This book had an interesting concept, but a few aspects didn’t quite work for me. The shifts between the modern-day setting and the historical fantasy elements felt a bit disjointed and made it hard to stay immersed in the story. The premise was unique and had so much potential, but I found myself wanting more explanation about the gods, goddesses, and the soul hate dynamic. It felt like there were great ideas that weren’t fully developed. While the story had promise, it just didn’t fully deliver for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, One More Chapter, and Hannah Kingsley for the Advanced Readers' Copy.

The concept of a "soulhate" instead of a soulmate was a promising one that unfortunately fell fat. The author, however, excelled at writing politics. In addition, I enjoyed that the main character started out as a strong political figure, because it's not something we see a lot in romantic fantasy novels.

Best wishes to the author in all her future endeavors.

This was interesting and the whole concept of a soulhate makes me glad that doesn't exist in real life.

I did feel the villian was obvious from very early on, and struggled with characters speaking in a modern way in what was very clearly not a modern time. But overall I enjoyed the book. It was different with a unique conflict.

Would have loved a little less emphasis on the FMC getting ready for a date towards the beginner. It just felt odd and very modern and out of place with the environment of the story. I had to modernize everything in my head for these sorts of conversations to make sense, which I think took away a bit from the world building.

I would still recommend this book to others and am curious if there will be a book 2 because we need more with Idris and Renza figuring things out.

Even though I saw a character’s betrayal coming, I was still pleasantly surprised with the two main characters and where everything ended up. The idea of a “Soulhate” is also intriguing, because there is a fine line between love and hate. I feel the relationship between them could have been fleshed out more, but ultimately it’s not 100% necessary. Loved the Italian/Roman inspired world too! Would definitely read more!

Soul Hate by Hannah Kingsley had some intriguing elements but ultimately fell short for me. The cover is beautiful, and I thought the “Soul Hate” concept was a clever twist on the enemies-to-lovers trope. The Roman Empire-inspired setting was a nice touch, and there were some lovely descriptive passages.

That said, I found several aspects of the book frustrating. The mix of an old-fashioned setting with modern references and dialogue felt jarring and out of place. For instance, in a single page we get mentions of heeled gladiator sandals and three-for-two drink deals and it really pulled me out of the story. It felt inconsistent to have modern dialogue like "seriously?" and "I get that" with the setting.

The predictability of the plot was another downside. It was obvious who the villains were, and that lack of suspense made the story feel flat. I also struggled to understand the FMC’s behaviour after the dramatic mid-point incident. While I understand she was mourning, it seemed implausible for someone presented as a strong, competent leader to disengage so completely during a time of crisis. The idea that she would attend a library opening or that markets would be running as usual right after a terrorist attack killing heads of state felt completely out of place. Also, it seemed strange that the city seemed to be carrying on as normal after the explosion? I expected her to be more involved in the fallout and decision-making and less concerned with her new relationship. Her naivety in handing over decisions and actions to other people was frustrating.

The supporting characters lacked depth, and I didn’t feel like they added much to the story. However, I did enjoy the chemistry between the FMC and MMC. It was one of the stronger aspects of the book.

Soul Hate didn’t work for me, but I could see it appealing to a younger YA audience or readers new to the romantasy genre

It was a good read.

Renzia is the youngest elector ever chosen to represent her city. Tragedy strikes and she must work with Halice who is her soul hate.

This story is heavy on politics. If that's your kind of read then definitely pick it up.

*** I received this book as an advanced reader copy.

The plot line and character relationships all felt terribly forced in this. Nothing felt natural. I liked Renza’s character but Idris just seemed very dry to me. The beginning of this book started very strong for me but quickly fell apart. I fairly enjoyed the prologue and up through the first few chapters but then I felt like I was forcing myself to finish reading. The artwork on the cover was beautiful though. I only wish I enjoyed the book more.

A solid 2.5 rounded to a 3 star read. I thought the premise of SOUL HATE was interesting and something different, but the execution fell flat. The idea that everyone in this fantasy world exists with a 'soul-hate' and a 'soul-love' was used as just a concept, but not really further developed as much as I'd have liked to see throughout the story. A lot of telling and not enough showing. I definitely think YA readers looking for an easy fantasy read will be pulled into this one, and that's not a bad thing, but it's not a particularly memorable start. Gorgeous cover though!

Thank you to the publisher and author for this eARC! chose to DNF this because I wasn’t feeling the chemistry between the characters.

The cover and the premise of this book had me absolutely hooked and needing to know more about it from the moment I saw it.

Getting into this book, I found it interesting and initially it had me hooked on the premise and plot. Though it started on a high for me, I didn't immediately fall in love with the characters or plot. The tropes fit the vibes of this book, but it was tough to really get into it on a deeper level.

Definitely can't wait to see what later instalments in this series hold for the couple!

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC!

The begging really drew me and in and I was hooked ever since.

The idea of having an opposite of a Soulmate, a Soulhate, was INCREDIBLE.

The writing will good, the plot amazing and the characters were brilliant.

Looking forward to the next book.

This was a fun, enjoyable read for me. I loved, loved, loved the ancient era setting. The beggining was slower, a lot of politics and getting-to-know the characters, but it took off pretty quickly and then the plot was packed. I had a feeling since the early beggining how it's gonna end and i was right, however it didnt lesser the fun from reading it. The only thing that really surprised me was that the romantic line wasnt as big in the whole scheme of the plot.. i mean there were enemies but not lovers. I wouldnt blink an eye about the missing romance aspect if it wasnt advertised as "epic sizzling enemies to lovers romance fantasy".

Anyway, as said i really enjoyed it, it was well-written and i'd like to thank to the author, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book.

The idea of this story is super unique, but I didn’t quite get sucked in like I was hoping to. It was enjoyable and I did get through it, but it’s a solid 3 stars for me. I was hoping to connect a bit more to the characters, and I wasn’t expecting there to be that much political intrigue. It was a fun story and idea though and I will be planning on picking up book 2 whenever it eventually is released. I will not be posting my review on Amazon, because I don’t like bringing ratings down. And I really appreciate the arc!

Warning: there’s an open door scene. As a book marketed for YA & teen readers, I feel that it could have been warned, a fade-to-black, etc. The rest of the book read like YA though.
I really loved the slow burn, though I do have to say: I hate Nouis. I don’t know if I’m too used to enemies-to-lovers or I knew from that start that Renza wasn’t going to end up with him, but he just felt so slimey. On the other hand, I loved how the author handled making these two enemies, Renza and Idris, fall in love. It was so well crafted and I’m a huge fan of the ending. This book was pretty fast paced and though sometimes I’m a little lost, there’s enough context to bring me back on track. Overall, an epic fantasy with a nice sprinkle of romance.

ARC Review - NetGalley/HarperCollins OneMoreChapter:

I quite enjoyed this story. A solid enemies to lovers (ish), with literal "soul mates" and the opposite "soul hates." I loved seeing the concept of a soulhate play out - someone you see and are immediately their worst enemy regardless of who they are!
This book is full of political intrigue, as Renza, the FMC is the youngest elected leader in her city. It's seems that the time frame is loosely based on Anciet Rome (?) with the strife between politics and religion.

There were plenty of times I was struggling with our FMC, Renza. Mostly because I KNEW what was happening before she did and it frustrated me.

While the story is marketed as an enemies to lovers, it doesn't quite deliver on the lovers YET. The ending certainly leaves room for more books to come in this series and I would love to see what comes next for Renza, Idris, and their beloved city as they rebuild.

Solid 3.5 ⭐️

This was a story concept I have not seen before. Every person has a Soul mate , who they love deeply and wholeheartedly, and a Soul Hate, whom they hate and feel compelled to kill. Some people meet their Soul mate or Soul Hate during their lives and some never do. Our main character, Renza, is a young woman from a wealthy family who, like her father, is an elected member of the government.
During our story, Renza comes into contact with two men, Nouis and Idris. Nouis is a friend from childhood whom she has not seen in several years. Idris is the son of a fellow government official who has also been away from their hometown for several years. Strange things begin happening in their town. Who is responsible ? Who can she rely on and trust?
I enjoyed the story and thought the Soul Hate Soul Mate was an interesting concept. I will look for other books by this author.

Firstly thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins YA and One More Chapter for the chance to read this early.

For a first read of 2025, this wasn’t a terrible read.

The premise is interesting, and intriguing, and the cover drew me in, but in reading the book I felt that at times the execution of it felt a little clunky and long winded.

This book is supposedly set in Ancient Rome, but the prose feel too modern for this to feel accurate.

The twists and turns felt a little predictable and although parts of the book really gripped me, the majority of it felt somewhat lacking.

This one definitely sounded intriguing when I requested it. The play of "soul mates" to "soul hates" is an interesting concept, and one that could have lead to a high-tension plot fueled by difficult choices and an exploration of free will vs. fate (something that I think doesn't get covered well enough in the "soul mate" romances we often see). However, I really struggled to enjoy it.

One thing that immediately stood out to me was the modern language. Now, this is definitely a personal preferences, so if you're a reader who enjoys modern lingo/language in your fantasy novel, right away, you're likely to enjoy this one WAY more than me. But I just couldn't get past it. The complete disconnect between the obvious historical references and the way that the characters spoke was simply jarring. We have characters walking around in togas but also talking about how they're "dating??" It's truly cringe-worthy at times. As an aside, I think that authors should be more wary when going this route for the simple fact that their book will quickly date itself. This is obviously unavoidable if you're, say, an urban fantasy writer. But why cripple yourself like this one did when the book is set in a historical fantasy setting?

I also felt like the characters were quite flat. I felt like I was drowning in tropes with nothing to grasp on to, following characters who were simple shades of others I've read before.

I struggled to enjoy this one. There was a good concept at its heart, but I don't think the author fully took advantage of it, instead retreating into a swamp of tropes and similar-reading characters. Readers who enjoy modern language in their romantasies, however, may enjoy this one more than me!

Very unique and interesting. It had good writing and the story kept my attention the whole time. There had been some parts that needed more attention, but overall it was a good story.

I adore this book! At first, I was unsure but not for long because as soon as the story got going (i.e. Idris appeared), I was hooked. This has definitely become one of my top 10 reads and I cannot wait to read more of Hannah Kingsley's books. Renza was my favourite character, but I loved all of the characters. I really could not pick out one flaw. This is a must read for any romantasy fans.

Thank you to net galley, Hannah Kingsley and the publisher for allowing me to receive an ARC in exchange for my honest review.