I’m giving this 3.5 rounded down simple for that confusing ending?? Like I’m going to checkout the physical book to make sure that is really how this ends because it feels like it’s not right…

The story itself is nothing new, “human” girl finds out she has mysterious lineage and now she’s needed for a task only she can do. We get a moody Fae King (love him) and lots of court drama!

I’ve read Mary E Pearson YA before and this story did not hit the same for me. I could see she was trying to make it sound more adult and it lost some of the charm Dance of Thieves had.

Overall, I did enjoy the narrator and how everything was pieced together. I’ll probably read book 2

I was so excited when I heard Brittany Pressley as the narrator, I knew I would enjoy the book. She is a fantastic narrator and gives each person their own unique voice. The author, Mary E, Person, creates a new world of the fae taking some traditional ideas and flipping them on their heads The world is expanded, and Bristol finds out the land of the Fae is something she can’t get out of her. I enjoyed the world and the characters. I thought the book was a bit long but the constant twists kept me going. I look forward to seeing what happens next.

Bristol Keats has never stayed in one place for very long. Even when her sisters convince her nomadic parents to call Bowskeep, Bri only agrees to settle once her parents have both passed away. Having fallen on hard times after their parents' deaths, the girls struggle to make ends meet until they are given an offer they can't refuse-but offers from Faeries are more than they seem. To help support her sisters, Bristol is drawn into the troubled world of the Fae. What she doesn't know is that her parents were constantly on the run from the very people she is now trying to help save. The narrator does an excellent job delineating the characters and keeping the listener engaged. She does not give them each separate voices, which is a hit or miss for me, but I did not have trouble following whose perspective we were listening to at any point. Pearson's book is a little slow at the beginning as she begins setting up the world building and characters. Once we get into the Fae realm, the action picks up a bit as we see the story both from Bri's perspective learning the world as well as from Tyghan's who knows exactly who she is and how her family betrayed his. For readers who often yell things like "Just tell her already!" at their books, this might be a pass for you, but overall, I think the story is well worth the listen.

This was amazing, the narrator was amazing. I love the cover. A phenomenal story and fantastic world building. I can’t wait to buy the physical book when it comes out

A must read for fans of ACOTAR and Holly Black!

I enjoyed this book much more than I expected to. This has everything a romantasy reader would want - an immersive universe with mysteries to be solved, lots of whimsy & magic, and a great love story. I’m already looking forward to the second book!

Bristol is an enjoyable FMC for the most part, she quite isn’t the typical damsel in distress or badass FMC, but something all her own. She definitely irritated me with her stubbornness at some points but overall she is an enjoyable character. Tyghan gave me the slightest Tamlin vibes at first but I ended up liking him quite a bit, too. I’d love to learn more about our side characters in the second book but I don’t think it’s a detriment, I just want to know more.

The audio narration for this book is 10/10. Every character was distinguishable and their personalities were depicted wonderfully.

The book’s pacing is a little slow at first but once I got to around 25% I was very into it. This story has an abrupt ending but I assume this was to leave us wanting the second book, which worked on me honestly. I will be shocked if this book doesn’t blow up in the romantasy reader community!

*ARC REVIEW/AUDIBLE*

It took me a bit before I was fully transfixed and I’m so glad i kept with it. Pearsons new world drags you into fairies, with love, friends, betrayals and complicated family dynamics.

The audible narrator is AMAZING. All of her different voices she used for the multitude of different characters was outstanding.

This review will be only for the narration and I’ll post my book review on the separate e-book page.
This narrator was phenomenal. She truly gave a unique voice to all of the characters and fully immerses us into the story.
She absolutely deserves 5 stars for her performance and I hope to listen to more of her narrations in the future.

I had to DNF the book at 45% in but that was in no part due to the narrator but instead the story itself. I’ll write more on that on the review section for the e-book.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book was fun! Everything you want in a fantasy with some spice. I was really happy that the author had some of the basic tropes that we normally see but did bring some fresh ideas to the mix. Took off a star because the audio book was a bit confusing at times. If you weren't paying attention you might get confused on who was talking. Not only does it not tell you whos perspective it is each chapter it can change in the middle. Other than that I really loved the audio book and the narrator was great! Would absolutely recommend and I can't wait to see where the story goes from here!

I enjoyed this story and will be looking forward for the next one. I hope we get more of the sisters in the future.

The storyline about Bristol venturing into a fae realm to locate her supposedly deceased father was engaging and well-executed. As the main character enters the Fae realm, she unravels mysteries involving trolls, her father's disappearance, and complex kingdom politics. ..This book features monsters, fae, sinister villains, a charismatic king who initially opposes the female main character. The romance element was endearing, particularly as it blossomed during the latter part of the book when they are united. I appreciated the narrator's skill in switching voices effectively, which helped me follow the characters and scenes without confusion. Despite that, the ending was unique, leaving me curious about what unfolds next in the story.

This is a very immersive world. Bristol finds herself in the realm of the Fae. I loved the details found there. There is a rug in her room with living creatures that eat the crumbs she drops, I’ll take one please!

I really can’t give many details about the characters because everything is spoilery!

There is a romance and it contains several detailed bedroom scenes. There are also multiple swear words.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook. The narration was excellent.

Okay I’m really not sure where I fall with this book! It’s been over a week since I finished and I cannot make up my mind.

I think it was just okay. I didn’t feel as invested in the story as I wanted to be. The structure was a bit odd to me with the varying short chapters — felt a bit disjointed (could be an audio problem).

I didn’t love the whole bug section (trying to be vague to avoid spoilers). I just get the creeps thinking about it!

The audiobook was well done and the narrator was great! I do know others who enjoyed it so it may have just been poor timing or not for me! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!!

Mary Pearson is an absolute auto-buy author for me and I was so thrilled to receive an ARC audiobook or her newest fantasy, The Courting of Bristol Keats. The atmosphere and the dangerous magical land just had me enthralled and I cannot recommend highly enough!

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was provided with an ALC of The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson. I really liked the town of Bowskeep, and the hidden fantasy elements throughout it, as well as the references to historical poets and artists. I found that the story dragged a little, and felt that it could have been a bit shorter. Overall it was an alright listen. Thank you NetGalley for the Advanced Listeners Copy.

It’s been a minute since I’ve read a new fantasy book, where I needed to establish an entirely new world and as summer went by, the thought of using my brain to do that was kinda daunting. Enter cozy season and I am ready for it.

I’ve been seeing the beautiful sprayed edges edition of this book floating around everywhere so when it was an option from Macmillan Audio, I pounced.

I could go on and on and write a super long review on this book because i loved it so so so much, but really all you need to know is I AM OBSESSED. There is not a single thing about this book i did not enjoy.

You get leads in their twenties, world building that is vast and vivid but not overwhelming, characters that are relatable and tangible, tension that is palpable, and a romance that will make you swoon. Literally, all the things.

Bristol spent her whole life running but unsure why, but is suddenly thrust into a foreign and unknown world. Tyghan was thrust into kingship unexpectedly, while battling hundred of literal demons. They are dynamic and full of depth and i love them both so fucking much.

This book is full of secrets and betrayal and fae and gods and shifters. It's got hidden identities and enemies to lovers that try so hard not to fall for each other. Its romantic fantasy, but its also epic fantasy. Its full of magic and whimsy and its got a morally gray shadow daddy who likes to make himself invisible and sneak around with our best girl.

Bristol Keats, I love you but i do not envy you. You are in one hell of a position. I cannot wait to see what happens next in this wondrous world that @maryepearson has created for us. This books was so much fun to read.

This was such an amazing journey. I loved the interwoven worlds, the twists and turns, and the strength of the female MC Bristol. I wish we had gotten more of her sisters, but maybe we’ll see them in later books to come.

The narrator was nice to listen too, I wouldn’t necessarily rave about the narration but I also can’t complain. It was an enjoyable listen all around - if not a tad hard to follow because of how much was going on and how much world building there was. This may be a bit more digestible in print form but that’s no fault of the book, just how much we can really ingest through audio alone (at least for me).

I really liked the flipping of stories by different characters and how we had to decide who to trust with Bristol. There was some spice, but nothing overwhelming.

The miscommunication that was included was well done, sometimes miscommunication can feel unbelievable and make me think ok, really you fell for that? But that wasn’t the case in this story.

Overall, I thought this was an imaginative and enjoyable read with equal parts plot and characterization, as well as equal parts violence, adventure, and relationships/love.

The narration was fantastic! I really liked the inflection, the tone, and they very much brought life to the story.

Overall, it was a pretty good book - although it certainly does leave off on a cliffhanger! I’m interested to see what is going to happen.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced audio copy of The Courting of Bristol Keats. This lush portal fantasy had me hooked from the start! Mary E. Pearson masterfully weaves together magic, scheming fae, romance, and mythological monsters to create a truly compelling and immersive experience. The world-building is rich and detailed, and the characters felt alive, with their motivations and complexities unfolding beautifully throughout the story.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook, especially the narrator's use of distinct voices for each character, I found myself wishing I had the physical book in hand to savor the intricate details and pacing at my own speed. I set my audio speed at 2x, I could have increased the speed a little more to pace at my speed. Pearson's foray into adult fantasy did not disappoint, and I’m eager to see what she does next in this genre. This was such a fun read, and I can’t wait to revisit it in a physical format. Four stars!

I absolutely loved this well-crafted, well-paced adult Romantasy by one of my favorite YA authors!

This is the story of Bristol Keats, the grown middle daughter of recently deceased parents of questionable heritage.

After living her entire life in a gypsy-type existence moving from town to town, Bristol just wants to settle down in a nice place where she and her two sisters can live peacefully. But Bowskeep isn’t the unassuming small town that the Keats sisters believe it to be and it’s not long before the Fae inhabitants of a closely adjacent land come looking for a savior for their world. A savior they believe might be Bristol. And when Bristol finds out that her father may still be alive in this world, we are off on quite the adventure!

The Courting of Bristol Keats is full of many mysteries, royal court intrigue, past betrayals, hidden magic, slow burn romance, and familial love along with (my favorite) Found Family. Also present is He Falls First (another favorite) and Tyghan is my new favorite book boyfriend and Bree and Ty my new favorite OTP.

TCOBK ends well with many mysteries left unsolved and the original goals left uncompleted which leaves me anxiously awaiting the next installment in this new exciting series from one of my favorite authors!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for my advanced listening audiobook. I can highly recommend the audiobook as well due to the fact that one of my favorite narrators, Brittany Pressley, gives an excellent performance!

Fae men? Yes please ! I’m a sucker for a good fantasy book with amazing fae men and this is one of them! Loved the fantasy elements that it had and the mentioning of other fantasy creatures. I was obsessed with the romance in this book as well.