Half Bad (The Half Bad Trilogy, #1) in The Wide Web of Friends in YA Books

Jan 26, 2014 Sharon L rated it liked it

Shelves: dnf, netgalley, 3-2014

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I found that the title is really quite befitting the name. Because this book is half bad. But more on that in a minute

Some of you would do the comparison to Harry Potter. Since they both deal with witches in England I guess that comparison is unavoidable. Yet, whatever issues I might have with the book (and I have), I think such comparison don't do this book justice.

Fans of Harry Potter, don't hate me.

Half Bad has some of the elements that were so la ...more

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Feb 22, 2015 Cookielover rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, read-in-2014, awesome

I keep forgetting to add the books I read last year. I still think I'm forgetting something...
Anyway, I loved this. I thought it a very original take on witches and the like. The characters made the story fantastic. I am dying for the next book. ...more

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Mar 23, 2014 Millie rated it really liked it

Half Bad follows the story of Nathan, a half code. Set in England, where white (good) and black (bad) witches live alongside humans (fains), Nathan was born to a white mother and a black father. He is brought up in a community of white witches but is an outcast due to is connections to his father – the most powerful black witch in the world. Following Nathan as he grows up, you experience his battle between good and evil and his quest to discover more about his past as he is hunted by the counci Half Bad follows the story of Nathan, a half code. Set in England, where white (good) and black (bad) witches live alongside humans (fains), Nathan was born to a white mother and a black father. He is brought up in a community of white witches but is an outcast due to is connections to his father – the most powerful black witch in the world. Following Nathan as he grows up, you experience his battle between good and evil and his quest to discover more about his past as he is hunted by the council.

I loved this book! It was really unique and extremely gripping. I am not a massive fantasy fan but this book had me hooked from the first page and I couldn’t put it down. I loved that it was set in the UK as there are not many books that are. This created a great atmosphere for the places he visits and the events that take place.

Throughout the book, there is a constant battle between good and evil in Nathan. The theme is prominent but not blatant and adds a great depth to the plot. There are also parts which I believe ran parallel to racism that occurs in our life. This creates a great thought provoking theme in the novel that again, adds depths.

The character development in the book was great. It is a very character driven story following the characters through around 15 years and showing their conflicts and changes. The protagonist Nathan is a very emotionally unstable person which makes the feelings in this book more powerful. I loved the beginning as it stars with the narrative being in 2nd person and relating to you in a case of torture. This creates an eerie feel but really gets you hooked.

The only thing that prevented me from rating this a 5 star instead of a 4 was the connectivity. Although the characters were very well built and the emotions present, I felt distant from the events. This in a way is a positive as it adds to the mysterious feel. However, I believe as the series goes on the books will get even better!

Overall, a fantastic piece of work that is going to be very big. A unique story that is presents a darker side to YA fantasy. I can’t wait for the next book (though it is a LONG wait) and possibly the film! ...more

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Dec 03, 2014 Brooke ♥booklife4life♥ rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-a-day, witches-wizards, boy-pov, read-in-2015, need-to-re-read

Short Review:

I really liked this book. I planned to just read a few pages before bed and i ended up reading over half of it in one sitting.

I loved it going back and forth in time. It added something fulfilling to the story.

I cringe when the MC was being attacked by the bullies and having to deal with those scars forever.

I wish there as more to the ending, but maybe book two will begin with a craziness, guess we'll see! ...more

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May 15, 2014 Julia rated it it was ok · review of another edition

2,5 Stars
I really liked the idea of the book but I couldn't stand the writing style. It was so hard to read. And until the last 40 pages I found it kinda boring. ...more

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