SALLY GREEN’S “HALF BAD”: DARK, DISTURBING, COMPELLING

RATING GUIDE:

 

5 – A keeper!   

4 – Very good

3 –  Passable

2 –  I’d rather read a telephone book

1 – An absolute bomb.  Read at your own risk!

            Sally Green’s “Half Bad” is the story of Nathan.  The offspring of a forbidden union between a White Witch and a Dark Witch, Nathan is a Half-Code and is one of a kind.  But being special is not exactly appreciated in the world of White Witches, where Nathan grows up.  Despite his healing powers, his artistic abilities, his physical strength and compelling appearance, Nathan is feared, discrimated against and HATED.  Though he is raised by a family of White Witches, Nathan is treated like a freak by many of the White Witches (who are supposedly good and kind), bullied at home and even in school.  His only friend is Annalise, a White Witch and the love of his life. 

            Every Witch is supposed to receive his “gifts” (special abilities) when he or she turns seventeen.  But Nathan is a Half-Code.  No one wants him to receive his “gifts”.  If Nathan doesn’t receive his gifts by the time he reaches his seventeenth birthday, he will die. 

            “Half Bad” makes use of elements that are already pretty boring and tiring to read about about:  the world of witches, the forbidden love affair.  Part of me wanted to groan upon realizing that this was going to yet another book about that world, those types of characters … I mean, aren’t the readers fed up with that yet? 

            Thankfully, Sally Green’s take on witches and doomed love affairs is surprisingly fresh.  If you’re not sidetracked by some of the British phrases and words in this book, you will find yourself reading about the very scary life of a young man whose only fault is being the child of a union that is frowned upon by his society.

            “Half Bad” is very dark and very disturbing.  The cruelty and evil just leap off the pages of this book, grab your heart and pull it right out of your chest.  I really don’t know how this could even be considered a book for young adults, because of the graphic ways violence was depicted in this book.  The imagery is not as gross as in Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series, but it feels very raw and real.  Not like a horror movie, where you can still detach from it.  The violence and evil in this book feels like something you are surrounded with on a daily basis.  Like something you see on the news everyday, or something you’ve actually encountered in real life.  Definitely a different form of “scary”.

            Reading this book is like being a spectator at a crime scene or a place of accident.  You can’t help but check it out, even though it’s very dark and disturbing. 

            All in all, “Half Bad” is a compelling read, a page-turner.  However, I don’t think this is a book I would like very young readers to get hold of, given the violence it contains. 

RATING:  4

             

MELISSA DARNELL’S COVET: CUTE AND DEADLY

RATING GUIDE:

 

5 – A keeper!   

4 – Very good

3 –  Passable

2 –  I’d rather read a telephone book

1 – An absolute bomb.  Read at your own risk!

 

I had originally planned on waiting a day or two before I dove into yet another vampire book … but I made the mistake of putting Melissa Darnell’s Covet on a table near me.  I’m the kind of book reader that can’t resist a fresh, new, unread book.  So, I began reading it, even though my eyes were still sore and in need of rest … and I kept going, and going and going … this book is like a bag of peanuts or butong pakwan.  Or a container of Pringles.  Once you start on it, you’d find it very hard to stop …

Covet starts out with an action-packed beginning.  Our hero, Savannah, has just decided to break-up with her Tristan, and comes home to find her beloved grandmother, Nanna, kidnapped by Tristan’s family, The Clann.  The kidnapping ends really, REALLY badly, and that’s only the beginning of the big changes in Savannah’s life.  In the middle of dealing with the pain of losing Nanna and Tristan, Savannah is also forced to live with the vampire father she barely knows, cope with her evolving super-human powers and the growing threats of being a “threat” to The Clann.  She also makes some new friends along the way, like Rob the jock (who has a surprising alter ego), and Gowan, the vampire Greek God who appears to be more dangerous than his looks or character suggest.

Just like the first book in Darnell’s The Clann series called Crave, Covet reads just like an old Sweet Dreams book --- young yet innocent.  And yet, its innocence is deceiving, for close to its heels is the darkness that develops in the story.  I can’t help but compare Covet to the darker Harry Potter books written by J.K. Rowling.  Some scenes here are just so sinister.  The betrayal done to Tristan’s supposedly level-headed sister Emily is just heart-breaking. 

Not to say the book isn’t without its light moments.  It’s a laugh-out-loud moment when Savannah’s controlling father decides to update her wardrobe so she wouldn’t stand out in the crowd (I bet every daughter would want a father who’s like him!), and her new friend Ron finally reveals who he really is.  Of course, the requisite kilig moments are still there for every girl to enjoy.  It’s fun to read about Savannah and Tristan’s love story, as told from their respective points of view.

The revelation towards the end of the story seemed a bit weak, but just the same, the story ends with a big, action-packed ending with a big twist and development that will leave you hanging and waiting for that final installment to come out.  Very enjoyable reading fare.

RATING:  5