Half a Soul
Olivia Atwater's Half a Soul is a sweet, sharp Regency fantasy that opens with a familiar premise: as a child, Theodora Ettings was touched by a faerie lord who stole half her soul. The result is a young woman who can no longer feel fear, embarrassment, or social shame, which makes her hopelessly awkward in London ballrooms and refreshingly direct in private. When her cousin Vanessa is given a Season in town to find a husband, Dora is dragged along, and her honesty soon brings her to the attention of Elias Wilder, the prickly young Lord Sorcier of England. Elias is the kingdom's only court magician, abrasive, half feral, and quietly exhausted by the upper class snobbery of magical London. Together the two of them stumble onto a plague of magical sleeping sickness in the workhouses that polite society has decided not to see. Atwater writes with Heyer like wit, a Howl's Moving Castle warmth, and a genuine concern for the social conscience of the era.
Themes & atmosphere
What you might want to know about Half a Soul
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Years after a faerie touched her as a child, Dora Ettings feels half her emotions at half-strength, which is awkward in London marriage season. England's grumpy Lord Sorcier finds her, and her condition, fascinating.
Yes. Half a Soul is the first book in Olivia Atwater's Regency Faerie Tales series, followed by Ten Thousand Stitches, Longshadow, and Small Miracles. Each features different characters in the same magical Regency setting.
No. Half a Soul is a clean Regency fantasy romance with closed-door intimacy. Most readers rate the spice 1 out of 5. The romance is gentle and slow-burn.
No. Half a Soul is a clean Regency fantasy romance with closed-door intimacy. Most readers rate the spice 1 out of 5. The romance is gentle and slow-burn.
Half a Soul was written by Olivia Atwater, published in 2020 by Orbit.
Half a Soul is 234 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Half a Soul takes most readers 4 to 5 hours to finish.
Half a Soul is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.