Halfway Drowned (Halfway Witchy #4) by Terry Maggert (2017)
-Review Request-
YA Fiction | Paranormal
Blurb:
“Something is wrong with Carlie.
A magical storm. An ancient shipwreck. A hidden evil.
All three are tied together as Carlie must defend Wulfric against his past, which emerges after a raging storm tears across Halfway Lake.
When government agents descend on Halfway to investigate the mysterious shipwreck, Carlie discovers that all is not as it seems.
A thousand years old, the Viking ship holds bones. And secrets.
Not everyone went down with the ship. There were survivors, but they might be less than human. They cross paths with Carlie in a showdown that will bring her own secrets to light, for saving Wulfric came with a cost. Now, it’s time for her to pay.
Dive in with Carlie as she fights to save the one person she can’t lose.
Herself.”
–Goodreads
Book One: Halfway Dead
pooled ink Review:
Thank you to the author for submitting this book for review!
First of all thank you for sending me a copy of this book because I’ve now got a fabulous go-to series when I’m craving a bit of the supernatural.
The story opens with an explosion, introducing us to Carlie, the main character, in the midst of battle against an intense supernatural opponent. I hadn’t heard of this series before but within minutes of reading I was captivated by it. Despite being the fourth book in a series it had a plot of its own. The characters, places, and histories carried through but I could easily enjoy this story by itself without having to go all the way back and start at the beginning (although now that I’ve become a fan I don’t doubt that I will!).
So I’m sure if one started from the first book then you’d be submerged in this world full of witches, vampires, sirens, ghosts, and the like much more slowly. But personally I found that diving in mid-series was no problem at all! The plot moved at a perfect pace while adding in little tidbits of background info either to inform the new readers or to remind the returning readers. No info dumps, no overly complicated and overbearing drama, no drowning in heady magic lore, instead this book focuses on the issue at hand racing against time to solve it and save Halfway. It’s like a cross between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Witches of East End with a dash of the unique brought by the author himself.
When it comes to books told in first person POV it’s important to tolerate the main character and I’m happy to share that I got along with Carlie easily. I thought she was funny, sensible, cool, and relatable. I wish we could have seen a bit more spell casting and dived a bit more into the witchy side of things, but then again I’m sure that’s what the other books are for (by now the witch stuff is familiar to everyone…except me lol but I hope to read the first book soon which might clear a few things up). In fact all the characters were pretty cool. There were definitely times when certain relationships or dynamics between characters made me stumble in my reading with some confusion but it never took long for a bit of backstory to be injected to clear things up (once again it’s all info you’d know if you started from the beginning of the series, but honestly even though I didn’t it wasn’t difficult to figure things out and fall back into the plot).
I thought that the mystery was cool, the characters real, the pacing comfortable, etc. Basically if this were a TV show I’d for sure be watching it (assuming it doesn’t start to absolutely reek with drama like most shows tend to after a successful season or two). If you’re into a quick read with foes from the deep then I’d recommend you go ahead and pick this book up. If you’re on the hunt for a good paranormal series then why not try this one out from the beginning?
Halfway Drowned continues a fantastic series filled with witches and the town they’ve vowed to protect. Supernatural foes, tantalizing mysteries, intriguing characters, all come together in an epic tale of love, sacrifice, and another day in Halfway.
Cheers.
Purchase here: Halfway Drowned
Meet Terry Maggert!
Left-handed. Father of an apparent nudist. Husband to a half-Norwegian. Herder of cats and dogs. Lover of pie. I write books. I’ve had an unhealthy fascination with dragons since the age of– well, for a while. Native Floridian. Current Tennessean. Location subject to change based on insurrection, upheaval, or availability of coffee. Ten books and counting, with no end in sight. You’ve been warned.
-Goodreads
pooled ink 