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bookfever's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked Halfway Dead. It definitely ended up being something right up my alley with the way this story involved witches, witchcraft and diverse magical creatures.
I have to admit that this book didn't hook me right from the start. I actually had a bit of a tough time getting into it. It took me a little over the first half of the book for really starting to like it. Some things confused me a bit but I hope this doesn't scare people away because it really is a great story.
As much as I wasn't sure about the main character, Carlie McEwan, at first, I ended up loving her. She's a witch so that makes her awesome already but she's also very snarky and very good at her witchcraft.
The story really started picking up once she, together with Jim, went into the forest to find these special trees. Not long after that they meet Wulfric, an ancient vampire. These three made quite the pair and I loved their dynamic.
Overall, Halfway Dead by Terry Maggert had a bunch of great characters, magic galore and good writing. It was pretty great even though it took me a while to get into it. The second half and the ending certainly saved it all for me. Gotta love that!
I have to admit that this book didn't hook me right from the start. I actually had a bit of a tough time getting into it. It took me a little over the first half of the book for really starting to like it. Some things confused me a bit but I hope this doesn't scare people away because it really is a great story.
As much as I wasn't sure about the main character, Carlie McEwan, at first, I ended up loving her. She's a witch so that makes her awesome already but she's also very snarky and very good at her witchcraft.
The story really started picking up once she, together with Jim, went into the forest to find these special trees. Not long after that they meet Wulfric, an ancient vampire. These three made quite the pair and I loved their dynamic.
Overall, Halfway Dead by Terry Maggert had a bunch of great characters, magic galore and good writing. It was pretty great even though it took me a while to get into it. The second half and the ending certainly saved it all for me. Gotta love that!
prpltrtl946's review against another edition
5.0
Very enjoyable read! Unique!
I had the kindle unlimited Listen and read book and I took my sweet time enjoying every single word of this book! The Witch wasn't your usual witch, the bad guy wasn't what you would expect, everything was different and I loved it!
I had the kindle unlimited Listen and read book and I took my sweet time enjoying every single word of this book! The Witch wasn't your usual witch, the bad guy wasn't what you would expect, everything was different and I loved it!
rmtroyer93's review against another edition
4.0
My Review:
What I Liked:
Plot. What made me pick it up and also drew me into this novel was setting/plot where Carlie is a white witch but also a short order cook. I really enjoyed the build up in the beginning where we followed her to her job, saw her relationship with her Gran (and Gus), and her home life. It made the reader connect with the character and get sucked into the plot.
Writing. I had no idea what to expect when I picked up this novel, it was one I had forgotten all about sitting on my kindle, but the writing style and character development made me happy I found it! I enjoyed Maggert's writing style, his details were great and I was able to connect with Carlie right away.
Characters. As I've said before, Carlie was a well-crafted main character who I connected with from the beginning. I also enjoyed the side characters, Gus, Carlie's familiar (who is a giant cat), the colorful characters at the diner where she cooks, and many more. I also liked the romance that slowly came to be by the end of the novel, it was not the character I expected but it was still fun to read about.
What I Disliked:
Length. The novel is less than 300 hundred pages and I felt that it could have been a lot longer. I believe we missed out on some more set up, getting a look into Carlie's day to day life as white witch and cook and how she balanced them both.
Ending. I felt that the last 30 or so pages of the novel were rushed. I would have liked to see more of Carlie's day to day life in Halfway or the main conflict/adventure not feel rushed near the end.
I recommend checking out this very underrated beginning to a great supernatural series, it has great characters and is an enjoyable read!
My Rating:
4.5 Stars Out of 5 Stars
What I Liked:
Plot. What made me pick it up and also drew me into this novel was setting/plot where Carlie is a white witch but also a short order cook. I really enjoyed the build up in the beginning where we followed her to her job, saw her relationship with her Gran (and Gus), and her home life. It made the reader connect with the character and get sucked into the plot.
Writing. I had no idea what to expect when I picked up this novel, it was one I had forgotten all about sitting on my kindle, but the writing style and character development made me happy I found it! I enjoyed Maggert's writing style, his details were great and I was able to connect with Carlie right away.
Characters. As I've said before, Carlie was a well-crafted main character who I connected with from the beginning. I also enjoyed the side characters, Gus, Carlie's familiar (who is a giant cat), the colorful characters at the diner where she cooks, and many more. I also liked the romance that slowly came to be by the end of the novel, it was not the character I expected but it was still fun to read about.
What I Disliked:
Length. The novel is less than 300 hundred pages and I felt that it could have been a lot longer. I believe we missed out on some more set up, getting a look into Carlie's day to day life as white witch and cook and how she balanced them both.
Ending. I felt that the last 30 or so pages of the novel were rushed. I would have liked to see more of Carlie's day to day life in Halfway or the main conflict/adventure not feel rushed near the end.
I recommend checking out this very underrated beginning to a great supernatural series, it has great characters and is an enjoyable read!
My Rating:
4.5 Stars Out of 5 Stars
saccalai's review against another edition
2.0
I was a bit disappointed with this book, I expected it to be better from the description but didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.
Some characters just disappeared or were forgotten about though they seemed important and Carlie trusts strangers far too easily for someone who is supposed to be able to trust her instincts.
Some characters just disappeared or were forgotten about though they seemed important and Carlie trusts strangers far too easily for someone who is supposed to be able to trust her instincts.
reviewsmayvary's review
4.0
Not too bad. The author was forcibly holding me at gun point to read this... Of course, by that I mean he introduced himself on social media to a bunch of people and I made him talk to me.
It totally worked out. Halfway Dead is about Carlie, a white witch who gets sucked into the search for a rare tree and a mythical fountain. More importantly, there's a hot half- vampire and a horrible rotting wyrm. This would be urban fiction if it wasn't in the mountains. Am I understanding that right? Speculative fiction, then? I don't know. Worth the quick read. I'll definitely be reading part 2.
A little smut might've earned it that last star. But you can't have everything, I guess.
Edit: Hmmm... You guys know I mean white witch as in practicing white magic, not as in a witch who is white, right?... Though, I guess both are true. Carry on.
Related blog post: http://bookedupandbossy.blogspot.com/2016/03/Outbox-March102016.html
It totally worked out. Halfway Dead is about Carlie, a white witch who gets sucked into the search for a rare tree and a mythical fountain. More importantly, there's a hot half- vampire and a horrible rotting wyrm. This would be urban fiction if it wasn't in the mountains. Am I understanding that right? Speculative fiction, then? I don't know. Worth the quick read. I'll definitely be reading part 2.
A little smut might've earned it that last star. But you can't have everything, I guess.
Edit: Hmmm... You guys know I mean white witch as in practicing white magic, not as in a witch who is white, right?... Though, I guess both are true. Carry on.
Related blog post: http://bookedupandbossy.blogspot.com/2016/03/Outbox-March102016.html
shutupnread's review
3.0
Link: https://holedupinabook.blogspot.com/2017/01/halfway-dead-by-terry-maggert.html
This would probably be the first time I review a book in a series where the other books are already out and with the intention of reading the rest of the series. This is because I’m doing a blog tour for the other two books so I need to write separate reviews for them. While this is good because I can focus on just one book but at the same time, it’s 3 reviews versus 1.
I was pretty excited to read this one because I love urban fantasy and this one has a witch as the main character which is something I don’t see too much of these days. Most of the time it’s a normal girl who somehow stumbles upon the world of magic with vampires, witches and/or werewolves or she think she’s normal and then finds out she’s not. So I was interested in this one because while it’s in the genre that I like, it’s a little different from what I usually find out there.
So disclaimer: I received this book via audiobook. This definitely warped my impression because the narrator plays such an important part in keeping the reader interested and engaged in the book. I usually don’t have a problem with following along and keeping myself focused on the story but for some reason, I had a really hard time for like the first two hours of the book. I found myself focusing in and out a lot and had to rewind a few times. I’m pretty sure it’s because of the narrator – she has one of those voices that can lull someone to a daze. So I’m a little worried that for my audiobook tour for the second two books will be influenced by her as well since I know she narrates the second book. I’m not entirely sure for the third book since I haven’t received it yet but I would assume it’s the same lady.
That being said, it definitely took me some time to get into this book so I felt like I missed out in major plot building portions of the book. For example, I know about the Major but I don’t recall what ultimately happened to him…and how Carlie ended up with Jim working with her. Not to mention, how did the goal go from finding that circle of chestnut trees to recovering the body of her long-ago cousin from a deranged magical warrior? Maybe I should just go back and re-listen to this book again because clearly I’m missing a few parts.
Regardless of that chunk of memory loss/not focused at all, I still found Carlie to be an interesting character and I definitely started to pay more attention when Wulfric came into the picture. He certainly added a spice to the plot. And I’m glad to see that he will be in the next book too.
Overall, while this book is on the short end (only a little over 7hrs of listening time), I did find certain elements entertaining. I still can’t believe what happened to
This would probably be the first time I review a book in a series where the other books are already out and with the intention of reading the rest of the series. This is because I’m doing a blog tour for the other two books so I need to write separate reviews for them. While this is good because I can focus on just one book but at the same time, it’s 3 reviews versus 1.
I was pretty excited to read this one because I love urban fantasy and this one has a witch as the main character which is something I don’t see too much of these days. Most of the time it’s a normal girl who somehow stumbles upon the world of magic with vampires, witches and/or werewolves or she think she’s normal and then finds out she’s not. So I was interested in this one because while it’s in the genre that I like, it’s a little different from what I usually find out there.
So disclaimer: I received this book via audiobook. This definitely warped my impression because the narrator plays such an important part in keeping the reader interested and engaged in the book. I usually don’t have a problem with following along and keeping myself focused on the story but for some reason, I had a really hard time for like the first two hours of the book. I found myself focusing in and out a lot and had to rewind a few times. I’m pretty sure it’s because of the narrator – she has one of those voices that can lull someone to a daze. So I’m a little worried that for my audiobook tour for the second two books will be influenced by her as well since I know she narrates the second book. I’m not entirely sure for the third book since I haven’t received it yet but I would assume it’s the same lady.
That being said, it definitely took me some time to get into this book so I felt like I missed out in major plot building portions of the book. For example, I know about the Major but I don’t recall what ultimately happened to him…and how Carlie ended up with Jim working with her. Not to mention, how did the goal go from finding that circle of chestnut trees to recovering the body of her long-ago cousin from a deranged magical warrior? Maybe I should just go back and re-listen to this book again because clearly I’m missing a few parts.
Regardless of that chunk of memory loss/not focused at all, I still found Carlie to be an interesting character and I definitely started to pay more attention when Wulfric came into the picture. He certainly added a spice to the plot. And I’m glad to see that he will be in the next book too.
Overall, while this book is on the short end (only a little over 7hrs of listening time), I did find certain elements entertaining. I still can’t believe what happened to
itsallaboutthebooksuk's review
4.0
First off I would like to say how much I love this cover. It just jumps out and says “read me”.
In Halfway Dead we are introduced to Carlie, a cook who’s speciality is waffles but she’s also a white witch. The opening chapter sets the scene, and we find Carlie fighting a beast in the forest. This petite witch shows she’s no push over and I found myself drawn into the story straight away and liking Carlie as a character. She’s passionate about her hometown Halfway, she’s humorous, caring and also a witch. What more could you ask for?
The story itself was intriguing and I found myself turning the pages quickly. Told from Carlie’s point of view I found I could easily just slip right into Carlie’s world and forget what was happening around me. I really liked Carlie’s sense of humour and found myself laughing out loud a few times. I enjoyed the scenes with Carlie’s Gran and big cat Gus and I’m hoping we find out a bit more about them in future books. The author does a fantastic job in writing a story that just flows, it pulls you in and without realising you are in another world.
This isn’t my normal genre but I like to get out of my comfort zone now and again and I was thoroughly pleased this was the book I chose. Full of witch craft, ghosts, and other worldly creatures this was a really good read. I’m lucky enough to have the next two books in the series to read so I’m looking forward to getting to them soon.
In Halfway Dead we are introduced to Carlie, a cook who’s speciality is waffles but she’s also a white witch. The opening chapter sets the scene, and we find Carlie fighting a beast in the forest. This petite witch shows she’s no push over and I found myself drawn into the story straight away and liking Carlie as a character. She’s passionate about her hometown Halfway, she’s humorous, caring and also a witch. What more could you ask for?
The story itself was intriguing and I found myself turning the pages quickly. Told from Carlie’s point of view I found I could easily just slip right into Carlie’s world and forget what was happening around me. I really liked Carlie’s sense of humour and found myself laughing out loud a few times. I enjoyed the scenes with Carlie’s Gran and big cat Gus and I’m hoping we find out a bit more about them in future books. The author does a fantastic job in writing a story that just flows, it pulls you in and without realising you are in another world.
This isn’t my normal genre but I like to get out of my comfort zone now and again and I was thoroughly pleased this was the book I chose. Full of witch craft, ghosts, and other worldly creatures this was a really good read. I’m lucky enough to have the next two books in the series to read so I’m looking forward to getting to them soon.
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