Title: Half Lost
Author: Sally Green
Series/Standalone: The Half Bad Trilogy (Book #3)
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, LGBT
Pages: 340
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Year Published: 2016
Format: Hardcover (Library Edition)
First Line: "'We should agree on some passwords."
"This is the final battle.
The Alliance is losing the war, and their most critical weapon, seven-year-old witch Nathan Byrn, is losing his mind. Nathan's tally of kills is rising, and yet he's no closer to ending the tyrannical rule of the Council of White Witches in England. Nor is Nathan any closer to his personal goal: getting revenge on Annalise, the girl he once loved before she committed an unthinkable crime. An amulet protected by the extremely powerful witch Ledger could be the tool Nathan needs to save himself and the Alliance, but this amulet is not as easily acquired. And lately, Nathan has started to suffer from visions: a vision of a golden moment when he dies, and of an endless line of Hunter, impossible to overcome. Gabriel, his closest companion, urges Nathan to run away with him, to start a peaceful life together. But even Gabriel's love may not be enough to save Nathan from this war, or from the person he has become.
Set in modern-day Europe, the final book in the Half Bad trilogy is more than a story about witches. It's a heart-achingly visceral look at survival and exploitation, the nature of good and evil, and the risks we take for love."
My Rating: 3.5/5
I really wanted to love this book series and overall it was good. I would say that this is a book series that is different and has interesting power elements in it. I would also say if you love revolution based young adult reads you should pick this one up. But that being said, the storyline has so many elements to it that I had trouble remembering all the things that would happen in each book and why they mattered so much. Not to mention the number of deaths, that after a while I wasn't shocked by any of them. I would say that this series was just ok for me. I do wonder about the author's works and will keep my eyes out if any of her other work interests me. That being said, I wouldn't pick up anything she'd written just because she'd written it. Overall a decent series, just not for me.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
So I really wanted to read this series and just love it as much as other's had. But unfortunately, it just was ok for me and let me explain why. This series is interesting, it has an interesting magic system and makes me wonder about the idea of witches among us (somewhat like Harry Potter), but it was just too much crammed into the books. We met so many characters and lost so many along the way that I can't even begin to name them all. I also began to not really care who died if we're honest. I was just so lost from time to time figuring out why I should care about certain people.
Characters:
Nathan: I wonder about his life for the three years after the battle, but at the same point I wondered about his psychy after everything that he saw and his encounter with the Blue. His life was overall just sad.
Gabriel: I did love him. He was my favorite character and he loved more than any other character I ever read. He was an amazing friend, fighter and romantic interest.
Soul: Classic evil guy who has henchmen. What can I say?
Nesbitt: I hope he lives a happy life.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: Half Wild
Author: Sally Green
Series/Standalone: The Half Bad Trilogy (Book #2)
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal
Pages: 412
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Year Published: 2015
Format: Physical Library Copy
First Line: "a crossbill calls"
"'You will have a powerful Gift, but it's how you use it that will show you to be good or bad.'
In a modern-day England where two warring factions of witches live amongst humans, seventeen-year-old Nathan is an abomination, the illegitimate son of the world's most powerful and violent witch. Nathan is hunted from all sides: nowhere is safe and no one can be trusted. Now, Nathan has come into his own unique magical Gift, and he's on the run-- but Hunters are close behind, and they will stop at nothing until they have captured Nathan and destroyed his father."
My Rating: 3.5/5
I really enjoyed this story overall. I was interested in finding out more about Nathan's gift and life after the events of the first book. I was entertained, it was full of action and adventure. The plot really never stopped and that is where my rating comes into play. After discussing my feelings with others, it's safe to say that I felt rushed. In my opinion, I would just start to come to understanding one plot point and something else crazy would go on. This did two things, made me feel like I'd read more than I had and at some points confused me. That being said, I plan on continuing the series and finishing it off next month.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
This book was very intriguing especially after the ending in the first book. But what I've found so far in this series is there is almost too much that happens throughout and it leaves me feeling rushed. At times I even find myself confused when rethinking things that had happened during the past sessions of my reading. I will say that the characters have kept me interested and that is why I'm continuing the series.
Nathan: He went through so many ups and downs in this book. Learning his gift, finding a way to control it, finding Nesbit which then lead to Gabriel, leading into finding Annalise, finding the Alliance, Marcus, battles, coming clean with his past and then tragedy. I'm so conflicted on my feelings with him. I found the fact that he didn't come clean with Annalise from the start frustrating, but there is so much more to a relationship than the two people in it.
Annalise: I'm incredibly frustrated with her. She is just annoying me and she deserves whatever she gets at this point. I do wonder about her gift and if she was just using Nathan as a means to an end. Will the Alliance continue? Who knows when they can't stand together.
Nesbitt: His relationship with Nathan was confusing. I think he teased him to be friendly and make them more of brothers than acquaintances but too much too fast.
Gabriel: I think that this is definitely who Nathan belongs with. He understands him and sees him for all he is. Good, evil and the grey in between. I love his sense of humour and his relationship with Nathan.
Van: I wonder about her past, to say the least.
Mercy: I'm shocked that they defeated him so easily, especially after her large hype up in the first book.
Marcus: I started to understand his thoughts and his way of life. Before I knew it, he was gone. I was grateful for how his envisioned death did play out.
Cecilia: I wonder about her reaction to Nathan's "misdeeds" and Marcus's death.
Memorable Moments:
Final Line: "Tomorrow you go after her."
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: Half Bad
Author: Sally Green
Series/Standalone: The Half Bad Trilogy (Book #1)
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal
Pages: 394
Publisher: Speak
Year Published: 2014
Format: Paperback Copy (Own It)
First Line: "There's these two kids, boys, sitting close together, squished by the big arms of an old chair."
"In modern-day England, witches live alongside humans: White witches, who are good; Black witches, who are evil; and sixteen-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 seventeenth 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 Rating: 3.75/5
This is another book that I carried over through the move. I thought that this story was very interesting especially the paranormal aspect. I was interested in the differences in this setting to our own as well as the timeline. I really enjoyed the idea of magical people living amongst us and I know that the idea of good and evil are always interesting to me.
I think this story did a good job of debating good and evil while still showing signs of struggle on both sides. That being said the middle area of this book seemed to drag for me. The pacing just wasn't quite right for me. I do look forward to continuing the story.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
This story really caught me off guard. I found it interesting to read about the good and evil in this world and then those who have no idea what's going on. The world building in this series was interesting and wonderful for me. A good mix of fantasy and reality. I was also interested in the Black Witches and how their world works. The world of the White Witches is easy enough to understand. I'm looking forward to further exploring the both in the next novel.
Characters:
Nathan: He's seen a lot for his short amount of time on this earth. It seems that neither group is interested enough in him to help him. The white witches want to use him and well the black witches seem to hate Marcus, so why help his child? I also wonder what he will do about Annalise and Gabriel.
Arran: I hope he does have an opportunity to live a happy life and almost that he forgets about Nathan. He was one of the only ones who were kind to Nathan. Maybe they will catch up in the future.
Annalise: I wonder about what will become of her. Will she be left there, sleeping forever? Or will he manage to free her, and then will she ever truly understand him and his life?
Mercury: What will she do with people onto her? Will she continue to hunt down Marcus for her sister? And what is the story behind that?
Marcus: What was his life like and why did he become the way he did? How did he meet Nathan's mother? I have so many questions.
Gabriel: I loved him. To think that he could transform into anything and chose to be just an average person is strange. It's ridiculous that he was stuck like that. But where is he now?
Rose: Her death hit me harder than I expected she was one of a kind, willing to work against her own.
Moments to Remember:
Final Line: "Gabriel."
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
