Review: HALF BAD by Sally Green

Title: Half Bad
Author: Sally Green
Published: March 4th, 2014
Series Half Life #1
Genre: YA Paranormal
POV: 1st person, 2nd person
Pages: 416
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Format: ARC
Source: Vine Program
Rating: The Great Hall

A stunning, magical debut. An international sensation.

In modern-day England, witches live alongside humans: White witches, who are good; Black witches, who are evil; and fifteen-year-old Nathan, who is both. Nathan’s father is the world’s most powerful and cruel Black witch, and his mother is dead. He is hunted from all sides. Trapped in a cage, beaten and handcuffed, Nathan must escape before his sixteenth birthday, at which point he will receive three gifts from his father and come into his own as a witch—or else he will die. But how can Nathan find his father when his every action is tracked, when there is no one safe to trust—not even family, not even the girl he loves?

Half Bad raises of the question of what makes a person truly evil or good, which makes for a fascinating story overall. There is quite a bit of buzz surrounding this story, and I'm sure this story will entertain many readers. I knew, from the first chapter, that Half Bad would be an intriguing survival story. And, despite a few issues, it truly was just that. Nathan's voice is easy enough to relate with, and I felt all the more sympathy for him during some of the cringeworthy events he is put through. He's genuinely struggling - despite his moody moments, Nathan isn't a bad guy. The novel starts with a bang, then backtracks to earlier years, until the POV catches up to the beginning again. I'm still uncertain as to whether or not this structure hurts or helps the story, but those beginning chapters do serve a purpose in making Nathan someone readers can (and will want to) root for. Half Bad is an interesting story with a fascinating protagonist, but it also has a few flaws.

Highlights: The writing flows nicely, making Half Bad an easy novel to read. The very beginning chapters had me hooked (that 2nd person POV was fascinating), and I like how the writing mimicked Nathan's chaotic state of mind during those chapters. The ideas presented are interesting, and I liked Green's approach to witches. 

Lowlights: I felt like not enough actually happened. In the beginning, I was hooked. But halfway through, I barely managed to force myself to read until the end. I never felt like I had a strong sense of the characters. The romance felt weak, mostly because it ended before it ever really began (it might have been better to drop the romance aspect entirely). The writing style was a bit odd - I loved the 2nd person POV beginning, but then it quickly switches POV's and style to an average 1st person POV for a majority of the novel. 

Rating: The Great Hall (3 to 3.5ish). This is a challenging novel to rate, because I did enjoy some moments while I hated others. I loved the first half, but by the time I reached the end, I didn't believe the plot had enough going for it. It was almost incredible, but not quite there for me. 

Review: THE INNOCENTS by Lili Peloquin

Title: THE INNOCENTS
Author: Lili Peloquin
Published: October 16th, 2012
Genre: YA contemporary, mystery
Publisher: Razorbill
POV: 3rd, alternating
Pages: 288
Format: ARC paperback
Source: unsolicited from Publisher
Rating: 3 out of 5

"Nothing ever came between sisters Alice and Charlie.

Friends didn't.

Boys couldn't.

Their family falling apart never would.

Until they got to Serenity Point.

"The Innocents" is the first in a new series of young adult novels that weave a saga of nail-biting drama, breathless romance, and gothic mystery."

THE INNOCENTS may move at a languid pace, but it provides all of the tantalizing drama and mysteries it promises in the summary. And, with an alternating 3rd person POV, Peloquin gives readers the chance to get to know both leading ladies – Alice and Charlie. While Charlie easily adjusts to living in luxury and befriends some of the most influential teens in their new hometown, Alice can't help but to dig a little deeper into their stepfather's past, including the mysteries surrounding his recently deceased wife and daughter. But, in Serenity Point, almost everyone has a secret that they would rather keep buried. 

I am a bit disappointed, because for all the intrigue THE INNOCENTS provides, it falls short in the character department and that hindered my experience with this story. While I wanted to love this story and the juicy drama, all of the characters were thoroughly difficult to enjoy and the protagonists were either utterly unlikable (Charlie) or boringly bland (Alice). However, the mysteries contained in the story itself are very tantalizing. With a better cast of characters and more character development, this could have been a gem. Yet, I'm sure many readers who are not as picky with their protagonists will happily devour and adore THE INNOCENTS – if it sounds like your kind of book, give it a shot!

Highlights: I may hate real-life drama, but I love fictional drama. The secrets! The twists! The surprises! Peloquin's debut delivers when it comes to the surprises at the conclusion, and I'm betting the sequel will have even more intriguing secrets to discover.

Lowlights: People who read actively will be able to interpret the clues early on and guess the ending twists. This story is very slowly paced. I couldn't connect with Alice and Charlie. The romance wasn't anything special. 

Mini-Reviews: RADIANT DAYS and BLOODLINES

RADIANT DAYS by Elizabeth Hand

Point-of-Views: 1st & 3rd

Source: Publisher (unsolicited)

Format: Advanced Reader's Copy

Alternating between Mere's 1st person narrative in the late 1970's and Arthur's 3rd person narrative of the 1870, RADIANT DAYS brings two very unique artists together for brief amounts of time. Time itself is an interesting concept in this story, as each character slides into the other's world with a little help from Ted (who is awesome). Hand's story serves as more than just a glimpse into these characters lives - the deeper and thoughtful aspects make this story worthwhile. But, it almost seems a bit too ambitious for such a short novel. Arthur receives a significant less amount of page-time than Merle did, so it was difficult to get to know his character. In the end, I liked this story and the way the art inside was described, but the overall story  and main characters didn't intrigue me as much as I hoped. 

BLOODLINES by Richelle Mead

Point-of-View: 1st person

Source: Local Library

Format: Hardcover

BLOODLINES offers readers new perspective on the Vampire Academy world, and Sydney Sage's perspective is definitely new. While VA fans got a peek at this Alchemist in previous books, Mead gives readers the opportunity to learn more about Sydney and about the Alchemists in this story. Despite being in trouble with the Alchemists, Sydney manages to find herself on the job: acting as Jill Dragomir's sister in order to protect Jill while she's in hiding, which means VA readers even get to see a few old favorite characters. It was nice to see some of the misfit characters of VA be featured more prominently in this story - like Eddie, Jill and Adrian (I adore you, Adrian). Even Sydney, while standoffish and very literal, grew on me by the end, though I hope to see more development with her character as the series progresses. However, as fun as this story is, the twists are very predictable and the pacing is slow. I have a feeling the sequel will be better, simply because all the set up will be out of the way. Regardless, BLOODLINES is packed with great characters, witty banter, and proves itself to be a fun VA spin-off. 

Review: The THRONE OF GLASS Novellas by Sarah J. Maas

The THRONE OF GLASS novellas by Sarah J. Maas

"Keep talking like that...and I might give you 

a reason to wear a mask." ¹

THE ASSASSIN AND THE PIRATE LORD is the beginning of four prequel novellas to THRONE OF GLASS, and it's definitely one wild ride. Sixteen-year-old Celaena Sardothien is young, beautiful, stubborn, dauntless, and easily not the sort of person you'd want to fight. In this first novella, Maas gives us a quick introduction into the type of character Celaena is -- and the lengths she's willing to go to when it comes to fighting for what she believes. Overall, a great beginning to the novellas. 

"There was nothing left in the world 

except sand and wind." ²

THE ASSASSIN AND THE DESERT marks a turning point for the young assassin. As punishment for her actions in the first novella, Celaena is sent into the Red Desert to train with the Silent Assassins, or more specificially their leader, the Mute Master. But getting his attention isn't as easy as she anticipated, and she's stuck training with other assassins in the meantime. Celaena goes through so much development in this novel as she forms friendships and finds a little more compassion inside of herself. Regarding characters and settings, Maas's writing is excellent.

"My name is a snippet of a half-
remembered song." ³

THE ASSASSIN AND THE UNDERWORLD is easily the lesser novella of the four, if only because the story isn't quite as engaging and Celaena is much more bratty and selfish. But fortunately, Sam Cortland makes up for any and all flaws in this novella. Sam and Celaena's bickering yet caring relationship is fun to watch unfold, especially as things between them get a bit more complicated as their lives become exceedingly dangerous.

"My name is Celaena Sardothien
...and I will not be afraid." ⁴

THE ASSASSIN AND THE EMPIRE is utterly heartbreaking. The stakes are higher than ever for Celaena, and there is more on the line than only her life. It's romantic, sad, and so very bittersweet once the final chapter concludes. Celaena is not the same assassin that she used to be, and the journey she goes through in this novella is a terribly sad one. I wish I could say more, but I'd be spoiling the entire story. Betrayal, romance, twists...it's hard not to love these novellas, and the conclusion of this novella left me eager to reread THRONE OF GLASS in hopes that it will resonate with me more now that I know more about Celaena's past.

Highlights: I love how, for all of Celaena's ferocity, she has a good heart and good instincts. She's an intriguing character. And Sam is just fantastic. Characters, as a whole, are wonderfully written and perfectly unique to themselves. Maas knows how create tension, both romantic and life-or-death tension. Maas described each setting so vividly, as well as Celaena's actions during a fight. Packed with action, romance, character development, and so much more, the THRONE OF GLASS novellas don't disappoint. 

Lowlights: I feel like the story could have been stronger in the third novella. I also wish Celaena wouldn't have been as foolish as she was, to open her eyes and see certain people for what they really are. A few of the twists were incredibly easy to spot.

Source: I purchased each novella from Amazon for my Kindle (and am grateful they were only 99 cents each - such a fabulous deal!)

Final Ratings

THE ASSASSIN AND THE PIRATE LORD: 4.5 out of 5

THE ASSASSIN AND THE DESERT: 5 out of 5

THE ASSASSIN AND THE UNDERWORLD: 3 out of 5

THE ASSASSIN AND THE EMPIRE: 5 out of 5

1 location 316, TAatPL
2 location 15, TAatD
3 location 870, TAatU
4 location 1301, TAatE