Half Bad (Half Bad, #1)

by Sally Green

[paperbackjedi]

Half Bad takes place in our world in England, only there are witches. Good witches, bad witches, and fains (which are humans) and the world of witches is governed by The Council of White Witches who pretty much decide whether or not a witch is Black or White. Black witches are Evil and hunted when they fall out of line and White witches are Good and never to be questioned. You get the gist. Nathan is a halfcode which means he’s half Black and half White. His mother was a powerful White witch and his father is the most evil and terrifying Black witch of all time. So things don’t go so well for Nathan with the Council because they don’t know which way he’s going to go and they pretty much make his life a living hell. They want to train him to kill his father which is the last straw. He determines that he needs to escape from the Council, meet his father and come into his gift, and try and figure out how to survive in this world that’s so incredibly not on his side.

The world building is chilling. I almost believe there are witches among us and a shadowy organization who claims to maintain the checks and balances of good and evil. The idea, while not a new concept, is explored deftly and brings to light issues that have far reaching and relevant real world applications. Is anyone truly just one thing? How do you define good and evil and how do we become who we are? It’s a thoughtful book about the nature of people as a whole and the role an individual can play in the grand scheme of things. It’s also very compelling; I read this book in once sitting and didn’t even stop to break for food. The pacing was strong, but I did feel a bit of a lull around the middle of the book where I felt the story wasn’t progressing, but I pushed through and the last quarter of the novel really ramped up so if you start feeling frustrated, keep with it. It gets so good.

We don’t have real access to a lot of characters in this book. There are many secondary characters, but they don’t really contribute to the story other than to assist Nathan on his journey both physically and emotionally. Annalise, the girl Nathan loves, plays a notable part in the beginning as she’s the first to really accept him and as a White witch with a reputable family, it’s a big deal for him. Nathan obviously clings to her as she’s one of the few good things he’s had in his life and I understand his fixation on the first person outside of his family to want anything to do with him. I’d like to know more about her though and I hope we’ll find out more in the next book. Nathan’s family is present for the beginning of the book as well; his grandmother, his brother Arran, and his sisters Deborah and Jessica. While his grandmother, Arran, and Deborah are supportive and love him, Jessica pretty much wants the guy dead and tries to hurt him whenever she can. It makes for a complicated living arrangement. My favorite character from the novel aside from Nathan is Gabriel who is a Black witch Nathan comes in contact with during the latter half of the novel. Gabriel is mysterious and intriguing and does his best to help Nathan in his endeavors, but can only do so much due to his own circumstances. There are a bevy of other witches, both White and Black who are out to help or hurt Nathan, but the ones worth mentioning would be spoilery so I’ll just leave it at the characters I’ve already mentioned.

The writing style was unique in a way I think you’ll have to experience to understand. It’s first person perspective from Nathan’s point of view and we spend the entire novel in his mind, hearing his thoughts, and seeing what he sees. It felt a bit like Tahereh Mafi and her Shatter Me series only less romantic and more direct. His emotions are hard to understand at first because they’re so compartmentalized, but as you see what happens to him, you begin to understand this and it’ll break your heart. It’s oddly confessional and starkly intimate and I really enjoyed it. The chapters are also split up nicely with titles relating to the events in the novel and they go back and forth in time to explain different parts and memories from Nathan’s life. The structure really worked for me and kept things interesting.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Aside from the middle where I felt like we weren’t going anywhere, it was a really strong read. I loved the world and Nathan and I wanted to know more about the other characters and I will be picking up the second book in the series this weekend. It’s definitely a bit of a darker read, so make sure you aren’t expecting something light and fluffy and you’ll probably enjoy this a lot. I know I did.