Thank you to Netgalley and One More Chapter for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Renza di Maineri is an ambitious and confident young woman with sincere, uncompromising values. When her city is threatened by the chaos of a violent political scheme, it's up to Renza, her soul hate, friends, and newfound allies in a team of seven to save the city. Amidst all the grief and deception, Renza is a genuine, human protagonist who manages to remain remarkably strong.

The fated soulhate bond twist, along with the incredible cover art, was novel enough to pique my interest. I was unsure on how productive a trope twist would actually be versus being there for pure novelty, but in in the end, I enjoyed how Renza and Idris's connection was built through seeing past their instinctual hatred of one another to their connected intellectual and moral values.

The book is much more focused on politics and preventing the city's potential collapse than the romance. Renza also has another love interest for the majority of the plot, who I admittedly found very boring.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for an advanced reader copy of this book.

This book promises enemies and absolutely delivers on that end. The idea of a soulhate is absolutely fantastic and I loved seeing this play out. Though minimal romance, I do love the political intrigue of this book and was gripped by the politics and the plot. Renza is an intelligent, formidable woman and I enjoyed reading through her lens as she navigated being a newly appointed elected leader amongst everything happening. I’d say if you love strong, confident women and politics this book was great it had an intriguing plot with a dose of found family!

Renzia is the youngest elector chosen to represent her city, but things get dramatic when she meets her soul hate, Idris, the person destined to be her greatest enemy. When tragedy strikes, the two must work together to protect their city, Halice...despite the hatred (or sparks) between them.

Hannah Kingsley noted that she wanted to be a writer growing up, but I have always been interested in policy and governance. So I was so excited to get to know a FMC like Renzia, who is passionate about the difference that politics can make to the lives of ordinary citizens. In a time like this, where there is so much divide in politics, I think she is a wonderful example of a politician who will overcome her own feelings to do the best she can for others.

I was really interested in the history of the world - their relationship of Halice to the Holy States clearly had some basis in historical Roman empires and Papal States, and I hope this will be more explored in future books in the series.

I would really recommend this book to other girls a bit like me...who want to make a difference in the world around them!

I liked the story building in this story, and the characters were enjoyable and relatable. The concept felt fresh in how the author handled it. However, I don’t feel confident recommending it to my students because of some of the elements of the romance.

When it comes to Soul Hate the premise and cover art really caught my attention. But as I started reading I quickly felt like the author didn't execute her vision and I mentally checked out. The potential was there, and I really wanted this to be good. But in fantasy novels there are several things I consider while reading. The world building, lore, and the overall premise needs to be conveyed as easy as possible for the reader to understand. While also being original and giving an overall message to readers. Overall, while reading the book I just didn't care and there was no impact. The narrative didn't hold my interest so the story quickly crumbled and it felt unbalanced.

Thank you HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for providing an ARC.

This is heavier on the politics and lighter on romance. Not a bad thing, but if you're looking for romance, don't say I didn't warn you.

The idea of a soul hate as well as a soul mate is unique and interesting. The idea of trying to work together with a soul hate was definitely interesting and what kept me reading.

The characters are relatable and mostly likeable.

If you like some political betrayals and possible redemptions it's worth a read.

OMG this book was 🔥 . Amazing characters, amazing story amazing everything. So so good, definitely recommend

Such a unique book. We've all heard and dreamed of finding our soulmate. But what if the opposite also existed, what if we have a soulmate?
A wonderfully crafted book. Fascinating to read.

Chapter 1 was amazing, and I was sucked right in. Unfortunately, chapter 2 on became very exposition-heavy and world-building-heavy/political, and I found myself uninterested in continuing. Scenes I wanted to see were skipped/happened off-page, in favor of politics and worldbuilding. I stopped at 16% in.

For romance readers, the tropes are popular, but the execution may miss the mark. I think this will work well for those who lean into more traditional old-school fantasy, rather than romance. For that type of reader, it feels like an easy 4-5 stars if the reader can get past the modern language in what felt like an "Old Rome" setting (in language style, this leaned toward the decidedly modern "Fourth Wing").

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the ARC.

One of the best reads for me so far!!! Soul Hate is THAT girl of a book. If I could recommend a book for a friend that loves a really good plot, be sure that this will be it.