This is a fast-paced romantasy with an interesting twist on the idea of fated mates. Renza is a leader in her community, and Idris is her soul hate and political rival. When a devastating event puts their city in crisis, they find themselves working together despite their unfiltered hatred for each other, and what follows is a real romp through their efforts to thwart a coup.

This was a really easy book to become immersed in as the action and intrigue come thick and fast. I loved both Renza and Idris, and I flew through the pages to get to each of their interactions. Their banter and developing relationship has so much potential, and I can't wait to see how it unfolds in the future! Between the unfolding drama and the promise of romance, I flew through it in a day, so I'd say it was definitely a winner.

i found the premise of soul hate really interesting. i liked that there are both soulmates and soulhates. i'm not keen on soulmates, i have a lot of issues with them in general, but i was excited by the concept of soulhates, and especially how the characters overcome the difficulties this poses to them.

i found the plot lacking. it was boring for the most part, right up until the end. it's very political (where i love political books, this one was just boring), and lacked anything to speed the plot up. i was longing for some action or something.

the romance, being that this is a romantasy, was also really confusing. the first 40% or so is renza having a bit of a fling with someone else, and didn't focus at all on the main romance. because of this, i found there wasn't enough tension or longing to actually pull me through.

unfortunately this book wasn't for me, but i think there's an appropriate audience out there for it. this book had so much potential and ultimately failed to deliver for me.

I really wanted to love this book, the premise of having soul hates was such an interesting concept to me.
I felt like the soul hates part should have been more prominent, however it was dropped a bit to focus more on the political angle of the book.

I enjoyed the characters however did not know that the book would be such a slow burn, I wanted more between our two main characters.

The world building is okay, however did confuse me as the wording in the book was quite modern, vs the time period I understood it to be set in. I hope in the next books this will be rectified to reflect the world better.

All in all it was an okay read, I’m not sure I would be interested to read and sequels for this world though, unless everything mentioned above was tightened and improved.

I was a little bit worried about this going in because of the other less positive early reviews I've seen, but I must say that I was pleasantly surprised and loved it. I think the issue with this book is possibly the marketing because it's being marketed as a romantasy but I'm not sure if it completely falls within that category.

I really enjoyed that it was quite political and I liked all of the scheming and backstabbing. I felt connected to the characters and particularly enjoyed the slow burn between Renza and Idris. The world was well thought out and it's based on Ancient Rome which is very different. This book was a great start to the trilogy has set up the next one really well. I'll definitely be continuing with the series.

I will say this books is insapore: nothing sparkled in me while I was reading it and everything felt very flat. The setting is supposed to me similar to the Roman Empire and as an Italian I was enthusiast for it but at the same time, the way the characters talked and behaved are very modern and it put me out of the narrative. I found the Soul Hate plot very original and never seen before (like, they are enemies because I say so, and that's amazing) but in the end the political subplot just did not stick to me. I found Renza, the FMC, very immature and childish despite being a political person in the book (why she was even in that position in the first place? Her behavior is not one of politics), while I found Idris okay and quite interesting. The whole book is a "no" for me and sincerely won't recommend.

A creative debut fantasy lead by an interesting concept: everyone has a soulmate, but they also have a soulhate (a person they are destined to feel a firery passion to destroy). Just like in our world, soulmates may not meet in their lifetime....you might be the unlucky few who meets their soulhate - often leading to a violent duel to the death. Hannah Kingsley focuses this inventive world on two soulhates determined to work toward political endeavors and avoid violence.

The concept of Soul Hate is really interesting. Fate has not just given people a soul *mate*, but also a soul *hate.* What sounds like a great setup for an enemies-to-lovers romantasy falls a bit flat in execution. In this world, when one finds their soul hate they’re required to fight to the death. The problem with this approach is there’s no backstory, there’s no understanding for why the two souls hate, they just do, now they fight, end of story. This is no typical Romeo and Juliet where family history pits one against the other or even some miscommunication where they only think the other did something despicable. It’s a product of fate and nothing more.

TLDR: great concept, but lacking in real depth.

🌟 3.5

Very interesting concept! I’m keen to read more by this author.

Cover art ✔️ It is such a perfect cover for the book and its content.

🗡️ Fantasy romance
🗡️ Enemies-to-lovers
🗡️ Forget soul mates/ soul hates! 😂
🗡️ Rivals
🗡️ Clever plotting and world building
🗡️ political intrigue
🗡️ morally ambiguous characters

I'll start with what I liked about this book. I liked it there was a very unexpected setting. No mediaeval England. No dragons or witches but set in a hot country. Maybe like Africa or similar. I also loved the writing. I think if you want a study in world building by stealth then this book is for you. No 200 pages on the world or the setting but World building as you are going along. I also really enjoyed the diversity of characters, both sexually and racially. However, there was just not enough spice for me and I also found the plot a little boring. While the plot had all the intrigue and mystery you needed. I just didn't Vibe with it.

😍😍😍(Out of 5)

Big thanks to NetGalley and Hannah Kingsley for a copy of this book. This is my honest review.

*Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter | One More Chapter for providing me this ebook in exchange for an honest review*


Soul Hate is an enemies to lovers masterpiece with banter, characters to root for and an amazing world-building. I can't believe Hannah Kingsley is a debut author. I mean...wha??? I can't wait to get into my hands the Forbidden Wing edition. And I can't wait to read more of this author!

Thank you netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the idea of this..but the execution just didn't do it for me. DNF.

This wasn't the worst debut novel I've ever read, but unfortunately it wasn't anything unforgettable either. This one had a lot of potential and the premise was very intriguing, which was what made me request the book. Sadly, it didn't deliver what was promised.

The question on the cover was what sold me, but I wasn't really sold as I was reading the book. I found it to be very predictable, and I figured out pretty much the whole plot by the first few chapters, which made the entire reading experience a bittersweet one. The side characters were interesting enough to want to keep reading but the main characters left a lot to be desired. I didn't feel the pull between Reza and the love interest, and it all felt very rushed just to fulfill a certain point in the story.

This would make a very interesting TV adaptation, but it lacked depth on the page.

SOUL HATE is precisely the kind of enemies to lovers read I’ve been craving so far this year. Forget fated mates and tired romance tropes. Instead, enter the reign of the fated nemesis who blurs the lines between love and hate. This is a very well-written political adventure that delights thanks to one epic slow born romance, Bravo, Hannah Kingsley!

Great cover, fascinating concept, and lackluster execution combined with writing mediocre enough that unfortunately I just couldn't get into this one and stopped after a few chapters. Luckily this title has almost two hundred other reviews and a four star average rating so hopefully mine won't affect its prospects much, since as always there are many people who love books I find unreadable, and I do appreciate the publisher approving me for this ARC in return for my honest review.

This is SUCH a refreshing concept! I think this is great for readers who love fantasy that offers romance but also so much more as well as an intriguing take on the enemies to lovers book trope.

Thank you so much to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for my ARC!

4/5

This book is so unique! I loved the plot and writing style of this! I couldn't put this book down while reading. The story really got to me and I would love to read this over and over again. This book is really underrated

I was so intrigued by the synopsis of Soul Hate and I am so glad I was able to pick it up! We follow Renza Di Maneri, an electi of her city and an incredibly smart woman. She goes through quite a lot in the beginning of the book and I immediately felt for her. Most notably she meets her soulhate, someone you a destined to destroy lest they destroy you. The tables turn when they are forced to put off the urge to strike one another down and must work together to protect their city from a zealous religious group. There is political intrigue, clever plotting, and soul-fated enemies to lovers. I really enjoyed the lore that Kingsley set up for the Soulhate and Soulmates we see in this novel. The writing was clear and easy to read, and I felt connected to the characters.
The twists and turns were well plotted. I was not expecting one twist in particular near the end of the book!! I think Renza was a great narrator because I was able to see all of her reasoning and logic- so betrayals felt even more wild because she was so smart about everything occurring in her world. This definitely leaned more towards a magical realism book to me than romantasy- that’s the best way I can describe it. The soul bonds took more of a back seat and we got more political turmoil and clever plotting- which I greatly enjoyed! But there is certainly a slow-burn, enemies to lovers going on! Overall, a really intriguing, easy read!
Thank you Harper Collins and One More Chapter for the e-arc of this book!!

I was expecting more romance, but still a great debut. Very interesting plot and worldbuilding. I enjoyed the writing style, and it was a perfect length read. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Amazing enemies to lovers story. Looking forward to more from this author. Enjoyed the depth of the characters and the plot. I definitely need to get back into fantasy after this

I loved the unique concept of this book. I wish I had more Idris in this book! Please give us more!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harper Collins - OMC for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.