Review: Half Bad by Sally Green

Half Bad

Author: Sally Green
Series: Half Life #1
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Genre: YA Paranormal
Format: Paperback, ARC
Release Date: March 4, 2014
Source: Received from Publisher
Rating: 5 Stars
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***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way changed my opinion of the book. The review below is my open and honest opinion.***  

Synopsis from Goodreads:

 
In modern-day England, witches live alongside humans: White witches, who are good; Black witches, who are evil; and fifteen-year-old Nathan, who is both. Nathan’s father is the world’s most powerful and cruel Black witch, and his mother is dead. He is hunted from all sides. Trapped in a cage, beaten and handcuffed, Nathan must escape before his sixteenth birthday, at which point he will receive three gifts from his father and come into his own as a witch—or else he will die. But how can Nathan find his father when his every action is tracked, when there is no one safe to trust—not even family, not even the girl he loves?

My Review:

Wow. This book was amazing. I could not put it down. Literally. I was reading it on lunch at work one day and it took every ounce of self-control (and need to still have a job) to put it down when my hour was up. I couldn’t get enough. I couldn’t read fast enough. This book gripped me and didn’t let go until I finished the very last page.

Half Bad is not for the faint of heart. It’s not for the squeamish. The majority of this book revolves around torture. It was heart breaking and extremely difficult to read at times. But I loved the main character so much and I had to see how his story was going to end. The main character, Nathan is a Half Code, meaning he is a half white and half black witch. He has grown up with the white witches though and they don’t exactly treat him as an equal. In fact they despise him. He is regularly beaten at school and nobody says anything. He’s forced to go through horrible evaluations to determine whether he’s a “white” or a “black”. And finally they just simply lock him up in a cage. My heart ached for Nathan. He has never done anything wrong and yet he is treated like an animal simply because of who his father is. Nathan was obviously conflicted, but I think to his core he is good, just extremely misunderstood. I loved him and felt such a connection to his story.

The writing style in this book is a little odd and does take some getting used to. The POV is all from Nathan’s eyes, but there are times where the book switches between first and second person. It sometimes could get confusing, but once you get used to it, you’ll be fine. So just stick it out and give it a try.

The world-building was really good. The whole council system for the white witches and the disorganization of the black witches was fascinating. All the different Gifts that each individual witch were really cool and I just loved learning about everything. The world-building is seamlessly woven into the novel, no info dumps. Sally Green has done a phenomenal job and I’m sure will continue to impress me as the series goes on.

The thing about this book is that there’s not a ton of action. The plot is well-paced, but doesn’t fly by. However, Nathan is such an interesting character that you can’t help but be riveted. The desire to know more about him and about his father is what kept me glued to the pages. My hate for the Council is what kept me invested in the story. The characters and the world are just so interesting. I already want to reread the book. If you like paranormal stuff or witches, this is a book that you do NOT want to miss. Happy reading all! 

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Have you read this one yet? What did you think of the writing style? Do you think that Nathan is going to go down a dark path in the next book? What were your thoughts on the Council and Nathan's father?