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celeste_golds's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Kidnapping, and Child abuse
Moderate: Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Death, and Blood
Minor: Slavery, Pregnancy, War, and Death of parent
folkofthebook's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
“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.”
oh this was a DELIGHT to read. the regency setting, a unique plot, the pacing, the banter, and the buildup of the romance... *chef's kiss* i'm really loving historical fantasy these days and this is easily one of my favorite reads this year so far, all genres included.
“Pleasant-mannered people are simply the worst sort of people. Decent people become properly angry when presented with miserable injustice, but pleasant-mannered people never do.”
“But sometimes, 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.”
i loved elias. i will admit i was even put off a bit by his introduction bc of his attitude, but we learn about him quickly and it's impossible to not warm up to him. he is angry at the injustices of the world and wants to make it all better, but feels powerless to fix it all. dora is the perfect balance to him; she is calm and collected, but unintimidated to return his banter. watching this romance blossom had me kicking my feet and giggling in bed. très romantique!
side note, i did also adore albert. i'm happy he got his own happiness as well.
i will definitely be reading more of atwater's books, i can't wait to see what else is in store in this world!
“Was there anything else you were curious about, while we’re at it? Shall I take off my trousers and let you take my measure?”
“I did not come here only to dance. I came here only to dance with you. It is quite a different thing.”
“I think I am happy. What a lovely feeling. I am dreaming, and I don’t want to wake up.”
“I don’t want to wake up either,” he whispered.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Grief, Death of parent, War, Gun violence, Violence, Child abuse, and Child death
chichisode's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
if Pride and Prejudice had a baby with Howl's Moving Castle. finished this in half a day, best decision of my life. cured my reading slump.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Medical content, Trafficking, Death, and War
Moderate: Trafficking, Confinement, Pandemic/Epidemic, Child abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Pregnancy, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Violence, and Child abuse
kbairbooks's review
challenging
dark
emotional
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This was cute! I read this for my Bookclubs April pic and I really enjoyed it! I will say that I struggled with the split soul concept because if you replace that with autism you can see how poorly people with differences are treated. But I liked this book and how advocate-y it was for the oppressed and underprivileged.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, War, Blood, Classism, Ableism, Violence, Bullying, Body horror, Slavery, Child death, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, and Child abuse
seforana's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Kidnapping, Bullying, Death, Classism, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Grief, Child death, and Child abuse
micheala's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a cute romance. Like there was nothing ground breaking about it, but I'm such a sucker for a low angst romance.
It was a particularly pleasant surprise as I had previously picked up Ten Thousand Stitches by the same author and read the first chapter and didn't really enjoy it. So I was a little nervous that this was going to be the same and it was just not going to be for me. However, once I picked it up I ended up really enjoying Dora.
I loved that this looked like it was going to be an enemies to lovers situation, but Dora just refused to give Elias that energy back. It took a little while for me to like Elias, but as the story progresses he stops feeling like an ass and just starts feeling like a grump.
I was also a big fan of how the ending was handled, I can't be anymore specific without spoiling it, but it was exactly what I was hoping for.
It was a particularly pleasant surprise as I had previously picked up Ten Thousand Stitches by the same author and read the first chapter and didn't really enjoy it. So I was a little nervous that this was going to be the same and it was just not going to be for me. However, once I picked it up I ended up really enjoying Dora.
I loved that this looked like it was going to be an enemies to lovers situation, but Dora just refused to give Elias that energy back. It took a little while for me to like Elias, but as the story progresses he stops feeling like an ass and just starts feeling like a grump.
I was also a big fan of how the ending was handled, I can't be anymore specific without spoiling it, but it was exactly what I was hoping for.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Slavery, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, and War
sustainably_lucia's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is magical and whimsical but also profound and very real. I loved Dora’s perspective on things and I can relate to her being made to feel “other” or “less than” simply because she experiences the world differently than others. The writing was witty and thoughtful in how it examines parts of society that we often avoid looking at out of politeness. The time period and setting really suited the story and the message the author wanted to convey. I loved it from beginning to end!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism and Mental illness
Moderate: Death and Child death
Minor: War and Grief
valpuri's review
dark
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Blood, War, Violence, Sexism, Physical abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, and Classism
Minor: Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, and Child death
silasreads's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Child death, Blood, Death, and Death of parent
This book is about someone who had half her soul stolen, which leads to an autistic coded character. Despite the negative implications, I thought the book did well at unpacking the negativity- until the very last line. Might just be a personal gripe, but I figured I would warn people. This book has a fix-it undertone about neurodivergence.rinku's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I don’t have too much to say about Half a Soul since I quite enjoyed it and the cozy vibes it had. Because of this, it’s not the most exciting book but sometimes, even I like to read a more light-hearted book.
This book follows Dora who, after her mom made a deal with a faerie, lost half of her soul which leads to her struggling with reading social cues. While she’s with her aunt and cousin in London where they are supposed to find husbands, she meets Elias who wants to help her with her soul. At the same time, there’s a mysterious sickness going on in London and they both try to find a way to heal it.
In my feeling though, the book is more character-driven than plot-driven. It’s quite focussed on Dora and her trying to navigate London’s high society. I furthermore liked the topics that were reflected on in the course of the story, like the brutality of war, classism, and the link between sickness and poverty. Of course, the love interest Elias plays a big role as well. It was quite random how they met but I for once liked the banter between them. The ending was exciting as well with Dora being captured in the Faerie world and meeting her other half. The ending was quite satisfying with the Faerie being killed and the captured kids returning .
I haven’t read many historical fantasies before, especially not ones taking place in the regency era. To be honest, I barely know anything about it, and I sometimes had the feeling that I lacked some of the historical context. Still, it was interesting, and I learned something about this time period.
Additionally, Dora is a great and very likable main character. Atwater confirmed here on Goodreads what I already thought: that Dora is neurodivergent coded which I really love. It’s nice as well that in the end, she’s not “healed” but stays the way she is, at least until she returns to the Faerie world . It was a bit cliché how she has no parents anymore, but oh well. All the other characters besides her are likable as well and I even liked the romance which is rare for me in these times lmao. Also, can we talk about the amazing fact that men are allowed to cry in this novel?
Half a Soul is an enjoyable and light-hearted read that still is able to talk about serious topics like war or poverty. Furthermore, the characters are so likable, and the historical setting is interesting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Classism, and Misogyny
Moderate: War, Medical content, and Death
Minor: Death of parent and Pregnancy