Review: Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

Dora Ettings has a problem: she is missing half of her soul (which was stolen by a faerie when she was a child), and therefore is unable to feel emotions such as shame or embarrassment. Far from being an advantage, it has caused quite a few difficulties in the regency society where she lives with her aunt and her cousin Vanessa.

When Vanessa is taken to London by her mother to try and find a husband, Dora is allowed to accompany her. Hoping only not to cause too much trouble and interfere with her cousin’s prospects, Dora’s plans are upset when she meets the handsome but bad-tempered Elias Wilder, the Lord Sorcier (or King’s magician), and discovers there might be a way of fixing her problem after all.

Together with Elias and his friend Albert, a doctor, Dora is swept into several of the problems embroiling London, including a mysterious sleeping plague and the horrors of its squalid workhouses, all while dodging the marriage plans of her aunt and the other women. As she battles her way through balls and dinners in between visits to workhouses and orphanages, Dora begins to wonder whether restoring the other half of her soul is really the most important issue at hand after all.

I really enjoyed this book; blending together the elements of regency England and magic, it doesn’t take itself too seriously, and as such is rather charming. A cosy, entertaining novel, it makes for a good bit of escapism.

I enjoyed the wit and the writing style right from the first page; the point of view of the novel, from a character who supposedly has no emotions, makes for some dry humour and observations, as well as a somewhat unique perspective. The dialogue and banter is also witty, funny and charming; it made me smile, and was entertaining to read.

I thought the characters were rather well-done, too, and found myself liking them all; Vanessa is sweet without being intolerable, Dora I found to be curiously relatable, and Elias and Albert are well-rounded and interesting. In addition, the “mother-hen” type characters put me in mind of a Jane Austen novel, providing an extra element of humour.

As I mentioned, I found Dora and her situation to be very relatable as I was reading, as an autistic person who has gotten myself into many well-meaning scrapes in a society that feels utterly senseless and alien to me on many levels and who can never seem to respond appropriately as expected by others. As such, I loved the ultimate overall message of the book; I was also surprised to discover that the author did in fact intend for Dora’s condition to symbolise neurodivergence. It is valuable to find such characters in fiction to be able to relate to without being obvious and clichéd, and I think it was very well done.

I thought that the element of societal commentary that was included was similarly well executed, without making the novel more serious than was good for its style, or too clichéd in its message.

Though there is some slightly crude language, the book is mostly very clean, which was another element that I appreciated. There wasn’t anything particular about the novel that I disliked; I think for what it was meant to be it was perfectly executed, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading it.

Overall, this novel proved a nice rest from the more serious and heavy classics and non-fiction I’ve been reading lately; an easy, fun, charming, whimsical read, but touching on some real truths and slightly serious subjects as well. I would recommend it for anyone who enjoys regency novels and who is looking for a fun, light and heartwarming read.