Halfway Dead (Halfway Witchy, #1)

by Terry Maggert

• ISBN10: 1538542943
• ISBN13: 9781538542941
• Publish Date: 13 February 2018 (first published 29 June 2015)
• Publish Status: Temporarily Withdrawn
• Imprint: Maggert and Spencer
• Edition: Library Edition
• Format: Audiobook (CD)
• Duration: 7 hours and 12 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

As a fan of coffee, waffles and supernatural things (and having met Terry last spring), I was excited to jump into Halfway Dead upon approval from Netgalley.

Halfway Dead is a delightfully quick read. Life in the Adirondack Mountains seems eerily similar to life in rural Minnesota where I grew up; although, if we had witches living nearby they never revealed themselves to me. Maggert did an excellent job of setting the scene in the mountains. Halfway is real to me, I could smell the pine trees, and I certainly wanted to stop by and try Carlie’s waffles at the diner.

I also feel a kinship with Carlie McEwan. Living in a small town where you don’t quite feel like you fit in is tough. And while Carlie seems to have settled into small town life with her Maine Coon cat, Gus, and supportive grandmother, at times, especially later in the book, Carlie seems to want a bit more out of life.

The only downside for me in Halfway Dead is the pacing and forgettable secondary characters. The story is slow to jump into the action and when action does occur it happens in the blink of an eye then the story plods on again until Carlie runs into the next person or supernatural being to drive the story forward again. There’s at least one character, introduced early in the story, who gets lost in the middle of the rollercoaster ride and another one who is so unmemorable that I completely forgot who he was when he showed up in just a chapter or two after he is introduced.

This isn’t to say that Halfway Dead is a bad read. I finished the book. The major characters populating and visiting Halfway make up for some of the poor pacing and plotting. The setting was beautifully painted and has me dreaming of a trip in the Adirondack Mountains. I would definitely take another trip to Halfway if given the opportunity.
This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews

The romance wrecked what otherwise might have been a really awesome book. Okay that might have been an exaggeration. The romance is not the only flaw it's just the biggest. The main character, Carlie is a witch who has very strong ethics and ideas about what she is and who she wants to be. She has a great sense of humour and approaches obstacles with gusto. Her Gran is her mentor and her personality was very endearing. The problem then; is everyone else. The rest of the characters aren't fleshed out and it makes the rest of the plot somewhat flat.

The relationship between Carlie and Wulfric is kind of empty - there's not really any development or enough viable interaction to build anything more than an attraction. Even the attraction seemed kind of odd. The inclusion of Major also didn't really make any sense - the plot line was wrapped up but it never really felt like a satisfying conclusion to why he was there at all. There seemed to be a lot of random characters that were mentioned but just disappeared. There probably weren't that many - but it felt like characters were introduced then banished.

I enjoyed the inclusion of the Will-o'-the-Wisp's - Bindi was spunky and her attitude was fierce. Jim was a nice inclusion but I never really felt we got to know him. I would've liked to see more of Brendan and it was set up that he probably will feature more prominently in future books. There were a lot of nice little elements that I found enjoyable - the love of waffles, insight into Carlie's parents and the idea of their little diner having their own shorthand for orders. Overall it was a fun read, but it had the potential to be a lot more.

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

4 ★ Audiobook⎮ I've been wanting to get into more paranormal/"witchy" books for a while now. The last couple have disappointed slightly, but this one was definitely closer to the mark. It was light, fun, and extremely easy to get through. The Adirondack setting was new to me and I enjoyed its uniqueness, as well as the way it was incorporated into the plot. Halfway Dead was definitely more on the all-inclusive side of things, with vampires, ghosts, and various sorts of undead creatures thrown in. In that respect, it reminded me of Ilona Andrew's Innkeeper Chronicles series, without being nearly as graphic (and without aliens, thankfully). I'll admit to cringing a bit when the vampire character was introduced, just because vampires are so overdone these days, but the romance was very minimal (even if a bit sudden). It may take a larger spotlight in the following installments, but given the way it was approached in Halfway Dead, I'm not too worried about it.

For a first installment, I think Mr. Maggert is off to a promising start. I like the way he is pacing the series. I never felt overwhelmed with information during this installment, which was a primary complaint I voiced when reviewing the first installment of the Innkeeper Chronicles. If developed properly in the next installments, I think this series could become even more delightful. I'm especially hoping to see much more character and world development, since both of those things seemed just a teensy bit shallow to me in this installment. I get the feeling that there could be much more lurking beneath the surface and Maggert may simply be biding his time. In the past, I have a preferred my "witchy-woo" to be a little deeper and darker, which is probably why I was so drawn to the Hoodoo mysticism of J.D. Horn's Jilo. However, I can understand that some readers may like their coffee with cream and sugar and may like their paranormal fictions a little sweeter too. Call me crazy, but I think Halfway Dead would make an excellent "beach read" (or listen) for paranormal lovers. It is lighter and funnier than some other paranormal stuff out there and Terry Maggert's writing style is sure to put a smile on your face!

Narration review: I loved the narrator, Erin Spencer, instantly! Her voice sold me on this series almost as much as the writing. There is no doubt in my mind that a less enjoyable narrator would have significantly decreased my overall enjoyment of this listening experience. Naturally, I did my homework on her and discovered that she has narrated over 60 audiobooks on Audible.com, several of which I am itching to get my hands on now. ♣︎

➜ This audiobook was graciously gifted to me by its author, Terry Maggert, in exchange for a review containing my honest thoughts and opinions. Thanks, Terry!