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cozyscones's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Classism, and Ableism
Moderate: Child death, Child abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, and War
aidelmaidel's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping
readwithria's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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? Yes
5.0
Half a Soul is full of heart, and artfully combines traditional faerie stories with classic regency romance trope.
I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did! The prose is so lovely, and I have too many favorite quotes to share them all. The characters are compelling and while not all in possession of an entire soul, they are all in possession of fully fleshed out wants and desires.
Dora is such an interesting young woman, and reading through her perspective while she is without her acute emotional responses was fascinating. Seeing her “long-tailed” emotions shift and grow throughout the book was such a treat, and Atwater’s descriptions did them such justice.
Read this book of you love
🩵 faerie folklore
🩶 regency romance
🩵 grumpy MMCs
🩶 excellent banter
🩵 strong secondary characters
🩶 hand touching (iykyk)
I can’t in good conscience end this review without leaving you one of my favorite quotes from the book
“You once told me that your cousin was a warm lantern to you, Dora. I know what you mean by that now. Of all things, you have become my lantern too – and I cannot bring myself to let you go out”
I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did! The prose is so lovely, and I have too many favorite quotes to share them all. The characters are compelling and while not all in possession of an entire soul, they are all in possession of fully fleshed out wants and desires.
Dora is such an interesting young woman, and reading through her perspective while she is without her acute emotional responses was fascinating. Seeing her “long-tailed” emotions shift and grow throughout the book was such a treat, and Atwater’s descriptions did them such justice.
Read this book of you love
🩵 faerie folklore
🩶 regency romance
🩵 grumpy MMCs
🩶 excellent banter
🩵 strong secondary characters
🩶 hand touching (iykyk)
I can’t in good conscience end this review without leaving you one of my favorite quotes from the book
“You once told me that your cousin was a warm lantern to you, Dora. I know what you mean by that now. Of all things, you have become my lantern too – and I cannot bring myself to let you go out”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content, Blood, Kidnapping, War, Violence, and Gun violence
Minor: Pregnancy and Confinement
kathrynok's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Emotional abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Ableism
Minor: Death of parent
jbird_reads's review
funny
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: War and Kidnapping
kshonrade's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-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
4.0
Quick and easy. The romance was very cute, the regency setting not overdone (imo) it’s just a very quaint book. Not too much of everything so if u want regency-lite, faerie-lite, mystery-lite this is the book for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Confinement
kingcrookback's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
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
This was lovely. It's relatively low-stakes compared to the books I typically read, but it still tapped into some important moral considerations. And as fairies were historically sometimes used to explain neurodivergence before it was recognized as such, I think Atwater's worldbuilding was pretty clever. I found both Dora and Elias compelling and endearing. My only real criticism is that the ending wrapped up a bit quickly for my tastes; I would have liked to have seen a bit more of their lives after the greater resolution of the plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Ableism, and Classism
Moderate: War, Physical abuse, Blood, and Kidnapping
Minor: Violence
beccaand's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Child abuse and Kidnapping
Minor: Child death and War
nnia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
A Regency Fairy Tale about changelings, their cruel faerie predators, magic and some very starchy and colonial attitudes and the possibility of romance and marriage.
The starch was too much for me at this time. Might have enjoyed this book more when I was younger.
The main characters find the Napoleon Wars, terrible, the treatment of the humans by faeries, terrible, suffocating colonialism and etiquette of their culture, terrible, the conditions/treatment of the poor, terrible, etcetera.
There is talk of workhouse reform but . . . ?
Heard this book likened to 'Howl's Moving Castle', a bit of 'Pride and Predjudice' a bit of social commentary, but the dissatisfaction far outweighs any changes made (I know, it's historic urban fantasy)and so the dissatisfaction that remained at the end of the book was too much.
There is a bonus origin story, prequel novella included at the end of this novel war buddy tale about Elias and Albert meeting during the war, working together, becoming friends and leveling up. Sort of sweet and at least the characters are outside of any city and in the elements more.
The starch was too much for me at this time. Might have enjoyed this book more when I was younger.
The main characters find the Napoleon Wars, terrible, the treatment of the humans by faeries, terrible, suffocating colonialism and etiquette of their culture, terrible, the conditions/treatment of the poor, terrible, etcetera.
There is talk of workhouse reform but . . . ?
Heard this book likened to 'Howl's Moving Castle', a bit of 'Pride and Predjudice' a bit of social commentary, but the dissatisfaction far outweighs any changes made (I know, it's historic urban fantasy)and so the dissatisfaction that remained at the end of the book was too much.
There is a bonus origin story, prequel novella included at the end of this novel war buddy tale about Elias and Albert meeting during the war, working together, becoming friends and leveling up. Sort of sweet and at least the characters are outside of any city and in the elements more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Kidnapping and Misogyny
Minor: War
januaryt123's review
hopeful
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Bullying
Minor: Kidnapping and Child abuse