Bestseller Mary E Pearson’s fantasy duology features faerie pacts, spells, dragons, and a refreshingly drawn central relationship.
Bristol and her sisters are struggling to make ends meet following the tragic deaths of their mother and, more recently, their father. Bristol keeps receiving ever-pushier letters from a woman claiming to be their great-aunt, offering them rare artwork they could sell to solve all their financial problems. The sisters are determined to ignore these letters, sure that it’s all a scam – after all, their father always told them he was an orphan and had no family.
As a series of freak circumstances make their financial situation even worse, Bristol sneaks out to meet this supposed great-aunt. The real price of this ‘gift’ is not something Bristol could ever have imagined, and she is drawn into the deadly politics of the faerie realm. What the faeries want from her in return for her sisters’ financial security may not even be something Bristol can provide … but as long as she can secure her sisters’ futures before the faeries find that out, what could possibly go wrong?
What makes both these books stand out from others in the faerie/ dark fantasy subgenre is that the fiery couple at their centre who fight all the time do actually work their problems out by talking about them. The somewhat brooding male love interest also isn’t centuries older than Bristol (or a complete git), which is refreshing.
Bristol herself is an engaging main character: clever, passionate and reckless, sometimes frustratingly so. She manages to cope with every awful revelation that gets thrown at her, but without being irritatingly, unbelievably, competent:
She needed a few minutes alone to process the day’s flood of new information. Everything will be explained, Tyghan had promised on her first day there. And that was part of the problem. She’d been hit with so many new realities: spells, drills, fucking dragons that ate people.
The details of how the mortal and faerie realms came to be are clever and original. Pearson has also put her own twist on the passage of time between the two realms.
Most chapters are told from the perspective of Bristol or Tyghan, who is tasked with initiating her into this new world, with occasional short snippets from minor characters. These sections really add some flair and provide extra world-building or little hints about the plot, without relying on exposition all the time or giving too much away:
August whinnied, a deep, throaty reverberation that sounded more like a fearsome beast than a horse. Pixies sitting on tree branches that arched over the road were unafraid and threw flowers onto the path below him. August led the pageantry, as he always did, first between the bonfires, and then through the hamlet with the king riding on his back, acknowledging the cheers, but August knew it was really him they came to see, the beast of legend and lore who bore kings into battle.
The banter is quite fun too:
‘Can’t you be a little noisier on your approach?’ she snapped. ‘Or do you enjoy watching me jump?’
Tyghan shrugged. ‘Maybe a little. You do it so predictably.’
In The Last Wish of Bristol Keats, the battle for the future of Faerie is far from over. Bristol has pledged her loyalty to the Danu nation and firmly believes that they need to win and secure the stone of destiny, if only to prevent the tyrant King Kormick from taking over the world. The previous book’s revelations about the history of Bristol’s family, however, have made it much harder for her to trust Tyghan or those around him – and for them to trust her in return. Unless everyone who is against Kormick actually works together to stop him, he may well be able to ensure that he does become the new High King of Faerie. But the cost to Bristol to embrace her own latent magical potential might be one that she is not prepared to pay.
This book is just as gripping as the first, as the relationships between various characters who should really be on the same side grow ever more strained, with tragic results. It’s a real emotional rollercoaster with Bristol and Tyghan’s relationship, without any of the drama feeling forced. Everyone does have a reason for what they do, even if it often isn’t a particularly good one, and their mistakes are generally relatable.
A central theme of the series is ‘How much can one person take?’ and this is certainly put to the test for both Bristol and Tyghan. A natural extension of this is ‘How much can one relationship take?’, which is also pushed to the absolute limit as they try to survive having to put the war before themselves and, worst of all, each other.
… Bristol reminded him. ‘Tomorrow is the wedding. Something positive. Maybe that’s the reset we all need.’
Tyghan’s head dropped, like another weight had hit him. The wedding.
He started to groan but then remembered his words to Kasta. Sometimes we have to remember what we’re living for.
And Melizan’s wedding was one of those things.
Kormick would not beat the life from them before the battle even began.
Both books have a plot like a maze, with a clever twist around every turn, but not in a cheap, you-could-never-ever-have-worked-this-out kind of way. There are some juicy betrayals and moral dilemmas as various characters with different goals all try their best to do what they think is right (or at least less wrong).
The build-up to the ending will really keep you guessing right up to the final few pages. It was impressive and also a fitting conclusion to a series that is at once dark, hopeful and as full of bitter irony as it is full of love.
Mary E Pearson The Courting of Bristol Keats Bramble/Tor 2024 PB 592pp $24.99
Mary E Pearson The Last Wish of Bristol Keats Bramble/Tor 2025 PB 448pp $34.99
Amelia Dudley has degrees in plant biology. But despite spending a lot of time in the garden, her plants still occasionally die.
You can buy these books from Abbey’s at a 10% discount by quoting the promotion code NEWTOWNREVIEW. You can also buy it from Booktopia. We receive a small commission if you purchase through these links.
You can also check if it is available from Newtown Library.
Tags: dark fantasy, dragons, faerie realms, faeries, magic, Mary E | Pearson, relationships
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