Review by New York Times Review
The son of the most dangerous Black Witch in the world, Nathan is expected to be extraordinarily powerful when he comes of age at 17. In the meantime, his father has abandoned him, his White Witch mother has died and he lives shackled in an outdoor cage, where he is systematically beaten. Only one bit of magic matters to him: "The trick of not minding is key. It's the only trick in town." Nathan has been monitored since birth by the supposedly beneficent Council of White Witches, who wait to see if he will turn out White or Black. Black Witches, when located, are tortured and killed. Told in the first and second person, "Half Bad" makes stubborn, sly, near-illiterate Nathan genuinely engaging. Not so the secondary characters. Seen through Nathan's eyes, his love interest, Annalise, is made up of little more than blond hair and very good hygiene. Others, like Celia, who both serves the Council that abuses him and reads him Solzhenitsyn, are ciphers for less hormonal reasons, and Nathan studies them with apprehension. The novel falters a bit in the final third, when Green rushes toward the second book in this projected trilogy, but readers are likely to want to get there, too.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [July 13, 2014]
Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Black and white, good and evil. Is it really that straightforward? For 16-year-old Nathan, it is not; he is neither. Born the illegitimate son of a white witch mother and a black witch father, he is a Half Code, kept in a cage, beaten regularly, and toughened up for when he turns 17 and receives his three gifts. Both black and white witches want him, hoping he will lead them to his father, the most powerful, evil, and reviled of all black witches. Both plan for Nathan to fulfill his vision and their ultimate goal: he will kill his father. But Nathan has no desire to kill anyone; he wants only to escape his shackles and gain his freedom. First-time author Green has written the first in what looks to be a horrifying, compelling trilogy that pushes the boundaries of what we believe to be good and evil. With racial overtones of such diverse titles as Roots (1976); Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852); Run, Boy, Run (2003); and the Harry Potter books, this will stretch the reader's tolerance for graphic torture while mesmerizing with mystery and heart-stopping adventure. Nathan's survival is tenuous and marvelous and only just beginning. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Green's debut was optioned for film by Fox 2000, and rights have been sold in 27 countries. If that's not enough, an extensive national marketing campaign is in the works.--Bradburn, Frances Copyright 2014 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Nathan is the Half Code son of a White Witch and a Black Witch, and no White Witch will let him forget it. While Whites try to fit in amid normal "fains," secretly manipulating society, the Blacks are dangerous loners who, according to the Whites, have no purpose but murdering other witches to steal their powers. Nathan, whose father is Marcus-the most hated of Black Witches-falls in love with a White Witch girl, is taken into custody by the all-powerful Council, and, for years, is both tortured and trained in secret to murder his father. Then, just before Nathan's 17th birthday, he escapes, with only months to find someone to help him receive his own magical gifts. This grim and thrilling tale, first in a planned trilogy, features understated prose that lets readers' imaginations fill in the blanks, as well as a well-developed sense of Witch culture. Nathan, the damaged survivor of horrific abuse, is an unforgettable protagonist, and Green expertly captures his torment at being caught between the mutually hostile sides of his heritage. Ages 12-up. Agent: Claire Wilson, Rogers, Coleridge & White. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up-At its core, this is a story of nature versus nurture; of good versus evil; of the power of human nature to overcome destiny. The book is set in a modern-day alternate England where "good" white witches and "evil" black witches live alongside humans (Fains). There are also half bloods-like Nathan-who are the product of white and black witches. But just as no white witch is wholly good, no black witch is entirely evil. The Council begins systematically codifying half bloods and eventually captures Nathan, shackling and confining him to a cage. As Nathan's 17th birthday draws near, he realizes his only chance for survival is to escape his captors and find his father, who holds the key to the three gifts that will bring him magical powers. He sets out on a journey that challenges the limits of the human psyche-lucky for Nathan, he's a half blood. Narrator Carl Prekopp makes the pages of this book come to life, from gritting through 50 press-ups (and yes, he counts all the way to 50) to capturing Nathan's despair as he finds himself too afraid to even speak his own father's name. Prekopp's spot-on pacing and Green's excellent plot and character development make it hard to stop listening to this promising trilogy starter.- April Everett, Rowan Public Library, Salisbury, NC (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
The only known "Half Code" in existence, Nathan is the son of a White Witch mother and a (notorious) Black Witch father. Relating the first section of the novel from inside a cage, where he is subjected to torture and testing of his magical abilities, Nathan describes his persecution and imprisonment by the White Witch community. Once he escapes, Nathan must find allies he can trust: no easy task when he's hunted by White Witches and manipulated by Black Witches. Prekopp's lightly British-accented narration grows ragged with emotion when describing Nathan's brutal treatment, his many losses, and his brewing rage, further heightening the immediacy of Green's compelling prose. katie bircher (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A teenage witch persecuted from birth must find his father, the most notoriously evil witch alive, or die. Nathan Byrn grew up hearing tales of how his father, the famed Black Witch Marcus, murdered his mother's husband and caused her to commit suicide. By age 11, he's been designated a Half Code due to his mixed parentage, a status met with fear and disgust by most. Viewed by the Council as both a threat and a key weapon against Marcus, Nathan is caged by his 16th birthday. Nathan knows that as a Black Witch, he'll die if not given three gifts on his next birthday by a blood relative; Marcus is his only hope. After a palpably grueling ordeal in the cage, Nathan finally, too easily, escapes and resolves to find Marcus. Green propels Nathan forward with the help of often underdeveloped secondary characters, who are overshadowed by the imaginary relationship Nathan builds with his father; it is this that keeps both Nathan and readers going. Readers will hope for Nathan's sake that the fantasy father he's built from stories he's heard and his own imagination won't let him down. A cliffhanger indicates that the arc of Nathan's emotional trajectory will continue. Nathan's harrowing quest to build a father-son relationship will compel readers to the sequel even if the slim romantic subplot and looming threat of the Council do not. (Fantasy. 12 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
