This was one of my most anticipated fantasy reads of this fall, and for me - it delivered. I really enjoyed the world building in this and I'm already excited for the conclusion of this duology (aka the next book). This fantasy world has portals, fae, deceit, gods, danger, courts and politics, and a bit of spice. For me this book is not spice heavy but still allows for romantic development for the MCs. [For me it was a nice break to be more focused stepping into the world rather than spice on spice]
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the Advance Audiobook! Super grateful for the chance to listen to this book because now I know I need the audio in addition to a pretty shelf physical copy! I enjoyed the narrator's delivery a lot. Every time I had to put the book down to do life, I was restless to get back to the book to finish it! Cannot wait for the next book.
This was also my first Mary E. Pearson book, so now I'll have to look at her works to figure out what else I need to add to the TBR.

Will happily add to Amazon upon publication.

It took me a few chapters to find my stride with the story, but for the most part, I had a great time!

What I loved:
* the setting
* Bristol’s fellow recruits
* learning how the magic worked alongside Bristol
* Brittany Pressley’s narration

What I didn’t love:
* how much of the plot relied on Bristol and Tyghan not communicating
* honestly just how most of the story would fall apart if there were fewer secrets
* please I’m begging everyone to just talk to each other

I’m super excited to see where things go in the sequel because this book left me with so many questions!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy of the audiobook! I’m excited to get my hands on my physical copy next month so I can finally learn how everything is spelled!! 4.5/5

Probably one of my favorite books I’ve read this year. Thank you so much for this advanced listener copy of this audio book. The narration was so good! As someone who is absolutely feral for The Cruel Prince and Dark Academia/Magical Academies, this was made for me. I will be purchasing the beautiful first print copy for sure to collect on my shelf!

Perfect for anyone who likes The Folk of The Air and Harry Potter but wanted a bit more romance and a touch of spice 😍

An interesting read for fans of the mortal girl ends up in a faerie world trope, and reminded be just a bit of Cruel Prince. The pacing was a little off - some parts were very engaging, while others kind of dragged. I feel like there were too many side characters that got too much screen time that I just didn’t care enough about, so that lost me a bit. Overall it’s a promising book 1 but does not feel like a complete story so it’s hard to judge

This audiobook was a lot of fun and perfect for fans of fae romantasy. Bristol, our FMC, is a mortal girl with a very mysterious family past. She finds herself in the world of Elfhame on a quest to uncover the truth about her parents and her own magic. Her journey involves intense training, court politics, and a romance with the fae king Tyghan. Tyghan basically lies to her throughout the entire story, and I kind of felt like Bristol just easily overlooked that, but its a romantasy so I kind of expect our FMCs to be too forgiving at this point.

The audiobook narration was well done and kept me engaged through the 17 hour audiobook. While parts of the romance felt rushed and the overall pacing a bit slow in the middle, the world and characters were intriguing. I would definitely continue this series to see what happens in the next book. I would recommend this if you like easy and fun romantasy 👍🏻

Thank you to Flatiron Books and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an early copy. 🖤

Overall the book was enjoyable enough, with how long it is I was able to move through quickly so it certainly wasn't boring, but I also credit some of that to the audiobook. I thought the world was really interesting and would have loved even more world building!

There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but even on audio it wasn't too difficult - especially thanks to the narrators different voices and accents. I enjoyed the narrator a lot, it was a pleasant book to listen to with really high quality!

There were some nice reveals and I liked how the fae and mortal realms were tied together in so many different ways. This was a unique book in my opinion, with lots of groundwork laid for the next book, I'm curious to see where it will go.

I typically LOVE more than one POV but the POVs in general in this book were kind of confusing to me. It seemed like it switched around mid chapter from third person to third person omniscient, and didn't just focus on certain characters. I would have appreciated a chapter header telling me which POV I was getting rather than figuring it out myself every time. I also thought that, as the reader, knowing so many of the secrets and lies for so long before the MC found out diminished how much I enjoyed it, especially the relationship aspect. I spent too much time feeling for the MC, who never really got a moment to shine fully. I'm expecting some big things for Bristol in book 2!

I can safely say I've never read an ending quite like that, and it definitely caught me off guard!

Thank you Macmillan audio and NetGalley for the ALC!

5 star audio!

This book was a lot of fun! Great for fans of acotar and fae romantasy books. I would say it is very easy to get into without intense world building. Reads more like a YA book to me but not in a bad way! There is political maneuvering and swoon worthy romance. It was really well produced on audio too, I would highly recommend listening as your form of reading for this one!

I listened to this audiobook and it was great! I've been so eager to get my hands on this every since I found out Mary Pearson was writing her adult fantasy debut, and it did not disappoint. This has similar vibes to The Cruel Prince. The story follows Bristol Keats, a mortal girl whose family has moved around constantly throughout her life due to a threat her parents won't tell her and her two sisters about. After the death of her mother and then her father, Bristol feels aimless and her only goal is to support her sisters.

After receiving mysterious letters, she meets with a supposed aunt and subsequently agrees to go to the world of Elfhame. She makes a bargain with the fae king Tyghan - she will attempt to seal a portal in exchange for his help finding her father, who may not be dead. She ends up finding out that her parents are not who she thought, and that they are tied to the realm in inextricable ways she couldn't have imagined. Her father and Tyghan had once been best friends. She also works to discover the depths of her own magic.

The sheer depth of the secrets Tyghan was keeping from Bristol was hard to ignore. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop - it was slightly painful knowing that the eventual reveal would blow up their relationship, so I found it hard to get fully invested in them together. But even still, I truly felt for both characters - the amount of pain that they have experienced, especially Tyghan, was visceral and devastating. I just wish that Tyghan and Bristol would have ~the~ conversation earlier, it could've saved them from so much trauma and I KNOW they would've worked it out. But alas, the way things unfolded produced so much tension and I was on the edge of my seat. My heart really went through the wringer.

The plot was very well done. This audiobook is a LONG one (nearly 18 hours) but I was intrigued pretty much the entire time. Bristol navigates Elfhame: undergoing intense training, searching for her father, bonding with other recruits, dealing with her growing feelings for Tyghan, and unraveling so many truths about her life. The ending was so emotionally charged and I can't wait for the sequel - I need it now!!

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audiobook ARC! 📚

I listened to this on audio, and it was wonderful! There’s magic, fae, complicated family dynamics, and a slow-burn romance with lots of banter. I went in not knowing anything about this book, so I was pleasantly surprised to really love it. I’m excited for the second book in the series to release, and I’ll be looking up past books by this author!

Stars: 3.25

I had a difficult time rating this book. Let’s start with the good parts. I think the concept was cool, and there were times I felt really engaged with the story. I also really enjoyed Bristol’s training and her journey becoming friends the recruits. It felt at times a little ACOSF valkyrie-esque. Without spoilers, I will also say I enjoyed the unique way Bristol discovers hidden talents about herself.

Now for the bad. I think it was simply too long as there were several parts that could have been cut for a much tighter book. The book ended in a very unusual way that felt like the book either needed to end sooner or it needed a couple more chapters. Personally, I didn’t really root for the MMC. I’m not a fan of dad’s best friend trope nor do I enjoy MMCs that keep secrets, especially past the point where the characters are intimate or have said I love you.

I listened to the audiobook, and I think Brittany did a great job with narrating, especially Bristol’s character, though I wish there had a been a duel narration for Tyghan. It was difficult at times to know which perspective I was in when I was listening. The seemingly indiscriminate perspective change to random minor characters made this even more confusing.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and to NetGalley for providing an audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful and thrilling story about defending your family and doing anything to save them. The narrator of the audio was amazing and I couldn't stop listening! I had to know what would happen next! I loved the struggle that Bristol faces on a daily basis, the friends and family she makes for herself in the fae realm and the enemies to lover trope. I can not wait to find out what is in store for Bristol next!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC of The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson. All opinions are my own.

This was my first book by this author, so I didn’t really have any expectations going into this book.

It ended up being an enjoyable read. It was interesting from the very beginning and I really enjoyed the ending. I think the middle was a little slow, and I wasn’t interested in that part of the story as much.

I enjoyed Bristol’s character and how she was willing to go off in search of her father at the risk of her own safety. She was out of her element completely in Elfhame, but I liked how hard she tried to adapt to those changes.

The romance was okay in this story. I thought the dancing was cute, but I do feel like parts of the romance were rushed. I’m also not a fan of spice, so be aware that there are several open door scenes in this book.

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator. My only issue with the audio was that I had a hard time telling when the point of view switched (and it switched fairly often).

Overall, I would recommend this book if you’re looking for an easy romantasy book to read.

The Courting of Bristol Keats is a must-read for romantasy and fae fans, offering a unique fantasy world, an intriguing magic system, and plenty of twists, lies, and secrets. Fans of ACOTAR and The Cruel Prince will be captivated by the high-stakes romance and masterfully written spice scenes. This spellbinding tale balances danger and desire, keeping readers hooked until the very last page.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the free audiobook.

Actual Rating: 3.75 stars. I normally try to do half or full stars, but this book was really an in-between rating as it was just shy of 4 stars. Some reasons I detracted the quarter of a star are that I felt the contemporary human world jokes and odd obsession with laundromats kept pulling me away from the fantasy elements of the book. The writing felt like a juxtaposition of beautiful fantasy writing mashed together with cheap or silly jokes. It’s a personal preference, but that wasn’t for me. I also felt like the MC was extremely immature. I know that she is a young adult, but I found some of her behavior a huge turn-off. That is a nuanced point because authors don’t owe readers likable characters and all people have flaws. However, this felt like a New Adult book rather than an Adult book to me. I could tell it was the author’s adult debut.

Overall, I found the fae world interesting and really fell for the romance and complications of the book. Honestly, I wish that the second book was coming out right away because I would love to jump right into it.

If you like Romantasy, I recommend giving this book a try. The audiobook narrator did a great job bringing the story to life!

While the world-building is intriguing and the audiobook narration by Brittany Pressley is excellent, the story’s pacing felt uneven, with key elements revealed too late to keep me fully engaged. The romance fell flat, but the overall fantasy elements were enjoyable.

In this gateway fantasy making a deal with the fae is no small matter. This is something Bristol Keats learns as she enters Faerie to find her father. As Bristol learns more and more about faerie, and her parents she realizes that her whole life may be based on a lie.
This fun read has a great world, that I hope will be further developed in the second novel of this duology.

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced reader copy!

I was excited about this book, but it was a bit of a struggle to get through. The premise of the story was promising but the execution was lacking. I feel like the reader found out aspects of the worldbuilding and such were revealed too late or not clearly defined. The characters were ok but didn’t stand out. The cliffhanger was abrupt. It was just ok.

I love the premise of this book, but after 3 weeks of having to force myself to pick it back up I have to admit this is a DNF for me. I was not engrossed in the story and found the world building more tedious than engaging. I also am not a huge fan of fae or the ‘seemingly normal girl who is actually very special’ trope so I perhaps should have avoided this one in the first place. However, the writing itself was well done and the visuals were fun!

All that being said, I think this novel will work for a lot of people! The audiobook narrator was great and there is clearly a lot of lore in this work. Bristol is a strong female character which is lovely to see and her drive to find her father is admirable. Fans of fantasy novels and fae are sure to enjoy this duology and I recommend they pick it up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

The book: For fans of ACOTAR, this is New Adult style romantasy—adult in terms of the level of spice and the length, as well as the tropes, but with a heavy influence of YA (young naive main character must go on a journey of self-discovery to save a parent, text that very explicitly explains all of the twists, sometimes more than once, to ensure that the audience understands what is happening). There is some action, a lot of betrayal, lies, intrigue, and romance. I knew this was the first in a series but I found the cliffhanger at the end so abrupt I actually checked my file to make sure I wasn’t missing a chapter.

The narrator: I think this narration style is a little polarizing, and either you love it or hate it. It’s highly expressive, with the narrator doing different voices, accents, being breathy and low or shouting when necessary. Definitely high energy and bringing a lot of interpretation to the text in a way that will keep your attention.

I'm crying, I can't believe I got an ARC of this book. Mary E. Pearson is my absolute favorite author and I have been dying for her to come out with a new books for years now. I'm not kidding when I say that I already have 6 different editions of this book preordered.

Honestly, I knew this would be 5 stars before I even read the first word, but it's such a relief to be able to report that I was right. This book was so good! Mary E. Pearson transitioned seamlessly from young adult to adult. The writing was just as lyrical and evocative as always, and I adored Bristol as a main character. She's drawn into the faerie world due to her mysterious parentage, and it was so much fun to follow her journey. I don't want to spoil anything, but the romance was just as swoon worthy as all of Mary E. Pearson's previous fantasy books, and while that cliffhanger ending was cruel, I kind of expected it after reading The Kiss of Deception. I have no idea how I'm supposed to wait for the next book, though. (Also, sorry for the gushing, but I become incoherent when I love a book this much.)

Also, Brittany Pressley did an amazing job with the narration, but that's to be expected. She's narrated some of my favorite rom-coms, so I knew I would love the way she brought the story to life, and I did.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for granting me an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.