An urban fantasy series by Sally Green, set in modern-day Britain and Europe. It follows Nathan, a young witch who is half White Witch on his mother’s side and half Black Witch on his father’s side. He must receive three “gifts” and a family member's blood on his seventeenth birthday if he wants to stay alive.
Things are complicated for Nathan though, he's been trapped in a cage, his father is a notorious Black Witch and he is constantly in danger.
The Half Life Trilogy:
- Half Bad
- Half Wild
- Half Lost
Supplementary materials:
- Half Lies
- Half Truths
In 2020, it was announced that Netflix would adapt the books into a series. In August 2022, the series was renamed from Half Bad to The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself. The first season was released on October 28, 2022, but was cancelled soon after.
Completely unrelated to the video game Half-Life.
The Book series provides examples of:
- Awkward Kiss: In Half Wild, Nathan quite passionately kisses Gabriel before Annalise comes back. Gabriel doesn't speak to him for a while afterwards.
- Bittersweet Ending: In Half Bad, Nathan gets the gifts that he needs to stay alive, but he is told that he has to kill his father to save his girlfriend Annalise, and his friend Gabriel is missing.
- Dating What Daddy Hates: Annalise's attraction to the black witch Nathan is definitely looked down on by her white witch family. She's told not to even speak to him, but they end up in a relationship.
- Distinguishing Mark: Nathan was tattooed so that he could be distinguished from other witches.
- Fantastic Racism:
- White witches and black witches generally don't like each other.
- Witches who are half-black, half-white or half-witch and half-fain aren't treated too well either.
- I Have Your Wife: Mercury uses Annalise as leverage to get Nathan to do what she wants.
- Love Martyr: In Half Wild, Gabriel could qualify for joining the alliance for Nathan, despite noting that he could wind up dead because of it.
- Mark of the Supernatural: Witches have “glints” in their eyes.
- Moment Killer: In Half Wild, Nesbitt interrupts Nathan and Annalise, just as Nathan was about to tell her he loved her.
- Ship Tease: The kiss between Nathan and Gabriel in Half Wild made a few fans think they would become a couple. Made even worse by the fact that Nathan takes a moment later in the book to recall what Gabriel's hair felt like.
- Urban Fantasy: The series revolves around modern-day witches.
