A fun and fast-paced novel that blends folklore with Regency romance, Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater is the pinnacle of pure joy. Quirky characters, an almost enemies-to-lovers storyline and a setting shift between worlds - I ate Half a Soul up and cannot wait to get my hands on the next instalment!

Is this a great book? Honestly, I've read better.

Did I enjoy it ? Yes most definitely.

An overall pleasing read. I loved the main characters and the Edwardian vibe that was going on. The world building could certainly use more work. And the climax did not have the emotional punch I was expecting. But I understand its necessity as far as Dora's character is concerned.

Might come back for more from this author!

I wanted to love this book it has everything I could want from a fantasy, magic, fae and romance but I think the writing style felt a little flat for me, I’m still interested in continuing on with the rest of the series though.

I fell in love with this book instantly, the writing captured me and I adored the MC Dora's pov is wonderful throughout. The concept of this story, all of the little details and insight to her thoughts was perfect.

Such an interesting read full of heart and a rather sweet slow burn romance. It's a short, fast paced and just enchanting from start to finish. The scenery, emotions and magic comes to life - I enjoyed every moment in this adventure.

Dora and Elias romance is so fun, the snark and teasing between them. How to they constantly shine, both admire the other for who they truly are flaws and all regardless of society's views. Bringing out another side to one another and finding love neither expected, just made me smile.

The side cast is incredible too, Vanessa and Albert especially got me. I liked their friendships with Dora and Elias,the protectiveness and support they provide. It was lovely to see them find their happy endings too.

Plenty of magical moments throughout and dark tones fitting to the Fae, along with the historical aspect. Oh and I am a huge fan of balls, so I did adore the dancing scenes they were some of my highlights and fitting how used to share information.

Overall an entertaining read for me, I read it almost in one sitting as had me hooked and many beautiful quotes. I do love a happy ending & the epilogue is stunning 💚

I loved the mix of regency vibes and fantasy, and Dora and Elias made a great couple. A quirky book full of whimsy and the perfect cozy winter read!

Received an ARC via Netgalley

Regency and fairytales what a great concept! I read this in one sitting and really enjoyed it.

It was a action-packed , whimsical and fun ride with a swoon-worthy romance .

Highly recommend !

This was such a lovely book, it was like reading a warm hug. Our protagonist had half her soul stolen away at a young age and now doesn't feel in quite the same way others do. She doesn't always act in the way she should in polite society and knows she will never fall in love. She accompanies her cousin into the London Season and accidentally becomes involved in the solving of a mysterious happening, along with the magical Lord Sorcier.
This is a gentle tale. Dramatic things happen, but without high drama or lots of angst, mirroring how our main character, Dora, feels about things. The relationships in here, both good and bad, are written well and the social commentary is gently done, but very true. I would recommend for those wanting a cosy, sweet (but not saccharine) read, with a good plot and a lovely romance.

This a regency romance mixed with a sprinkling of fantasy. The main character Dora has half of her soul taken when she was a young girl, and as she grows older it is obvious that there is something 'wrong' with her. She struggles interacting socially, and then her cousin asks Dora to go with her to London for the season to help her find not only a match but a cure for Dora's magical illness. She unexpectedly catches the eye of Elias, who is also the black sheep of his own family.

Whilst the remise of this book is good, i found that the characters were a little underdeveloped and i felt like when I was reading this book I didn't really care about the future of these individuals I think this feeling was in part down to the nature of the character Dora. Whilst she cant feel many emotions she come across as very unlikable to the reader .

I think the author should have done more research into the time period in which the book is set, because whilst this is a fantasy book and can be open to interpretation as a British individual it was very obviously written by someone not from Britain.

Thank you net galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for and honest review.

This was a really charming and delightful regency romance with a dash of fae thrown in for good measure! I loved the banter between Dora and Elias and thought that their personalities worked really well within the story. There was a lot of discussion around the privilege in aristocratic society and the hypocrisy therein, which was well done and never felt heavy handed. I thought the plot was simple and moved at a good pace and I enjoyed all of the characters - Albert was a particular favourite. Overall, this was a fun and happy read and I will definitely be picking up the companion novels in the series.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A totally charming, cosy fantasy book that's perfect for the winter. I often struggle with Regency fantasy books (which is weird, because it should be absolutely my thing) but this one was the perfect balance of banter and snark, female friendships, and social awareness with a dash of romance and magic. I read this in one sitting and totally loved it.

If Bridgerton meets the The Cruel Prince...

When Dora was young, she was cursed by a faerie who left her to live the rest of her life with only half a soul meaning Dora would never again feel the true feelings of happiness, anger or sadness again. Asa young woman, Dora accompanies her cousin to London for her season and by chance meets the Lord Sorcier who may be the magical solution to Dora's faerie problem.

This was the cosiest, loveliest book that I needed and I'm so glad I finally read it after only hearing great things. This is the kind of book that just had me smiling from start to finish and I felt so invested in the story, I never wanted to stop reading (or the book to end tbh).

I adored all of the scenes between Dora and Elias as their relationship moves from annoyance towards each other to amiability to eventual softness and love. It was so lovely witnessing this slow transition from each chapter to the next. I also loved the scenes in Faerie and I've always enjoyed any book that takes the idea of cruel and evil faeries and this did it so well. The ballroom scene in Faerie was fantastic from comedic levels as well as dramatics. Not to mention all the human balls were also lovely simply because of Elias and Dora's interactions and some of the times Elias showcases his magic in beautiful ways.

Dora is a fantastic character full of courage, intelligence and kindness despite believing herself to only be 'half a person'.

I loved this from start to finish, and highly recommend.

I found this book to be really slow, and struggled to find the motivation to pick it up.

I think the biggest thing I struggled with was the characters. I didn’t really care about any of them, and it made me less invested in the storyline.

It also felt like not much happened, so I’m less inclined to pick book 2 up unfortunately.

I had hoped I would love this. This seemed the type of book I would enjoy. For the first half I did. But I then I became bored and uninterested in the rest of the book.
I found the side characters underdeveloped and forgettable.
While Dora was inconsistent. She couldn't feel emotions but then she could at times. Which in turn messed with the overall story.
The chemistry between Dora and Elias was just not there.
This had so much potential but sadly between inconsistent characters and plot holes it fell short for me.

I really enjoyed this supernatural regency romance, it gave me the same vibes as Gail Carriger's Soulless series which I adore. Our main character Dora was definitely one to root for; although she didn't feel anything due to having only half a soul, it kind of made me feel for her. Elias was a little bit annoying at first, but once his past was unravelled, it made sense. Still doesn't give him an excuse to be a dick to people he didn't know.
Overall, this was a fun one and I plan to read the next two companion books in the series.
Trigger warnings for: ableism, war, depictions of injuries, forced labour from minors, and misogyny.

It's difficult to find a husband in Regency England when you're a young lady with only half a soul.

I was so excited when I first heard what this book would be about. Regency with faeries - yes please! And let me tell you this book did not disappoint.

Ever since she was cursed by a faerie, Theodora Ettings has had no sense of fear or embarrassment - a condition which makes her prone to accidental scandal. Dora hopes to be a quiet, sensible wallflower during the London Season - but when the strange, handsome and utterly uncouth Lord Sorcier discovers her condition, she is instead drawn into dangerous and peculiar faerie affairs.

If Dora's reputation can survive both her curse and her sudden connection with the least-liked man in all of
high society, then she may yet reclaim her normal place in the world... but the longer Dora spends with Elias
Wilder, the more she begins to suspect that one may indeed fall in love, even with only half a soul.

I adored this story! It was engaging, cosy, heartwarming and yet had a depth to it. Dora was such a wonderful character. Loosing her soul means Dora isn't quite socially aware and her adventure with Elias gripped me from the moment they met. They soon weave into each other's lives as they try to keep the affairs of the faerie realm seeping through to the human world.

There was definitely a 'sunshine × grumpy' vibe with with these two and their banter was brilliant. Elias is an
overly stressed and very grumpy Sorcier and yet full of integrity and a heart of gold and I loved him! Their
banter and sarcasm was everything. The plot was engaging and easy to read. The mystery and the constant fighting against the clock kept you engaged throughout. While entertaining in parts there was also a lot of moments of depth and it was well handled.

The world building was intriguing and I adored the setting of the regency world. I would have loved more of the fae in this story and could definitely have used more of the story! But I think that's because I really enjoyed it.

This was a cosy and enchanting historical fantasy and I can't wait to read rest of the series, which can also be read as stand-alones I believe!

HUGE thank you to @orbitbooks for sending a @netgalley book my way for an honest review.

I'Il be posting this on my blog www.readerofrivendell.com very soon.

Sharing my thoughts in the order I read and the order I also recommend you read them. I have tried to keep these spoiler free although later book reviews may spoil the earlier ones.

In summary I loved how quick these were to read and how well they fitted into the mixed genres. I also really enjoyed the mix of subtle social commentary alongside the romance. I can definitely see me returning to these time and again.

Half a Soul

This was an excellent first book and I loved everything about it. It definitely gave me Pride and Prejudice vibes. The relationships / both romantic and of friendship were engaging and dynamic.

Dora is autistic coded and although there seems to be a quest for a cure to her ‘Half a Soul’ I felt that this was subverted in a positive way.

The mystery of the sleeping sickness amongst the children in the workhouses also added an extra element of suspense and was satisfyingly resolved.

Great read, really enjoyed it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

A whimsical and beautiful read. I massively enjoyed it, it was poetically beautiful and gripping. Highly, highly enjoyed.

I'd heard mixed reviews about this book so was a bit unsure what to expect but I really enjoyed Half A Soul. It was gripping, quirky, intense and interesting. Would definitely recommend.

Half a Soul - Olivia Atwater

It's difficult to find a husband in Regency England when you're a young lady with only half a soul.

Ever since she was cursed by a faerie, Theodora Ettings has had no sense of fear or embarrassment - a condition which makes her prone to accidental scandal. Dora hopes to be a quiet, sensible wallflower during the London Season - but when the strange, handsome and utterly uncouth Lord Sorcier discovers her condition, she is instead drawn into dangerous and peculiar faerie affairs.

If Dora's reputation can survive both her curse and her sudden connection with the least-liked man in all of high society, then she may yet reclaim her normal place in the world. . . but the longer Dora spends with Elias Wilder, the more she begins to suspect that one may indeed fall in love, even with only half a soul.

I’ve been meaning to read this novel for ages, its been sitting in my Netgalley shelf taunting me! One night in my insomnia stupor I started to read it, I was hooked.
What a delightful, magical romp! I fell in love with Dora, such a wonderfully written character. I sped through this book.
This is book 1 of the Regency Faerie Tales and I am very much looking forward to reading the next stories.

A wonderfully, whimsical tale, think Austen meets Studio Ghibli. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thank you to @netgalley and @orbitbooks for my ecopy.