Half Bad by Sally Green

3.5 stars
It was certainly a compelling book. I found myself reading as fast as I could to see what was going to happen. Nathan is a very sympathetic character, and I truly cared what happened to him. It was difficult reading about his time in the cage because I felt like he was one of my children. He has a great voice as a narrator. I loved that Wales was his special place. I think it is the best place on Earth, and even though I have never been there, I know that I will go one day and feel like it is home. Sally Green did a great job of portraying Nathan's need to be alone and communing with nature. The book was a little slow in the middle. There were times when I wanted to shout at the book to hurry up and have something happen. The ending was satisfying, but left so many unanswered questions. I really want to read the next book so I can get those answers. The cover was extremely well done and foreshadowed the significance of blood in the novel. I am curious what they will do with the second book. The writing was unique and fresh, and I couldn't believe that this was her first book. It felt like mature and seasoned writing so I am very excited to see what comes next. I wasn't sure about the use of second person in the beginning, and truly if the whole book had been that was, I don't think I would have liked it. I loved that there was actually a significance to the use of second person in that if signified a shift in narrative for Nathan. Overall, I liked this one and am looking forward to the next one.