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Half a Soul (Regency Faerie Tales, 1)

By Olivia Atwater

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"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 handsome, peculiar, and utterly ill-mannered Lord Sorcier, discovers her condition, she is instead drawn into strange 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.

"Whimsical but never frivolous, sweet but not sugary. I loved it." --Alix E. Harrow, author of The Once and Future Witches

Regency Faerie Tales
Half a Soul
Ten Thousand Stitches
Longshadow

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Published Jun 28, 2022

304 pages

Average rating: 8.03

125 RATINGS

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faetedfantasy

Aug 18, 2024

10/10 stars

If I could describe this book in one word it would be Delightful

Pherfer

Mar 25, 2025

10/10 stars

A Regency romance where the main heroine has had half her soul stolen by a Fey King. Loved the subverted tropes in this romantic story, Dora, the main character does not express emotions, she reads as neurodivergent. Dora weaves her way through society as best she can while trying not to disappoint her family and friends. Her closest friend and cousin, Vanessa, hopes to meet the Lord Sorcier to cure Dora of her affliction. Most of the story reads like a standard regency romance, a grumpy/sunshine trope. But while the Lord Sorcier is grumpy, Dora is plain spoken and emotionless.
I love Regency romance and like fantasy, this book deftly weaves the two together without sacrificing either genres.

katietopp

Jan 01, 2025

8/10 stars

I found this book to be a bit slow paced for my taste. However, that being said I still enjoyed it! I think Dora is a fascinating character, and Elias was just the right kind of mysterious. The whole vibe does give magical Bridgerton without the spicy scenes. In a great way. If you are looking for a low stakes fancy with a good pay out I think this is great!

blewballoon

Nov 21, 2024

10/10 stars

I had this book in my TBR for such a long time and kept putting it off, even though it sounded like something I would love. Maybe I was worried it wouldn't live up to the hype I had created for it, but I think it did. I had a delightful time listening to this story on audiobook. The narrator has just the right tone for a character like Dora and a story that is a sort of hybrid of a regency romance and a fairy tale. I was surprised at how much was packed into such a short book, and how it didn't feel like things moved overly quickly. I tend to prefer more of a slow burn romance, but even with the shorter time frame, I felt like Dora and Elias managed to spend enough moments together with meaningful conversation and shared experiences that the romance was natural.

Hayden Mattick

Nov 18, 2024

8/10 stars

4.5, I rarely like historical fiction so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, very sweet story and beautiful prose-like writing