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A review by maddiementions
Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater
5.0
THIS BOOK DESERVES TO BE A MOVIE. PERIOD.
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*Thank you to BookSirens and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*
To describe this book, imagine The Cruel Prince by Holly Black and then sprinkle a little Jane Austen magic on it. As soon as I saw the words "faerie" "handsome magician" and of course "romance" while reading the blurb, I knew I had to read this immediately. This entire book is filled with enthralling magic and has that historical fiction charm that I adore. How could I resist?!
Our protagonist, Theodora Ettings, I fell in love with rapidly. Who would have thought that someone with only half a soul could possess so much beautiful humanity? Although she cannot feel certain emotions, her heart is purer than snow and I adore that about her. Her bluntness and lack of fear and shame somehow made her even more likable. A character like her is a breath of fresh air in a world where many female protagonists are starting to feel identical. I was so angry with Dora's aunt and other "hens" (as this book wisely calls them) throughout the story for pushing Dora to the side but that's where Elias comes in... (and Albert... what a doll he is)
Feisty boys with magical powers are my favorite type of boys in books, and Elias is one of them. Just like with Theodora, I instantly loved Elias. His lack of manners, his crudeness, and his slightly inappropriate jokes are hilarious yet lovable. His friendship with Albert was woven with fierce devotion and their spunky banter made me long for more scenes with them together in the book. But let us not forget Elias' love for Theodora. So swoon-worthy! He loved her even with half a soul; moreover, he loved her because of her half-soul. That was very powerful to me and I found their romance to be so enthralling (I won't share more details for fear of spoilers). Just like Theodora, Elias' character is a breath of fresh air in this world of identical protagonists.
Lastly, I would like to point out that one thing I loved about this book was the language in which it was written. A serious pet peeve I have is when the characters in a historical fiction book do not speak like their era. I was so pleased that the characters in this story spoke like someone would in their time, without the language being too overwhelming. Not only is this book written beautifully, but it also felt accurate and I admire that very much.
I was so sad when the book was over, but I am ecstatic that there will be more books in this series to come! Like I stated above, this book would make a fantastic movie!! I loved this story more than I can even describe and I cannot wait for more!
__________________________
*Thank you to BookSirens and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*
To describe this book, imagine The Cruel Prince by Holly Black and then sprinkle a little Jane Austen magic on it. As soon as I saw the words "faerie" "handsome magician" and of course "romance" while reading the blurb, I knew I had to read this immediately. This entire book is filled with enthralling magic and has that historical fiction charm that I adore. How could I resist?!
Our protagonist, Theodora Ettings, I fell in love with rapidly. Who would have thought that someone with only half a soul could possess so much beautiful humanity? Although she cannot feel certain emotions, her heart is purer than snow and I adore that about her. Her bluntness and lack of fear and shame somehow made her even more likable. A character like her is a breath of fresh air in a world where many female protagonists are starting to feel identical. I was so angry with Dora's aunt and other "hens" (as this book wisely calls them) throughout the story for pushing Dora to the side but that's where Elias comes in... (and Albert... what a doll he is)
Feisty boys with magical powers are my favorite type of boys in books, and Elias is one of them. Just like with Theodora, I instantly loved Elias. His lack of manners, his crudeness, and his slightly inappropriate jokes are hilarious yet lovable. His friendship with Albert was woven with fierce devotion and their spunky banter made me long for more scenes with them together in the book. But let us not forget Elias' love for Theodora. So swoon-worthy! He loved her even with half a soul; moreover, he loved her because of her half-soul. That was very powerful to me and I found their romance to be so enthralling (I won't share more details for fear of spoilers). Just like Theodora, Elias' character is a breath of fresh air in this world of identical protagonists.
Lastly, I would like to point out that one thing I loved about this book was the language in which it was written. A serious pet peeve I have is when the characters in a historical fiction book do not speak like their era. I was so pleased that the characters in this story spoke like someone would in their time, without the language being too overwhelming. Not only is this book written beautifully, but it also felt accurate and I admire that very much.
I was so sad when the book was over, but I am ecstatic that there will be more books in this series to come! Like I stated above, this book would make a fantastic movie!! I loved this story more than I can even describe and I cannot wait for more!