Half Bad

Half Life, Book 1

By: Sally Green

Narrated by: Carl Prekopp

Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

The inspiration for the Netflix series The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself

“An enthralling fantasy in the Harry Potter tradition.”—Time magazine

“A bewitching new thriller.”—The Wall Street Journal

In a modern-day England where two warring factions of witches live alongside humans, one sixteen-year-old boy is trapped between the two sides. Nathan's father is the world’s most powerful and cruel witch, and his mother is dead. Both groups of witches see Nathan as their greatest threat—or their greatest weapon. Trapped in a cage, beaten and handcuffed, he must escape before his seventeenth 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?

In the tradition of Patrick Ness and Markus Zusak, Half Bad is a gripping tale of alienation and the indomitable will to survive, a story that will grab hold of you and not let go until the very last moment.

Now streaming on Netflix as The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself.

Cover may vary.

©2014 Sally Green (P)2014 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Genuinely engaging.” (The New York Times)

"A thrilling tale ... Unforgettable." (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

"Marvelous." (Booklist, starred review)

The Bloody Edge

Dark magic. Set in England in a secret witch society run but "white" witches. The main character, Nathan Edge is a mix of half white and half black witch blood. His mother forced to kill herself and his father on the run, Nathan's mixed parentage makes him an outcast of sorts, mistreated and openly abused by the witch council. The abuse is very graphic and might put some readers off. The ending is rather abrupt, but I'm looking forward to the next installment.

That was nice. Really, really nice!

The very "chosen one" feel to the main character, Nathan, very, very much reminds me of a very wand twitching story I've read years back. The whole story made me remember how much I love the whole fantasy/magic theme. It's like a throwback to years beck when I was reading Narnia and Harry Potter. I can't help but love this book for just that. Reminding me of the joys of being young and in love with a magical world.

I rather liked it!

I know from some review, either you really liked this story or was bored with it. Common theme was the first 50 and last 50 pages were great, the middle, not so much. But I have to say I really liked this book. And I LOVED Carl Prekopp's narration even more. I'll grant the story does not move fast, but that's ok. It's the set up of Nathan's upbringing and the long standing hatred between White and Black Witches. Nathan lies between, being half black and half white witch. This is very very rare. There are many Half Bloods (half black or white witch and half fain or ordinary person). They are ignored or distained by the witch community. But what makes Nathan's situation unique, is he is the son of the most powerful and hated Black Witch. All eyes are on him and waiting for him to be just like his Father, Marcus, only Nathan has never met him. He struggles with his identity. A very common thing for a young man under the best of circumstances. Now add the crap he has to put up with and who can blame him for acting out.

I thought the authors portrayal of Nathan as not highly educated, a little sheltered (rightly so), and angry, was spot on; like how she wrote his inner dialogue and even the narrator's use of an English accent befitting this character. The not Posh, not quite Cockney accent...maybe Estuary?, was so good. I loved listening to it.

All these things kept me interested in the story. My only disappointment with the author is some of the flat one dimensional characters. They are mostly side character or important characters that don't get a lot of play. Yet I was still interested in the story, certainly enough to get the next book.

Great paced book

Enjoyed the story and telling. Highly recommend. I have nothing else but the review requires 15 words. Enjoy!

Found out after starting author is TERF

Author is a TERF and doesn’t deserve your money. The story leaves holes you just have to figure out as you are reading. Incredibly frustrating book.

Glad I stuck with it!

What made the experience of listening to Half Bad the most enjoyable?

Carl Prekopp!!!

What other book might you compare Half Bad to and why?

I don't know what I would compare this book to.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Nathan stands up for himself!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Every obstacle and torment Nathan endures and progresses through!

An interesting beginning

Where does Half Bad rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The narrator in Half Bad was superb! Perfect accent and emotion behind each line. Though the story itself can't be said to be the best audio book I've listen too I would absolutely listen to again.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Gabriel~
I tend to go for the laid back put competent sorts. The fact he could recite poetry helped.

Which character – as performed by Carl Prekopp – was your favorite?

Nathan and Gabriel were both brilliantly voiced when it came to their accents. It was a pleasure to listen too.

Great start

Good first start to a series. A few pace issues where certain chapters lulled me to sleep, but overall quite captivating.

Half genius

Sucks you in like a sirens spell. Can't wait for the sequel. Brilliant from start to finish. I highly recommend.

Daughter out after Watching Netflix version

First off, holy hell how did it go so wrong on Netflix?! Everything important is wrong and backwards and I’m so angry about it knowing how good the book is now haha. Listen to this. It’s great.