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Summary
Summary
The magical, stunning conclusion to the internationally acclaimed Half Bad trilogy--now available in more than 50 countries.
The Alliance is losing. Their most critical weapon, seventeen-year-old witch Nathan Brynn, has killed fifty-two people, and yet he's no closer to ending the tyrannical, abusive rule of the Council of White Witches in England. Nor is Nathan any closer to his personal goal: getting revenge on Annalise, the girl he once loved, before she committed an unthinkable crime. There is an amulet, protected by the extremely powerful witch Ledger, which could be the tool Nathan needs to save himself and the Alliance. But the amulet is not so easily acquired. And lately Nathan has started to suffer from visions: a vision of a golden moment when he dies, and of an endless line of Hunters, impossible to overcome. Gabriel, his closest companion, encourages Nathan to run away with him, to start a peaceful life together. But even Gabriel's love may not be enough to save Nathan from this war, or from the person he has become.
Set in modern-day Europe, the final book in the Half Bad trilogy is more than a story about witches. It's a heart-poundingly visceral look at survival and exploitation, the nature of good and evil, and the risks we take for love.
Author Notes
Sally Green studied mining geology at university in London and trained as an accountant. She worked in accountancy and in finance departments of various businesses before becoming a stay at home mom. When her son started school, she began writing and studying online to get a degree in English literature and creative writing. She is the author of the Half Bad Trilogy.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
The Half Bad trilogy ends as strongly as it started in this conclusion to one of the finest recent examples of YA fantasy. Although the Alliance was nearly destroyed by the Council of White Witches, and Nathan's father, the Black Witch Marcus, has been murdered, the ragtag rebellion continues. Nathan, never the most emotionally stable witch, is more fragile than ever, torn between the needs of the Alliance's fight and his desire for revenge. The only thing that may save the Alliance is if Nathan persuades a powerful Black Witch named Ledger to give him an amulet that will make Nathan virtually impervious to injury. Green's portrait of Nathan as a damaged mixture of good and evil, a sort of well-meaning monster, is masterly, and the series' intensity and the author's willingness to put her characters through enormous pain and transformative loss haven't changed a bit. Powerful scenes of suffering, defeat, and-occasionally-triumph can be found throughout. Readers will finish this grueling, cathartic tale both relieved and satisfied. Ages 14-up. Ages 14-up. Agent: Claire Wilson, Rogers, Coleridge & White. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Nathan (Half Bad; Half Wild), now in love with Gabriel, seeks vengeance on former love Annalise, who killed his father; meanwhile, Nathan uses his Gifts to help the Alliance defeat the despotic Council of White Witches. Fans may be crushed by tragic events in this finale, but the first-person-present narrative keeps the tension dialed high as the series' nuanced exploration of good and evil continues. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* In the final book of the Half Bad trilogy, Nathan has become his worst fear: a killer for killing's sake, just like Marcus, his Black Witch father. The Alliance is delighted at this philosophical metamorphosis, brought about after Nathan eats his father's heart, certain that their cause will now prevail, provided Nathan can get the other half of the amulet from Ledger, thus ensuring Nathan's protection. Then he will be powerful enough to murder Soul, the leader of the Council of White Witches. The Alliance's ultimate goal? Black and White Witches living together in a semblance of harmony. Only Gabriel can tap Nathan's conscience, reminding him of their own dream of a peaceful home near the river their happily ever after. It's a poignant finale to a trilogy that readers, for full effect, will need to absorb from its beginning. Ratcheted violence, a touching love story resolved from a unique love triangle, and Nathan's continued personal battle between his Black and White Witch personas all weave together toward a melancholy yet perfectly pitched denouement. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The 51-country rollout of the first book paved the path for commercial and critical success, culminating in this worthy finish.--Bradburn, Frances Copyright 2015 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-In Half Wild (Viking, 2015), the previous volume of this trilogy, Annalise, the former romantic partner of protagonist Nathan, killed his father, Marcus. Now Nathan is obsessed with tracking down Annalise, though he's not exactly sure what he'll do when he finds her. Nathan and his new lover, Gabriel, are part of the Alliance, whose purpose is to eliminate the evil Council of White Witches. As always, Nathan is moody and reticent, even more so since the death of his father. While he's been developing the magical powers he inherited from Marcus, he has also been killing groups of the Council's Hunters as he comes across them. His murderous spree worries Gabriel and Alliance leaders, and he has to work hard to repress the evil part of him. The climax of the story, in which Nathan leads Alliance fighters as they invade the Council's headquarters, is violent and bloody but not unexpectedly so. The result of the battle and the story's denouement are unexpected, and the conclusion of the tale is emotionally wrenching but fitting. Those who have read the first two installments of the trilogy will read the enthralling finale eagerly and should, ultimately, be satisfied. VERDICT Essential for libraries that own the first two books in the trilogy. Purchase multiple copies if possible.-Marlyn Beebe, Long Beach Public Library, CA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Fueled by a thirst for vengeance and the powers passed on by his infamous father, Nathan fights to end a war without losing himself in this series conclusion. Ever since his former beloved, Annalise, shot his father, Nathan has become obsessed with hunting her down. While the remaining members of the Alliance hide out in bases across the continent, he and Gabriel lie low in their own camp in a forest. Greatorex heads up the closest group of witches, and she tries to lead Nathan on the straight and narrow path to restoring balancea path of justice rather than his recent brand of rampant killing. To end the war, Nathan must eliminate Wallend and Soul O'Brien, who run the evil Council of White Witches. But Nathan's changed since the day he was forced to eat his own father's heart; even Gabriel, his dearest confidant, worries he's becoming someone to dread. Nathan must fight to protect his soul just as fiercely as he guards the people closest to him. A slow burn of a read, the last leg of Nathan's journey is devastating and beautiful as he finds love and comes to full power. Like the best portrayals of war and its hideous aftermath, the consequences will haunt readers long after the final page. An immensely satisfying finale of dazzling magic, hard-earned romance, and the tragic realities of war. (Fantasy. 12 up) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
In the year that my father turned twenty-eight he killed thirty-two people. Celia used to make me learn facts about Marcus. That's one of them. It was the most he killed in anyone year before the war between Soul's Council and the Alliance of Free Witches. I used to think that thirty-two was a lot. In the year Marcus turned seventeen, the year of his Giving, he killed just four people. I'm still only seventeen. Before the Battle of Bialowieza--the day my father died, the day almost half of the Alliance died, the day now referred to as "BB" by anyone who dares refer to it at all--anyway, before that day I'd killed twenty-three people. BB was months ago and now I've passed fifty kills. I've killed fifty-two people to be precise. It's important to be precise about these things. I don't include Pilot--she was dying anyway--and Sameen isn't in the count. What I did for her was a mercy. The Hunters killed Sameen. Shot her in the back as we fled from the battle. And Marcus? I definitely don't include him in the fifty-two. I didn't kill him. She killed him. Annalise. Her name makes me want to spew. Everything about her makes me want to spew: her blonde hair, her blue eyes, her golden skin. Everything about her is disgusting, false. She said she loved me. And I said I loved her but I meant it. I did love her. What a stupid idiot! Falling for her, an O'Brien. She said I was her hero, her prince and, like the dumb, thick mug that I am, I wanted to believe her. I did believe her. And now all I want is to kill her. To cut her open and rip screams out of her. But even that isn't enough; that won't come close to it. I'd have to make her know how hard it is to do what I did. I'd have to make her cut off her own hand and eat it, or cut out her own eyes and eat them, and still that'd be easier than what I did. I've killed fifty-two people. But really all I want is to get my hands on her. I'd be happy with fifty-three. Just one more and I'll be satisfied. Excerpted from Half Lost by Sally Green All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
