Half Bad - A Review

To all who are reading this,

Today, I introduce you to Half Bad by Sally Green, the first book in The Half Bad trilogy. Published in 2014, this is a fantasy novel, aimed at young adults. Compared and likened to Rowling's infamous Harry Potter series, it was awarded a Guinness World Record as 'The Most Translated Book By a Debut Author, Pre-publication'. So, what did I think?

There may be spoilers.

Blurb
Wanted by no one. Hunted by everyone.
Sixteen-year-old Nathan lives in a cage: beaten, shackled, trained to kill. In a modern-day England where two warring factions of witches live amongst humans, Nathan is an abomination, the illegitimate son of the world's most terrifying and violent witch, Marcus. Nathan's only hope for survival is to escape his captors, track down Marcus, and receive the three gifts that will bring him into his own magical powers - before it's too late. But how can Nathan find his father when there is no one safe to trust, not even family, not even the girl he loves?
A gripping tale of alienation and the indomitable will to survive.

I picked this up from my local library after hearing multiple thoughts on Facebook, Twitter, Instragram and YouTube. Finding book one was a stroke of luck, and I carried it home. I waited until the moment was right and picked it up, plunging myself into a new, but familiar world.

The cover is strange. 'Half' and 'Bad' are on opposing sides of the book, in different colours to differentiate how two sides of a person, make a whole - or in this case, makes the full title. Blood trails down a black background, but forms the outline of a teenage boy's face - Nathan. He looks dangerous and wild. Turning the book around, to where the blurb normally is (the one above came from Goodreads) has the title again, but in the opposite colours. The blood trails across a white background, showing how vulnerable he truly is.

The novel follows Nathan, bound in a cage, telling his story, about how and why he came to be in this predicament, until his escape. The youngest of the family, Nathan's father is not around and his mother is dead. He is raised by his grandmother, along with his siblings: Jessica, Deborah and Arran. From the outset, we know we are in a paranormal world and in this case, it's witches. White Witches vs. Black Witches - their offspring known as Half Codes. Nathan has grown up being told about his deadly father, and this probably doesn't help his state of mind. Always on edge, with new decrees coming out from the Council, restricting his way of life, Nathan finds living more of a challenge than most normal teenagers, with it only getting stranger. 

The Black side of Nathan intrigues me much more than his White side. He is constantly on edge, scared of how he is going to turn out when it comes to his own Giving Day - a day when a witch comes into his/her true powers. There's no magic words, spell-books or wands. It's just power. Nathan asks his family their opinions, and they reserve judgment, apart from Jessica, who seems a horrible person. Annalise, a young White Witch, cares for him, and the two grow a close bond, but this ultimately leads to trouble.

The world seems no more different than the England that we know already, with the exception of the appearance of Witches. Nathan travels around the country, preferring to spend his time in the outdoors, and Wales - a place where he can seemingly be himself - an artistic young man.

There isn't much of a romance element in place, besides from his attraction to Annalise. He does make friends with a young man named Gabriel though, and as the book ends, Nathan is full of determination to get his friend back from wherever he now is. Could it be that Nathan is gay? I, for one, would be excited to see that romance come to a head, but I think I'm counting my chickens.

Sadly, I didn't feel that the magic element was there. It seemed to come in dribs and drabs, sinking through, and when Marcus finally comes into play, it is a very brief scene. There's certainly power plays in the book, but it seems more like an urban thriller than fantasy to me.

I have mixed feelings about this book. Things can progress from the end of the and perhaps there will be more magic aplenty. Characters can have the room to grow, and then so can relationships. What will happen in Nathan's world next? I'm not sure!

The series continues with Half Wild (2015). Half Lost releases 31 March 2016. Half Lies (2014) is a short story, following the characters, Michele and Gabriel. 


You can find Sally Green on the Internet in the following places:
Twitter
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Website

Yours, with eternal ink,

Zoe

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Currently reading: Blood Harvest by S. J. Bolton