Bristol Keats is the middle of three sisters. They lost both of their parents and are just trying to get by. Suspiciously, they have a rich ‘aunt’ that has been trying to contact them and could solve their financial problems if only Bristol meets with her. Once their worlds collide, Bristol discovers the fae realm and that their lives, and their parents, are not as normal as they were led to believe.

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The world building leans on the assumption that readers have read books similar to this. (ACOTAR x The Cruel Prince vibes). Though the descriptions of the monsters are intriguing, the world and the characters are a bit bland. The magic system did not really make sense either. I’m not sure if this is because the MC is still figuring out the world so we are too or if it’s because this is the first book in the series and we will find more out later on.

It was also hard to figure out what time period this was supposed to be set in. The current time period is pretty clear that it’s the early 2000’s-2010’s but the title suggests it would be set in the 1800’s. I can be convinced that at least the fae realm is set in the 19th century but the way they speak and act does not reflect that. Also, there was no courting. At least not from the MMC. So overall, the title felt misleading.

I thought the sibling interactions felt genuine, however, after the first few chapters, her sisters basically become irrelevant which was disappointing. The focus shifts to her new friends in the fae realm and though that was fun to watch, I wanted more of their worlds colliding rather than shifting. <spoiler>I also did not understand why Bristol became enrolled in school? That took up a lot of the book and left little room for any action.</spoiler>

I liked the mystery aspect of it— the story behind her parents and why she’s in the predicament she’s in but the ending was weird. It wasn’t a cliffhanger per se; it just sort of ended? So I’m not sure what to expect from the next book.

As far as the romance, I wasn’t convinced. I just felt no sparks between them and the spice felt out of place. Even with the dual POV, I didn’t see when or how they would have fallen in love. <spoiler>I was not happy to find out that Tyghan ‘loved her from the moment they met’. And though it was pretty evident that her father and Tyghan were best friends, I was hoping this was not going to be true especially when they started having relations. Tyghan also BOASTS about having sex with his daughter which gave me a major ick.</spoiler>

For a 500 page book, though it was a quick, easy read, nothing happened. There is one memorable action scene about 60% in, but otherwise, it just felt like a really drawn out introduction to Bristol’s new life.

I think this has a lot of potential but it was trying to hit too many topics that it lost its main focus. I’m not itching to reach for the next book, but it was still a fun time. I can see how this would satisfy a lot of romantasy readers and could be a good series overall.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

I received an ARC of the audiobook through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Narrator 5 ⭐️: Brittany Pressley did a fantastic job narrating and made for an easy listen. She did really well with voice changes and it was easy to follow which character she was voicing.

Overall I would give the book a 3.5 ⭐️. It had great potential with good characters and a good plot. I found myself going back and forth thinking this would be a 5 star read but then other parts I found would drag on a bit. I’m still unsure how I feel about the ending as it was kind of abrupt.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If I had to describe The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E Pearson, I would say it’s like a grown up version of Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince minus the bullying, but with all the court intrigue, and examination of love, loss, and family.

I’m not going to lie, I requested this ARC, yes because the story sounded intriguing, but mostly because Brittany Pressley narrated the audiobook. I will listen to anything that woman narrates, and this did not let me down. Pressley flawlessly created believable and recognizably different voices for each character, and made this sixteen and a half hour audiobook a treat to listen to.

I feel like it’s been a long time since I’ve read an adult fantasy where the protagonist discovers there’s a magic world beyond the world we all know, and honestly, it’s a story I usually enjoy. I like learning about the world as our main character does- it makes what would usually be annoying exposition a little more bearable. And the world we learn about in this novel is a rich, well-built world with every scene brimming with an evocative atmosphere.

It was also nice to explore this world through the eyes of Bristol Keats. She was an engaging and relatable protagonist, whose journey from emotional isolation to finding love and acceptance feels authentic and heartfelt. Her quest to find herself and self-worth is well balanced with her search for her father, and I felt sympathetic for her even when she made rash choices.

As I mentioned previously, the book is long. I am hesitant to criticize any of the plot points, scenes, or characters I believe could have been cut because this book is clearly the first in a series, so I am unsure of what will be important later. But while there were a few moments where I thought, “Why do we care about this?”, the pacing balanced moments of introspection with the unfolding romance pretty well.

In summary, The Courting of Bristol Keats is a captivating and heartfelt novel that will appeal to readers who enjoy fantasy, and will not get lost in world building and an abundance of characters.

I received the ARC audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This one was fun. I loved Dance of Thieves, so I figured I’d enjoy this one as well. The writing was easy to listen to and enjoyable; the narrator did a great job with the different inflections and characters. The characters had a lot of different motivators and had me screaming in frustration at points because I just wanted them to see each others’ point of view. Lies, deceit, and treachery are prevalent in this book, you never know who to trust.

My only complaint is the ending. I literally said “You’re joking, that’s not the end” when I finished the audiobook. It’s not a cliffhanger per se, but it isn’t what I expected.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I have to stop getting series ARCs unless it’s a series I’m already invested in 😂

A huge thank you to Flatiron Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for sending me an E-ARC and audiobook of A Courting Of Bristol Keats in exchange for review

4.5 stars

I’m MAD and the reason is that how am I supposed to wait for book 2 in this series when the first one isn’t even released yet?

This gave me the same feeling I got when I read ACOTAR but honestly I liked it more. Mainly because I’m left with so much mystery, it was so interesting. And Bristol was so relatable. Generally in a fantasy book world I’m not a fan of things being modern/urban but the glimpse we get of that is so brief and really funny. Oh this girl? Yeah…. She delivers pizzas… but she can totally solve all the problems magical Fae can’t even figure out. It wasn’t exactly enemies to lovers but close enough for me to love it (fav trope).

There’s just so many secrets and bamboozling that occur I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. It was incredibly fast paced for how long of a book it is and I appreciate there was no lull.

And let me just say, the narrator for this (Brittany Pressley) ATE. Oh my god.
She did voices, she did accents(good and believable ones), this woman is engaging and kept me focused even with my ADHD brain.

We have a large cast of characters and they were all fantastic. I seriously don’t know how I am going to wait for more. Thank you SO much for both of these versions! I will be pushing this book on everyone I know upon release. ♥️

Imagine the cruel prince series aspect of a mortal girl in the fae lands, but with gods and monsters, plus on a mission to find her father with more magic and twists. The ending is kind of brutal for the readers 😭

➤Plot

We follow our main character, Bristol Keats, on one of her daily routines of trying to just get enough to get by for her family. Her parents have both passed away and making enough money falls upon Bristol and her older sister. However, things don't go as planned and the money she was suppose to get today to pay the bills - fall flat and no longer an options for her. For a while now her family has been getting letters from someone who claims to be their aunt, an aunt her parents never talked about, asking to meet with her and give her expensive art. Being down on her luck and wanting to just make sure her family is safe, she finally gives in and goes to see this aunt. Only to discover that life was never what she expected it to be and she is taken to a world of fae.

The strongest part of this book is definitely the fae world and the complicated rules in it. Pearson does a great job with the fae politics where it's easy to understand to understand how any situation is a double edged sword if not played right. Although there was many times where I was confused and wasn't sure what was going on in the story (perhaps if I had a physical copy I would understand better), the politics was never a place where I couldn't keep up. It was my favorite part of the book and learning about the fae world.

➤Characters

For the most part you will be following two characters: Bristol Keats, the mortal who has adventured into the fae world to try to find her father and make sure her family has enough money back home.

And Tyghan, the fae leader. A broody man who doesn't trust many people, putting the role as king before the role as Tyghan.

It's not surprised that this is enemies to lovers. Honestly, I really liked the beginning of their relationship where they were so hot and cold with each other. I was excited for a slow burn! But... Sadly it is not a slow burn. Truthfully when they do fall for each other, I was on the side-lines like "uh... why? I thought we were still hating each other." lol, I really thought the slow-burn was going to go on longer.

So if you wanted a slow burn enemies to lovers, maybe not this one. But then again, I may like the extra crispy slow-burn that takes ages, so it may still be for you!

➤Enjoyment

I sadly can't say I enjoyed it as much as I would of liked to. I thought the world building the brilliant! I could get lost in the fae world if I could and try to learn everything about it. However, this is a romance book too and the majority focuses on the romance of Bristol and Tyghan, which sadly I couldn't get behind on. Wasn't my cup of tea!

Also I don't think the book should of ended where it did. I finished this book in bed and I was like "alright, one more chapter for the book to wrap up!", so imagine my surprise when there was NOTHING after and I was like "huh, what happened to the ending?"

When you read, you will know.

I will not be continuing the series because I know when a romance isn't for me but respect to everyone else who enjoys it! I hope plenty of people pick this book up and it becomes their obsession for a while!

This book was…not good. It’s being marketed as an adult fantasy, I guess because there are a couple sex scenes, but truly this reads like the first or second draft of a very young YA book.

The premise of the story could have been cool, but the execution was poorly done.

There are tons of characters, introduced constantly throughout the book, and it’s impossible to tell them apart because everyone has the exact same personality.

The dialogue was awkward at best, and the romance was a very boring insta-love.

There are plot holes galore. Things happen with seemingly no rhyme or reason. The information you are given is not consistent throughout.

For example, there is a comment that says in Faerie, time is not the same as in the mortal world. Six months in Faerie was compared to 23 years in the mortal world. So tell me why, when she makes contact with her sisters back in the mortal world after being gone for a week in Faerie, they act like she’s only been gone for a few days instead of what supposedly should be seven years?

You’re not really brought along for any of the action of the book, things happen within a paragraph, and you are looking at it from the outside in. You’re not experiencing anything, the author just tells you outright what happens.

If I had received the e-book arc instead of the audiobook, it would’ve been a DNF..

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this audiobook!

This was my first experience with an audiobook. The Courting of Bristol Keats was a complex, emotional story of a young woman trying to figure out her mysterious parent’s history and herself; while also actively searching for her father in a new land.

If you’re interested in faeries and their lore, this is the book for you. It has it all. All types of faeries, the superstitions, the rules, the magic. Everything you could possibly want.

The narrator was insanely talented and did an amazing job with her accents and voice changes to help you better tell the MANY characters apart. A true feat.

The story was good as well. It lost me a few times but I think I would have kept up better if I had the actual book, that way I could’ve gone back to reference things or see what I had missed. The story took you on a wild ride: from a small town with a strange cast of characters and her sisters, to faerie with its strange creatures and rules. I found myself tensing with Bristol as she encountered innumerable dangers and details about her parents. The love story was good as well, but sort of strange to me. They seemed to go from hate and cold to in like then love pretty quickly. But it did work for the story. Overall I do recommend this book, the story was new and interesting and the narrator pulls it all together seamlessly.

This is essentially a story about a girl named Bristol Kets who travels to a distant land in search of her father who she presumed was dead. In this land she learns she’s not just a regular girl and her father is not just some regular man. There’s a sexy, but annoying, king a war, and tons of mythical creatures.

I’ve only ever heard good things about Mary E. Pearson’s books so when I heard his was her fist adult book, I was intrigued, but for a majority of the book, it didn’t feel adult. The writing felt very juvenile. The only thing adult about it were the spicy scenes.
Going into this, I expected it to be an epic romantasy adventure. It feels more like a Harry Potter story than a rescue story. Bristol goes into this world determined to find her father ASAP and bring him back to her sisters, but she takes her sweet time finding her father. The story is in the same setting for over half the book. It doesn’t feel like she’s in a rush to save her father. She spends most of her nights dancing and falling in love with a king. In the end, she doesn’t even technically find her father. Her father finds her.

Another problem I had with the story was the romance itself. There is no question that there was chemistry between the kind and Bristol, but their love basically happened out of nowhere. Their development was nonexistent. I know why they start to fall in love, but its more told instead of shown. So, the reader doesn’t get to feel the romance blossoming. It kind of just happens. A scene about their love that I thought was just ridiculous was when her friends ask her if she’s in love with the king she has absolutely no idea. She’s very clearly conflicted and doesn’t know if she does or not, but literally the very next chapter he asks her if she loves him and without hesitation, she says that she does????? What happened to the conflict a literal chapter before. There was just no development there. I would get it if he was near death and she suddenly realizes she can’t live without him, but that doesn’t happen at all.

I have one last complaint and then I’ll say the things I like about the book. The ending. The ending was so random and abrupt that when I flipped to the next page, I was kept going back and forth to make sure I was at the ending. I knew that this was going to be a series, but I thought maybe it would end on a cliff hanger or a clear resolution for that part of the story. The ending felt lazy. It was as if she didn’t know how to end it so she just gave us what we got.

Even though I clearly had a lot of complaints about this story, I did rate it 3 stars. 3 stars is a good rating in my book. There were some aspects of the story that I did enjoy. Even though I thought Pearson’s writing was juvenile, that doesn’t mean I thought it was bad. The prose was quite good. It was easy to understand, and the imagery was beautiful. I love the character of Tyghan. The king was sexy and sweet and funny and everything a girl would ever dream of, and his romance with Bristol was quite sweet. Closer to the end of the book there were several moments when I was swooning. There was also a plot twist like 80% into the book that had me screaming. It was nothing I could’ve expected. It brought the story to another level. I was also lucky enough to receive an audio copy of the book, and genuinely, without the audio I don’t think I would have enjoyed the story as much as I did. The narrator was truly impeccable. The voices and tones she created brought the story to life.

3.5 ⭐️ A generous round up, in hopes that the second book will be a lot stronger but a solid adult fantasy novel that had me hooked by the end. I didn’t really get into this book until 50% into the audiobook and for a 15+ hour audio (560 page book), it was a long time of boring(ish) world building and mediocre backstory that I am still a little confused by… but once I got into it I sped through the ending, until it just ended… like in the middle of a chapter. No big cliff hanger or story development it just ends. So that was a little disappointing but I am throughly invested in the story and can’t wait to read a book two.

This story is about Bristol Keats, one of 3 daughters born in the mortal world and she makes a bargain with the a fae King and magical world (see I can’t even recall what it’s called) to help find and close a portal to help their realm in exchange for help locating her father who she presumes is still alive even though evidence in the mortal realm point to his death in a car accident. Of course there is a brooding King who dislikes Bristol at first and she him, but we know what happens in romantasy. This is akin to reluctant allies (not quiet enemies to lovers but close). This is a semi-open door, think 0.5 chili peppers out of 5, so don’t expect ACOTAR spice. It has magic, faeries, all sorts of creatures, lore and the threat of another King trying to take over. It was an okay start to a story I know I want to finish.

The audio was great, I loved the dialects, voices and tension Brittany Pressley brought to the story and I think I will definitely keep up with this series via audio as I don’t think the story alone would hold my attention.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book is set to publish November 12, 2024.

thank you to macmillan audio & netgalley for this audiobook arc!!

i was excited to start this bc mary e pearson’s remnant chronicles & dance of thieves duo are some of my fav books so i was highly anticipating her 1st adult fantasy book !!

i was left feeling a bit disappointed though ..

i think when fantasy books involve the real world & then “portals” to go to a fantasy world it’s super hard to do correctly .. fantasy books seem to have such different characters & writing styles that incorporating that w/ the real world can come off a bit cringey & unfortunately that’s what i felt in this one

i would say the beginning was hard to get into & the end made me sooo angry but the majority/middle of the book was definitely enjoyable!! i liked getting to see bristol grow as a character & i loved her other trainees she met throughout .. that was probably my favorite part of the book

now the ending …. it had me so annoyed it was actually unenjoyable .. to keep it spoiler free i will say bristol has every right to be very angry at something that happens & the way the majority of the side character reacted to her had me FUMING… & to go off of that i also did not like the romance aspect of this book .. tyghan was very unlikeable to me & by the end of this he gave me a tamlin (acotar) & dain (fourth wing) vibe more than anything .. & then the final scene … why???

i will say i’m not sure if listening to this on audio instead of physically reading changed the experience .. maybe i didn’t love the characters as much because the same person was narrating the whole time so i felt more disconnected? i’m not sure & i’m definitely curious to see how other ppl who physically read it respond!!

overall i’d say it def had moments i enjoyed & also had moments i could’ve done without !! A 3💫 for sure!

I really enjoyed this book! I thought the plot was interesting and it’s different to have part of the mystery be about the parents of the main character which I enjoyed. I also LOVED that it wasn’t an 18 year old and a 500 year old Fae but a 22 year old and a “26” year old Fae. Refreshing. I do wish that at the start of the chapters or at the start of the new POV it stated who’s POV it was starting from, you just kind of had to figure out who’s it was as you went along based on context clues and when it was “this person said” I’m not sure if this is different with the physical book or not but the audiobook was like that and it did make me have like a 15 second delay while I figured out who was talking some of the time. But otherwise I really enjoyed the story and am looking forward to the next book and to find out what happens!

I really enjoyed this book and, despite the length, felt like it was a fairly quick read. The pacing was good, and I really enjoyed the world it was set in (both human and Elfhame). It reminded me of a mix of ACOTAR and The Cruel Prince, and honestly I liked it more than ACOTAR. It stuck closer to the folklore, like The Cruel Prince, with its fae and their rules. I kind of wish Bristol had more conflict with the whole situation between her dad and Tyghan (not sure if I spelled that right). The ending felt a little neat, which I don't hate, but I was expecting a cliffhanger. Overall, I'm looking forward to a sequel! And if my book subscription happens to be doing a special edition of this one, I won't be skipping it.

I was intrigued by the premise, it seemed like a story I’ve heard, in a good way. I liked the beginning and the shift into the alternate world. But that’s when it lost me.

I really like world building, but there didn’t seem to be any information given except “this happened” and no explanation or boundaries to the magic. I felt like the romance went from enemies to lovers in the blink of an eye, no build up. It also felt, for lack of a better word, icky, especially when you know the background between Tyghan and her father.

It didn’t feel like much happened in the story, there was some building to a possible conflict that never came, the story ended abruptly and very strangely. I don’t think I’ll be continuing the series when the next book comes out.

The narration was ok, she did a decent job of distinguishing who was speaking with her change in voice.

This wasn't my favourite of Mary E Pearson's. I listened on audio book which I think definitely affected my opinion so I might have to pick it up later when the physical book comes out.

I was on board with this book until the ending. If you’ve read it you will understand. Honestly that wasn’t even an ending. I am not a huge fan of cliffhangers but that isn’t even what this is…..when the ALC I got ended i just sat there thinking…..who thought this was a good idea to end it now. Especially since this book is extremely long.
Characters aren’t described very well nor is the world. Conversations seemed mundane and the spice didn’t really seem to fit into the story. I think this might be the case of a YA author trying to move into the adult Romansty world and not getting it quite right. I would like to see how the author brings it all to an ending in the next book. Hopefully it will be redeeming.
I received an ALC of this book, all opinions are my own.

4.75 ⭐Okayyy hear me out - ACOTAR & Cruel Prince had a baby - with all of the best characteristics of each. This is the perfect romantasy book for seasoned faerie readers who understand the basic lore and want an easy to digest world - in the best way. Super easy to follow audiobook with a phenomenal narrator! I need book 2 please and thank you.

Posted on GR and Storygraph 9/26, posting on IG early october

3.5 stars*

This had such a great premise and set up but it just fell a little flat for me. The characters didn’t feel very fleshed out, even the two main characters felt a little one dimensional. The romance was very insta love. The MMC and FMC had interactions that were semi off screen so that we didn’t really get to see the build up and they didn’t have much of a report. The ending was a little abrupt and I feel like a little more of the story could have been told considering this is only a duology and it feels like very little happened.

The story overall was interesting and it was not definitely not a bad book, it was just not what it could have been.

The audio and narrator in this book was excellent. The narrator was very good at giving the characters distinct voices which always helps and it was very easy to listen to.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ALC of this work. All opinions in this review are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. It made me cry, laugh, and gasp out loud. It hooked me in and took me for a ride. I was absolutely screaming at times. It cut me raw in ways other books haven't. The relationships were so real, and the emotions portrayed so well, I knew exactly how Bristol felt at times.

The audio version was very well done and the narrator had a great range of accents and inflections. There were A LOT of characters and they all had different voices and were easy to follow along with. I *will* say that this book is heavy, and it was difficult to follow at times in audio version because of scene jumps, and POV jumps. By the time my brain would figure out what was going on, I had missed some context. If you are like me and enjoy physical copies, and audiobooks, this is certainly one that is better suited to be read on the pages, and maybe listened to in conjunction.

Mary Pearson is a master at world building. I was so immersed in this world and all of the different kinds of fae, monsters, and hybrids. I *still* don't understand all of the different powers and creatures. It was beautifully done, and will probably make the next few books I read feel especially lacking in this department.

The CONS: I feel like even though I was sucked in and enjoyed this book... nothing happened. While a lot *did* happen, nothing large happened and everything was left open. So I suppose the next book will have to be non stop action? There is just so much that was talked about and didn't happen, or hinted to and never happened. My biggest complaint however? THE ENDING. It's not a cliffhanger per say, because really the whole book is a cliffhanger. But I seriously thought something was wrong and I was missing chapters. It just *ends*. As infuriating as that was, I cannot wait for the next book!
Thank you so much for the opportunity to read(listen) this book!