Unlike many fantasy novels, this one immediately had me captivated from the beginning. The world building wasn’t treacherous like some novels that I’ve read in the past. Rather, the world building captured my attention and had me eating up every word as quickly as I could. I loved the quirky characters, the humor, the character building, and the romance. Bristol was a character that was easy to love. The book left me with more questions at the end, so I can’t wait to read part two of Bristol’s story, Tyghan’s story, and how the two will continue to intersect.

I really wanted to love this book but I could just not get into it. There were some great aspects to it and I do love the writing style. However, I felt like this dragged a lot. I don’t think it needed to be so long and I felt like the plot was everywhere. I wanted more world building and better structure. I would consider continuing this series.

Thank you NetGalley and Flatiron books for this early copy for a honest review.

I couldn’t bring myself to finish this book. I hadn’t read any Pearson before but heard good things and am always willing to try new things. This was such a disappointing read and I could not get over the weird age gap, no matter how much she tried to cover it up with inexplicable time magic. I’m sure this book will bring joy to others, but not me.

I liked "The Courting of Bristol Keats" more than I expected. Bristol is a 22 year old human, or so she thinks, who ends up in faerieland as a way to provide for her sisters and to search for the father whom she thought had died. I liked the romance aspect of the book, as Bristol and acting king Tyghan build up towards...something. The fantasy aspect of the book, however, is a bit messy. I still don't fully understand the backstory of the villain(s), and the magic system is not well-explained. I would have liked more in this area and less in the romance area. I also think the book was a bit long overall, especially to still feel unclear when the book was done. I did think the ending was interesting - not quite a cliffhanger but also not a complete ending. I did like Pearson's writing style and am hopeful that the next book in the series will address some of the lingering questions coming out of this one. I do plan on reading it once it is released.

3 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. These opinions are my own.

I really wanted to love this one, but ultimately it wasn't for me. The Courting of Bristol Keats has a solid foundation in its worldbuilding and premise, but it struggles with character depth, pacing, and the romance.

The positives:
- I really enjoyed the fae worldbuilding and politics, I loved getting to know this world and their current political climate
- The book's premise/tropes are great: human entering a fae world, mysterious family ties, bargains
- Tyghan had me wrapped around his finger for the first 3/4 of the book
- I enjoyed the short spice scenes. Spice lovers would probably find these scenes lacking, though

The negatives:
- This book is almost 600 pages. Some chapters I struggled to get through, others I completely ate up. The first 1/4 of the book grabbed my attention, the 2nd and 3rd quarters dragged by, and the last quarter I sprinted through. Honestly, I considered DNF because it was dragging so slow for me halfway through.
- The characters are underdeveloped, and I kept mixing up non-main characters
- The romance started off great, but then took an insta-love turn. That's not my preferred romance trope, but if it's yours, you would like it more than I did!
- I got lost a little at some of the magical system worldbuilding. There were a large variety of creatures without explaining much about them
- The tone felt a little inconsistent at times- sometimes it felt YA, other times Adult

While I was entertained and would love to find out what Bristol is, I don't think I will read the next book.

Thanks to NetGalley, Flatiron Books, and the author Mary E. Pearson for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This one took me a second to get into, but I'm really glad I stuck with it! I really enjoyed the world and the characters, and I'm looking forward to the sequel!

If you want to read a book that will rip your heart out with an ending like that then this is the book for you. I thought the book was okay. Some of the problems could have been fixed within a chapter or two but of course for the sake of the story it was held on too. The other thing I thought was weird was how she fell in love with her brothers best friend.

I don't know what I was expecting this to give, but it was not really what I wanted it to be. It reads like romantasy that wants really badly to be fantasy romance if that makes any sense. The plot took a while to be unique in any way, but once it did I felt like the bones were strong and I'm really interested in Bristol's mother. I don't have a ton to say other than I feel like this book is objectively entertaining, but it has a lot of my fantasy pet peeves which limited my enjoyment.

I am absolutely distraught that I didn’t like this book. I’ve always been a fan of Pearsons work but this book was so awful I can’t even defend it. The characters were plain and devoid of life and were pretty unmemorable, the romance was even worse. It felt barely thought though and there wasn’t enough on page action for me to actually feel the characters connection. The world, like the characters, was plain and boring, there was really nothing about it that set it apart from other books magical faelands. To this day I still don’t know what the plot was. The book dragged on and on without much action or plot and a lot of the interactions and events felt so pointless. This book felt like a first draft, with just the general ideas of how she author wanted to book to go. It had so much potential but I was massively let down.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

This book was a little challenging to get through. I thought the descriptions of the characters were confusing the povs were also very confusing. We have random one paragraph points of view from animals like a horse like??? Also, the way the point of view changes in the middle of someone else’s pov was so confusing and it felt like it took me out of the book. Overall, I do like the premise of the book I just think it wasn’t executed that well. The mmc and fmc I didn’t see or feel their connection it randomly went to them loving each other when they had minor interactions. I also felt focused on some stuff then skipped over other parts like “me and the king talked every night for 2 weeks” but didn’t give us snippets of the conversations to endear us to the characters and their developing relationship which, like I stated, made it feel like it came out of nowhere. The book didn’t pick up till the 50% mark and that is when I started not dreading reading it and around 70% when I started enjoying it. I think I would read the second book just because I’m curious where it goes, but when it comes out and I have another 50 books on my tbr it will be placed last.

Mary E Pearson is one of my favorite authors, so I was so so excited to learn that she was making an ADULT fantasy romance (as I don’t read YA anymore). And this book ate down. Don’t listen to all the other haters that DIDNT do their research prior to starting this book, and got upset that it was more sexual and had sexual content on page.

A lovely (if slightly uneven) romantasy that's like drinking a cup of hot chocolate on a snowy day. Leans into many tropes of the genre, which on the one hand I enjoyed — I read romantasy because I enjoy said tropes! — but, as with other reviewers, there were moments I wished Pearson had put a little bit more of a new spin on it. That said, the writing is beautiful, and I'm really excited to bump up Dance of Thieves to the top of my TBR :)

Right away, this read lures readers into a story filled with fae, deception, hidden doors, and magic, and it will sweep you off your feet into a journey that will have you on the edge of your seat.

After the tragic passing of her parents, Bristol receives word from a mysterious aunt claiming to know her father. Intrigued and desperate to help her sisters, she goes to meet this relative and finds herself entangled in a much larger web of mysteries, lies, and truths than she ever expected.

This story was a very layered, complex narrative following multiple points of view with different perspectives, engaging readers to sink themselves deeper into the pages of this book. The spanning plot with its intricacies and meticulous thoughtfulness, completely blew me away. I loved how storylines tied together while others took off in unexpected ways. The romance was a complete slow burn (*swoons*) but grew to be another multi-dimensional part of the story.

I can't wait to see what’s going to happen next!

3.5/5

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I'm not an avid fantasy reader but this book kept my attention. I loved learning about the fae realm and I like the main character Bristol Keats. I will leave a more detailed review when I read the second book coming out in this duology.

I REALLY wanted to fall head over heels for this. For those of you who know Pearson's writing- she is so good! I loved her Dance with Thieves duology and was expecting something as fast paced and swooney. However, this book with the most random povs (still some a mystery) and uncertainty around the plot made this book hard to digest. I think we got a really good foundation for book two where I am hoping most of my world building questions will be answered. The characters overall were somewhat believable- it felt very much like The Cruel Prince in that it was set in modern times.

If you aren't knit picky like me, you will likely enjoy this!

Contains multiple open door scenes and language.

Thank you to netgallley for an advanced copy of this book.

Review will be shared on Instagram at @readingkelsey by 11/24/2024

There has not been a Mary E. Pearson book that I have not enjoyed! This one definitely did not disappoint and I am excited to see what she comes out with next!

I loved this book. I can't wait for the next one to come out. This has great world building along with wonderful characters. I can't wait to see what happens next with Bristol and Tyghan. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who enjoys reading books with fae and magic, that also has a good mystery with it.

I had a good time with this. There were several hooks in the beginning that kept me turning the page, and there are several things set up for book two that will have me running back to turn some more.

I enjoyed the magic and the romance. I wish some of Bristol’s friendships with the other recruits had been developed a little more. They all felt a little interchangeable.

It also didn’t seem to have a strong story arc of its own — it kept building and building until the last page. I suspect it was one book that got split into two, and where they decided to split it was slightly odd.

But I’m very much looking forward to continuing on!

Thanks to Flatiron for providing an advanced digital copy through NetGalley for me to review!

A heartfelt thank you to Flatiron Books and the author for the gifted of the e-book! Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted audiobook.

I listened to the audio as I read the book and was thoroughly captivated by the audio version of this book! The writing was engaging, pulling me in from the very first page to the last. The characters were complex, each with their own rich backstory that intertwined beautifully with others. The ending was a pleasant surprise—not exactly a cliffhanger, but an unexpected twist that left me pondering long after finishing.

The narrator truly elevated the experience, skillfully bringing each character to life with unique voices that added depth to the story. If you love a blend of fantasy, romance, and intrigue, this book is one you simply cannot miss.

I am eagerly looking forward to Bristol’s next adventure in book 2! This book is available now.

Romantasy • Fae • Fantasy Series
Pub Date • 12 November 2024

🗝️ Thank you to @macmillan.audio and @flatiron_books for the free digital book and ALC. 🎧

As a testament of sorts, I did finish ahead of my buddy read schedule. Enjoyable but I left this book wanting more.

Bristol Keats is a 22 year old human who, following the suspicious deaths her parents, ends up entering a bargain with some fae and lands herself in their world, Elfame.

There’s a lot going on in this book. There are Bristol’s two sisters, her aunt, the townsfolk and mayor, the different fae clans and villains, the inner circle of the king, the knights, and healers who are all named and given speaking roles. Then the “recruits” who are vying to be selected for a special fae task. Can’t forget the King and love interest Tyghan, not to mention Bristol’s maybe not-dead father... All this to say there are a lot of characters and events happening - and in the end, the side plots did not add much, other than padding a lengthy book.

The ending also knocked this down a peg for me because it ends literally in the middle of a sex scene with no plot lines resolved. In an almost 600 page book I expect to have some resolution.

🎧 Regarding the audiobook, Brittany Pressley did a great job managing multiple POVs and brought each character a unique voice. This made tracking the many characters more enjoyable. She kept me invested through the slower middle section. The bonus interview with the author and narrator at the end was the cherry on top.