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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Loved it! A must-own book.
Listen, I was losing faith in romantasy. Truly. Two mediocre reads deep and questioning everything. Then The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson showed up and said, “Relax. I’ve got this.” Read The Courting of Bristol Keats book review below to find out how this book restored my faith in the genre.
Summary:
After losing both their parents, Bristol Keats and her sisters struggle to stay afloat in their small, quiet town of Bowskeep. When Bristol begins to receive letters from an “aunt” she’s never heard of who promises she can help, she reluctantly agrees to meet—and discovers that everything she thought she knew about her family is a lie. Even her father might still be alive, not killed but kidnapped by terrifying creatures to a whole other realm—the one he is from.
Desperate to save her father and find the truth, Bristol journeys to a land of gods and fae and monsters. Pulled into a dangerous world of magic and intrigue, she makes a deadly bargain with the fae leader, Tyghan. But what she doesn’t know is that he’s the one who drove her parents to live a life on the run. And he is just as determined as she is to find her father—dead or alive.
📖 What’s Inside:
- Mystery 🥸
- Political intrigue
- Fae 🧚
- Multi-POV
- 🤫Secrets and lies
- On page intimacy 🔴
- Undead 🧟
- 🌈 Inclusive
- Explicit language
- 🗡️A dash of deadly trials
✨ Vibes:
The Cruel Prince meets the mystery of The Remnant Chronicles
💭 My Thoughts:
Mary E. Pearson does not miss. Her writing is immersive, polished, and so easy to sink into that you don’t even realize you’ve abandoned reality until it’s too late. From the opening pages, I was locked in.
The intrigue is the real star here. This book doesn’t spoon-feed you answers, it makes you ask questions. About the world and the characters. About what the hell is actually going on. And that first chapter twist at only 8%?? I GASPED. Pearson has an exceptional skill of leaning into the reader’s assumptions and taking advantage of them to deliver the best plot twists. It has that signature Remnant Chronicles mystery that had me inhaling pages like my life depended on it.
When I started this book, I was mid–reading slump and fully prepared to declare romantasy a lost cause. But somehow, somehow, Pearson proves there are still fresh, unique stories to tell in this space. Even with fae. (Because let’s be honest, fairies in fantasy are a dime a dozen these days).
The way this story unravels is slow, deliberate, and devastatingly satisfying. If life didn’t keep rudely interrupting me with responsibilities, I genuinely would not have put this book down.
My one tiny complaint? That ending. Not bad. Just… weird.
Like, I’ve never read an ending quite like that weird.
But honestly? I respect it. Pearson clearly knows exactly what she’s doing, and I trust her completely, even when she leaves me gaping like a fish out of water and desperate for answers.
Needless to say, I’ll be grabbing the sequel immediately.
Should you add The Courting of Bristol Keats to your TBR?
Omg yes! This book proves fae fantasy can still feel fresh and new even after countless stories have been told.
🧚Faerie Stories Aren’t Over Yet
If you think fae stories are tired, The Courting of Bristol Keats will prove you wrong and then leave you asking questions you didn’t know you needed answered.
Tell me: Do you live for twisty, mystery-driven fantasy that keeps its secrets close? Or do you prefer your answers handed over immediately? Because this one makes you WORK for them, and I loved every second. And what about that ending?? Anyone else keep swiping the screen like, surely that’s not the end?
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