Delightful Book Reviews: 5* BOOK REVIEW | 'Half Lost' by Sally Green (*****)

Tuesday, 3 May 2016

5* BOOK REVIEW | 'Half Lost' by Sally Green (*****)

Hello, readers! I hope you all had a lovely bank holiday weekend and enjoyed the sun/sleet/hail/snow- whatever the weather was like for you! I spent a great weekend at home in London with my family, getting lots of reading, blogging and sleeping done!

And one of the books I managed to finish at home is the SPECTACULAR Half Lost by Sally Green- the last book in the amazing Half Bad trilogy. As you may know, I am a huge fan of this series, and I would probably name it one of my favourites of all time. That's why I was sooooo stoked when Sophia at Penguin sent me a copy- my uni friends didn't quite understand why I was so excited about getting this particular book in the post!

I was kindly sent Half Lost by Penguin in exchange for an honest review :)

As I mentioned before, Half Lost is the third and final book in Sally Green's Half Bad trilogy - a sharply-written, action-packed, exhilarating series following a young halfblood witch named Nathan and his journey to discover who he is, where he comes from, and the extent of what his powers can do. All three books are filled with fantastic characters who will keep you on the edge of your seat while reading, and stay with you long after you close the last page of the final book.

Intrigued? Check out the blurb here...

This is the final battle.

The Alliance is losing the war, and their most critical weapon, seventeen-year-old witch Nathan Byrn, is losing his mind. Nathan’s tally of kills is rising, and yet he’s no closer to ending the tyrannical 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. An amulet protected by the extremely powerful witch Ledger could be the tool Nathan needs to save himself and the Alliance, but this 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, urges 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-achingly visceral look at survival and exploitation, the nature of good and evil, and the risks we take for love.

Whilst the first two books allowed me to discover the world of the witches and learn about the characters, I felt like Half Lost was non-stop action from start to finish, and truly revealed the complexities involved in having a lot of power, overwhelming responsibility, and too much at stake. Nathan, the protagonist, is such a fantastically developed character and in this book I really felt as if I was

in his head, perplexed at every single decision he had to make. The emotion Sally Green invested in Nathan is staggering. He is probably the most real character I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

Nathan is such a complex, yet easy to adore character. He kills unflinchingly, yet somehow he draws you into his mind, his game, and you become part of the darkness, the grime and the bloodshed. He rages, he swears, and he kills. Ruthlessly. And (maybe, surprisingly, I don't know), all of these reasons add up to why I love Nathan, and why he is my favourite character of the whole series. These reasons are why, in my opinion, Nathan is one of the most complex, problematic and intriguing characters the YA genre has ever seen. Also, his and Gabriel's relationship is amazing. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Jeez, every single time I read one of their *scenes* I get the shivers. Quite literally.

I'm not going to reveal the ending, or give any spoilers whatsoever in fact, but it destroyed me. A YA book hasn't destroyed me in a very long time. And Sally Green literally stuck a metal pole in my chest that remained there long after I closed the last page of the book. The funny thing is, I kind of saw it coming (I knew Sally Green wouldn't leave me in tact- she would finish the book with a bang) but it still didn't hurt any less. The last chapter was written beautifully. It had me in tears.

I am distraught that this book series is over, and I really mean it. The world that Sally Green has created is so intricately detailed: grimy, gritty and glittering in blood. The dialogue, characters and description in the books is so fantastic, and I will not be satisfied until I have her next YA book in my hands.