Half a Soul
Ratings179
Average rating4.1
4.5 oh my god this was a delight???? Charming and includes all the fun regency balls and courting but unique and with a social critique on the elitism of the time. Plus a magic system with folklore accurate faeries? Howl pendragon coded man? Neurodivergent leading lady? This was absolutely wonderful
Contains spoilers
I resonated with the hypocrisy of wanting to do something for those in poverty but being part of a class that benefits from cheap labour and ignores said poverty. The romance between the two was really sweet, and I thought it had a nice "you're perfect the way you are" message. I felt a little betrayed when her halves came back together in the indeterminable future because it seemed to defeat the message. I would have liked to see their interactions then.
There were also many elements that felt a little shallow, like we never got to FEEL what happened between the main villain and main girl's mom, and the cousin barely develops at all as a side character. It just feels like a waste of an opportunity to make the story feel stronger.
Such a delightful book. I loved Dora so much and hope to see more of her? Yes?
I got drawn into this book enough to read it in a couple of sittings, and it's a fun premise and the writing is engaging. I started really appreciating how the writer managed the period ableism (both Dora's neurodivergence and Albert's prosthetic) without loosing the Austen-esque tone — and I was happy to see the former managed fairly well throughout the whole book (provided changeling as metaphor for neurodivergence doesn't bug you) — but dipping out of the world of the Season and actually somewhat addressing the historical injustices of the wider world was what got me hooked. The climax in Faerie is fun and the romantic leads have a lot of chemistry with each other, and I look forward to reading the second volume in the series.
He has asked me before how the world can be so heartless. It is this dastardly need to remain calm and composed and polite that has left us all feeling so alone.
There's a lot to love about Half a Soul, but what made this book so special for me was its exploration of the cruelties of the world. What do you do when the world is apathetic to the suffering of those around you? Olivia Atwater offers her answer in the form of a fairytale that is sweet but not shallow, bingeable but memorable.
3.5 stars
“...when you cannot force the world to come to its senses, you must settle only for wiping away some of the small evils in front of you.”
This was a pretty cozy and warm read in this gloomy, dark, and rainy weather. The writing was decent, and the characters were likable. There was a certain cuteness in the exchanges between the main characters, which was quite enjoyable to read. From the starting of the book, I was hooked by the story, and flipped through the pages with a rapidity that would put the fastest locomotives to shame. I came to love Dora and Elias and their adorable banter, and kept craving for more of it. As expected, everything works out at the end in this warm, feel-good, heart touching romantic fantasy set in the regency era. Unlike most of fantasy romances, the book goes above and beyond to shed light into the English society of that period, and the plight of the poor, orphaned, and homeless. In fact, the obsession of the protagonists with the conditions of the people in the workhouses forms a central part of the novel.
If not for certain things, I am sure to have rated the book 4 or even 4.5 stars.
The entire premise revolves around the fact that Dora, the protagonist only has half a soul, and as a result cannot feel certain emotions like fear, surprise, embarrassment, etc in a way a human being with a full soul may feel them. Despite this, I felt there was a certain contradiction to this basic premise as the writing progresses. For example, initially it is explained how Dora does not feel startled even when someone addresses her from behind suddenly. However, later in the book, at some point she is startled by something similar. Also, the whole thing about her not being able to feel properly, and yet at places feeling things leave the entire premise sort of hazy and ill thought. Personally, the ending also felt slightly disappointing. I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but it was not what it turned out to be. At the very least, I expected more clarification on the background about how Dora came to lose half of her soul, or even how her belated mother came into contact with the faerie lord who took her soul. Lastly, at times it feels like the author is overdoing the anger the protagonists feel towards poverty and injustice in the society.
At any rate, keeping aside the things mentioned above, there is no denying that overall the book was enjoyable to read, and I do not regret reading it even a bit. In fact, I may even venture to try the other two novels in the trilogy at some point in my life!
A nice light read to get out of reading slump. I wouldn't say that woldbuilding and character backgrounds were well explained/shown in the book, but I wanted to relax and have some fun and this is what I got. So 4.5 for the vibes.
The author could have focused a little more on the relationship between secondary characters. It felt as if we were just checking off boxed to finish plot lines at the end. I would prefer seeing some interaction between characters to support those "endings."
The book is part of the series but can be read as standalone IMO.
Warning: the book does portray some potentially triggering themes of child abuse, poverty, class discrimination etc.
This was so charming. Dora and Elias come together mainly because she's the only person besides his best friend Albert whom he can't drive away. Half of Dora's soul was stolen by a fae lord when she was a child and now it's rather hard to ruffle her feathers. This allows her to get past the shield of uncouthness Elias puts up for the gentry, and she sees the virtuous layers underneath. He similarly goes from a dispassionate fascination at her predicament to a genuine love for her kindness, compassion, and wit. Oh regency romance. Apart from wanting Dora to feel happiness, I actually like her the way she is with her 1/2 soul.
24th October 2023:
I would have liked to give this a 4 but the plot of this book towards the end was very, very lazy.
The strong points were how it didn't shy away from the real and cruel history even at the end. The epilogue for one, was what saved the book for me but not enough to excuse how the middle and last part were written.
Final Rating - 3.75/5
Bridgerton meets Howl's Moving Castle <3
I loved every moment of this book. I'm a huge fan of fake-dating trope and this did not disappoint. The whimsical magic really enhanced the romantic moments It was wholesome, cute, and made me feel all warm inside. The main characters were witty and didn't hesitate to call things as they see it. I adored seeing their feelings for each other grow as the book progressed.
The Faerie world is introduced at the end of the book and it left a lot of questions. Origin stories are hinted at but never explained in depth. I'm hoping the sequel will answer these questions, so I'm not too concerned right now.
Also bonus points for including non-gorgeous Fae
Having read the third book first and then this book, it was still a delightful read that I thoroughly enjoyed! The romance is quite adorable and very lighthearted. I love the little bit of mystery that it's involved in the main plot. Overall this is such a cozy read and left me feeling light and happy.
I actually really liked the book! I went into this with expectations low and really loved the dynamic between the main characters romance of Dora and Elias. Elias being the grumpy sorcerer(?) and Dora's intellect and empathy being what breaks his hard exterior to the ooey gooey sweet as pie center. I blushed at some of their lines, it's incredible how much tension and pining can be in a book where one character is missing half her soul. The relationships in this book carry the story, in believable dynamics, with loyalty, love, anger, and disappointment. There's a lot of discussion of status, and those seen as lesser through circumstances out of their control whether looks, behavior, class and money.
This book contains, grumpy/sunshine, Fae, I'll follow you to the ends of the earth, Bridgerton esque time period, witty banter, and mystery to solve.
This book is one of those that while I do think it has some glaring issue's I ended up liking tremendously. The first problem for me is that the plot felt like it became rushed towards the end and overall was pretty anti-climatic. The second is that while the concept is quite interesting with Dora and largely handled really well it does feel like there are times where she has greater access to her emotions and feelings then necessarily makes sense.
Enough complaining though! I am a sucker for the witty banter and while there are instances where it's more meanspirited in this novel then I typically would go for, I found myself having a good laugh seeing wit's collide! I also enjoyed the relationships over all, from the cousins, the friends, and the romance. Speaking of the romance, I was skeptical given how short the book is, but I did quite enjoy how it unfolded. Also a positive for me with some of the criticism on the class system, albeit this is touched on fairly lightly.
Overall, a whimsical fast read that I had a great time with and I look forward to continuing the series.
Whimsical Pride and Prejudice with faeries and a hefty side of social commentary?! Don't mind if I do!
Dit was lief.
Anders dan verwacht en niet zo absorberend als verhoopt, maar leuk, uniek en lief.
Zal de andere delen in deze wereld ook wel nog eens lezen, maar de dringendheid is er wel van af.
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Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for providing an ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Half a Soul pushed so many of my buttons in the best way. I love a good historical romance, and when you throw any element of fantasy romance in a book, too? You have my attention. Half a Soul had been recommended to me about a million times recently, by fantastic reviews written by other bloggers, to people just basically shoving the book in my face going, YOU WOULD REALLY LIKE THIS, I PROMISE. Well, you were right, people.
You were right.
I thoroughly enjoyed Half a Soul, and have plans to continue right along on to the next book in the series. How could I not, when this one was so good? I adored Dora, and her practicality, and complete disregard for the societal rules. She did what she wanted to, and rarely let anyone else make her feel bad about it. (I guess that's a pro to having half a soul? You don't really care what anyone else thinks.) Vanessa, Dora's cousin, bothered me a bit as she was so very concerned about fixing Dora, instead of loving her for who she was. But it was Elias that I loved most of all.
Elias is the Lord Sorcier, a young man who was so very Angry with a capital A at society. I loved him. He was uncouth, he was mean, a tiny bit cruel, and well, he was so different than any other romantic hero I'd ever read before. And beneath all that rough, gruff exterior, well, Elias was spending his time trying to help the poorest, most unfortunate children. He is not a bad man, the complete opposite, in fact.
I loved watching these two navigate their blossoming relationship. Neither one of them really let the other get away with anything, which I really liked. Elias and Dora were perfect for each other. Four stars because there was just a little something missing. I'm not sure what, but there you go.