After losing both of 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. Her father might even still be alive, not killed but kidnapped by terrifying creatures and taken 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 a 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.
The Courting of Bristol Keats is an exciting fantasy romance story that takes place in the mortal world and a faerie kingdom. The story follows FMC Bristol Keats, a young woman trying to take care of her sisters after her parents are both gone. After a letter arrives from an unknown aunt offering a significant inheritance with conditions, Bristol fearlessly enters into a bargain and is transported to a faerie world. The story features several popular romance tropes, including enemies to lovers, slow-burn romance, opposites attract, and forbidden love. Although this is a long book, at close to 600 pages, the chapters are short and the prose is uncluttered and easy to follow, making for an easy read.
There are a lot of characters introduced once Bristol enters the faerie kingdom of Elphame, many of which have unusual Celtic names. It’s a good idea to jot down each character name and reference a physical copy for correct spellings if possible. The story features multiple perspectives, including those of side characters. Because there are so many perspectives, the characters, aside from Bristol and Kyghan, are not overly developed, despite many having intriguing personalities. On the positive, the enemies-to-lovers romance between Bristol and Kieghan evolves nicely and includes many heated conversations and sarcastic banter before any intimacy begins. Readers should be aware that there are some spicy scenes, but unlike other popular romantasy novels, they fortunately don’t take up entire chapters or overwhelm the plot.
The story has a very captivating and fast-paced start, but once Bristol enters the faerie world and begins her training there, the story becomes somewhat repetitive and slower-paced. The story picks up again in both pace and excitement in the second half, but the abrupt ending, following a steamy romance scene, leaves a lot to be desired. Perhaps it was the author’s intention for readers to be so immersed in Bristol and Kyghan’s love affair that this ending would invoke high anticipation for the sequel, but it falls short. A more dramatic cliffhanger would have been much more effective here. Regardless, there’s much to be excited for in the sequel, including resolution between Bristol and her family, further world-building expansion, and more character development for some of the very intriguing side characters.
Overall, this is an entertaining and unique romantasy story with good world-building, an enticing storyline, and an abundance of interesting characters. If you’ve enjoyed books like The Cruel Prince or ACOTAR, you’ll likely enjoy this one. Narrator Brittany Pressley does a phenomenal job voicing all the character voices and delivers a performance with great intensity and emotion. Worth mentioning is the conversation between the narrator and author included at the end of the audiobook, which gives great insight into the narration and inception of the book. This is the perfect audiobook to listen to while referencing a physical copy for its helpful map, character names, and beautiful artwork. As this series is set to be only a duology, readers will be eagerly anticipating the sequel and all the new adventure and resolution it has to offer!
