Half Bad (The Half Bad Trilogy) Paperback – Deckle Edge, January 13, 2015

HALF BAD is the astounding, heartrending and absolutely breathtaking first book in Sally Green’s Half Life trilogy. It is a story whose beautiful writing is in stark contrast with the dark picture it paints for its protagonist, a young half-Black, half-White Witch.It invites readers into a world where Black Witches are deemed evil and White Witches are labeled good, yet both are vicious, vengeful, and bloodthirsty and neither are above intolerable acts of cruelty. It introduces readers to a boy who has been shown little kindness, who has been persecuted simply for being born of mixed witch parentage, who has been tortured and beaten and branded and threatened, but who still strives to be good.Just because he was born the son of Marcus Edge, a dangerous and powerful Black Witch, and comes from a long line of Black Witches who were notorious for being violent, does not mean that he, Nathan Byrn, is anything like them. His mother Cora was a White Witch. He was raised by White Witches. He’d never even met a Black Witch, let alone his father.But to the Council of White Witches in England, that isn’t enough to make him trustworthy. It isn’t enough for them to see him as anything but a threat, a tool they can use, a killer. And with each new Resolution they pass against Half Codes like him, more and more of his freedoms get taken away until he’s left with none at all. Until all that he has and all that he knows are endless days in the cage.Author Sally Green has penned a story that is shocking, captivating and refreshingly original. Told in six parts, most of which are in the first-person narrative, the story begins in second-person narrative, allowing readers to be drawn into the story as if they are a part of it. Allowing them to feel what Nathan feels. Allowing them to experience the cage as Nathan does. Giving them the opportunity to better understand Nathan and what he’s going through.HALF BAD is a must for fans of stories with a unique voice, gorgeous writing, an exciting storyline that will make them think, and a main character that is interesting, likable, sympathetic yet unconventional. Riveting, poignant and thought-provoking, this first installment in the Half Life trilogy invites the question of what is good and what is evil and delivers a heart-stirring story that will amaze.

Let's start off by how turned off I am by the cover of this book. Folks had been giving it interesting reviews, though, so I picked it up at B&N and opened to the table of contents...and put it down to check out the next book I picked up. I just had no actual desire to read it.Well, this sounds like it's going to be a negative review. But the truth is, by and large, I enjoyed this book with a few problems. I give it a high 3.5 stars.Sampling on my Kindle worked a lot better than in the store. The 5%, I think, in the sample was engaging. It was also in second person, but it felt so natural, and it was different, which was something I needed right at that moment. So I bought the book.And almost immediately, the book goes into first-person present. This took me a while to get used to because it felt like a flashback that didn't end and having the present tense in the past felt unnatural. However, once I got used to it, I began feeling heavily for the main character, Nathan.Don't be confused. This book isn't as much about witches and magic as it is about discrimination. Some people might feel like the amount of unfair treatment and even torture that he went through is too much, too dark. My heart ached heavily for him, even in those times when he did things I (and he) knew were going to be punished but he did them anyway.By the time we get back to the present (in a brief return to 2nd-person that didn't feel as natural as the original), I was fully invested in Nathan's troubles and search to receive three gifts on his 17th birthday (to make him a full witch, and possibly keep him from dying).The last quarter was a little slower, with a lot of waiting, considering the looming deadline. It did allow us to meet and connect to some new people who I'm sure are going to be incredibly important in book 2, but the slower pace meant for some slower reading from me. After what seemed like a climax, there's a stretch of traveling that I admit I ended up skimming because it seemed endless before reaching the conclusion that was really the perfect ending for this book.Some of the secondary characters felt like they could have been drawn a little more three-dimensionally. In particular, the love interest was kind of just a girl on a pedestal. But the strength of Nathan's character made up for these others' failings. I'm also hoping that the future books will make clear what makes the difference between a Black Witch and a White Witch, since so many of the Whites that we meet act so evilly against Nathan.I had a hard time deciding what to rate this book, because there were so many points that I had problems with. But the strength of Nathan's character plus the emotions I felt for him have made me decide to give the high rating I have.Recommended for fans of: witches (without much magic used in the book), interesting narrative choices, strongly developed MCs but weak secondary characters, books on a deadline, discrimination, your heart aching (in a good way), love interests on a pedestal, interesting eye descriptions.

The first half of this book had me simultaneously crying in horror and yelling in outrage. Poor Nathan is literally brutalized his entire childhood, by his family, his friends, almost all the adults around him. Reading the first half was difficult and heartbreaking. Nathan was just a child when the abuse began!This might be a slight spoiler, so heads up.When he finally escapes and goes in search of his father, the book becomes less... Torturous. Not to read, but to take Nathan to heart.The Fairborn witches think they are the "good ones" and all Blood witches are bad. So bad that they are killed on sight. I myself have experienced this kind of hypocrisy, with people who were supposed to be the pinnacles of society, but we're in fact the cruelest people I've ever met. Art imitates life.I'm not in any way saying that the second half of the book is disappointing. It's every bit as exciting and suspenseful. The addition of Gabriel, a full blood witch who falls in love, sadly, with a straight Nathan, adds another level of turmoil.This is one of the best YAs that I have ever read, and I am going to let my heart get back to beating normally before I dive into book 2.

Ok

J’ai adoré ce livre. Je suis passée par pléthore de sentiments. Il m’a rendue triste, folle de rage pour le hero.

Excelente libro mi favorito de todos los tiempos, te engancha el libro desde la primera pagina y hasta la ultima del tercer libro, es una historia inolvidable

Really amazing and interesting. It lacks a lot of information that shouldn't be missed, but I understand that the author only wanted to focus on Nathan and in building a strong connection between him and the readers to keep the story a addicting circle.

Some reviews were a bit harsh on this book but the subject caught my attention and I had to read it. Glad I did. Very well done and I can't wait for the next book in the series.