The Courting of Bristol Keats

Surprisingly cozy romantasy with some dark edges in the world. I appreciated that it doesn't drop the importance of friendship and other aspects of life, or the FMC's family, once the romance steps in. Getting romantically involved for a flimsy reason, without Tyghan ever mentioning he knows much more about her parents, is rather icky, but then most of the characters know more than Bristol did, unfortunately. Having just finished this, I just want her to get free and get her parents free; it'll be interesting to see if that changes with the sequel.

The Courting of Bristol Keats is a solid entry into romantasy, but it shows growing pains as part of the author’s first adult series. While the premise and world-building are intriguing, the slow pacing in the first half makes it difficult to stay invested, and the romantic connection feels underdeveloped, coming seemingly out of nowhere. These issues likely stem from the author’s transition from YA to adult fiction, and the tonal shift may not resonate with readers who adored her previous works. If you loved her earlier books, this one may feel like a departure, both in execution and depth. That said, her signature prose and creative flair shine through, offering promise for future adult projects once she finds her footing.

Absolute perfection up until the last scene, like? Ending it in the literal middle of a bedroom scene was a..... Choice.

This story marched confidently and unabashedly into absolute mess territory.

The tone of the initial chapters is done well, but this changes drastically as the book progresses as if the author just decided they could frontload all their effort and wing the rest. I have whiplash from the inconsistent and sloppy writing which featured characters fluctuating in personality between 16 and 40.

What little world-building is present is applied with no rhyme or reason, such as how the passage of time differs between the two realms, but suddenly doesn't matter so X plot point can happen. Lots of telling, not showing with various events. I don't even have the energy to get into all the forced plot points.

The love interest had the appeal of wearing 40-grit sandpaper socks and (shockingly) there was no real connection between him and the protagonist. Additionally, without giving away spoilers, the whole situation was a little ick.

Lots of side characters, but don't worry, they are all the La Croix version of one of two archetypes: annoyingly chipper/friendly or vaguely mysterious and not to be trusted.

I kept reading because I expected, at 560 pages, this would form a cohesive story but the characters are dumb, the writing gets worse and it just...ends. It's not even a cliffhanger - more like the literary equivalent of syncope.

Thanks to Libro.fm and the publisher for the alc!

An enjoyable fairy romp with lots of spicy betrayals and cool magic. Readers of the genre will be pleased. I definitely got invested enough to check out the next installment. Solid narration from Pressley.