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A review by jmcutler1
Halfway Dead by Terry Maggert
3.0
*contains some spoilers*
I attempted to read this book once before since it was recommended for fans of my favorite book series, The Casquette Girls by Alys Arden. I gave up about 30% through because I found the pacing slow and the story boring. I picked it up again more than a year later because it was a free audiobook from KU that I could listen to during work. I made it all the way through this time and I’m not particularly impressed. It wasn’t terrible but I felt like something was missing, it wasn’t very interesting or exciting. I don’t see how this has any similarities to the amazing series other than it involves witches and magic. It’s an insult to Arden to compare these books.
There’s no closure, the loose ends are never tied up, like Major might as well not have existed at all, he was wholly unimportant to the story. All of the action happened in like 5 pages and it went by so quickly and anticlimactically. It only takes Jim one sentence to die and it’s easy to miss.
Maybe this is sexist but I was wary of this book from the beginning because it was a sort of paranormal romance written by a man and usually that doesn’t sit right with me. I have nothing against reading books by men I just have experienced that they don’t write romance with the same nuisance and believability that women do. There were several times where it was glaringly obvious that this book was written by a man. The descriptions of the women in the beginning was a tell tale sign. I’ve never read a book by a woman (and i read A LOT) that blatantly describes other women as unattractive. Such as when he describes certain women as sort of attractive but they wear too much makeup etc. stuff like that rubs me the wrong way. Of course unattractive characters exist but it could be said more delicately, idk this is just a personal pet peeve of mine.
Also the romance develops so inorganically. One second Wulfric and Carlie are suddenly attracted to each other, no build up, no nothing. It’s awkward and unbelievable. I absolutely hate when that happens. Female writers do this too sometimes but far less often.
All in all, I didn’t really like this book but I will read the next in the series because it’s a free audiobook and I need something to keep me occupied during work and my commute. Would I recommend this? No.
I attempted to read this book once before since it was recommended for fans of my favorite book series, The Casquette Girls by Alys Arden. I gave up about 30% through because I found the pacing slow and the story boring. I picked it up again more than a year later because it was a free audiobook from KU that I could listen to during work. I made it all the way through this time and I’m not particularly impressed. It wasn’t terrible but I felt like something was missing, it wasn’t very interesting or exciting. I don’t see how this has any similarities to the amazing series other than it involves witches and magic. It’s an insult to Arden to compare these books.
There’s no closure, the loose ends are never tied up, like Major might as well not have existed at all, he was wholly unimportant to the story. All of the action happened in like 5 pages and it went by so quickly and anticlimactically. It only takes Jim one sentence to die and it’s easy to miss.
Maybe this is sexist but I was wary of this book from the beginning because it was a sort of paranormal romance written by a man and usually that doesn’t sit right with me. I have nothing against reading books by men I just have experienced that they don’t write romance with the same nuisance and believability that women do. There were several times where it was glaringly obvious that this book was written by a man. The descriptions of the women in the beginning was a tell tale sign. I’ve never read a book by a woman (and i read A LOT) that blatantly describes other women as unattractive. Such as when he describes certain women as sort of attractive but they wear too much makeup etc. stuff like that rubs me the wrong way. Of course unattractive characters exist but it could be said more delicately, idk this is just a personal pet peeve of mine.
Also the romance develops so inorganically. One second Wulfric and Carlie are suddenly attracted to each other, no build up, no nothing. It’s awkward and unbelievable. I absolutely hate when that happens. Female writers do this too sometimes but far less often.
All in all, I didn’t really like this book but I will read the next in the series because it’s a free audiobook and I need something to keep me occupied during work and my commute. Would I recommend this? No.