It’s difficult to find a husband in Regency England when you’re a young lady with only half a soul.Ever since a faerie cursed her, Theodora Ettings has had no sense of fear, embarrassment, or even happiness—a condition which makes her sadly prone to accidental scandal. Dora’s only goal for the London Season this year is to stay quiet and avoid upsetting her cousin’s chances at a husband… but when … husband… but when the Lord Sorcier of England learns of her condition, she finds herself drawn ever more deeply into the tumultuous concerns of magicians and faeries.
Lord Elias Wilder is handsome, strange, and utterly uncouth—but gossip says that he regularly performs three impossible things before breakfast, and he is willing to help Dora restore her missing half. If Dora’s reputation can survive both her ongoing 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.
Pride and Prejudice meets Howl’s Moving Castle in this enthralling historical fantasy romance, where the only thing more meddlesome than faeries is a marriage-minded mama. Pick up Half a Soul, and be stolen away into debut author Olivia Atwater’s charming, magical version of Regency England!
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I received a free copy of this book from BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.
“I have known many human beings with a full soul to their name who do not have half so much compassion or practicality as you.”
I’ve read some of the more adult books from this author under a different name, so I went in knowing that I wouldn’t be disappointed in the way she weaves her plot. What I did ponder on was whether or not the story could be carried without the heat I’d come to expect from her other books.
I can say, without a doubt, that the reluctant romance, friendships, mystery and strength of spirit made for a sweet and endearing tale. The dizzying politics of both the English and Fae society made for a humorous backdrop while also providing the reader an occasional glimpse inward on what many find to be virtuous and respectful so often not actually being the case.
While there wasn’t much in the way of world-building, it was so easy to get caught up in Elias’ plight, Dora’s own misgivings about herself and even the banter and development of the side characters that the last half of the book simply flies by. I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment to jump into another story within this world, knowing what awaited me.
Like her hero Elias Wilder, Olivia Atwater has proven her ability to do the impossible. Both an easy read and deeply contemplative, Half a Soul manages to take the comfortingly familiar fairy tale tropes and spin them into a tale that is unique and refreshing.
What really sets this novel apart from its contemporaries is the characters. Sensible and even-tempered, Dora stands apart from the hotheaded heroines that populate many of the young adult fantasy novels today. Likewise, Elias has managed to sidestep the role of the tragic melancholy hero and instead reads as a passionate and vulnerable individual that the reader can’t help falling for as well.
The story, much like Dora herself, is evenly paced and to-the-point. Don’t expect a roller coaster of emotion and cliffhangers that will keep you up at night with this one; it relies on a solid story to keep you engaged, and a message that will stay with you long after the final page.
I received an advance review copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.
I personally loved this book . Such a wonderful combination. Faerie and regency . I will have to add a new book shelf.
Theodora or Dora as we will now know her is a precocious child . Running around , getting into mud and such is how she met Lord Hollowvale. Lord Hollovale thought he was charming , so charming he came to fulfill a contract to steal a young girls soul. Dora ‘ s mother had sold her to become rich . Lord Hollowvale was foiled in trying to take Dora , he only took half of her soul back to faerie. Vanessa , Dora’s cousin stabbed the high lord with a pair of iron scissors and sent him packing. Now is where we begin.
Time has passed . Vanessa and Dora are both at the age to attend balls and find a suitable husband . Vanessa is sweet and outgoing . Dora … dear Dora is missing something. That spark of passion . The subtlety of this age eludes her , being too blunt is her curse. Vanessa learns of a court magician . Lord Elias Sorcier . It is well known , he accomplishes 3 remarkable things before breakfast . A plan is in motion to find this lord magician , hopefully fix Dora of her misfortune and find husbands before the season is over .
Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater is a very unique story. It is Fantasy. It is a Regency Faerie Tale with a bit of satire. I have never read another book quite like it. This book was released on March 29, 2020 and is Olivia Atwater’s debut novel.
The story’s main character is Dora, who has been cursed by a faerie and cannot feel fear, embarrassment, or even happiness. This condition gets her into trouble more often than not until she meets Lord Elias Wilder an outspoken magician, whom most people detest but still invite him to their elegant parties and balls.
This book is very well written. The characters and plot line are well developed and interesting. The story held my interest from start to finish. I thoroughly enjoyed Dora’s verbal interactions with the other characters, and her interactions with Lord Wilder were unique and delightful.
I fully enjoyed watching Dora discover things about herself that brought her comfort. It was also touching to watch the effect she had upon the other characters throughout the story. The other character’s reactions to Dora evoked many different feelings as I read as well.
The story had some interesting twists and surprises. At times, I found the story reminiscent of a Charles Dickens tale. The story isn’t just an enjoyable, entertaining read. It made me think about people and the way they think, act, react, and treat each other.
After finishing my reading of Half a Soul, I found and read an interview that Ms. Atwater gave to a blogger. In that interview, Ms. Atwater said, “I think a good story either makes you think or else makes you feel. I think a truly fantastic story makes you do both.”
Based on that statement, I have to say that Half a Soul is a truly fantastic story.
This story will be one of my favorites for a long time to come and I look forward to reading more from Olivia Atwater. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story, as well as to Fantasy fans, Regency fans, and Dickens’ fans. I rarely take time to reread books because there are always so many new books that keep my To Be Read List always growing, but I think that I should like to revisit this book in the future.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This review is my honest opinion of the book.
More of a YA Fantasy Regency story. Interesting spin on your typical Regency.
Paranormal is usually not my thing, but when I read the description, I thought, Why not? So glad I decided to give this a try! This book is amazing and the author pulled me in right from the first page. I was captivated with Dora and her unfortunate condition. Or should I say fortunate, since her condition is what lead her to seek out the help of Lord Elias Wilder. This is not only a romance story, but it also has a deeper message within. You should not let how the world sees you or labels you, bring you down. You are great just as you are, and you shouldn’t let other people’s views shape you. A great story full of entertainment as well as inspiration. I am definitely looking forward to reading more from this author!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book was a pleasant surprise. The characters were all well developed and the concept was very original and well executed. I also read the novella “The Lord Sorcier” , which is the prequel of this book and I was equally entertained. I can’t wait to read more from this author
It feels so special when you find a great book that balances a light, whimsical feel with a serious side that can make you feel all the emotions. I plan on rereading this often.
I so enjoyed reading this! Just to my taste. Intelligent banter, humor and an engaging story, which kept me turning the pages. I found this very well written and look forward to reading more of Ms Atwater’s work.
The Misses Ettings are cousins about to be let loose on London society, whereby our heroine, Dora, is a bit of a ‘poor relation’ barely tolerated by her aunt, especially as Dora is missing a ‘filter’, speaking her thoughts, e.g.
“Apologize for what?” Dora murmured absently. “For impacting your chances with my cousin, or for acting the bore?”
Dora also has difficulty ‘reading ‘ people, especially Lord Sourcier upon their first meeting. Here he is cast as a rude and sarcastic scoundrel. He’s quite dismissive of the naive miss, after posing a shamelessly rude question.
We are taken to a workhouse, where it becomes evident Dora has a very important feeling, that of empathy.
There are subtle and not so subtle references to negative aspects of society: the Regent does not pay his bills, the treatment of the poor and how they are kept poor by laws imposed by the rich. It brought to mind how this unfortunately mirrors current US society.
I read an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Great book with a view of the paranormal historical feel. The book kept me turning the pages nonstop.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
An angry faerie, unreasonably upset that the 10-year-old child did not recognize his importance or know his title of “Lord Hollowvale”, cursed Theodora Eloisa Charity Ettings (“Dora”) to have no sense of fear, embarrassment, or happiness, which, in the proper Regency setting could possibly put her in the middle of an accidental scandal. It could have been much worse that day, but her cousin Vanessa stabbed the faerie with iron scissors before he could take more than half her soul. Dora can “behave” as expected most of the time through awareness and practice, but even that doesn’t always work for her. Regardless, Dora is very bright and likeable despite her peculiar condition.
When Lord Elias Wilder, the Lord Sorcier of England, initially met Dora in a shop and saw her so literally take whatever harsh words were thrown at her as an insult, he assumed she was dim-witted, saying the “the little chit is nearly as dull as a Sunday morning service. You can come and find me if she ever realizes what I meant.” Yet he failed to realize she had already seen the real person he was as she thought it was a shame that so many beautiful things (thinking of his clothing and attractive appearance) were also so ugly on the inside.
Albert, Elias’ friend, ended up inviting Dora and her cousin, Vanessa, to the Carroway Ball. Albert insists Elias dance with Dora and she asks him about a mirror at the shop where she met him. She had seen this dance with him but her blood had been all over her dress. He was alarmed since that was a scrying mirror telling of the future. He asked if anyone wanted to harm her, so she told him about the faerie Lord Hollowvale’s attack when she was a child. Elias becomes interested in her situation and decides to help Dora restore the missing half of her soul she needs to be complete. Dora often speaks her mind (which is something the reader always appreciates, especially since it is never done to be mean). Will the Lord Sorcier be able to truly help her overcome this curse? And, if so, how might it change her future?
This is a very clever story line I had not experienced before. I love Regency and I love fantasy, so blending the two was fun. The characters are amazing! Grab your copy and see whether Dora’s life will be changed and if she can find a HEA along the way!
Received ARC from BookSprout for Honest Review.
I Give this Book a 4/5 Star Rating.
HEA(?): Yes! Though I do wish the epilogue was longer.
Heat: 0/5, Not a bad thing. 🙂
Romance: 3.5/5, Not a Bad thing. 🙂
Drama: 4/5
Suspense: 3.5-4/5
No Spoilers! x)
This book’s world is said to be a variation between Pride & Prejudice and Howls Moving Castle. I actually agree, it has the vibes of both. I did have a little bit of an issue picturing the world, but it didn’t take away from the experience reading this book.
I did feel that I was still waiting for something mind blowing to happen but it never got there, I also wish the romance between Dora & Elias could’ve been focused on a bit more (but that’s a me thing).
Otherwise I really enjoyed this book.
You know when a book just snags you? This one is a fae-infused Regency Romance, and you’re sure you’re going to get that feeling you’ve read it all before… Only you don’t. It’s original, fun, and remarkably well-written. I can scarcely believe it’s a debut novel, and an indie published one on top of that!
It falls somewhere between the romance of the fae novels of Emma Newman and the creepiness of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell; the fae are as mad as a box of monkeys, but the behaviour of the English gentry when it comes to social status is hardly any more comprehensible. And love is most certainly in the air.
We follow Dora Ettings, a young woman with only half a soul. The other half was taken by a faerie when she was young, and ever since she has had emotional numbness and a penchant for saying the strangest thing. Not that it overly bothers her, being vaguely numbed and all, but she does know it vexes her adoptive family. She fears she will damage her cousin Vanessa’s prospects when the two travel to London for the Season. Yet it is there that she meets the strangest companions, one the kindly Albert, the other the inscrutable and sarcastic Elias Wilder. It just so happens that Elias is the Lord Sorcier, the highest authority of magic in all England. Dora’s affliction piques his curiosity, and the two find themselves drawn together in a web of social posturing, mystery, and just a little magic.
It’s a romance, but it’s not just a romance, and that it part of what I loved about this book. I’m not even much of a romance reader, but this one did everything so wonderfully subtly, so softly-softly that it never felt overpowering. It’s as much a story of awkward companionships, social injustice, period drama, magical mystery, and the complete and utter fruit cake loonieness of the imagined fae.
There are a ridiculous amount of quotable moments on the social justice theme I doubt I could pick one. Suffice to say it’s handled in a very true to the period way, rather than infusing characters with modern mores. The language and detail is pretty much spot on.
I adored how the characters interacted, and just how deep they all were. Dora’s inability to experience emotions strongly didn’t hold back any of the power of her story. I couldn’t get enough of the banter between Dora and Elias; this ain’t your by-the-book enemies-to-lovers type thing, although that’s the closest trope I can think of. It is just so refreshing. Did I mention the handsome Elias’ hidden depths? His character is given personality and backstory that is just perfect. Vanessa gets her own little story arc. In fact, virtually all the side characters get their moment. It’s so utterly fulfilling for characters to be made to feel like part of a world rather than bit-part players.
Despite being the first of a series, this is a self-contained tale. My only sadness is just how self contained it is; the epilogue wraps it up so beautifully in true period drama style, but I still wish we could go on more adventures with Dora, Elias and their newfound friends. There are some tiny tidbits scattered in the plot which gives me hope we’ll be seeing more of them in future, even if they aren’t the main events.
Regardless, I cannot wait to see more of this world from such a talented new voice.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Dora’s world has always been muted. She finds herself in an unnatural circumstance that both make her unique and poorly suited to a life of balls and high class society that her family wishes for not just her, but for her cousin, vanessa. That is until she meets one man, the illusive and somewhat coarse court Magician Elias.
Full of wit and seemingly endless charm, I can not recommend this book more for any fans of the pageantry of 1800s England starlit by a little magic in this deeply effective romance.