Olivia Atwater writes — her own words, these — 'whimsical historical fantasy with a hint of satire,' and she means every part of it. From Montreal, where she lives with her husband and two cats, she keeps a Regency England with a faerie standing just out of sight, beloved above all in the trilogy that opens with Half a Soul.
Her road there was its own crooked faerie tale of odd jobs — historical re-enactor, a 'professional witch' at a metaphysical supply shop, web developer, vending-machine repairperson — before she self-published Half a Soul in 2020 and Orbit re-released the whole trilogy two years later. When she isn't writing fiction she writes craft guides for other authors, which tells you how carefully she sets down a sentence.
New to her? Begin with Half a Soul; from there the reading order runs gently in publication order, and we've laid out her best-loved books and how they connect just below.
On our shelves
Regency MagicQuietly Romantic
Half a Soul
A faerie stole half of Theodora's soul as a child, leaving her unable to feel fear or follow polite rules, which makes her a delightful disaster in Regency drawing rooms. What follows is gentle magic, sharp wit, and a courtship built on genuine kindness rather than swooning. Read it when you want Austen with a thread of cold faerie iron.
Where to start
Start with Half a Soul, the first of the Regency Faerie Tales and her best-loved book. It's a self-contained cosy Regency fantasy romance, pitched as 'Howl's Moving Castle meets Bridgerton,' and it introduces her faerie-touched version of Regency England before the rest of the series and its companions branch away.
Olivia Atwater’s books
Book one of the Regency Faerie Tales: as a child, Dora Ettings had half her soul stolen by the faerie Lord Hollowvale, leaving her unable to feel fear or embarrassment. She joins the royal magician, the Lord Sorcier, to chase a magical plague striking workhouse children — and it's the one where Atwater's whole charm clicks into place. The book we stock.
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Book two, a Cinderella-flavoured romance: the housemaid Effie Reeves strikes a bargain with a chaotic, well-meaning faerie to better her station and win a gentleman's heart, then watches the magic complicate everything.
Book three. Dora's adopted daughter Abigail investigates a string of magical murders among London's debutantes — a faerie-tinged mystery wrapped around a warm sapphic romance.
A standalone, low-stakes cosy and an affectionate homage to Good Omens: Gadriel, a fallen angel of petty temptations, keeps failing — charmingly — to tempt the relentlessly kind Holly Harker into doing something nice for herself.
A short companion novella that slots between Half a Soul and Ten Thousand Stitches — a lighter return to the faerie world, given free to her newsletter readers.
Book one of the Victorian Faerie Tales, a darker, gothic turn in the same broad world: the governess Winifred Hall enters a faerie-haunted manor to rescue her charge and untangle its enchantments. Start here if you'd like the shadows turned up.
Good questions
Read them in publication order: Half a Soul (2020), then Ten Thousand Stitches (2020), then Longshadow (2021). Each follows a different couple and stands fairly well alone, though Longshadow — centred on Dora's adopted daughter — lands best after the first two. Two companion novellas sit alongside them: the prequel The Lord Sorcier, and the free, newsletter-only The Latch Key, which slots between books one and two.
Both, happily. It opens the three-book Regency Faerie Tales, but it tells a complete story and reads perfectly well on its own. The later books follow new couples in the same faerie-touched world.
Gently handled. These are cosy, romance-forward fantasies — pitched as 'Howl's Moving Castle meets Bridgerton' — where the pleasure is slow-burn longing, banter and warmth rather than heat; Longshadow's central romance is a tender sapphic one.
Try Travis Baldree's Legends & Lattes for the same low-stakes, warm-hearted comfort, and browse our Will Hug You and Whimsy & Folklore shelves for more cosy fantasy in the same key.
It's a short companion novella set between Half a Soul and Ten Thousand Stitches — a lighter, low-stakes return to the faerie world. Atwater offers it free to her newsletter subscribers, so signing up to her mailing list is how you get it.
Loosely. The Witchwood Knot (2023) opens her Victorian Faerie Tales — a darker, gothic branch set in the same broad faerie world rather than a direct sequel — so you can begin there fresh if shadows suit you better than candlelight.
Will Hug You →The Cosy Corner →Whimsy & Folklore → ← All authors Browse every book →