Half a Soul

Definitely a 4.5.

This book was on my radar but I hadn't actually planned to read it. But I kept seeing it everywhere and then two of my favorite reviewers and friends, Caitlin and Lia loved it, so I knew I had to give it a try. And what better time than during a very stressful international flight journey. It really felt like a perfect balm to my harried soul.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of the writing here is that it's a breeze. I started reading the book once my flight started and by the time I stopped, I was more than one third into it and I felt like I had just started. It's very captivating and engaging right from the get go, and it keeps you hooked with very clever writing, banter, delightful characters and an underlying message that resonates. It's a historical setting with modern sensibilities infused and makes for some perfect escapism. The pacing of the book is also pretty fast, which is probably why I was so quickly lost in it.

The equally excellent part of this book are the characters. Dora may have had half of her soul stolen which prevents her from feeling or expressing most kinds of emotions, but it also makes her a very straightforward person. She is good and compassionate and has a keen sense of justice, which more than makes up for her inability to express.

She finds her perfect match in the Lord Sorcier of England, Elias who starts off as a grumpy man who has no interest in being polite or kind. But as his interactions with Dora turn from banter to more honest, we realize that he has been through so much in life and is angry all the time because he can't fathom the cruelty of humans all around him. This becomes a common point that brings the both of them closer because while both are dismayed at the atrocities they witness and despair that they can't eradicate all evil, they still decide and strive to do as much as they can to help those who can't help themselves and have been neglected or disdained by polite society.

It was also nice to see a whole cast of interesting characters. Dora's cousin Vanessa is a sweet young girl who is privileged and has the usual indifference which comes with her upbringing, but she is also staunchly loyal to Dora and never lets her down. I loved how willing to try and change she was, and their sibling bond was very beautiful to read about. Albert is a physician who fought in the war alongside Elias so they both have a very strong brotherhood and though it can be tested sometimes, they also share similar loyalty towards each other built upon both shared understanding of the cruelty of war, as well as the cruelty of human beings. I also thought Dora and Albert's few interactions were a lot of fun and I adore him for first realizing the potential in their couple. We also have other surprising additions to the cast who may only appear in a few scenes but impressed me with their words and actions.

Yes, this book has villains who our main characters have to confront, but I think the main villain in this story is the indifference of human beings towards the evil that happens in our society. The overall tone of the book maybe fun and charming but I loved how deftly the author manages to convey the themes about showing compassion, helping those who are in need, not overlooking the atrocities that happen around us, and raising our voice when needed so that we can all make our share of insignificant contribution towards a better society.

I can't believe that I've fallen in love with yet another new series and now have to read the next ones in it, as if I already done have an overflowing tbr. But I don't regret it at all because this book gave me joy and most importantly, a couple I really really adored. I would highly recommend this book, especially if you enjoy historical romances, but I feel that it'll charm anyone, so you should all give it a try whatever your genre preferences maybe.

Regency and magic?? Sign me up!

Actually a pretty enjoyable YA fantasy/romance romp set in an AU Regency England where elves and magic are recognised part of everyday life. There's something very whimsical and different about the vibes of this one compared to other similar types of stories in its category and genre, and I'm pretty interested in trying out the rest of the series.

After a chance encounter with an elven lord in her childhood when she inadvertently offends him, Theodora Ettings is left forever more with only half a soul. She is unable to properly feel what she calls “long-tail emotions”, and can also be clueless as to social cues and how to properly express whatever emotions she does experience. Dora is set up to be her cousin Vanessa's wingman during the latter's Season in London. When forgotten at home one day, Dora decides to take a walk and wanders into a magic bookshop where she accidentally meets Albert Lowe and his friend, the Chief Magician of England, Elias Wilder, the Lord Sorcier.

Things I really liked about this one:

There is a believable set-up and chemistry behind the romance. Unlike so many other books in this genre where the main characters very quickly feel all tingly in the right places when they first lay eyes upon each other, Dora and Elias start off more than a little grumpy with each other before they very slowly, and through a series of realistic interactions and events, get to know each other better and build up some kind of trust and rapport. Whatever big romantic moments there were actually worked for me. I'm quite picky with chemistry in romances so the fact that this one was satisfactory to me counted for a lot.

Dora is a protagonist I could get behind. I know a lot could probably be said about the real-world parallels of the fact that she is unable to articulate emotions or read social cues, but that's outside of the realm of this review. Dora as she was portrayed in the story was someone I could get behind, even though she supposedly only had half a soul. Her bluntness with everything was refreshing in terms of the story and went a long way to circumvent the awful miscommunication tropes in the genre that I really do not enjoy reading. In fact, (spoiler for ending) when I had some suspicion that she might actually reunite with the emotional Dora in Faerie at the end, I was kinda sad and rejoiced a little when they found a way to have Dora stay the way she had always been.

The story was interested in some larger social issues beyond the romance. Not all romances or fantasy stories do this at all, and I always appreciate when there's an overarching cause for the characters to get involved in. Undoubtedly the issue was rather more simplified and painted in more black and white terms than it would've been in real life, but I still appreciate that it was even added in in the first place and not just simply tacked on. It really was woven quite intricately into the whole plot and just a lot of kudos for that.

Albert Lowe. Possibly my favourite character in the book, not really sure why.

As usual, my thoughts about the ending:

The whole confrontation between the two Doras and Lord Hollowvale almost felt a bit anticlimactic, although I guess this book isn't meant to be super epic so I doubt there'd be anything big-scale happening. The whole ending set-up just all seemed rather convenient somehow. Everything up to that point had been splendid. Although it wasn't unsatisfying, I feel like we could've had a more dramatic ending. I couldn't believe that that was the end of Lord Hollowvale, just like that, and that the emotional Dora would be happy to just be stuck in Faerie forever and sacrifice herself for the other Dora to go back to England.Also, plus, I really hadn't expected Albert to end up with Miss Jennings. I was kinda rooting for him and Vanessa tbh, or was hoping for him to be the main character of the sequel in this series. I really liked his character!!