Review: Half Lost by Sally Green

Half Lost (Half Life, #3)
by Sally Green
Published by Penguin UK
Paperback (purchased)
YA, LGBT, fantasy

Nathan Byrn is running again. The Alliance of Free Witches has been all but destroyed. Scattered and demoralized, constantly pursued by the Council's Hunters, only a bold new strategy can save the rebels from total defeat. They need the missing half of Gabriel's amulet - an ancient artifact with the power to render its bearer invincible in battle.

But the amulet's guardian - the reclusive and awesomely powerful witch Ledger - has her own agenda. To win her trust, Nathan must travel to America and persuade her to give him the amulet. Combined with his own Gifts, the amulet might just be enough turn the tide for the Alliance and end the bloody civil war between Black and White witches once and for all... 

Half Lost was utter perfection, but it shattered my heart to tiny pieces. I stand by my word: Nathan is precious and needs protection, and Gabriel is everything.

That's all I have to say. I loved every moment, even when my heart shattered. Although I have two problems with the ending but I won't spoil anything. If you've read this and want to rant about the ending, I'm always willing to do that.

5 of 5 stars.

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Review: Half Wild by Sally Green

Half Wild (Half Life, #2)
by Sally Green
Published by Penguin UK
Paperback (purchased)
YA, fantasy

After finally meeting his elusive father, Marcus, and receiving the three gifts that confirm him as a full adult witch, Nathan is still on the run. He needs to find his friend Gabriel and rescue Annalise, now a prisoner of the powerful Black witch Mercury. Most of all he needs to learn how to control his Gift – a strange, wild new power that threatens to overwhelm him.

Meanwhile, Soul O'Brien has seized control of the Council of White Witches and is expanding his war against Black witches into Europe. In response, an unprecedented alliance has formed between Black and White witches determined to resist him. Drawn into the rebellion by the enigmatic Black witch Van Dal, Nathan finds himself fighting alongside both old friends and old enemies. But can all the rebels be trusted, or is Nathan walking into a trap?

I read this over a year ago, but it has taken me so long to find the right words; and I'm sure I still haven't managed to do so. Half Wild is many things, including stunning, captivating, exceptional, breathtaking, emotional, action packed, and brilliant. Most of all, my ship sailed and I wish nothing more than it to sail even more in the last book. It has to. All the praise (except for Annalise who I despise more than anything).

The characters, oh my beloved cinnamon rolls. Nathan needs hugs. Plenty of hugs. People need to stop torturing him. There was more Gabriel in this story, and he's precious human being. I love him to the pieces, he's so brilliant and gorgeous inside and out. Marcus is so intriguing and cool, and I need a novella about him when he was younger, before Nathan was born. And all the other characters; Nesbitt, Van, and all of them. Except Annalise, I didn't like her in the first book and now I despise her more than anything because of reasons. I won't spoil the story, but if you read the book, you'll hopefully understand my extreme dislike of Annalise.

The story is intense; so intense and so many feelings that I'm not sure how I can handle it all. And I love how dark this story is, and how wild it really is. Compared to this, most YA stories are so tame, and I love how Green does not shy from difficult topics and from all the core that abuse and brewing war brings. Life's not a fairy tale, and this trilogy certainly seems to show the ugly side, too.

The first half of the book - the part were there was no Annalise - was incredible. Don't get me wrong, it was solid, good, and so full of feelings on the second half of the book, but Annalise was being so annoying that I just wanted her to disappear. But anyway, Half Wild was everything. I felt all the feels; I cried, I laughed, I swooned, I got angry, and everything that there is to feel. I love this trilogy to the pieces - I especially love Nathan and Gabriel to the pieces. Preferably together.

 5 of 5 stars.

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Review: Half Lies by Sally Green

Half Lies (Half Bad, #0.5)
by Sally Green
Published by Penguin
Ebook (purchased)
YA, fantasy, novella

Set in the months before Half Bad, Half Lies takes the form of a diary written by Michele, the sister of Gabriel, Nathan’s Black witch friend. Having fled Europe for Florida, Michele falls in love with a local White witch boy. There, she finds that the divide between the Black and White witch communities is just as dangerous as it was in the life she's left behind.

If there's going to be Gabriel, I'm going to love it. Well, that's what I thought when I started reading this. I wasn't wrong, I did love Half Lies, but there was more reasons than just Gabriel being in it.

 

First I though Michéle was innocent, naive and a little bit dull. I mean, her brother is pure awesomeness, her father grief-ridden but still quirky artist and her grandmother sounded like kickass witch. So why Michéle was almost boring, resembling annoyingly any other normal, YA heroine? Don't get me wrong, I loved to see Gabriel through her eyes and she did get more interesting as the story involved. She had potential to be great, and she did show one valid point: that White or Black, it doesn't really define how you are. Michéle seemed like good, innocent girl, one that should be White instead of belonging Black witch family. It was great how she belonged and how no one pointed out that she was too nice, too naive or too innocent. She was what she was and they loved her for it, not making difference in the community. So, I grew to like Michéle and I loved her and Gabriel's interacting.

 

I loved the insight of Gabriel's past that Half Lies offered. And of course about the world itself. I like how it's pointed out how every country differs from each other - I mean, there was mentions of it in Half Bad and you could even see the difference between England and Switzerland, but the USA setting and talk about how it differs from France and England was so good.

 

Half Lies was really good novella. It gives wonderful insight on the Black community, on the ongoing fight between Black and White witches, as well as insight of Gabriel's past. It was so good and I'd be more than happy to read more novellas from Sally Green.

 

And now is perfect time to dive into Half Wild.

 

4 of 5 stars.

 

Half Lies on Goodreads.

Review: Half Bad by Sally Green

Half Bad (Half Life, #1)
by Sally Green
Published by Penguin
Paperback (bought)
YA, paranormal, fantasy

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.

There's so many aspects that got me interested in Half Bad. Firstly, it was the name and cover. Cover's brilliant, really, and with a name like that I'm pretty much sold. I was little guarded about the idea of witches mostly because I've read so many witchcraft books and mostly they haven't been good ones. Besides genious J.K. Rowling no one has written about witches the way it would have blew my mind. However, Sally Green did it. From the page one I was taken by the world Nathan lived and all that old school magic. Half Bad isn't good - it's expectional.

Main character is important part of the story and sadly many times main character isn't the force that keeps me reading. However, Nathan was wondrous main character. I loved that Green chose male main character for a book about witches because mostly there's all those witch stories with female leading characters. Nathan was right choice and he was truly interesting characters. The journey with him was heart wreching and captivating, and all I wanted was to hug him and kick White Witches asses for treating Nathan badly.

Green's all characters were well defined and while Nathan's character developement was biggest, there were so many characters that I loved. Even the one's I despised because of their actions were well written and real. I adored Gabriel (who wouldn't!), Arran and Ellen alongside Nathan. Marcus, Bob, Trev, Gran, Rose and countless others were intriguing and I want to know more about them. The sequel, Half Wild, couldn't be here soon enough and waiting for March 2015 is going to be tortureous.

Half Bad is stunning, captivating story which I devoured and yearned for more constantly. There was so many emotions running through me during the book and there still is - and I finished some days ago. For a debut novel Half Bad is expectional. I'm going to read every book Green ever writes, that's for sure. She became one of my favorite authors fast.

Read it. You won't regret it.

 

5 of 5 stars and everything else I can give.

Half Bad on Goodreads.

Waiting on Wednesday #10

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's cannot-wait book is:

Half Wild by Sally Green!

 

Half Wild (Half Life, #2)

by Sally Green

Expected publication: March 25th 2015

 

After finally meeting his elusive father, Marcus, and receiving the three gifts that confirm him as a full adult witch, Nathan is still on the run. He needs to find his friend Gabriel and rescue Annalise, now a prisoner of the powerful Black witch Mercury. Most of all he needs to learn how to control his Gift – a strange, wild new power that threatens to overwhelm him.

Meanwhile, Soul O’Brien has seized control of the Council of White Witches and is expanding his war against Black witches into Europe. In response, an unprecedented alliance has formed between Black and White witches determined to resist him. Drawn into the rebellion by the enigmatic Black witch Van Dal, Nathan finds himself fighting alongside both old friends and old enemies. But can all the rebels be trusted, or is Nathan walking into a trap?

 

Cover revealed earlier this week and all I have to say, look at that beauty! I recently finished Half Bad, the first of the Half Life trilogy and I must say, it was stunning. March, darling, come soon because I can't wait what happens next to Nathan and his friends. And seriously, bring me more Gabriel. If you haven't read Half Bad yet, do it. It's really good (my review of it is coming later this week!)

 

Half Wild on Goodreads.