriate for younger audiences to some degree. It wasn’t closed door, but it also wasn’t graphic. I got the whole sense of what was happening without it being one of those books I have to turn down when I’m driving in the car. If you’re specifically looking for spice, this isn’t for you. It’s like black pepper, not chili peppers. I think this specific detail is important to know since many Romantasy readers are specifically looking for chili peppers and will be disappointed that this has none and also that the romance does sometimes take a back seat to the plot.

I highly recommend this book! I can’t wait to see what happens next in the series/duology.

This book was pitched to me as an adult Cruel Prince which...sure. I can see how that's an accurate description. You get a well-developed fae world that intertwines with a mortal world. You get an enemies to lovers romance and you get courtly intrigue! I found it to be a really fun, fast-paced read and I'm excited to read the sequel. This was my first Pearson, but based on this one it won't be my last!

Pain, longing, betrayal, love, honor and finding your place in the world are some of the significant themes that make an appearance in The Courting of Bristol Keats.

Let me begin by saying that I have thoroughly enjoyed the previous books that I have read by Mary Pearson. I knew that this book was a jump from young adult publishing to the adult market. To me that generally means that the author intends to slow down the pacing of the story and devote more time to developing deeper themes. In this case it seemed like it was primarily a means to add profanity and sexual content. The sexual content was particularly disappointing to me as it was obviously a deliberate choice rather than just lazy writing. The author was skilled enough to have been able to communicate passion without resorting to gratuitous description that reduced the scenes to cheap voyeurism, but instead she chose to include this content.

The book was dark, maybe not as dark as the mythology of the fae realms would warrant, but dark enough to illustrate that the author is well versed in fae mythology. And as I previously admired in her books, Pearson knows how to draw you into a story and illustrate how complicated people can be. The characters are multi-faceted and complex. I appreciated that.
But my biggest complaint about the book is that it doesn’t end, it just stops. There is no wrapping up, no winding to a close, not even a true cliffhanger ending. The book just stops. It’s a long novel to begin with and the ending felt like the author just got tired of writing and walked away. There are numerous ways to wrap up a novel waiting for its sequel that honor your reader’s investment in the narrative and this one failed in that regard.

Will I read the sequel? No. Do I recommend the book? No. Do I hope that Pearson reverts to her previous style of writing? Yes. If you like complex fantasy that explores the way people inhabit the world around them then I would recommend you take a look at Mary Pearson’s young adult novels, which are complex and interesting without the sexual content, profanity and incomplete writing. But personally, I’d skip The Courting of Bristol Keats.

The Courting of Bristol Keats was a solid read. It was a tad longer and slower than I’d like, but the plot was interesting and the romance was spicy 🌶️ There wasn’t anything particularly exciting or surprising that happened, but still found myself gravitating towards the story. I liked the relationship between Bristol and Tyghan, and I also enjoyed the friendships that Bristol formed with the other recruits. It did feel like the book could have been shorter and faster paced, but it helped that the perspectives change with each chapter and the chapters are short. I will read the sequel when it comes out, there are certainly loose ends to tie up. A solid fae romantasy.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Flatiron Books for an advanced reader's copy of this book.

I mostly enjoyed "The Courting of Bristol Keats" by Mary E. Pearson. The set up is familiar: a seemingly human girl who actually has ties to the fae which her parents have kept hidden all her life. I liked Bristol as a character- strong head on her shoulders, loyal, and curious to learn about the fae. I thought her relationship with Tyghan had enough push and pull to the readers interested. I just thought the execution of this story was too convoluted and it most definitely did not need to be 500 pages long. There was a lot of telling instead of showing, which is surprising because the author's YA books are tightly plotted. I also hated that the characters knew what was going on with Bristol but Bristol herself and by extension the reader did not. The book ends on a sort of cliffhanger, but I am not interested enough in continuing the story.

I would, however, recommend it to readers who are interested to dip their toes into the romantasy genre.

Cute- a little confusing on the pov of each chapter it would be helpful if the title names were the character s pov we are at

Mary Pearson did it again!! I absolutely loved the Dance of Thieves duology and The Courting of Bristol Keats did not disappoint! An enemies to lovers story with Fae, magic and lots more. Perfect for readers who liked The Cruel Prince and A Court of Thorns and Roses. Amazing world building that sucks you into the story. Great characters with lots of personality. Bristol Keats makes a deal that lands her in the Fae realm. Though she was raised as a mortal she quickly learns her parents both had ties to Elphame. She learns that everything she thought she knew was veiled in secrets and lies. As she learns the truth she also learns more about who she is and her own strength.

Where is the sequel!! I was entranced by the world of Elphame. This book is written beautifully and has a new take on the world of Faeries. It felt fresh and new even with all the Fae books already out there. I enjoyed the switching of perspectives throughout the story and the twists that I attempted to see coming but still surprised me.

Bristol and Tyghan are *chef's kiss*

Really enjoyed this one! I’ve seen it called adult Cruel Prince and I definitely think that’s fitting. There’s crossover between the mortal and fae worlds, different creatures and kinds of magic, faerie bargains, and a fae king love interest (with a lil added spice). I loved all of the secrets in this but at the same time the irony was absolutely killing me.

I had small issues such as the length making it drag a little, not enough differentiation between side characters, and most of the characters started to irk me by the end. The ending is also very awkwardly abrupt and not in a cliffhangery way, it literally just ends. There are tons of things I’m looking forward to finding out about in the next book though so I will definitely be continuing!

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

Mary E. Pearson does amazing with her world building!

This book leaves you on a cliffhanger like no other, and you're going to be scrambling for the next book. You have to trust the author's process on this one. I promise that it's worth it!

✨🍕The Courting of Bristol Keats 🍕✨
By Mary E. Pearson
✨ Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron books for eARC! ✨

🍕 Enemies to lovers
✨ Found family
🍕 Morally grey MMC
✨ Slow burn
🍕 Multiple POV

✨ Something’s about this world sucked you in. It was modern, but not. Spooky but not. Thrust an unknowing mortal, pizza delivery girl into a land with magic and you have an intriguing start to a series.
🍕 There is an ABUNDANCE of everything we love about fantasy:
✨ Gods/monsters
✨ Mystery
✨ Magic
✨ Fun world building
✨ Romance
🍕 With all of that I truly enjoyed the story. Bristol was an excellent FMC, she was super relatable and you could truly understand her motivations.
✨ This doessss end on a bit of a cliffhanger, but also sort of abruptly which left me hungry for more [which there will be!].

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️: Yes

This was my first book by Mary Pearson and I loved it! Bristol is a strong female main character, and her character development is done really well throughout the story. She has been lied to by everyone in her life, and I think her actions are justified by this. Her whole world is turned upside down when she learns she is being “courted” by a group of Fae who need her help to possibly save their kingdom. Once Bristol finds herself in Elphame, secrets about her past and her family start to unravel, making her question everything she has known.

I really enjoyed the world building and the way Pearson overlaps the Fae world with Bristol’s “real world”. Because of Bristol’s past, and not staying in one place too long, she hasn’t had much of a chance to develop lasting relationships. This makes the new relationships and found family that she develops in Elphame more heart-warming, because it’s something she hasn’t experienced before, outside of her immediate family.

Pearson keeps the story interesting with the threat that Elphame is facing, Bristol navigating a world she didn’t know existed, Bristol and Tyghan’s relationship, and the magic and secrets that Bristol is now faced with. Most of the story flows really well, but there were some changes between chapters that felt a little jarring because of sudden character changes or a time jump, but the story is still easy to follow and well-written.

There are a lot of side characters to follow, but I felt like Pearson did a great job of making most of them relevant to the story. I enjoyed seeing the interactions with Tyghan’s fellow nights and also with the other recruits that trained with Bristol. I also hope to see some more development from Bristol’s sisters, Harper and Cat, in the second book.

The Courting of Bristol Keats is a beautifully written fantasy/romantasy with, magic, secrets, betrayals, found family, and discovering who you really are and what you want for yourself. I am excited to continue this series and see where Bristol’s story goes.

Woo, what a ride.

For context, I read The Remnant Chronicles a long time ago and rated them well so I must have liked them, but I don't remember a lot. Based on how much I liked The Courting of Bristol Keats, I will probably go back and reread them to see how they hold up.

For Bristol, I really liked this take on Fae. The concept and backstory are complex in a compelling way. The characters and their relationships are interesting without being tropey or too closely resembling dynamics that we see over and over again in the genre. It was quite refreshing in that way.

I like how the time discrepancies between the human and fae world contribute to the story. I liked how the author connects the dots of Bristol's upbringing slowly throughout the book. I like how the information that is withheld from the characters and me as the reader made sense to be withheld and didn't feel glaringly obvious or fall into the miscommunication trope. I like the chemistry between Bristol and Tyghan.

The development between Bristol and Tyghan felt pretty well paced and organic. The only thing that ever bothered me about Tyghan was that he didn't feel very kingly but I think that's just consistent with his character. I really liked that once he made his decision to be with her, he was all in. When he says, "This is not a dalliance." Yes. Validation. Love to see it. If I'm being nit-picky, their first intimate encounter was a little cringe to me, the way it is written. The rest of it was fine though.

I thought it was interesting how the other chose to disperse other POV's throughout the book, like that of the snake and the horse. I wonder if that will have any significance moving forward, as Bristol mentions the snake looking like he ate something. I like the addition of little details like that.

My biggest complaint is that the ending felt super abrupt to me. I wasn't expecting it to end when it did. It maybe didn't have the emotional impact I was looking for, like a big reveal or revelation but I am still very much looking forward to the sequel. I'm intrigued to see where the story goes. I'll absolutely be recommending this book to my customers who love fae romance.

🌟3.5

Thank you Netgalley for the arc! I was not prepared to enter such a large world with multiple books. I mistakenly thought this was a standalone novel (that's on me). This was an enjoyable read, but definitely not my favorite. The slow burn romance was nice, but fell flat at the end for me. Knowing now this is a multi-book series (trilogy perhaps) the ending makes more sense, but still fell a little flat for me. I enjoyed the world building once I got into the story a little more and the characters were enjoyable as well. I would recommend this book if you want to get into a series, but it's not my favorite (or my favorite by this author).

I am so happy to read a new book by Mary E. Pearson! I enjoyed Bristol Keats as a character, the world-building, romance, and the mystery. The only thing that threw me off was that the book ended in spot that left me wondering where the rest of the story is. I had to check to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

Book review

The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson is a truly captivating and thrilling romantic fantasy.

After losing both their parents, Bristol Keats and her sisters struggle to stay afloat in their small, quiet town of Bowskeep. When Bristol begins to receive letters from an “aunt” she’s never heard of who promises she can help, she reluctantly agrees to meet and discovers that everything she thought she knew about her family is a lie. Even her father might still be alive, not killed but kidnapped by terrifying creatures to a whole other realm, the one he is from.

Desperate to save her father and find the truth, Bristol journeys to a land of gods and fae and monsters. Pulled into a dangerous world of magic and intrigue, she makes a deadly bargain with the fae leader, Tyghan. But what she doesn’t know is that he’s the one who drove her parents to live a life on the run. And he is just as determined as she is to find her father, dead or alive

Much like Pearson did with the Kiss of Deception (the Remnant Chronicles), she has created such a vivid and deep world without bogging the reader down in unnecessary details. Her character development is also exceptional and you’re immediately connected with the main characters, specifically Bristol and Tyghan, due to this. There’s still much to learn about them but I think that’s absolutely the plan for the next installment. And the ending of course has me pining for the next book already!

Exquisitely written, deep, complex, and also such an adventurous, well paced read. I highly recommend this book!

After losing both their parents, Bristol Keats and her sisters struggle to stay afloat in their small, quiet town of Bowskeep. When Bristol begins to receive letters from an “aunt” she’s never heard of who promises she can help, she reluctantly agrees to meet―and discovers that everything she thought she knew about her family is a lie. Even her father might still be alive, not killed but kidnapped by terrifying creatures to a whole other realm―the one he is from.

Desperate to save her father and find the truth, Bristol journeys to a land of gods and fae and monsters. Pulled into a dangerous world of magic and intrigue, she makes a deadly bargain with the fae leader, Tyghan. But what she doesn’t know is that he’s the one who drove her parents to live a life on the run. And he is just as determined as she is to find her father―dead or alive.
I love a Mary Pearson YA fantasy like no other book in our high school library, and make no mistake, this is one to add to your shelves. Super story, love the romance and the betrayal.

I enjoyed getting to know Bri and the world she has been thrown into. I bounced between reading this eBook and listening to the audiobook because I didn't want to have another book competing in my mind. Can't wait for book 2.

Thank you to NetGalley and FlatIron Books for giving me an ARC of this fantastic read!

The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson was so good. When I wasn’t reading this book, I was thinking about reading this book. Much like Pearson did with the Kiss of Deception (the Remnant Chronicles), she had created such a vivid and deep world in my mind.

I love the way she describes the setting and the heart and backstory she gives to her characters. I feel like I got to know these characters and it’s only the first book! I understand that there is still also much to learn about Bristol Keats, her father, Tyghan, and Elphame in general.

I thought Bristol was such an interesting FMC. I felt like i had learned so much and yet so little about her because she told the reader a lot of what SHE knows but there is so much about her we as readers don’t know because she also doesn’t know it and I LOVED that.

Tyghan, our stubborn but fearless king, I loved. I think there is so much more to him than what we are given especially with his relationship with Kierus and how his friendship ended. Now sometimes I am like … yeah he’s fallen for his best friends grown up daughter. Sure the time difference thing from the mortal world and Elphame is explained, but I try not too think about it haha

And don’t get me started on the ending! I feel like Pearson has us in for a(nother) wild ride much like she did with the Remnant Chronicles. I cannot wait to see where this series goes and to learn more about this world of Faeries.

Gorgeous written, deep, complex, and also such an adventurous read. I definitely will need to read it again soon because it’s just going to be stuck in my brain for a while! Great Read!!