Book Review: Half Bad

Title: Half Bad

Author: Sally Green

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Book Blurb: 

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

Review:

This book probably belongs in its own genre. Yes, it contains magic (thus automatically making it "fantasy" in my books) but it's also so much more.  This isn't your typical novel about a hero trying to reach a goal. Half Bad deals with a much darker subject: nature vs nurture and the impact of growing up in an environment in which you are not wanted/mentally-and-physically abused, hence why I gave Half Bad the honor of being "dark chocolate" in this Chocolate Book Tag.  

This book is not for the faint of heart.  The main character, Nathan, has not been wanted the moment he was born. He's father--who abandoned him before he was even born--was a violent witch who practiced dark magic. Thus, Nathan has lived his life under the close supervision of the witch council/government.  Taken into custody a few years ago, Nathan knows time is running out for him--if he doesn't receive the 3 gifts before his 17th birthday, he will die. The only problem is that others want him dead rather than alive. 

Me thinking to myself: Ooh--I race against the clock with death as the price of failure? I'm in!

A word to the wise before you decide to pick up this book: this book is told from 2nd person POV. And 1st person POV. And it flips back and forth between those two. Soo....if that really isn't your thing...for heaven's sake DON'T READ THE BOOK....seriously...it'll just drive you insane.

Okay...onto the main character: Nathan.  Jeez--he is one seriously messed up unlucky kid.  Under normal circumstances, I think he might've grown up to be a completely "normal" kid...but circumstances weren't nice to him.  Through flashbacks, readers can see how Nathan's personality changes through the years.  When he was younger, he was much more innocent (since he didn't really know what was going on) but by the time he hits 16 years old, he's a whole other mess. I guess you could say that life has made him bitter. Very bitter. But there is still a shred of goodness within him--and that is what made me want to continue reading the book. I wanted Nathan to kindle that shred of goodness in him and step out of his father's shadows.

Also, as dark as this novel was (Nathan seriously gets beat up), that is also what makes the book so gripping. I just couldn't put the damn book down because I was afraid for his life! 

My final thoughts: A darkly gripping read that is perfect for the reader wanting to explore a serious topic through an unconventional method.

Rating: