Half Wild
Half Wild is young adult fantasy novel, and the second book in the Half-Life series by Sally Green. It was published on 24 March 2015 and is the sequel to Half Bad, which was released the previous year.[1]Half Wild is the second book in the proposed trilogy.
 Front cover of the paperback edition | |
| Author | Sally Green |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Half Bad trilogy |
| Genre | Young adult (Fantasy) |
| Publisher | Puffin Books (UK) Viking Press (US) |
Publication date | March 24, 2015 (UK) |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 400pp (hardback, first edition) |
| ISBN | 978-0-14-135088-2 |
| Preceded by | Half Bad |
| Followed by | Half Lost |
Plot
Nathan is currently in Switzerland, living as a nomad for a few weeks. He has been unsuccessfully searching for the Fairborn, a knife that can only be used by Nathan's bloodline. his friend, Gabriel, is missing. Nathan meets Nesbitt, who is Van's assistant. Nesbitt is half fain and half Black. Nathan does not spend the night with Nesbitt. However, he hears the sound of a mobile phone. This means that there are Hunters nearby. Nesbitt catches one of the Hunters, while the other, Kieran, Annalise's brother, as turned invisible. It is then that Nathan feels the animal in him, and he kills Kieran. The next day, Nesbitt brings Nathan to Van. On his second night, Van informs Nathan of all that has happened, Soul, Annalise's uncle, has taken charge of the Council of White witches and is letting Wallend experiment on Black witches. Nathan's half-sister Jessica. Van agrees to help
Sequel
The third and final book in the series, Half Lost, was released in March 2016.[2]
Reception
Half Wild has generally received favourable reviews. Kirkus Reviews said "Green delivers vibrant characters, and Nathan’s relationships arc in thrilling highs and lows." and "The start of his journey feels slow and too safe, but the climax ushers in a bloody, unforgettable cliffhanger." concluding "A character-driven page-turner offering both emotional depth and gory thrills."[3] Publishers Weekly called it "riveting" and went on to say "Although this tale has some of the weaknesses inherent in bridge novels ..., it features the same powerful language, well-developed characters, fascinating magic, and harrowing action sequences as its predecessor and will leave its readers anxiously awaiting the final volume."[4] The Financial Times likened it to "a supercar endlessly revving at the kerb." and "Her witch-world seems to consist of board meetings interspersed with bouts of torture, spells and assassination." but then described it as "Harry Potter with a hard-on, in other words, and great fun."[5]
Characters
Nathan Byrn. The 17-year-old protagonist. He has straight black hair, olive skin and black eyes. Raised in a family of White Witches he is half White and half Black. He can self-heal extraordinarily fast and transform into animals, much like his father, Marcus. Love interest with Annalise O'brien, and later with Gabriel.
Gabriel Boutin. A Black Witch stuck in the body of a fain. In the second book, he returned to his original Witch body. Gabriel is tall and slim, brown eyes and long, brown hair to his shoulders. He also fell in love with Nathan in Half Bad and doesn't change his feelings about him even though Nathan is with Annalise. Gabriel kiss Nathan one time in a way of comforting him when he was upset about his Gift. Later they kiss again but Nathan stopped it because he was supposed to be with Annalise. It's also two short stories -"Half lies" and "half truth"- from Gabriels and his sister Michele point of view about his sister and about how Gabriel ended up with Nathan.
Marcus. Nathan's father, the most feared Black Witch of all time. He killed Nathan's siblings' father, among others. His Gift is transforming into animals but he has also stolen Gifts from many other witches by killing them and eating their hearts. Nathan gains his father's abilities by eating his heart in the end of the book.
Victoria Van Dal. A Black Witch, her gift is making powerful potions. She becomes one of Nathan's most important allies in the rebellion against Soul O'Brien.
Nesbitt. Half Black, Half Fain, Van's assistant. He is witty, charming, drinks and talks to much.
Mercury. A powerful Black Witch, who can control the weather and who also captured Annalise in exchange of Nathan killing his father, Marcus. She was killed in a battle with Nathan.
Celia. A White Witch, Nathan's former mentor who he was sent to live with. She abused and locked him in a cage in the first book and Nathan despises her ever since.
Soul O'Brien. The leader of the White Witch's council, Annalise's uncle.
Mr. Wallend. An evil White Witch who works for Soul, does experiments on Black Witches.
Annalise O'Brien. A White Witch, some months older than Nathan. She's Nathan's love interest. She also ran from her cruel family upon learning of their tolerance with the White Witches' cruelty.
Jessica Byrn. Nathan's eldest half-sister who hates him. In the second book, she became the leader of the Hunters.
References
- "Half Wild (Half-Life Trilogy #2)". Goodreads. Penguin Books. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
- Green, Sally. "Half Lost (Half Bad Trilogy #3)". Goodreads. Penguin Books. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
- "Half Wild". www.kirkusreviews.com. Kirkus Media LLC. 10 January 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
- "Half Wild". www.publishersweekly.com. PWxyz LLC. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
- Feay, Suzi (17 April 2015). "A Half Code makes his way in a women-dominated world of warring White and Black Witches". The Financial Times. Retrieved 3 July 2015.