Title: Half Wild [Half Bad Trilogy 2]
Author: Sally Green
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Length: 400
Rating: 4 Star rounded up from 3.5
Book Series Reviews: 1, 2, 3
Description/Synopsis:
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?
Review – MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
I am just going to straight off the bat warn you about this book. Though this review got a much higher than its last one, the first part of this book was just as boring and hard to get through as Half Bad. I took a large break while reading this book because of this, and I didn’t really get into after I had been away from it for a few weeks. Also, go into this review that there will be spoilers from the first book as well from this one. I found it hard not to go into them a little, so you have been warned.
In this book we go with Nathan on a journey to save Annalise, his endless struggle with the magical gift he was given, and then join in the rebellion that has arisen against the White Witch Council. Plot wise we were much better written and more exciting in this book. That being said though big issues I had with the first book continued on it this one, including poor descriptions of events or scenes, the random and pointless switching of person perspective, and just generally being really slow at times. These negatives really annoyed me because enough people had voiced their issues with these things that changes could have been made but were not really. Yes, I think some notes were taken from the reviews of the first, but they still put in the second person perspective. Again, it was really interesting to read these parts, but there was only like two of them, one at the beginning and one randomly placed in the middle somewhere and I was questioning why it was there. Even if it had just been left at the start it would have been much better and really made more sense than two random bits.
This happen in this book thank god and it really has stages to it. Finding Gabriel, saving Annalise, controlling his gift, joining the rebel cause, finding daddy dearest, and betrayal. I chalk these list of things happening to why I enjoyed the book. I like Gabriel so this parts we spent thinking about him/were with him I enjoyed. Annalise continues to be greatly annoying even though she isn’t present. Nathan spends the majority of his time thinking about her or declaring just how much he needs to go off and save her. I really just do not understand this obsession, she is so boring and just blaaaaahhh. I don’t have the words. Her section of the book was the part I had serious issues getting through.
We actually get quite a bit of Marcus in this book which I suppose is a bit spoilery of me to mention but its one of the things I really enjoyed so I couldn’t not mention it. I always thought Marcus was a really interesting character so I am so glad that we got to see more of him in depth and actually get a sense of his character. The parts than Nathan spent with him were probably my favourite part in the book. Nathan had been struggling with dealing with his gift that seems to have a mind of its own (which in itself was pretty interesting to read about), but I really liked how he went on little trip with Marcus to get a relationship with him as well as get the help in understanding how to deal with his ability.
I also really liked most of the rebel scenes. I found them to be action packed and exciting because stuff was generally happening. I loved it when Nathan brings Marcus to meet everyone for the first time. That gave me a good little giggle. I also liked the kinda complex issues of just who some of the rebels where and how Nathan had to deal with that. This part of the book also had some devastating tragedies one of which leads to the previously mentioned betrayal. You can see the betrayal coming from a mile away, but the conclusion was still very sad to me. I won’t go into any of these things more because the rebel parts don’t happen till later in the book.
With the conclusion of this book I am both yay and nay. Nay because I foresee much more whining and focusing in boring things. Yay because this series is just so kind of predictable I have high hopes that I am going to get a really satisfying death scene where a certain someone gets ripped to shreds by Nathan in his animal form.
I think I have done enough rambling for now, you got character, plot and writing discussions with me just talking about how the plot progressed. Though I liked this book more than the last, it is in no way some wonderfully written masterpiece. The writing has improved but not enough. The plot actually moving and Marcus are the things that made things book for me. Sadly those two things are not enough to make me suggest this book to anyone, specially since they would have to go through the first one. I myself await the next to see where it goes, but iI don’t really mind the waiting for this series.
Till Next Time…
