Half a Soul is perhaps the loveliest little book I have read in a long time.

Bridgerton with a dash of magic is how it's described and I was there for it as soon as I read that - I am delighted to report, it did not disappoint and I finished it in a single sitting.

Dora is the most charming, not-so-charming, character I've read and it was refreshing to read. For her to not simply be rude or forthright, or, on the other end of the scale, simpering and overly lovely and for it to be the result of a faerie curse was a fantastic little twist in this world of ours where faeries and magic are commonly acknowledged and accepted.
There was a smattering of just the right amount of regency romance, some very (sadly still relevant) observations about people and the way they treat other people, and a quite possibly perfect dose of magic.

Genuinely delightful and highly recommended, 5 stars just because it really kinda deserves it for its charm!

Received this book as an ARC from Little Brown Book Group UK in exchange for an honest review so here we go 🥰

Rating: 4.5/5⭐️

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.

Dora is a very rich character, one that reveals herself as you read her story. It made me feel like sometimes, we let ourselves believe that we are something because everyone around us tell us we are. I felt that Dora was very like that during the beginning: she’s cursed, is missing half a soul, surely cannot be normal! And she believes she doesn’t feel or behave like a “normal” lady. And it’s amazing to see her discovering that she can also feel all those emotions she technically couldn’t due to her condition!

Although my favourite character was indeed Dora, Lord Sorcier is also a very interesting character! He doesn’t abide by the rules of the polite society and he believes the society is rotten to its core. After being throughput with war in France, he’s been keeping a massive anger and frustration inside himself, making him at times quite explosive.

An interesting mix between A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting and The Last Hours, this delightful regency romantasy will make you finish this book in a blink of eyes!

This review will be posted on my bookstagram (@maria_bookshelf) during the release week so keep an eye out for it 😆💕!

Thank you to the publisher Little, Brown for providing an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a 3.5 for me, that I couldn't in all conscience round up to 4. While the pacing was good and the prose developed, it felt like it was accidentally YA - and two distinct books, badly stitched together.

Ignoring the many, glaring historical inaccuracies (fantasy = suspended belief) the regency romance part felt clumsily and obviously done, with little suspense or reason to root for the characters. Most of the secondary cast felt 2D and easily captured in a short sentence - even our main characters lacked depth. An light romp, easily enjoyed if you have a spare two hours and aren't in the mood to be taxed (or particularly attentive).

The fantasy element is what really knocked out stars for me. There's very little in the way of world building and Atwater's version of "faeries" can be summed up in four words "virtue, jackets, injustice, iron." I genuinely had to go back over the sections when characters enter/leave 'Faerie' (also a place as well as creature) because it just doesn't get explained? I'm usually on board with using fantastical creatures as satirical social commentary but it was so heavy handed, with no magic/power behind it. Aside from making lanterns, napkins fly and binding humans souls inexplicably, there's no who/what/why/when/where?

Like other reviewers, I also want to share my concern of describing a character that presents as neurodiverse (especially autistic) as being abnormal, unwanted and with half a soul. It's distasteful and there were so many other ways having half a soul could have been presented , more cleverly and considerately.

This book had so much promise, and it's a genre-combo I usually love, but sadly this wasn't for me. If you're looking for a clean YA regency romance with a light magic twist, you may - and I stress may - enjoy.

A gorgeous Regency romance with a healthy dose of magic and a sprinkling of satire.
I wasn’t sure whether I would enjoy Half a Soul or not. I love historical fiction and all things Regency but I’m not a convert to stories about the fae and so I didn’t know how I would feel about a book that combined the two. I didn’t need to worry though, Olivia Atwood put the two worlds together and it worked brilliantly.
We first meet Dora as a nine year old when she encounters the fae lord in the local wood. He steals half her soul and she grows up never quite feeling any of the emotions that she is supposed to. The story really begins when Dora accompanies her cousin Violet to London for the season. In London she meets the sorcerer, Lord Sorcier who Violet hopes can free Dora from the fae curse.
I really enjoyed the character of Dora. Her matter of fact manner and bluntness made her an interesting heroine. She was perfectly matched by the very bad-tempered Lord Sorcier who hated society and the need to be polite. As the story progresses, we find out more about Elias and begin to understand his manner. The book is full of brilliant characters from the master of the workhouse to the Fae lords but one of my favourite characters was Albert, the third son of an earl who Dora’s aunt tries to pair her off with. Their friendship was one of the many strong points of the novel.
There was so much that I enjoyed about this novel that it is difficult to put it all in one review. One element that I did enjoy was the satirical view of London society. The Fae ball was a great example of this when the author poked fun at the conventions of polite balls through the eyes of the fae.
There were a couple of occasions when the author’s choice of language jarred and didn’t feel appropriate to the period. However, the main reason for only giving it 4 stars rather than 5 was the epilogue. In common with one or two other reviews, I felt that this was totally unnecessary and spoilt the ending.

If you’re a fan of howls moving castle then this adorable and whimsical book needs to be on your read list instantly. The characters are interesting and life like, the story itself could easily have been real in the way that it takes real life attributes of that time and transitions it into the fantasy world that Olivia has created.

Beautiful to read with tones of love, honesty, and accepting someone for who they truly are as a person not who society tells them they have to be. The book also contains moments which do make you giggle with a blush on your face as with the main character not quite understanding the social norms at the time involving a fountain.

Although I did enjoy the book I did find it quite slow and not as engaging as others I have read lately, with more of a slow romance vibe then a Fantasy intrigue. If you are looking for a fast paced romance with adventure and full on love this is not quite the one for you. Saying that if you are intrigued about the book itself I would say it is definitely worth a read and if you are howls moving castle, A lady’s guide to fortune hunting or Bridgeton fan this is a must read for you.

This was different, a little strange but readable! Not what I expected either. Not sure I will pick up the next one when it come out :/

This book was such a charming and entertaining read! I'm not usually a fan of romance based books, nor contemporary or historical fiction, but by mixing in faeries and magic the author managed to snare my attention from the beginning and did not let it go. I'm excited to read more by this author!

This is being described as 'Howl's Moving Castle' meets 'Bridgerton' and once I heard that I knew I had to read it!

Half a Soul is, quintessentially, a Regency fairytale. You have all the trappings of a splendid historical romance novel - the balls, the focus on manners and marriage, only with the addition of magic, the Fae and a whole other Faerie Realm. Atwater did a good job of melding these two worlds seamlessly and I enjoyed seeing just how outraged and scandalous high society was by the mere mention of magic.

The story centres on Dora, who is Fae-Cursed, only having half a soul which makes her emotions diluted. She feels things but only vaguely. It also gives her mismatched eyes and a tendency to act 'weirdly', much to the chagrin of her Aunt who takes care of her. She is constantly put down for being different and is treated as a nuisance. You really feel for Dora right from the start, she tries so hard to act normal but is constantly criticised by everyone else.

I would have loved the relationships to be a bit more fleshed out but I did like the growing friendship between Dora and Albert, and also Albert and Elias. Elias was an intriguing love interest, one who is outwardly very short and unfriendly, but very caring once he opens up to you. I did like seeing how Dora slowly brought him out of his shell and helped to ease his suffering.

My main issue with this book is the epilogue. I won't go into detail because I don't wish to spoil anyone but it did leave me feeling a bit conflicted and almost wishing I hadn't read it.

Ignoring the epilogue though I felt this was a wonderful fantasy and a nice introduction to Regency novels. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in the series, and hopefully we'll see more of the Faerie world in that one!

‚Theodora Eloisa Charity Ettings was a very long name for a very small girl.‘

And with this sentence starts Dora‘s whimsical journey from meeting a faerie (and having half her soul stolen from him), to searching for a husband in London (only in pretense of course, to please the hens) to finding her unexpected great love in a grumpy man (who in his defense has his heart in the right place).

Dora‘s story is a magical one and definitely one to read when you need a bit of it 🪄

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review!

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater centres around Theodora Ettings, faerie cursed at a young age and now unable to feel strong emotions. While in London to help her cousin find a husband, Dora meets Lord Elias Wilder, magician to the Crown and not very well liked. Always up for a challenge, Elias sets himself upon fixing Dora’s curse but along the way they get caught up in a mysterious illness and the politics of the ton. The longer Dora is in London, the more she begins to realise that her faerie curse doesn’t have to stop her living the life she wants
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a review and I’m so glad I picked it. I had very high hopes since it was compared to Howl’s Moving Castle, one of my favourite books and movies, and it did not disappoint. The main character, Dora, is numbed since an encounter with a faerie at a young age left her with only half a soul. I was a bit worried that this would make for a rather dull protagonist, but it was the absolute opposite. Dora is so endearing, intelligent and witty. Her progression throughout the book is subtle and very well done. It’s really interesting to see things from her point of view and see how pointless a lot of our formalities truly are.
The rest of the characters were as well created as Dora. While they didn’t get as much time since they weren’t the main character, they were still really fleshed out. I really enjoyed Elias’s character and how antagonistic he was. I always have a soft spot for the gruff exterior, soft interior type. Albert was a wonderful companion, I loved watching him and Dora bond over neither of them fitting in with the ton. Even the families of the side characters were so well fleshed out. Albert’s mother was a particular favourite of mine! The ‘bad’ characters were as interesting as the good ones, but my favourite part was the understanding that most people fall somewhere in the middle. It made for such complex characters with convincing motives.
The story itself was also even more interesting than I had anticipated. I went into it expecting a romance story and got so much more. The little bit of family politics we get builds an incredibly rich world. This is also the case for the faerie lore. It’s not very detail dense, which is a pet peeve of mine in fantasy. Instead, the little tid bits we get here and there are just enough to keep the world expanding but not so much that it’s overwhelming and hard to follow. I don’t want to give too much away about the story, but it involves magic, sleeping plagues, and many Regency balls. My one complaint is I wanted more. I wished this book was much longer than it was or that there was a sequel with the same characters. I enjoyed the ending but definitely felt there could have been potential for more books with Dora in them if it had been changed slightly.

Overall, I’m so glad to have read this book, particularly for a debut novel. There was such impressive and detailed world building for such a short book. It had a really entertaining story, loveable characters and a wonderful message that we don’t need to change who we are to make the most of our lives. I’m so relieved to see there’ll be more in the same world, even if not with the same characters. I’m very grateful to have been introduced to historical romance fantasy novels, a genre I certainly will be reading much more of. Most of all, I’m so excited to see what else Olivia Atwater comes up with, because I couldn’t have been more impressed with this book.

Thank you NetGalley and the author for the digital ARC!

3.5 stars overall.

The book had a unique magic system and concept, and I had high hopes for the Regency romance setting. Mixed in with quintessentially dark Fae, I had very high hopes for the book.
I did enjoy that the book explored themes relevant to society both in the regency era, and today, but I thought the book overall had a slightly childish feel to it, and I struggled to feel invested enough in the story to finish it. The plot thinned out and felt overly simplified, and I was left struggling to engage with it. The characters also seemed to be one-dimensional and underdeveloped, with inconsistencies in the way the behaved woven in purely at the whim of the plot, which made it hard to really understand why the half-a-soul conflict mattered at all at times.

There were several inconsistencies with the editing and word choices - not bad enough for me to want to hurl my kindle across the room, but enough for me to put it down in frustration a few times. The linguistic choices were inconsistent with the country the author chose to set the book in, which took away from the reading experience.
I will say the romance was very cute, and worth rooting for, and was clean enough for YA and non-smut favouring readers.

I'd recommend this book to readers who love reading romance, but not necessarily to those who enjoy more mature books, or those with plots that will hook you in and keep you engaged from start to end.
Overall, I think I will read the next book in the series, but it may not hit the top of my TBR for a while.

When reading the blurb for this book, it sounded right up my street. I love fantastic and historical fiction and I wish that more books crossed the two genres in the way that this book did.

I've been in a bit of a reading slump and it's safe to say that this book helped me out of it! I found myself completely sucked in and I loved every second.

Atwater did a great job of making me invested in the characters. I might be a little bit in love with Elias so I'll definitely have to read more in this series!

I would definitely give this book a shot if you love magic and romance. It's such a lovely read :)

This is a fresh take on Regency romance, incorporating sorcery, elves, and two main characters directly affected by both. Dora and Elias don’t fit into the world of the ton and its social events, and their outspokenness and actions shine an uncomfortable light on the mores and shallowness of many of their contemporaries. Dora is layered, flawed and extremely interesting in the ways she tries to understand herself, and Elias is quite delightfully grumpy. The supporting cast is also well-rounded and varied, although the faerie world part felt a tiny bit flat and rushed. Solid four star read, and I’m interested in reading more from this world.

What a brilliant idea! To combine regency era with fantasy. Bridgerton vibes meets faerie magic. Perfect!

It really worked and made for one hell of an interesting story. I loved the plot and the whole premise of it, and it was so different and really enjoyable.

Dora, who takes centre stage here, was left never quite whole after an unfortunate encounter with one Lord Hallowvale when she was a child. This encounter resulted in her loosing half of her soul, and with that, her ability to feel certain emotions. This is certainly not a good occurrence when you are expected to make an impression in the fashionable societies of the time, where meeting a suitable marriage is the ultimate goal to strive for.

I found myself really loving Dora’s character, along with Elias, the dashing Lord Sorcier which made for such a fab story. Throw in a bit of magic, a mysterious sleeping sickness and the wickedness of fairies and I was hooked! I’ll certainly be reading more from this author now and I can’t wait to see what other stories follow on from this.

Orphans and embroidery scissors

This was a lovely bit of light escapism, just when I needed it.

Half a Soul is set in an alternate Regency London, where our heroine, Dora is up for her cousin Vanessa’s Season. Dora had the emotional side of her soul stolen by an elf when she was just a child, which left her to live her life with no inconvenient emotions, but with the common-sense, literal side of her soul. Her aunt and the society ladies feel that this makes her a bit of an embarrassment.

When she encounters Lord Sorcier Elias, she finds someone else who is as out of step with the world as she is – he is brusque and rude, and has no time for the conventions and hypocrisies of polite society. She joins him in helping his friend investigate the mysterious sleeping plague that is affecting workhouse children. Can they discover what is going on before it’s too late? And what connects Dora, Elias and these children?

The embroidery scissors are, by the way, vitally important to the plot.

A bit of a cross between the darkness of the goblin market and a classic Regency romance, I thoroughly enjoyed this, and I have now bought the next two in the series. If you sign up to Olivia Atwater’s newsletter there are a couple of free novellas too. The Lord Sorcier which tells the story of how Elias gained his title, and The Latch Key, set some years later. Definitely worth downloading.

I loved this book so much! Pride and Prejudice meets Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell- doesn't sound like it would work, but it does, and spectacularly well. Dora had half her soul stolen by a Faerie Lord when she was younger, and struggles to feel any emotions. She carries upon her a pair of iron scissors for protection against any further faerie attacks and soon learns upon meeting the Kings magician, the Lord Sorcier, that she has powers of divination which other humans don't. We are whisked through a world of sparkling balls, high society and good manners but with a constant dark threat looming over Dora if she can't recapture the lost half of her soul its a race against time. A sleeping plague is also spreading through children in workhouses, who Dora and the Lord Sorcier are desperate to save. This story far exceeded my expectations and I loved every second of it and am delighted there are two more to read in the series!
I was given a copy of the book by NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read the E-ARC Of Half a Soul

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It's whimsical meets bridgerton.
It transports you into another land where you can forget your real life worries.
The writing style is great and it's fantastically written.
Dora is so blissfully unaware of how great she is.
I just enjoyed this story.

Bridgerton with added magic and faeries. I found this story fun, enjoyable and kept me engaged.
Were the characters real and relatable? No! But, that’s the point. This is a work of fiction, with fantasy thrown in. I wouldn’t know how to relate to someone with half a soul (although I totally related to some of her thoughts and feelings) or a faery sorcerer, or a world with magic in it. But, it was fun and I adore the world it’s set in.
The story is set in Regency England (think Bridgerton). One day Dora is out playing, wanting to cross rivers and climb trees. She meets an evil faery who claims her mother sold Dora’s soul to him. He begins to take his “payment” when Dora’s cousin Vanessa comes to the rescue. The evil Lord Hallowvale only received half his payment. That’s how Dora grows up, with half a soul.
The girls grow up and it is becoming time to get them married off. They travel to London with Dora’s aunt, Vanessa’s mother. This is when the story truly begins and we are thrown into balls and courting.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy and magic. Do not go into this book expecting true to life historical moments. This is a work of fiction, enjoy the ride. Fall in love with the characters. Enjoy the telling of a fantastic fairy tale.

I loved this book. A mixture of regency romance and fantasy - what more could you want. Theodora is a feisty heroine who with half a soul does not always behave or speak in the way she is expected and Elias , the Lord Sorcier, is the perfect brooding foil for her. The book was a light read and I couldn’t put it down. The characters were engaging and the fae element not overwhelming. Go on give yourself a treat and read this book. I’m looking forward to more in this series. Thank you NetGalley, Little Brown Book UK and the author for the ARC of this novel in return for an honest review.

Olivia Atwater has made me a historical fantasy fan! This was such a clever, unputdownable book with charming (and not so charming) characters throughout. Tell me you don’t love a grouchy sorcerer becoming more sweet and playful only with the woman he falls in love with. It’s definitely my weak spot! The relationship between Dora and Elias was everything - they’re both complex characters shunned by society and dealing with their own grief but together they are fiery and warm. All social norms are thrown out the window with these two, with midnight scrying rendezvous in their nightclothes and all sorts. Whenever I put the book down (out of necessity, I assure you) I couldn’t stop thinking about it, itching to pick it back up and read more.

The fae wasn’t a large element of the book, despite Dora’s missing soul being a result of the unfortunate encounter with a fae lord, but there was plenty of other mystery and magic. This book threw together romance, fantasy, mystery and historical fiction all in one delightful bundle - a combination I definitely need more of! I’m disappointed there won’t be more Dora and Elias in the future.