“You will have a powerful Gift, but it’s how you use it that will show you to be good or bad.”

In a modern-day England where two warring factions of witches live amongst humans, seventeen-year-old Nathan is an abomination, the illegitimate son of the world’s most powerful and violent witch. Nathan is hunted from all sides: nowhere is safe and no one can be trusted. Now, Nathan has come into his own unique magical Gift, and he’s on the run–but the Hunters are close behind, and they will stop at nothing until they have captured Nathan and destroyed his father.

How was it?

Half Bad the first book in this trilogy was a gruesome but nice surprise. It was vicious, captivating, and gut-wrenching all the while being a good page-turner of a book. Half Wild is a bit slower at first before picking up the pace but it’s still grounded and filled with characters that’ll remind you of some of the worst kinds of people you’ve met in your life. You know, the ones that are convinced to be good and righteous, the ones whose actions make you wonder if they ever were the good people they think they are.

This book picks up pretty much where the first ended, and much of the first part of it feels like an explanation for everything vague in the first entry, including Gabriel’s feelings, which sort of come out of nowhere in Half Bad. It deals with some characters with a swiftness that’s a bit jarring but I guess it downplays the need for revenge that was ignited in readers and Nathan alike.

Nathan’s evolution in this novel is good, he has a more hands-on approach to his continued freedom and shows more grit. Yet, at the same time, the story is also sadder for so many reasons. To name a few, Nathan is still hanging onto the first person – Annalise – outside some of his relatives, that has ever treated him with decency and kindness. It’s built on shaky grounds, and sometimes totally seemed one-sided, but his infatuation, this puppy love is painful to witness even if it’s a source of motivation for him. It’s maddening because he has other meaningful relationships, one in particular that he’s a bit blind to, which is understandable considering everything that is going on in this story.

Half Wild is a roller-coaster that looked easier than it turned out to be, it packs quite the punch.

Half Wild is available on The Book Depository and other book retailers near you.