The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself - Sally Green review

In a world divided between good and evil, what happens when you're both?

Nathan Byrn is the illegitimate son of the world's most dangerous witch. Feared by the Council of Fairborn witches who believe he is destined to follow the same destructive path as his father, Nathan must find a way to unlock his full powers before his seventeenth birthday, or face madness and death.

His one hope lies with the sinister Blood witch Mercury. But Mercury's help always comes at a price - one Nathan may not be able to pay . . .

Previously published as Half Bad.

I thought the book started out very odd. I also found it quite confusing to read at times. The story sometimes makes jumps, which made it difficult for me to follow the story properly. At times I was wondering, what was I just reading, and what was the connection in it. I did not find the author's writing style very smooth. This caused me to lose the guide just a bit more in the story at times.

Looking at the story overall from a distance , I find that the story itself is still pretty well put together. There is suspense and the characters are clear and detailed. It's only the elaboration that I don't find so well done. If the story had been written with more coherence, this could have been a 4-star story.

This is purely my opinion of the book. I haven't seen the Netflix series yet, so I can't compare it to the book. Maybe it would have helped if I had seen the series. But then I definitely think the book is missing its essence if I have to get the necessary information or coherence from a TV series.

About the book: 

- Author: Sally Green

- Genre: YA

- Themes: Withes, bloodwithes, powers, ... 

- Publisher: Penguin Books UK

- Published: 11/11/2022

- Number of pages: 382

- ISBN-Code: 9780241636343

-Rating: * * *