By creating this struggle, Green has drawn a compelling protagonist who will stick with you after the last page. The overarching battle of White versus Black Witches manifests within Nathan as he struggles to figure out who he is and copes with the effects of both sides of himself. But if he can break free, maybe he can find his father and receive his three Gifts, gifts promised to every witch on their 17th birthday that bring their one true power to the surface. Soon, Nathan is taken from his home and locked up in a cage, beaten, forced to learn to fight, and held captive by a White Witch under the order of the Council. But orders have started coming from the Council, imposing stricter restrictions on Half Codes (half White, half Black) and Half Bloods (half White, half fain). Nathan has been raised in a house by his grandmother, a potion-making White Witch, and his three half siblings, all White Witches. Born from a White Witch mom and the most evil of Black Witches, Marcus, for a dad, Nathan is struggling to find out who he really is.Īmid this internal crisis, the battle between the two factions is becoming increasingly hostile, with Black Witches - and even Half Codes, like Nathan - losing their rights in society. The White Witches live closely within the fain (human) community, but the Black Witches don't believe in integration and often live alone. The witch community in modern-day England is divided between White Witches, who are seen as good, and Black Witches, who are evil. With a memorable main character and its themes of good and evil, Green's book deserves to stand out. Sally Green's debut novel Half Bad(Viking) garnered major advance buzz, but Green was up to the challenge of the spotlight.

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