The Last Wish of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson – Review

Published: November 11, 2025

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Series: The Courting of Bristol Keats #2

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Pages: 438 (Kindle)

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

Synopsis:
Be wary of the legends you hear. Who knows, one day you may be a legend yourself.

After Bristol Keats nearly loses her beloved King Tyghan to the monsters her mother had unleashed, their love deepens to a whole new level. Together, Bristol and Tyghan work to understand and reconcile their differences, moving forward with their common goal of saving Elphame. But when a daring rescue attempt turns into a disaster, and a beloved knight dies, Bristol is forced to confront the fact that her mother is more powerful than she could have ever imagined—and more dangerous. Meanwhile, Tyghan’s heart is laid bare when he encounters his former best friend and betrayer again, Bristol’s own father, and must wrestle with a new secret that throws everything he thought he knew about his past into question.

Bristol is Elphame’s last chance for survival, but where do her loyalties truly lie? If she fully embraces the magic that has always been her birthright, she could become a different kind of monster from her mother. Is she willing to risk losing the people she loves most, if it means keeping them safe?

Brimming with dark secrets, lush world-building, and addictive romance, The Last Wish of Bristol Keats is the unforgettable conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Mary E. Pearson’s first adult series.

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The Last Wish of Bristol Keats is the final book in the Courting of Bristol Keats duology and provided a respectable ending. I’m also very pleased to have finished a series, even if it was only two books. I loved the first book, which followed Bristol Keats as she journeyed to Faerie in order to find her father and provide funds for her sisters through the bargain she made with the fae king,Tyghan. Though the pair end up falling for one another (as you might expect) there was a nice balance of plot elements that kept me engaged. The Last Wish of Bristol Keats mostly succeeds in continuing this theme.

Now that Bristol is aware that both her father AND mother still live, she hopes to bring them both home and reunite her family. Unfortunately, her mother is a reviled monster amongst the fae and works for the Formorians. Bristol knows she must go up against her at some point to close the otherworldly portals her mother can open that allow demons into their realm. This whole book is filled with a deep tension surrounding this knowledge and the knowledge that Tyghan would kill Leanna Keats to protect Bristol and the rest of Elphame. 

As I write this review I find that I’m struggling to put together my exact feelings about this book. First of all, I listened to the audiobook rather than reading the print edition and I didn’t love the narration. I also had the big reveal figured out quite early on and spent the rest of the book wondering when exactly everyone else would learn too. No particular credit to me or anything – the reveal was pretty obvious in my opinion and the fact that it took until nearly the very end to come to light officially was just annoying. There are a number of things that I really did enjoy about this book. First off, the friendships between Bristol and her fellow trainees (now knights) are wonderful. I’m glad more authors are choosing to portray strong platonic friendships alongside romantic relationships because that is both healthy and how real life *should* work. Second, I like that Bristol and Tyghan don’t have a perfect relationship or a cookie cutter happy ending. Those two were constantly arguing, so it’s only fitting that things don’t resolve with a simple happily ever after. 

Overall, I thought The Last Wish of Bristol Keats was a good ending to the duology and I’m glad I checked it out. I didn’t love it as much as I did the first book, but I rarely find an ending to a series that I truly love. I’m a beginnings girl – give me some good world building and character introductions any day! I do think some part of my lessened enjoyment was due to the format I chose. Honestly, I think this series could have been either one longer book or needed to be two more fleshed  out books. Something about this just left me feeling that it was … fine.