My obsession with retellings of the myth of Hades and Persephone will never end. Any time I read a blurb that has that particular vibe woven into the story, I need to have a copy of it in my hands. This time was no different, and to top it all off, it was written by one of my favourite authors. When I started this, I knew that this wasn’t going to be like one of the pop fae fiction books that most people love to devour for spice. It has more epic fantasy elements that tends to lose those who are only around for the smutty aspect of the book. If you’re looking for books with more of a questing element with a bit of character development fraught throughout the book, then you’re going to want to pick this one up. I enjoyed Bristol’s character quite a lot, but her love interest is even more enjoyable. I think I’m starting to develop a crush on a different trope than my usual enemies to lovers!
This book centers around Bristol Keats, a young woman who’s struggling to keep her and her sisters afloat after the loss of both of her parents. She receives a letter one day from a distant “aunt” promising to help her, and discovers that everything she knew about her family is a lie. Her father might still be alive, but he’s been kidnapped by terrifying creatures that come from the world he is really from. She journeys to the land of Gods, fae, and monsters and strikes a bargain with the deadly fae king Tyghan. What she doesn’t know is that Tyghan is the man that drove her parents to run from the fae world to start with, and he’s just as ready to find them as Bristol.
I’m going to start with something that I didn’t quite love about the book, only because I want to get it out of the way and gush about this book for the rest of the review. My biggest complaint in reading this story was the pacing. Sometimes I felt like the story would be progressing quickly with a lot of action, and others like it was dragging behind. However, this did not detract from my overall experience reading this book as I loved the characters, the dialogue, the romance, and the complexity of the world that Pearson has created.
I really liked Bristol’s character. She’s tenacious and determined to succeed, and she’s talented. For some reason she really gives me Hermes vibes, just in some of the characteristics that she displayed when I was reading. To be clear, this is my opinion, when you read it, you might think differently. Her love of family is fierce and drives her to protect relentlessly, even if it comes at the cost of her life. Unfortunately for her, there are secrets that are going to complicate her familial relationships quite a bit.
I felt like the book tried to do a good job with world building as well as having a solid character driven plot. The dialogue between Bristol and Tyghan is my favorite, as it showcases both of their personalities well. Despite Tyghan’s gruff exterior, he’s a pretty big softy, and over time it shows significantly in his interactions with Bristol. On the other hand, Bristol doesn’t take things at face value, and continues to seek the true meaning of things. I enjoyed the development of their romance and am curious to see where things might lead in the next book.
If you’re looking for something super spicy though, this is not the book for you.
Please don’t think I’m odd, but one of the things that caught me the most off guard in this whole novel is how a tick can become one of the most delightfully horrifying things to happen to a character in any book I’ve ever read. It caught me off guard, and I had such a visceral disgust of what was going on in this scene that I almost walked away to take a minute, but kept going because I needed to know how this was going to be resolved. I’m definitely curious to know more about the magic systems within the world, because I feel like Pearson is leading readers to something larger, and I wish I could find out what it was now, haha.
Honestly, I truly enjoyed this book from start to finish. The pacing might throw some people off, but I think it’s worth it. At this point, I’ve made it my mission to find all books that are Hades and Persephone retellings to have a copy of them on my shelves.
The Courting of Bristol Keats is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
From NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Mary E. Pearson comes a thrilling romantic fantasy full of dangerous fae, dark secrets, and addictive romance– the first book in a duology.
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 king, 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.
