Half Lost

Gr 9 Up—In Half Wild (Viking, 2015), the previous volume of this trilogy, Annalise, the former romantic partner of protagonist Nathan, killed his father, Marcus. Now Nathan is obsessed with tracking down Annalise, though he's not exactly sure what he'll do when he finds her. Nathan and his new lover, Gabriel, are part of the Alliance, whose purpose is to eliminate the evil Council of White Witches. As always, Nathan is moody and reticent, even more so since the death of his father. While he's been developing the magical powers he inherited from Marcus, he has also been killing groups of the Council's Hunters as he comes across them. His murderous spree worries Gabriel and Alliance leaders, and he has to work hard to repress the evil part of him. The climax of the story, in which Nathan leads Alliance fighters as they invade the Council's headquarters, is violent and bloody but not unexpectedly so. The result of the battle and the story's denouement are unexpected, and the conclusion of the tale is emotionally wrenching but fitting. Those who have read the first two installments of the trilogy will read the enthralling finale eagerly and should, ultimately, be satisfied.