'Half Wild' is book two in the Half Bad trilogy (my review of book one can be found here). I read 'Half Bad' about a year and a half ago, and was worried that I wouldn't remember all the details, but luckily Sally Green has a canny way of updating the reader on all that has happened in the first couple of chapters of 'Half Wild'.
It's going to be difficult to talk about the book without giving away spoilers, but there are a few things I can say - it's as brilliant as the first; you won't want to put it down; you still don't know who to trust; you'll have to wait until March 2016 for the final book in the trilogy (that's the worst bit).
At the beginning of 'Half Wild' we find Nathan at a cave, a meeting place he'd arranged with Gabriel to meet with him if all turned bad. He's been there nearly a month, and still no Gabriel. The last Nathan can remember is fighting with Hunters, Gabriel trying to provide a distraction so Nathan could escape, the Fairborn knife being taken from him, and his close friend Annalise being taken by Mercury and put into a death-like sleep. So, Nathan wants to track down Mercury, save Annalise and find Gabriel. Of course a million other things happen. What about Marcus, Nathan's father? The last we heard of him in book one was when he gave Nathan his 3 gifts, but he didn't want to hang around because he'd heard the only reason Mercury will give up Annalise to Nathan is if he brings her the head or heart of Marcus. So, Nathan also wants to track down his father.
Nathan gets help from unexpected places, but of course he has to provide something in return. He soon finds himself with a lot of blood on his hands, and in a situation that he has known would come, but which he prayed wouldn't. With a war between the Council and the Black and White Witches escalating, Nathan has to juggle love, family and his Half Wild gift to stay alive.
Absolutely brilliant.
Half Bad
by Sally Green
When I first read the publicity blurb for this title I incorrectly assumed a few things :
a) the main character was female;
b) it was set in America;
c) it was going to be a witch version of Twilight.
The story is actually set in various parts of Britain, and follows Nathan, whose father, Marcus, is a Black Witch but his mother was a White Witch. As you can surmise from the names, the Black Witches are bad through and through, think nothing of deceit and murder, whereas White Witches do nothing but good and perform good and helpful spells. So Nathan is half good, half bad. When Nathan's mother dies, his grandmother brings him up, along with his half brother Arran and his two half sisters Deborah and Jessica. Because of the atrocious acts Nathan's father has carried out during his life, the Council of Witches and their Hunters are tracking down Nathan to try to 'turn' him, and give up the whereabouts of his father. He is taken from his grandmother, kept in a cage and trained to be a fighter, but he manages to escape. He is offered help by various characters, and in so doing, learns much about his mother and father and ultimately about his own character. However, not everyone gives favours freely, and there is one sacrifice he is not willing to make.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I finished it in just a couple of sittings. The pace is fast, there is plenty of action, the characters are exciting, and you never knew who to trust. I highly recommend it.
The School for Good and Evil
by Soman Chainani
Sophie and Agatha are friends in an almost fairytale world - Sophie is the beautiful blond princess who longs to be rescued by a handsome prince and Agatha is the dark sulky girl with no other friends and whose mother appears to be a witch. Even though they are not actually living in a fairytale, it could be that they soon will. Every four years, two children (one good, one evil) are whisked away in the dead of night to attend one of two schools - either the School for Good, or the School for Evil, and end up in their own fairytale story. Sophie hopes she will be the one chosen for the School for Good as she yearns to live happily ever after with her prince, and she has done nothing but good deeds for the last four years to make sure she earns her place. However, things do not go to plan for either her or Agatha. They are both whisked away, but Sophie is cast into the School for Evil, and Agatha into the School for Good. Agatha is determined to save her friend and escape back to their homeland, but Sophie has other things on her mind - to swap places with Agatha and live out her dream in the School for Good. They both battle fairies, monsters, wolves, the High Master, even other students to get what they want, until they realise they must work together and solve a riddle to even stand a chance of escaping.
A fast-paced, funny, action-packed, thrilling ride of an adventure, children of 10 and over will love this book, which is the first of a trilogy. It is also going to be made into a film, which should be superb to watch.
Go to the dedicated website http://schoolforgoodandevil.com/ to take an exam to see which school you'd be put into!
Fortunately, the Milk...
by Neil Gaiman
A crazy, kooky tale of a father's trip out the house to get some milk so the kids can have their breakfast cereal. He is away for absolutely ages, and on his return his children ask where he's been. So begins an incredible story of time-travel, meeting dinosaurs, aliens in spaceships, pirates, stone-god worshipping men, and the all-important pint of milk. If the story isn't enough to keep the readers entertained, Chris Riddell's illustrations will definitely have you poring over every page, looking at the minute detail of his pictures. The father of the story bears an incredibly uncanny resemblance to Neil Gaiman himself...
A brilliant pairing of author and illustrator to create an entertaining fantasy story for young readers.
Ben Kingdom - The Claws of Evil
by Andrew Beasley
Victorian London - but not quite as you might have learnt it in school! Ben's mother died during childbirth, and he, his father and his brother all live in a tiny room in a shared house, with no heating. But what Ben doesn't know yet is that he is the chosen one of a prophecy, and many of the characters around him are actually 'Watchers' looking after him making sure he is not recruited by the evil underground people. Ben comes into possession of an ancient Roman coin which the evil people would also like to have. So begins a cat and mouse chase game, followed by a tug-of-war between the do-gooders and the claws of evil to see who can keep Ben.
The second in The Battles of Ben Kingdom series is out in September 2013.
