Review: Half Bad (Half Life, #1) by Sally Green

Half Bad (Half Life, #1) by Sally Green
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Release date: March 4, 2014
Purchase: Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Half Bad by Sally Green is a breathtaking debut novel about one boy's struggle for survival in a hidden society of witches.

You can't read, can't write, but you heal fast, even for a witch.

You get sick if you stay indoors after dark.

You hate White Witches but love Annalise, who is one.

You've been kept in a cage since you were fourteen.

All you've got to do is escape and find Mercury, the Black Witch who eats boys. And do that before your seventeenth birthday.

Easy.

My Thoughts:
I loved this! Will it be for everybody no, but if you are looking for something a little out there and not the norm then this is for you. I am always on the lookout for books that are different and Half Bad was definitely that. With its interesting storyline and amazingly fun writing style this book delivered in more ways than one.

Nathan is a witch. Not an ordinary witch though, he is part black witch. This puts him in dangerous category that could wind up killing him. After basically being kidnapped he sets out on a journey to find the one person who can help him. This person though is evil and all signs say that Nathan should just run away, but the inevitable happens and BOOM things go from crazy to just downright explosive.

When this book first started I thought it was from a girls POV so I was shocked to learn it was actually a guys. Especially considering the setting of that first chapter. I loved the way it started too. It was so creepy and dark and intense!! Ms. Green did an amazing job setting up the story and drawing the reader in. I was hooked by page 2! I really liked Nathans voice. It was strong and he did what he needed to do to get what he wanted. He isn't the sharpest pencil in the box, but what he lacks in knowledge he makes up for in courage. I rooted for him right up til the end and I so desperately wanted a certain romance to work out. I still have my hope though since there will be a sequel. Nathan is just the type of character that you root for.

The writing I will admit might turn some people off but I love this writing style. I'm not sure what it is called, but I have read a few other books that are similar (Mind Games by Kiersten White) and it just really works for me. I don't as much filler throughout with this type of writing and that makes the book feel like a fast moving train with no end in sight.

One thing and I am sure it is probably just me, but with the whole bad witch/good witch and magic users/non-magic users I kinda got a Harry Potter type vibe. Nathan is even bullied by his sister and well it all just felt influenced by Rowling. Is this a bad thing, not really I did enjoy the Potteresque stuff and there was enough original ideas to make the story stand on its own. I just feel like I should say something that way its out there and well if anybody else feels the same way you know you aren't alone.

This was a great start to what I know will be an amazing series. I cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel!

4 snowflakes