Half a Soul: Howl's Moving Castle meets Bridgerton in this cosy Regency fantasy romance (Regency Faerie Tales Book 1)

‘Half A Soul’ is Book 1 in Olivia Atwater’s Regency Faerie Tales series that blends Regency romance with elements of Faerie fantasy. Definitely my kind of novel. I complemented my reading with its unabridged audiobook edition.When Theodora (Dora) Ettings was ten she had a frightening encounter with a Faerie Lord. He wanted to carry her away but her cousin, Vanessa, defended Dora using her tiny iron embroidery scissors. Lord Hollowdale left though he took half of Dora’s soul, swearing that he will return for the rest.As a result one of Dora’s eyes loses its colour and she seems to be without normal emotions. Her aunt declares her faerie-cursed. Years pass and Dora always wears tiny scissors as a protection against Lord Hollowvale’s return. Dora’s partial lack of soul has left her with no sense of fear or embarrassment, a condition that leaves her prone to accidental scandal.When it is time for Vanessa to make her debut during the London Season her mother, who is also Dora’s guardian, reluctantly invites Dora to accompany them. Lady Frances and her friend, Lady Hayworth are noted as ‘meddling hens’ and are plotting away to ensure Vanessa makes an advantageous match. Dora figures in their plans though more as a way to promote Vanessa. Dora isn’t interested in the social whirl and is happy to be a quiet and sensible wallflower. However, readers of Regency romances know how that attitude usually works out.Then Dora is introduced to Elias Wilder, known as the Lord Sorcier and magician to the Royal Court. He is strange, handsome and completely uncouth. When he learns of Dora’s condition he draws her into his dangerous world that brings her back into contact with Faerie.I was pleased that the novel opened with a handy Dramatis Personae as well offering the bonus novella, ‘The Lord Sorcier’, a prequel that focuses upon Elias Wilder.I enjoyed ‘Half A Soul’ very much and felt that Olivia Atwater did splendidly in portraying the hothouse atmosphere of the London Season as well as imagining the Regency era Faerie Court. It proved an engaging and delightful read.There are two further books in this series and I am looking forward to reading more of Atwater’s Regency Faerie Tales in the near future.4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Half a Soul follows Dora who was cursed by a faerie and now has trouble feeling certain emotions. She travels to London where her cousin, Vanessa, is hoping to find a suitor during the London Season. During this time Dora meets the Lord Sorcier who decides to investigate her curse.The book seamlessly combines historical fiction, fantasy and romance, and is part of Olivia’s Regency Faerie Tales. The story is told from Dora’s perspective, fast-paced and is filled with humour, a little mystery, and explores the class system during the Regency era. The book is also fairly short and makes for a light-hearted and entertaining piece of escapism.I thought this was such a wonderful book and it definitely helped lift my mood. The plot is simple but there are a few surprises throughout the book. I loved the characters especially Dora, who was relatable but incredibly funny especially when she interacted with the Lord Sorcier. I thought the ending was beautiful and concluded Dora’s story perfectly. However, it definitely left me eager for more, luckily there are some novellas (The Lord Sorcier and The Latch Key, which were really good) and the other Regency Faerie Tales.

This is a very good book. If you enjoy historical romances and have no objection to a bit of fantasy thrown in, I think you will like it too and I strongly recommend you buy it.That's the short review, read on if you want the longer one. I love books that are a crossover between Regency and Fantasy (eg Sorcery and Cecelia, Shades of Milk and Honey, Soulless) and this is a proud addition to my collection. I think the heroine with half a soul is very well done, her emotional numbness is consistent throughout (some authors I have read come up with some interesting disability/flaw for their characters to make them stand out, only for them to become increasing normal as the book progresses) and I loved that is wasn't fixed at the end making it so that she can only get her happy ending when she is 'normal'. It is clear the hero has fallen in love with her the way she is, to be fixed would have changed her character so much I personally would have found it inexplicable that he would still love her without restarting their romance path.The depiction of the workhouses, and the suffering of the poor was very well done. The main characters, though wanting to help, are overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the problem. There is no fix when the rest of English society believed that the Poor were poor because they deserved it, and helping them was futile, because they would never rise above their low origins. But ... I also liked that the author did not let her characters become revoltingly selfless and giving, there is a limit to how much of yourself you can give to others without a meltdown, and it is important to take time to enjoy yourself so that emotionally you are refreshed and able to give again. A point she didn't make in defence of the parties and lavish meals which I felt would have been an appropriate one, is that these provided employment for a large number of people, and assuming they are paid a fair wage and not exploited that is another valid way to help them, particularly in an era in which there was a social stigma towards receiving charity, especially for men. I believe it is a matter of historic record that some English aristocrats built huge monuments (usually referred to as Follies) on their land, not for self aggrandisement, but to provide a socially acceptable form of charity to the unemployed men in their local district. But I digress.In conclusion, this book is well written, I detected no typographical errors, or obvious errors in historical accuracy. The characters were well rounded and believable, the villain was sort of misguided and confused (but also pretty cruel) and was therefore more interesting than the moustache twirling, I have you now my pretty, bad guys which are sadly quite common in many romances and fantasy books. I am planning on buying the next in the series and will check what other books she has available.