Half a Soul
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.
If Dora's reputation can survive both her 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.
Bridgerton meets Howl's Moving Castle in this enchanting historical fantasy, where the only thing more meddlesome than faeries is a marriage-minded mother.
Pick up HALF A SOUL, and be stolen away into Olivia Atwater's charming, magical version of Regency England!
Title: Half a Soul
Author: Olivia Atwater
Genre: Historical Fantasy/Romance
Paperback: 304 pages
Publication Date: 07/28/2022
Publisher: Orbit
Language: English
ISBN: 0316462705
ISBN-13: 9780316462709
My Review
Half a Soul is a magical and light-hearted fantasy that is Regency England-inspired and simply titillating. As it was, I had just read a classic novel, in which a family from the countryside goes to London for the summer months to spend time in the splendor of high societal activities such as theater and balls and art exhibits. It’s something that was done at that time in Regal history, and Half a Soul follows a similar, overall idea.
Dora, short for Theodora Ettings, is the sidekick of her lovely cousin Vanessa who, at the age of 18 has a ton of suiters to choose from but is holding out so as to not leave her cousin alone. Dora, who has lost half of her soul as a child and is left with what you could say, two left feet, is the least charming in this duo of close kinship. Finding herself clumsy oftentimes, she is now entering these awkward situations of dances and dinners, in which she seems to have one mishap after another.
In what grows into a friendship of more, she meets another outcast, the mysterious and irritable Lord Sorcier, Elias Wilder - who regularly performs three impossible things before breakfast. As she learns over time, he has figured out what the truth is behind Dora’s curse and he has a way to help her through mirrors. In an entanglement of different circumstances, their connection could mean life or death for Dora and that of the other half of her soul, but can they escape the darkness that has come to take Dora up on a wager from long ago?
This story was lighthearted with dark undertones. There is another premise aside from romance about a plague that is afflicting the population of the less fortunate, specifically children, and Elias Wilder’s determination to figure out who is causing and aiding in the loss of children. He discovers, that the link to Dora may be the key to his answer in bringing a perpetrator to justice.
I enjoyed the magical items such as mirrors and the scissors that play a big role. As with any curse, there are antidotes and Dora and Elias come very close to untangling any puzzles. The story ends to be continued in the next book, The Latch Key, and will carry on with a quest of clues and riddles to solve….perhaps with Dora?
If you are a fan of books like Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen that’s a bit lighter to read, this one should be very enjoyable and be put on your tbr.
Happy Reading!
I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.
All opinions are my own.
Thank you!
