Wanted by no one.
Hunted by everyone.
Sixteen-year-old Nathan lives in a cage: beaten, shackled, trained to kill. In a modern-day England where two warring factions of witches live amongst humans, Nathan is an abomination, the illegitimate son of the world’s most terrifying and violent witch, Marcus. Nathan’s only hope for survival is to escape his captors, track down Marcus, and receive the three gifts that will bring him into his own magical powers—before it’s too late. But how can Nathan find his father when his every action is monitored, when there is no one safe to trust, not even family, not even the girl he loves?
Half Bad is an international sensation and the start of a brilliant trilogy: a gripping tale of alienation and the indomitable will to survive.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
33 of 39 people found the following review helpful.
Half Bad, Mostly Terrific. Dark, Dystopic and Subversive.
By Laurence R. Bachmann
Twenty pages into Half Bad one notices "similarities" and "resemblances" to fantasy classics such as Pullman's These Dark Materials, Harry Potter books and even the Matrix. Another orphan outsider, more half bloods and lots of Good v Evil (White v. Black). Progress further for the deeply affecting first love or the standard issue "troublesome prophecy". By 50 pages in one wonders "does the world really need another three book series of this?". Happily, the answer is an emphatic yes.A very good English professor once told me "there is nothing thematically new in literature since the ancient Greeks. Literary greatness lies in the story telling.". If that is so, then Sally Green's Half Bad is damn near great. Themes you think you know are subverted, and you feel a bit disconcerted; fallen down a rabbithole. Think Harry and Lyra visit a Brave New World. Black is (not necessarily) bad and white is about as far from good, pure and virtuous as one can get. Green's hero isn't merely a misfit--he's a juvenile delinquent, a thief and prone to violence. And oh yes, he is very, very appealing, with a story that is deeply moving for all its superficial familiarity.Young Nathan Byrne suffers from more than just adolescent raging hormones. The kid is practically feral, and becomes more so with each passing year. A functional illiterate (yes, you read that right) who would rather be beaten and tortured than attempt to learn his ABCs, this is an anti-hero who will make some squirm but many more care deeply about his journey through adolescence. A journey made possible, in part by muggings and petty thievery. Imagine Ron and Hermione rolling a banker to finance their search for the deathly hallows.That is this author's particular gift--subverting traditional story lines about morality or correct behavior, respect for power or authority, and what constitutes goodness. Her ability to create a character of apparent contradiction--violent and gentle; moral but lawbreaking--is a terrific accomplishment, and just one of the reasons to read this book. It is a brilliant reminder to young and old alike that appearances are the most superficial clues to anyone's character. Green should be commended. And while the author may have borrowed liberally from story lines in some very famous fantasy series, in the end her Nathan Bryn reminded me of a great American illiterate, n'er-do-well and outcast-- Huckleberry Finn. And like Twain's legend, I am comfortable predicting Nathan will be discomfiting school boards and small town libraries for years to come.The one reservation I have about the book is a host of very adult themes in a young adult book. Child abuse, child torture, murder, a mother's suicide, race hate/violence and sociopathy are all featured and prominently. I am familiar with all the arguments that video games are even more violent. The trouble with that is there is no video game I am aware of that depicts parental suicide. Or causes a 12 year old to imagine his mother taking her life. Or families killing other family members. Also, the author's abilities I have extolled above would, I imagine, make the realities of abuse and parental suicide all the more possible and imaginable. Is that where every 11, 12, and 13 year old should be going in their personal reading? I don't pretend to have the answers but think it important to pose the question in a public forum like this.These horrors do happen in the real world and I don't think children should be sheltered from it. Nor should they engage it before they are mature enough to do so. This is one book where thoughtful discussion, parental awareness and guidance are all extremely important when judging the book's suitability. I worry all that will get lost in the bestseller hype and hoopla should it take off as its publisher hopes (a Viking editor in my reader's copy is already crowing about the pre-sale of movie rights --the new standard of excellence, apparently). One can imagine the publisher and agent losing sleep over merchandising rights, tie-ins, Nathan action figures and torture cage accessories (sold separately). But not so much, if at all, about age appropriate readership.It isn't however, the job of writers to self censor. It is their job to create. In that, Sally Green has done marvelously well making the familiar seem fresh. giving new energy to tired archetypes. The result is original, gripping and I thought more than a bit surprising, and more than a bit disturbing.
29 of 35 people found the following review helpful.
Not half bad. Not great either.
By H. Millay
I was itching to read this because of all the glowing reviews (one reader on another site even described it as "the untold teen years of Severus Snape" - !!!). I also had heard about the bidding war between publishers, and I knew the film rights had been optioned. This kind of hype always ends with me a) doing cartwheels of joy or b) wondering if I read the wrong book. In this case, it was the latter.The story revolves around a young witch named Nathan, persecuted by the white witch community because he is half black (witch). Clever, yes. So the premise is interesting, the action/plotting is solid, and the world-building is decent, if not mind-bending. Nathan, however, is a completely flat character and I never connected with him. I also found all of his relationships with other people to be oddly deflated and cold. Some of the other characters are mildly more interesting, but my biggest disappointment is Nathan's love interest, Annalise, who just sits around being blond and pretty (when she's not being held captive, pushed around by her brothers or threatened by her dad). Not very inspiring for a witch. I WANT SOME WITCH RAGE.All in all, while I think the story is intriguing and the series has potential, I'm just not feelin' it. For a book that hails itself "the" buzz book of 2014, I expected a lot more. It's a decent read, but it's not all that.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful.If you like witches, you are not going to want to miss this one.
By LibraryCanary
This review and more can be found on my blog, The Library Canary: [...]***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.***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!
