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polkadotgirl's review against another edition
2.0
2/5 stars:
I am so sad right now. So so so sad. This book was going to be a 3.5 rating, maybe even a 4 depending on the ending. Well, the ending came and, guess what? It was fucking terrible.
As I started reading the book I realized I was a little lost regarding certain aspects of the plot but I was 95% sure it wasn't the book's fault but mine because I read Half Wild a while ago and there were some important things and plot points that I had forgotten. However as the story progressed and we were reminded of previous events everything became clearer to me and I could get more into the story.
I really liked Nathan's thought process during the book and the way you come to understand and feel his grief and his anger. I also like how as time goes by he starts to realize that he cannot live that way and his thoughts start shifting, he becomes less resentful and he starts feeling more like the Nathan you came to know in the first two books, while at the same time now feeling less naive and more mature because of everything he went through. (It was also nice that he finally stopped thinking of Annalise and killing Annalise and hurting Annalise and how he had been stupid for trusting Annalise,...; every two seconds.)
But now let's get into what really killed this book for me: the ending.
There are two different things ending-wise that we can discuss: the ending of the plot in itself and the conclusion of the war and everything, and the ending as in what the characters' fates are.
Plot-wise the ending was pretty decent. Not good, not bad, just decent. I do think the ending was perhaps a little rushed but I guess that can be explained as war and its battles being unpredictable and fast and it's not like you're going to have much time to process things in the middle of it. I do think, though, that because of that I was left feeling a little dissatisfied. I had been waiting for certain things to happen and even when they did they felt unimportant and they didn't hit emotionally at all. There were certain things and "twists" that came pretty much out of nowhere and were poorly explained (like the introduction of blue) that I think could have benefitted from further explanation or at least more than just passing mentions when resolved.
Now, character-wise. Oh boy. OH BOY. I am so sad. And angry. I am sad and angry both. And so disappointed. How many more times are we going to have to go through the "bury your gays" trope before someone finally buries this fucking trope?! Gabriel was and is my favorite character in the trilogy and he deserved so much better than what he got. Of course, so did Nathan. I was really happy when we finally got to see Nathan and Gabriel be together and we got to see Nathan completely trusting Gabriel again and relaying on him and letting himself get pulled into Gabriel's humanity. I did feel like their coming together was a little rushed but, AGAIN, I gave it the benefit of the doubt because they're in war times and things do not get to pause just for romance's sake. That ending, though, there is no way in hell I will ever be able to forgive, forget or understand that ending. Yes, it's war. Yes, there are going to be casualties. But... It's so fucking unfair (and a little suspicious) how so many straight characters that also have played major roles in the war and that could have easily served as hard-hitting and emotional deaths get to be alive and have happy endings and the two queer characters don't get the same opportunity. Gabriel goes and dies, and then Nathan goes and turns into a tree to be closer to him and because he can't take the pain of losing Gabriel. Yeah, such a great thing for us LGBT+ folks to read. That's the kind of ending we can aspire to have. FUCK IT.
This trilogy was never going to become an all time favorite for me but it had potential to be something I really enjoyed and cherished and now... Now I won't ever be reading it again or recommending it to anyone.
I am so sad right now. So so so sad. This book was going to be a 3.5 rating, maybe even a 4 depending on the ending. Well, the ending came and, guess what? It was fucking terrible.
As I started reading the book I realized I was a little lost regarding certain aspects of the plot but I was 95% sure it wasn't the book's fault but mine because I read Half Wild a while ago and there were some important things and plot points that I had forgotten. However as the story progressed and we were reminded of previous events everything became clearer to me and I could get more into the story.
I really liked Nathan's thought process during the book and the way you come to understand and feel his grief and his anger. I also like how as time goes by he starts to realize that he cannot live that way and his thoughts start shifting, he becomes less resentful and he starts feeling more like the Nathan you came to know in the first two books, while at the same time now feeling less naive and more mature because of everything he went through. (It was also nice that he finally stopped thinking of Annalise and killing Annalise and hurting Annalise and how he had been stupid for trusting Annalise,...; every two seconds.)
But now let's get into what really killed this book for me: the ending.
There are two different things ending-wise that we can discuss: the ending of the plot in itself and the conclusion of the war and everything, and the ending as in what the characters' fates are.
Plot-wise the ending was pretty decent. Not good, not bad, just decent. I do think the ending was perhaps a little rushed but I guess that can be explained as war and its battles being unpredictable and fast and it's not like you're going to have much time to process things in the middle of it. I do think, though, that because of that I was left feeling a little dissatisfied. I had been waiting for certain things to happen and even when they did they felt unimportant and they didn't hit emotionally at all. There were certain things and "twists" that came pretty much out of nowhere and were poorly explained (like the introduction of blue) that I think could have benefitted from further explanation or at least more than just passing mentions when resolved.
Now, character-wise. Oh boy. OH BOY. I am so sad. And angry. I am sad and angry both. And so disappointed.
This trilogy was never going to become an all time favorite for me but it had potential to be something I really enjoyed and cherished and now... Now I won't ever be reading it again or recommending it to anyone.
huntressskyfire's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
jdbs00's review against another edition
5.0
no hay calificación, porque no sé cómo reaccionar ante esto
lourand's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
fokmok's review against another edition
5.0
Without a doubt the best book in the series, as most are, but I loved it.
The plot itself was really well thought through and there are several plottwists that I really thought were great.
(Spoiler (kind of))
The alternative ending from Celia's perspective is probably what hit me the most.
I really would recommend anyone who just slighty likes fantasy to read the Half Bad book series. It's such an amazing read and the development of Nathan is something everyone should be able to talk about.
The plot itself was really well thought through and there are several plottwists that I really thought were great.
(Spoiler (kind of))
The alternative ending from Celia's perspective is probably what hit me the most.
I really would recommend anyone who just slighty likes fantasy to read the Half Bad book series. It's such an amazing read and the development of Nathan is something everyone should be able to talk about.
aayusha's review against another edition
5.0
“Learn from your mistakes but expect your enemies to learn from theirs.”
justagirlandherbookshelf's review against another edition
It became unreadable due to plot and not wanting to spoil it for others I won’t mention obvious plot holes that made no sense. Having looked into detailed reviews the questions I had regards to the plot holes weren’t answered either.
pewterwolf's review against another edition
5.0
Review Taken from The Pewter Wolf
After the devastating events at the end of Half Wild, Nathan is running again. The Alliance of Free Witches has all but been destroyed, but they have a plan. They need Nathan to go talk to a witch called Ledger to get half of something that could help me take down Soul and his Council.
But war is war. And not everyone will survive.
I shouldn't have read this so soon after [b:Frail Human Heart|25104766|Frail Human Heart (The Name of the Blade, #3)|Zoë Marriott|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1425897329s/25104766.jpg|21398516] by [a:Zoë Marriott|1025280|Zoë Marriott|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1363972141p2/1025280.jpg]. Reading two books which are the end of trilogies I love is too much for my poor heart.
But Half Lost. Ok, am saying this right now, but this book destroyed me. I forgot how much I love Sally Green's writing and I forgot how quickly I fell into this world. I had to force myself to read slow so I didn't power-read it! And this book... oh, this book did feels to my poor heart. It's a breathless read and there were moments I was holding my breath. Or moments where I was going "Nonononono!!!". (I was DMing someone on Twitter after I finished the book, SCREAMING IN CAP LOCK!!!)
There are some trilogies out there (am not going to name names) that should look at Half Lost as THIS is how you end a trilogy. This book gets it right on the money. I trust Sally Green (as you should with any author whose book you are reading - otherwise, why are you reading the book?) and Sally wrote Nathan's story her way - unflinching and never afraid to take the tough route - and I love her for that. I love how the book is raw, dark unflinching but has moments of softness, kindness and love (only to rip these moments into tiny pieces in front of your very eyes...)
This series is definitely a marmite read - you are either going to love it or you are going to hate it. I love it and I am already itching to reread the whole trilogy again. And I am watching Sally's Twitter feed for any news on her next project. But this trilogy... wow. Just wow.
After the devastating events at the end of Half Wild, Nathan is running again. The Alliance of Free Witches has all but been destroyed, but they have a plan. They need Nathan to go talk to a witch called Ledger to get half of something that could help me take down Soul and his Council.
But war is war. And not everyone will survive.
I shouldn't have read this so soon after [b:Frail Human Heart|25104766|Frail Human Heart (The Name of the Blade, #3)|Zoë Marriott|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1425897329s/25104766.jpg|21398516] by [a:Zoë Marriott|1025280|Zoë Marriott|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1363972141p2/1025280.jpg]. Reading two books which are the end of trilogies I love is too much for my poor heart.
But Half Lost. Ok, am saying this right now, but this book destroyed me. I forgot how much I love Sally Green's writing and I forgot how quickly I fell into this world. I had to force myself to read slow so I didn't power-read it! And this book... oh, this book did feels to my poor heart. It's a breathless read and there were moments I was holding my breath. Or moments where I was going "Nonononono!!!". (I was DMing someone on Twitter after I finished the book, SCREAMING IN CAP LOCK!!!)
There are some trilogies out there (am not going to name names) that should look at Half Lost as THIS is how you end a trilogy. This book gets it right on the money. I trust Sally Green (as you should with any author whose book you are reading - otherwise, why are you reading the book?) and Sally wrote Nathan's story her way - unflinching and never afraid to take the tough route - and I love her for that. I love how the book is raw, dark unflinching but has moments of softness, kindness and love (only to rip these moments into tiny pieces in front of your very eyes...)
This series is definitely a marmite read - you are either going to love it or you are going to hate it. I love it and I am already itching to reread the whole trilogy again. And I am watching Sally's Twitter feed for any news on her next project. But this trilogy... wow. Just wow.
valkyriecain82's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, and Gun violence
Moderate: Grief and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Biphobia and Suicidal thoughts