Half Bad by S. Green

Abstract

Green, Sally. Half Bad. New York: Viking, 2014. Print.

This young adult fantasy novel tells the story of sixteen-year-old Nathan. Nathan lives in modern England, which is caught in the middle of two warring factions of witches. These witches live undetected amongst humans. The White Witches paint themselves as good and orderly, while Black Witches are known as murderous and violent. At the time of Nathan’s story, the White Witches control much of England, and hunt renegade Black Witches.

Nathan is unique, as he is the son of both a White Witch, and a Black Witch. In fact, Nathan is the son of the most terrifying Black Witch alive, Marcus, who eats the hearts of other witches to absorb their powers. Nathan is raised by his grandmother, with his half-siblings Jessica, Arran, and Deborah. He has never met his father. In spite of this, Nathan exhibits tendencies associated with dark witches. He cannot sleep indoors at night, and his strength changes with the moon. The White Witches’ Council constantly watches Nathan, and tries to control him through “assessments” and restrictions on whom he can speak to, and where he can go.  Although his grandmother frequently reminds him that he is half-White too, Nathan also experiences abuse from his older sister, and bullying at school. Nathan becomes lonely and angry, although he finds comfort in the young White Witch Annalise, and the kindness of his brother Arran.

As Nathan nears his seventeenth birthday, when all witches come into their power through a specialized ritual, the Council takes more drastic actions to control Nathan. He is removed from his family, imprisoned, and subjected to harsh and painful training. The Council hopes to use Nathan as a weapon against his father. Nathan must escape, and find a way to come into his magic by his birthday, or he will die. But, even if Nathan makes it out, he cannot tell who to trust, or how to keep those he loves from danger.

Half-Bad presents a complex story with compelling characters, including a well-rounded LGBTQ character who plays an important role. The book starts out slow, using both in media res and a second person viewpoint, which may deter some readers. But, the story quickly builds and switches to a first person viewpoint. The events are strongly enhanced by engrossing descriptions of the British countryside, London, and Switzerland. Easy answers are not provided to readers. No character, including the protagonist, is completely good or bad. Instead, people are shaped by how they are labelled or represented to others, and the actions they take. Some themes may be intense for younger audiences, including descriptions of violence, abuse, death, murder, suicide, torture, and the classification and branding of people. The main character also occasionally uses swear words. Other important themes include: good vs. evil, nature vs. nurture, government control, freedom, forbidden romance, father-son relationships, and anger. It is the first of a trilogy.

Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars
Reviewer: Colette Leung

Colette Leung is a graduate student at the University of Alberta, working in the fields of Library and Information science and Humanities Computing who loves reading, cats, and tea. Her research interests focus around how digital tools can be used to explore fields such as literature, language, and history in new and innovative ways.