Spoiler-Free Review

After the devastation that was last week’s read, I really needed something fun to emotionally recover. And Half a Soul delivered. If you like Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries and regency romances like Bridgerton, you need to have this on your list.

What’s Half a Soul about?

After a faerie steals half her soul in her youth, Dora no longer feels emotions like fear or embarrassment, which can leave a young woman vulnerable to much accidental scandal in regency-era England. When the uncouth noble magician, Elias, discovers her condition, she is swept up in his magical affairs.

This was exactly what I needed.

If you’ve been following my reviews for a while, you already know that I don’t tend to gravitate toward anything “cozy” because I really need plot in my books. But when I picked this one up, I was in much need for something fun and lightweight (which still had a plot I could care about), and this was exactly that.

I wouldn’t say I’m super into the regency era as a setting. I’m not against it, but I can sometimes find the propriety aspects grating. However, it worked really well for this story. One of the main themes is Dora’s inability to fit in socially, and she struggles to accurately predict what’s acceptable versus what’s scandalous (psst, she’s a metaphor for neurodivergence). The strict rules of well-mannered regency society made the perfect backdrop to explore this theme.

Another thing that can bother me about stories set in the regency era is the romanticizing of the time – which is say, romanticizing the peerage, and ignoring the real social issues that affected the rest of the population. I appreciated that Half a Soul did not leave these issues out, and in fact embraced them as a major part of the plot. The realities of war, workhouses, and abuses of power were important to these characters.

But of course, it is a historical fantasy. Faeries, faerie curses, and magic provided the whimsy this story needed. If you liked these aspects of Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies, this is of a similar brand.

Add in a little light banter, wholesome romance, quality writing, and some well-placed frustrations to keep us rooting for the characters, and the result is a truly fun time.

Should you read Half a Soul?

If you enjoy light and fluffy fantasy reads that still have a plot, you’ll like this one. It’s cozy and romantic, with plenty of banter. And yet, despite this, the characters must also confront the harsher realities of the day and work to be better people. If you like quick but meaningful reads, definitely read this one.