I really really really wanted to love this one. I love Mary E. Pearson’s other books and was so pumped that she was writing an adult book. However, this book fell so short. The first half reads like YA (not in a good way). The MC is older but that’s really the only thing that made it adult. The coming of age / finding yourself storyline along with the almost magical school / quest were right out of a YA playbook. Then the second half was filled with steam in a way that kind of came out of nowhere.

I would read the sequel but this book was disappointing by comparison to the author’s other books.

One last note, I did enjoy the narration. The audiobook was well done and I liked the different voices uses. But, one issue I had was with the writing. There are numerous unnamed POVs which was confusing to listen to. Not the narrator’s fault, just made the audiobook more challenging. I will likely physically read the next book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am so incredibly disappointed. Frankly, I'm also in disbelief. I cannot believe Mary E. Pearson wrote this.

Absolutely nothing makes sense and by the time things start to maybe make sense, they don't matter anymore. Allegedly a slow-burn when in actuality it's insta-love filled with petty drama. Bristol is incredibly unlikeable as a main character, Tyghan is even worse, and none of the supporting characters matter enough to me to even remember their names or stories. And the writing is awful--straight out of 2010 YA in the worst possible way. It's taken me months to read because every page was struggle.

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

I am a huge fan of Pearson’s previous YA books so I was very excited for the chance to read this one a little bit early. Unfortunately it just didn’t get my attention the way her other works have. I wanted to sink into it and get lost in a new world but I ended up kind of bored and dreading going back to it. The world building was a bit confusing and the pacing was too slow for me. The only thing that really caught my attention were the characters and I wish I could have better understood what was happening around them.

Rating: Not for me
Romantic content: Open door

I really enjoyed the world-building, characters, and plot, but there was just something missing that kept this from being unputdownable - I could easily stop and walk away from it at any point, although I did end up finishing it. I'll read the sequel to better understand the characters and where their stories go, but I'm not screaming waiting for it to come out.

“𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐮𝐬. 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐮𝐬.”

This one was SO difficult for me to get into. I don't know what it was but something about the very beginning of this book really felt off-putting and it took me so long to finally push through to actually be interested. As soon as we started really getting into the story, I was absolutely invested.

I thought the premise of this book was really good! However, I think a LOT of this story got pretty muddled around the 50% mark. I absolutely felt like I was being gaslit because I was having a hard time figuring out what was happening and figuring out who all the characters were and the book seemed to kind of just expect you to know who these people were/what was happening. That being said, I wanted to keep going to figure out how things were going to work out (especially because despite my issues with the storyline, I really really like the MMC).

Ultimately, I did end up enjoying this for the most part! My only two issues were the rough start and the muddled storyline that is very evident in parts of the book.The cliffhanger was... something... so I guess I'll just have to read the duology as soon as I can.

Thank you to Netgalley, Mary E. Pearson, and Flatiron Books for the advanced copy of The Courting of Bristol Keats. All thoughts and opinions here are my own.

"It's much harder to kill something once you know its name."

After losing both her parents in a short amount of time, Bristol Keats is just barely holding it together. Trying to take care of two sisters with no money in a dilapidated house, she's desperate enough to answer a letter from a "long-lost aunt" who can provide Bristol with resources she needs. The meeting is a sort of trap, and she's whisked away to the fairyworld of Elphane, where she's to train with new recruits to battle an evil that threatens their world. While there she learns that what she knew about her family - and herself - may not be the whole truth, and she has a power she knew nothing about.

This was my first Mary E. Pearson book and there were a lot of things to like. While the premise wasn't unique (allegedly mortal girl must go to save the magical kingdom!), the world building was solid and the (main) characters were memorable enough. The way they addressed how and why Bristol was non-magical was very unique and I thought creative on the author's part. The family dynamics and the "most people/fae are morally gray, not necessarily evil" is always an interesting dynamic. I personally would love to see more of little sister Harper, but I'm a sucker for a bookworm.

Where didn't the book work: I didn't realize this was the first of a series, and for an over 500 page book I felt like everything happened and nothing happened. This feeling was confirmed when I got to the end of this book and it ended in a way that made me go "I'm sorry, what?!?!" I just felt like the book went flat, and it didn't entice me to read the sequel. It was just a very odd way to end the start of a series, and I'll have to find a published copy of the book to see if it ended the same way. The timeline also didn't make a lot of sense - they only had three months, and it felt like far too much happened to still have a lot of that time left. I understand fairy time works differently, but it was still odd. Speaking of fairy time, some of Bristol's relationships are a little.....icky......if you think about them too hard.

Thank you to NetGalley and FlatIron Books for the ARC.

The Courting of Bristol Keats is about a young woman who makes a deal with a Fae prince to find her missing dad. While the book isn't terrible, I struggled to finish it and even write this review. I found the romance a little hard to believe and the characters underdeveloped.

I was excited for this one because it seemed like a romantasy I could get behind, however the beginning is really slow and the brooding is really a lot and I just didn't love that, two big things that I really dont love in a romantasy book.

This book felt a bit too long for what it accomplished. While I did enjoy it, it didn’t fully captivate me or sweep me off my feet like I had hoped. That said, I’m still intrigued enough to continue with book two—I want to see how everything plays out! Nora Roberts' storytelling is always solid, even if this one didn’t completely grab me.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

The World building is excellent as is the character building, I think that this feels like a good start to a more in-depth series.
This is full of some real life hardships that make the characters relatable and feel more real to the reader, but then dipped in mystery and magic.

This starts off feeling more like a historical fiction that then turns in to a fantasy novel once their long lost aunt appears.

This is full of twists and secrets, and a good ol fashion enemies to lovers plot.

This is good for the fantasy reader who doesnt want a lot of spice or the romance to be the main plot line. However if the miscommunication trope isnt one that you particularly enjoy then this may not be your cup of tea.

I liked this, but I wish I had liked it more. However with that being said there is a lot of good set up to continue the story and my mind may change.

Thank you NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the digital ARC
#TheCourtingOfBristonKeats #NetGalley

I was definitely a little confused at first, but am so glad I stuck with it! If you are a fan of court intrigue, enemies to lovers, fae lore, and portal fantasies, this is the book for you.

If you enjoyed the Folk of the Air series, I highly recommend giving this a read. Its still a unique tale of its own.

Bristol is a young woman who grew up learning not to get too attached to people or places. Her parents moved Bristol and her two sisters frequently. Her mother's death, followed by her father's death in a tragic accident leaves Bristol and her family grieving and struggling to make ends meet. Bristol shoulders a great deal of responsibility. When some unexpected bills hit, and a letter from a mysterious "aunt" shows up asking to meet, Bristol is wise enough to know not to trust anyone. But her sisters' well being means everything to Bristol. Enough to make a bargain.

This pacing was perfect. I found myself actually invested in what happened to the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Flatiron Books for a digital arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this.! One of the best romantasys I’m read in a while. It was very well developed and paced. I was never bored. Didn’t realize it was a series but I’m excited to continue on in the future. The romance was not too over powering and didn’t feel too trope heavy: I highly recommend!

An enjoyable and fresh take on Fae in the romantasy genre. Interesting world building though it was a bit slow moving in parts.

When your comp titles are are The Cruel Prince & ACOTAR, of course I have high expectations for the first in this new adult duology. This lived up to <i>most</i> of them. I need the next one ASAP.

4.5 ⭐

Mary E Pearson's writing is so fluid and enjoyable to read. The Courting of Bristol Keats is the first in a duology filled with magic, fae, danger and mystery. Bristol, our FMC, lives in a tiny town with her sisters after the loss of her parents. Struggling to survive, she receives another message from an estranged aunt to meet with her. Out of desperation she goes to meet only to help secure money for her sisters.

Bristol being an intelligent main character made her shine to me. Despite being new to the world, she seemed realistic and quick to catch onto the scheming of the fae. She really shone in her interactions with Tyghan. I love how their relationship started as enemies to his intrigue getting the better of him to start to want her. I wish this was a bit more slow burn, but the spice was a good addition.

Points only taken off because of the ending. It felt too abrupt. I'm hoping the next one picks up directly where the first left off.

📙 Betrayals and secrets
📙 Reluctant allies
📙 Enemies to lovers
📙 He falls first and falls harder
📙 Forbidden love
📙 Hidden powers
📙 Court intrigue/politics

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for an eARC & ALC of The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E Pearson in exchange for my honest review!

tl;dr
Court politics, fae intrigue, magical school, and parents with secrets all converge, with a romance that moves way faster than the rest of the plot.

Thoughts
I'm going to have to split this into two parts, because the plot and the romance both did entirely different things for me.

We'll start with the main plot, which feels a bit like a magical potpourri of ideas. There's fae court intrigue and all sorts of political machinations. There might be a war on the horizon! There's a missing parent with a dark past. And also, there's a magical school that Bristol only sometimes attends. It's a lot to fit together, but it does seem to work for the most part. The school section gets the short end of this, with Bristol's fellow classmates painted as interesting, but largely non-present in the rest of the threads. The separate threads weave together by the end of the book into a fairly focused storyline. There are enough original takes in here that the story feels fresh, without straying too far from what makes faerie court intrigue as popular as it is. Some of the reveals in the second half especially look like they'll be setting up some cool things in the next book.

The romance is where I find myself struggling. I like a good enemies-to-lovers, and the story certainly opens up as if we're going to get there with some nice slow burn. But they say time passes differently in the faerie world, and time must also pass differently in this book, because these characters fell in love WAY faster than I expected. There was some bickering, and then suddenly there wasn't, like a switch had been flipped. It's not quite instalove, but it certainly comes close. If you enjoy sudden and searing passion in your romances, this will probably land well with you. But for fellow fans of a relationship that has to marinate a little longer, you may feel a bit of whiplash at how quickly the first declaration of love appears.

Bristol Keats was a slump breaker for me. Fast paced, unique and fun -- I loved this book so much. I highly recommend to fans of fantasy romance who are looking for a fresh new world.

Enjoyed this book and think it was very atmospheric in its fantasy world building. I am a sucker for mystical stories that intertwine monsters, curses, and other fantastical elements, so this was an interesting debut read. And can we talk about the sprayed edges!

A cozy romantasy that follows a girl who ends up in the fae realm with a binding promise to a fae king, now she'll have to find a way to survive and protect her sisters while solving the mystery of her father's death and her growing feelings for a particularly grumpy fae king. This is the first book in a duology and I adored the slowburn romance between Bristol and the MMC. The story has a cozy vibe that just makes it a nice easy read. The story is a long one but I found myself enjoying every chapter and I can't wait to see what awaits these characters in the next book!

Loved the characters and the extremely complex intertwined relationships. There are so many things I’m excited to learn in the second book! When do we get that?

This is another twist on Fae and the land of Faeries. Three sisters learn that what they thought was true of their parents may not have been when magic comes knocking. The middle sister, Bristol, is who takes charge to find the answers they need. She gets more than she bargained for.

This is an adult book, so there is language and open door bedroom scenes. I thought the world building was great, characters were complex and likable, and details were unique. The whole thing is very unique take on fae in the present day.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Bristol receives letters from her aunt and finds out that her father might still be alive. She is desperate to save her father.

I wanted to like this book. I found it to be very slow. It took me a very long time to get through this book. I think the book was too long. I did however like the ending so I’m glad I didn’t give up on the book.

Thank you NetGalley, Mary and Flatiron Books for the ARC!