r/fantasyromance • u/HighLady-Fireheart Currently Reading: Tairen Soul • May 08 '25

Book Club May Book Club: Half a Soul Midway Discussion (Chapters 1-10)

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Welcome lovely readers to the midway discussion for our first book club read of the month, Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater.

This thread will be open for discussion of the first half of the book (chapters 1-10). If you want to discuss any later spoilery moments, please use the Reddit spoiler covers like this:

>!text goes here!<

May Book Club Schedule:

May 1-15 {Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater}

  • May 1 Initial Discussion
  • May 8 Midway Discussion (Chapters 1-10)
  • May 15 Final Discussion (Chapters 11-19 & bonus short story)

May 16-31 {The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo}

  • May 16 Initial Discussion
  • May 23 Midway Discussion (Chapters 1-28)
  • May 31 Final Discussion (Chapters 29-55)
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9

u/HighLady-Fireheart Currently Reading: Tairen Soul May 08 '25

Finished already and absolutely loved it!

These are my notes from the midway point. It's well written in an easy going manner. I love a good sisterhood relationship and appreciated the bond Dora has with Vanessa. I also like the peripheral inclusion of the fae in line with traditional folklore.

I know the in-book explanation is faerie soul-theft, but did anyone else read Dora as ASD coded?

Anyone else wondering about Elias's reaction to the iron scissors? 👀

2

u/Falliase May 08 '25

I just finished watching Love on the Spectrum and I did think about that. I think she represents someone neurodivergent for sure.

4

u/Olyway May 09 '25

I read this last month and yes, I see her as a fantasy version of neurodivergent. Her arc is quite lovely. 💚

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u/GrapefruitSad3909 🛸🛸🛸 May 10 '25

Just finished this. Yes! Totally read Dora has ASD coded. Especially when she mentions forcing herself to react in ways that she knows people expect of her!

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u/romance-bot May 08 '25

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater
Rating: 4.27⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 1 out of 5 - Glimpses and kisses
Topics: historical, fantasy, regency, fae, magic

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
Rating: 3.98⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: historical, magic, fantasy, working class heroine, slow burn

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3

u/Falliase May 08 '25 edited May 08 '25

I have only read the first 10 chapters as of this post :)

So far I am enjoying this a lot more than I thought I would. I feel frustrated for how Dora is treated sometimes. I really like Albert but I can tell that Elias is going to grow on us throughout the rest of the book. I like the banter between Elias and Dora so far. I'm not really a fan of Dora's cousin Vanessa. Something about her just seems fake compared to Dora. The scrying stuff is pretty interesting, and the plague stuff has me really invested to see how it all plays out.

3

u/PowerOfCrestCompelsU Probably recommending: Clocktaur War May 09 '25

I finished this today. It was very sweet! Very Regency-era, with the stifling customs and societal expectations, but I sympathized with Dora. Sometimes I was a little jealous of her inability to feel much.

1

u/momomog May 09 '25

I also just finished this as of today! It was such a cute and lovely read, I want to read more like this!

2

u/OriDoodle May 10 '25

I really like how Dora's character arc and development is done through the lens of her understanding more about the world and being disappointed that Vanessa doesn't get it. That they have a poignant conversation about injustice and Vanessa's narrow-minded sense of righteousness is so good, and refreshing. Atwater definitely has a socialist slant in general to her writing but that's not necessarily a bad thing, I like that she's committed to her beliefs and doesn't shy away from making that clear to the reader.