The first couple of chapters made me think that this wasn’t going to be a book ie not.
BUT!
It got so so good! Romance, political intrigue, enemies (sort of) to lovers (sort of), LGBTQ+ rep, backstabbing, strong FMC, and people coming together to protect what’s theirs!
I loved the writing (minus the first few chapters). I loved Renza and Idris’s relationship and how it’s depicted. The idea of a Soulmate and a Soulhate was fascinating, even more so that the book is focused on the hate rather than love aspect!
The world building was beautiful and made me want to see Halice for real!
The side characters were also great, you loved the good guys, got tricked by the supposed good guys and hated the bad guys.
I would love/need another book that continues the story!!!

"Isn't it funny how facing the truth can bring out the violence in weaker men? They rarely react so viscerally to lies. But the truth? Even if they're afraid to admit it? Oh how they erupt...Violence is the mark of a weak man's truth."


Okay, buckle up because Soul Hate is a whirlwind of politics, enemies-to-lovers, and some seriously twisted fate vibes that had me glued to the pages! 😅💥

First of all, let’s talk about Renza di Maineri. She’s the youngest elected leader in her city, Halice, and I was immediately here for her. She’s a total badass who’s determined to prove herself beyond her father’s shadow. But, of course, fate isn’t playing fair—enter Idris Patricelli, her soulhate (yes, you heard that right—her fate-bound nemesis she’s supposed to murder). 🥴 The tension? Chef’s kiss.

Now, I have to admit, the world-building in this book was super intriguing. A world where you’re literally born with someone fated to either be your soulmate OR your soulhate? 🤯 It was a fresh twist, and I couldn’t get enough of the political chaos and intrigue that played out between Renza and Idris. The whole "soulhate" concept was intense, and the fact that Renza and Idris refused to follow their instincts and work together despite their fated roles? Iconic. I was living for their dynamic.

Idris—can we just take a second? 🔥 This guy is so swoon-worthy but also totally mysterious. He’s got secrets, and I was constantly like, Tell me everything! He knows that he’s her soulhate, but instead of going full villain, he steps back and tries to protect Renza. My heart was NOT prepared. He’s all dark and brooding, but you can see this protective side to him that was so endearing. 😍

And then we have Nouis, the longtime family friend who clearly has feelings for Renza. You can tell from the jump that he’s trying to be the rock she needs, but honestly? I was side-eyeing him the whole time. 👀 Gaslighting narcissist alert—I was screaming at Renza to open her eyes and realize what was going on. 😬 Trust me, you’ll be yelling at the page at some points!

As for the twists in the plot, I kinda saw them coming early on. I’m not mad about it though. Even though I guessed what was going to happen, the way everything unfolded still worked. The writing, the character growth, the stakes? It still delivered the emotional punch. 💥💔

Also, can we talk about some of the lines? I’m obsessed. From Idris being all “If I am to be your distraction, Renza, then I will do it properly” 😳🔥 to the absolutely heartbreaking “Old history leaves long scars.” Oof, Hannah Kingsley knows how to hit you right in the feels. 😭

One thing I’ll say, though: the writing could have used a bit more polish at times. There were moments when the descriptions felt a little overdone. But hey, this is a debut novel, and I’m so excited to see how Hannah develops as a writer because there’s definitely potential here. ✨

And the ending? Let’s just say I NEED more. The way things wrap up makes it feel like we’ll be back in this world soon—and I’m here for it. 🫶

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

I really enjoyed Soul Hate overall. The world-building was unique, the characters were dynamic (I’m looking at you, Idris 😏), and the tension between Renza and Idris kept me turning the pages. The writing could be tightened up a bit, but honestly, I’m so excited to see what’s next from Hannah Kingsley. Keep ‘em coming! 👏✨

“But Fate always has the last laugh”

Loved it. Ya, fantasy powerful and fast paced. I really enjoyed this book. I also appreciated a lot the fact that some of the names did feel very Italian and for me it’s always enjoyable to read even small things from different cultures in books. Renza’s story was complete in its own. A true enemies to lovers where hate is the reason why they can’t stand each other but because Fate has decided it. Betrayal, family and justice were also important topics in this book but overall, it’s fantasy and it’s driven by that amazing thing that it’s magical storytelling which, in my mind, is an absolute wonder. While the magical element was not present, the setting and dynamic between the characters were absolutely fantasy like and I really enjoyed the time spent ready it. It did feel a lot like a palate cleanser after heavy books. And we all need that sometimes!!!

“I’m Renza Di Maineri, and Fate is a sick, twisted god”

It was a fun quick time! I liked where the story went but it was underdeveloped in parts. the concept was very interesting, will probably give a finished copy a go!

Omg, this book surprised me so much! I went in expecting a cliché romantasy (which, excuse me, I absolutely love) and got a political intrigue that was so well done and developed! On top of that, I got a romance full of tension and angst that I absolutely ate up. I only took off one star because, for me, the ending felt a bit rushed compared to the pacing of the rest of the book, but other than that, I loved everything!!

Soul Hate is a unique, fast-paced fantasy full of vivid description and complex characters. It follows Renza's journey as a city official who lives through a devastating attack on her city, and must decide who to trust as an ally. An unlikely one is her Soul Hate, a person she is fated to despise and can barely stand to be around. But their relationship develops in surprising ways as they seek to do the right thing for their country.
The world-building was quick and uncomplicated, such that I wasn't overwhelmed by too many names or magical powers or places, but rather I could get right into the plot. It moved fairly quickly, and excellent development of the large cast of characters kept me engaged. A first-person and present tense narrative style brought the story to life.
As much as I applaud the vivid imagery used to create this story, at times it was too much. We shared in Renza's every bodily sensation to the point that it sometimes detracted from the plot. More strategic description of both setting and characters would help to not bog down the story.
The premise of the book was intriguing, but some elements of the plot were a bit weak and predictable (I would love to give examples but they would provide spoilers). I don't know if there will be more books in the series, but if not, a few threads were left hanging that felt unsatisfying. Overall, very well written but the story itself is average.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book, all thoughts and views are my own and I was not paid to write a review.

3.75 ⭐️

Renza di Maineri is the youngest elected leader her city has ever seen. Devoted to the citizens of Halice, she is determined to prove herself and finally step beyond her father’s shadow. But her world falls apart when she meets her worst nightmare, Idris Patricelli.
It’s bad enough that Idris is her main political rival, but fate is playing a cruel game. Idris is also her Soulhate, the person she is fated to destroy, and every moment in his presence she fights an urge to rip his throat out.

So, I loved the political aspect of this book, it was intriguing and kept me engaged throughout. I wouldn’t call this a fantasy novel, only because there was very very little actual magic happening. The writing style was very odd, it sounded YA and then boom, sex scene, I’m not sure what we’re rating this as. I loved the soulhate concept, I thought it brought something a little extra and it’s not something I’ve seen in many books. The twists were not shocking, I knew all along who the real enemy was. I was only upset when they tried to kill off a character I liked. All in all, interesting concept, kind of well executed, very YA writing style.

Soul Hate is Hannah Kingsleys adult romantasy debut, and it had a lot of really awesome things going for it.


What I enjoyed:

•The premise is so unique and interesting. Every person is born with two Fated, a soulmate and a soul hate. One is destined to love you, and the other is destined to destroy you. Most people never meet their fated, but Renza meets her Soulhate in one of her political rivals son Idris. They instantly hate each other and have to fight constantly to avoid killing each other to fulfill their fates.

•The political aspect of this book as fast paced and well done. The world building was based on Ancient Rome and Greece as far as the democratic ruling system and culture was concerned. I felt like the author did a great job at showing (not telling) readers how much Renza loved her city and wanted to be a good leader.

•The tension between Renza and Idris in the last 25% of the book was delicious! Having to fight your instinctual disgust/gods given hatred to act on your attraction is such a new idea and it really worked for me.


What I didn’t love:

•This was marketed to me as a romantasy, but it felt like this was a political fantasy instead. Romance had very little to do with it, and the main romantic love scene about 40% through the book was the FMC with a different man. Idris and Renza, who were marketed as the enemies to lovers, didn’t speak more than 2-3 times before the 60%. Most of the romantic buildup and scenes were between Renza and her childhood friend. Since the book was marketed using Renza and Idris’ relationship, this felt unnecessary and took a lot away from their emotional connection.

•The pacing on the end felt a little rushed, like so much time was spend on buildup that nothing was left for the big reveal and conclusion. After I realized that politics were the main star of the show, I wanted to see how they played out.

•This is nitpicky, but the word “creamy” was used to describe stone and rock 15(!!!) times in 344 pages. Believe me, that’s a lot when you’re reading it. 🫠


Overall I think this is a solid debut. Hannah Kingsley has a distinct voice and a great imagination. I’m interested to see where she takes this series 🩷

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

The concept of this book once I saw it was so up my street and I was so excited. With soul mates so popular in fiction these days, it was refreshing to have the opposite as the basis for the book. Hannah Kingsley excelled at the world building and the politics, however sadly the book felt a bit flat and one dimensional, especially with some of the characters. Overall I feel like this could have been so much more.

En un mundo donde todos tienen una soulmate y una soulhate, al encontrarte con tu alma gemela todo será bueno, pero si te cruzas con tu alma de odio, será la muerte para alguno de los dos, ya que al verlo, entrarás en modo combate y no pararás hasta que uno mate al otro. Renza no quiere encontrar ninguna de las dos, solo desea dejar de estar bajo la sombra de su padre, que la tomen en serio en la política, hacer que Halice sea una buena ciudady cuidar de sus cuidadanos. Sin embargo, su peor pesadilla se hace realidad cuando ve a su soulhate, Idris, quien resulta ser su rival en la política. Ahora, tendrá que mantenerse alejada y luchar contra su instinto, porque nada la hará dejar de lado sus metas, y le demostrará a todos que es posible vivir con un soulhate.

Pronto, las cosas se complican aún más cuando alguien intenta matarla, y tendrá que descubrir quién lo ha hecho y por qué. Para ello, se verá obligada a hacer equipo con sus amigos y con Idris. ¿Serán capaces de trabajar juntos sin intentar matarse?

~

Me gustó la idea, se me hizo interesante. Era muy obvio quién era el traidor, pero con todo lo que estaba pasando, era evidente que Renza no se diera cuenta, ya que no estaba en el mejor estado mental. Lo único que no me gustó fue el final, ya que fue apresurado y me quedaron algunas dudas en cuanto a su relación con Idris.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a refreshingly interesting read! You always hear about soulmates, but never do you hear about soul hates. I loved the concept and knew that this would be right up my alley.
The world-building and political intrigue were central to this story and I loved delving into it, even if I could smell the betrayal from a mile away.
I loved Renza and how she was never afraid to speak her mind, even amongst political turmoil. I also loved the soul hate concept and the relationship between Renza and Idris - how they’re forced to work together for the greater good.
The world was incredibly immersive and really beautifully written. My only critique was that it would have been great to see just a little more of that enemies to lovers/soul hate relationship come forward in the middle/end of the book. There was definitely a missed chance for a little Mr and Mrs Smith-esque love/hate fight then make up scene! But that’s also just personal preference.

i quite liked this one. the FMC was awesome and the MMC was definitely interesting, although the villains were a hair flat. the story was great. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

If you love enemies to lovers you’ll love this!!
I loved the idea of a Soulhate, the person you are fated to hate and kill and I was super excited to see how the romance will play out with that aspect because in the beginning I was really unsure how that will work out, but loved how it did!
I really enjoyed the political intrigue and how Renza was not afraid to speak up about her opinion even if I saw the betrayal coming before she did, I totally understand why she didn’t (want to) realize!
I also really loved the side characters and the relationship dynamics between them and finding out more details about them throughout the story.
The ending felt a little bit rushed and I would’ve loved more details in that regard and the beginning was a little slowish but it just sets up the story so it was fine in my opinion!
All in all really enjoyed reading this, giggled at the romance and was excited to see how their plans turn out.

I am OBSESSED with the concept of a Soulhate. I mean, why have a soulmate and not a soulhate?

This story had me sitting on the edge of my seat and excited with every twist and turn. And their banter!!

I’m not big on enemies to lovers, but this definitely did it right!

Wow. This was an extremely powerful, attention grabbing book. I think we need a book like this in this day and age here in the US, though I fear it's words would be in danger of being banned, but that's what makes it all the more useful and powerful of a book. It was impossible to put down, and flowed smoothly from one point to another. I really enjoyed the enemies to lovers aspect; it really felt like they were true enemies to lovers, and I loved that they didn't immediately love one another. In fact, they were fated to hate one another, and they fell in love anyways. The characters were loveable and diverse and I enjoyed all the side characters that were meant to be enjoyed. My only qualm with the entire book is that in the blurb, it says that they end up falling in love, but that sort of ruins the twist villain in my eyes. If the it was left ambiguous, it would seem that much more surprising when the twist villain was revealed. Instead I sat there hating one of the side characters because I just knew. I could tell. And that really took away my enjoyment of the villain plot.

This book was a 3.75 for me. I read it super quickly, but I feel like it was extremely predictable which I do not really enjoy. I feel like I am really easy to please as a reader, I always give 4-5 stars and hardly rate books lower than a 4. But this one I could see the ending from a mile away. I really enjoyed the concept of everyone having a soulhate and a soulmate but I felt like there could have been a better twist likkkke Idris is the soulhate and soulmate, that would have been something I did not expect coming. I liked all the characters and felt that they were all very likable, I did have issues with the character arc of the FMC, Renza. I feel like she was supposed to be this super smart bad *ss politician who got elected to the government at 16 but was so easily tricked by the villain. I felt for how smart she was supposed to be she should have caught all the red flags. There were moments where things were blatantly obvious, and she did not see it until she overheard the entire evil plan. Even when she was being tricked, she was so naive and easy to control it drove me insane. But I feel like even with her grief the way her character was supposed to be that her sense of justice would be amplified with her grief. Instead, she allowed someone to make decisions for her and enact their evil whims. The love stories that began to bloom towards the end made the book more bearable and I felt that Renza was starting to get her fire back and stopped acting so impulsively.
I am not sure Kingsley's writing style is my thing; she spent way too long in every moment describing the building or area they were in, and it was paragraphs worth. I find that annoying and boring. I do not need you to spend 3 paragraphs describing plants and windows. I cannot tell if this was a standalone or first book as it ends open ended but I would read the next book, but I definitely won't be rushing to read it.

Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I hoped to like it but I couldn't seem to get into. I enjoyed the world building but not so much the story and characters.

I loved the concept of this with a Soul Hate (the flip side of a Soul Mate) and that was a really clever way to put it (as it makes perfect sense!). Even better when the book is centred around falling for the one person you are meant to hate / destroy (naturally!), enter Renza and Idris! This was such a unique plot and loved the fantasy and world building and enemies-to-lovers is one of my favourite tropes. I found the style of writing easy to follow and loved the descriptions of the places throughout the book that really helped my imagination picture vividly what was going on. I thought it was interesting watching them play out and how Renza's resistant to developing feelings for Idris changed over time and although part of me was a bit disappointed that the ending wasn't more solid in terms of them getting together long term due to Renza's work commitments, it was also good because it shows that she is also able to see past the rose tinted glasses and at that time, regardless of her feelings for Idris, she was able to stand up and say she wanted to focus on her career instead, which is fair enough and actually quite refreshing!!

Soul Hate is a Roman history inspired fantasy about a world where everyone has a Soul Mate and a Soul Hate. One fated love and one fated enemy, but the chances of meeting them are extremely rare. Our FMC is a young politician who finally meets her Soul Hate and is forced to work with him when a tragedy strikes the city and decimates the goverment.
Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for the opportunity to read and review this book which I am giving 2.5⭐️.
This book started strong but once the actual political plot line started things slowed down to the point where I lost all interest in the book. None of the characters were particularly compelling and the by 75% of the book I was ready for it to be over.

This was good. A little slow in parts, but definitely a recommended read if you're into this type of genre.