Don't let the formatting of Half Wild's first chapter scare you off. The writing is, in fact, probably more approachable than in Half Bad as it doesn't have any second person narrative. Despite that, Sally Green still retains her unique and wonderful (for me) style of description. Nathan continues to narrates in that kind of detached yet gripping way. If you liked it in Half Bad, you're going to like it in this.
However, there is one gaping problem I have with this book: it's basically just finding Annalise. It takes a while to pick up even to there, with boring flashbacks interspersed. (I skipped over them.) It's not a good start; Annalise is a completely boring and flat. She's one of the weakest major characters I've seen in YA. Her and Nathan's relationship elicits no response from me other than a prompt skimming of the page. I guess I could deal with it in Half Bad, but it bugged me a lot more this time.
Now, let's talk about Gabriel. GABRIEL. He was one of the best parts of the book, being far more readable. In strong contrast to Annalise, his and Nathan's interactions had me hooked. They have great dynamics as characters. I do hope Sally Green does what feels right for them in the next book, because Nathan and Annalise' romance felt forced. It's odd, because the characters react so naturally otherwise. (It would also be nice to have diversity in our YA leads. It's about time, don't you think?)
There are plenty of new minor characters introduced in Half Wild, as well as the return of old ones. All the name dropping was confusing. It was hard for me to distinguish between people that Nathan only meets once or twice. Nesbitt's stereotypical Australian-ness didn't add anything. I confess, I could barely remember his name. However, Marcus is much more fleshed out compared to Nathan's idea of him from Half Bad. He becomes a real character in this book.
Half Wild's focus on Annalise might turn some away, but altogether though it was a fitting sequel to Half Bad – gritty and original. It takes up more complicated ideas of good and evil than the first, but the strong writing pushed it along.
• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop.
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