Half Bad by Sally Green

I was pleasantly surprised by this wonderful book.  The protagonist, Nathan, was such an interesting, likable character.  Likable isn't even the right word but I really cannot come up with a better one.  He grows into you.  Like you have known him all you life, like he is a part of your family, like he is you.  You want him to succeed, you wonder what he's going to do at each turn, you ache when he realizes that the things he has always wanted in life may not be attainable.  The magical element to this book was subtle but well explained and believable.  The world building is a slow-burn but makes sense as you, the reader, basically learn at the same pace Nathan does.  I really enjoyed the characters, the magic and the feeling of this book and definitely would continue reading this series.

Final recommendation: if you like magic, endearing-moody boys, for fans of both the Harry Potter series and Mortal Instruments, stories where the "good guys" may not be all that good and the "bad guys" may just be a little better