There’s lots of information about Nathan’s past, his upbringing with his maternal grandmother, his three half-siblings, a white witch from school that he likes/loves, and eventually, returns to how he ended up in the cage. It starts out describing Nathan’s daily experiences in the cage, then backtracks to his childhood for a good 100 pages or so before returning to the cage. I enjoyed the pacing, but Half Bad does take its time building up the story of Nathan.

I love the muddied lines between good and evil and the fact that the line between them depends on who has the power (not necessarily the “good” side). I love the dichotomy of Nathan, who tries so hard to stay out of the trouble that always seems to find him. I also love the contrast of good versus evil and how they are not so clearly divided. It is a slow build-up and takes its time establishing character and building the world. If Voldemort and Lily Potter had a love child, that child would be like Half Bad’s protagonist Nathan Byrn. Because Nathan is his father’s son and the only half-white, half-black witch, the Council of White Witches plans to use Nathan as a weapon against his father, to bring down the powerful black witch, once and for all. His father is the most powerful, dangerous, and feared black witch in the world. His mother, the white witch, committed suicide when Nathan was very young. Nathan is the only (known) child of a white witch and a black witch. Shackled, beaten, and caged, 16-year old Nathan Byrn is an anomaly.

Half blood sally green