Half Bad
Hardcover | Paperback | Kindle Edition
Written by Sally Green
Viking/Penguin Group
Release Date: March 4, 2014
Cover Price: $18.99
Half Bad, the debut novel of Sally Green, is not half bad, pun extremely intended. We are looking at the next YA movie trilogy, since some exec was smart enough to snatch up these rights. The first book of an intended three, it moves away from the current trendy female heroine that stands up to injustice/conformity/oppression/flammable clothing, and goes back to a male witch from modern-day England (hmmm…) — Nathan. Nathan is half white witch and half black witch known as a half code. Guess which half is bad?
In Nathan’s world, white witches are good and the governing body, while black witches are bad and almost always met with a violent end. The fains (humans) are not prominent, but are muggle in their ability to ignore witchiness. Nathan lives with his white witch family, sans mom. Nathan innocently ratted out his mother’s liaison with his cavernous black eyes and traitorous olive skin. His father is not only a black witch, but the most dangerous, most deadly, most hated one in the world. All witches, excuse me, white witches, get three gifts on their 17th birthday which reveals their magical ability. Nathan will do anything to get to his father so he can receive his gifts and escape a life of ostracism, hatred, loneliness, pain, and fear. How much pain? How much fear? How much loneliness?
You meet Nathan in his cage.
Half Bad draws you in so you forget you are reading, until your phone rings and you realize it’s 100 pages later. The abuse of Nathan is so deep and so descriptive, you have to turn your head from the page. And as a Part 1, there is satisfaction at the conclusion that sets you up to count the days til Part 2 is released. Good job, Sally Green. Keep em coming.
Hey! There’s an awesome live action (official) book trailer for Half Bad! It starts with Nathan in the cage. I’d love to see it added to the article!
Comment by Joshua Gabriel Duggan — March 5, 2014 @ 3:57 pm
HALF BAD! Nothing but gratuitous violence perpetrated by adults to a young and then teenage boy … this fiction may be turned into reality by the bullies that read it and ‘enjoy’ their sport.
Comment by Ron Thompson — March 6, 2014 @ 4:58 am