Half a Soul
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4.3 • 166 Ratings
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
“Whimsical, witty, and brimming over with charm” (India Holton), Olivia Atwater’s delightful debut will transport you to a magical version of Regency England, where the only thing more meddlesome than a fairy is a marriage-minded mother!
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—an unfortunate condition that leaves her prone to accidental scandal. Dora hopes to be a quiet, sensible wallflower during the London Season—but when Elias Wilder, the strange, handsome, and utterly ill-mannered Lord Sorcier, discovers her condition, she is instead drawn into peculiar and dangerous faerie affairs.
If her reputation can survive both her curse and her sudden connection with the least-liked man in all high society, then she and her family may yet reclaim their normal place in the world. But the longer Dora spends with Elias, the more she begins to suspect that one may indeed fall in love even with only half a soul.
Praise for Half a Soul
“Whimsical but never frivolous, sweet but not sugary. I loved it.” —Alix E. Harrow
“Delightful. Half a Soul is the definition of a comfort read.” —Hannah Whitten
“I wolfed this down with great pleasure.” —KJ Charles
“This winsome, whimsical fantasy romance sweeps you off your feet.” —Megan Bannen
“Smart and subversive, Half a Soul will ignite your heart—and your hope.” —Shelley Parker-Chan
“A perfect historical fantasy romance: warm, sparkling with magic, dangerous, and delightful.” —Tasha Suri
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Atwater's sweet, low-stakes first Regency Faerie Tales romantic fantasy opens with Lord Hallowvale, a nobleman of the faerie world, stealing half of human Theodora "Dora" Eloisa Charity Ettings's soul. Lord Hallowvale whisks the half he's claimed off to the faerie world, leaving behind a Dora who is no longer capable of feeling the full range of human emotions. Believing Dora is cursed, her cousin Vanessa Ettings takes her to London to seek the help of the magic-wielding Lord Sorcier. While there, the cousins are thrust into high society, entering a glittering world of balls, tea parties, and betrothals. As Dora carves an opportunity for herself to work with the Lord Sorcier, together they discover a mysterious sleeping plague targeting the city's poor and vulnerable. Their investigation into this illness quickly supersedes the focus on breaking Dora's curse, and given how successful she is both professionally and romantically without it, readers will wonder why they should root for her soul to be restored at all. Atwater keeps things light and charming, meshing romance tropes with fairy tale elements, while not shying away from the darker side of Regency London. Readers are sure to be swept away.Correction: An earlier version of this review incorrectly stated this book was the third entry in a series.
Customer Reviews
comfortably content
I won’t say this book was amazing, and beautifully written etc etc. however I will say that while almost everything in the book felt surface level, it was still such an enjoyable read for me. I definitely recommend this if you’re looking for a short romantasy read, that doesn’t have too much world building/conflict/plot.
Enjoyable read
This was an enjoyable read and after finishing it I read the other historical fairy tales by the author and enjoyed all of those as well.
Lovely
I happened upon this author by accident. Having read through all my usual favorites and dealing with an extreme book hangover I was desperate for something else to read. Enough to get over my fear of reading something new and it led me to a book that quickly joined the ranks of “will be read again and again”. I read it literally in one sitting.
Good pace, a sweet and charming story line and characters that read like real people (in the best of ways).
I’m about to go devour all of the other books by this author and highly recommend this one.