melodicfate's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
*I received an ARC from the author in exchange for my honest review.*
I didn’t see this book coming. I’d been reading historical romances one after the other, and then one day, the author kindly informed me of this story. I read the blurb, saw it involved a small town and witches, and was sold. Magic workers are my weakness. While reading this review, however, keep in mind that this is book two in a series. I didn’t know that before I read this story, so there may be some spoilers.
Carlie was the heroine and narrator of the story. It’s always such a treat to come back to my old familiar favorite, first-person point of view. Of course, it helped that Carlie had a likable enough personality to sell it. She was just an ordinary cook at a regular diner, who also happened to be a witch. I loved how fiercely protective Carlie was of her friends, family and even acquaintances.
One of the things that stood out to me in this story was Carlie’s close relationship with her grandmother, Tess. Not only were they both witches, but they fiercely loved one another. Plus, I liked Tess as a person, because she was super-strong and perceptive. The only other big side character in this book was Carlie’s lover, Wulfric. He was half-human, and half-vampire. I wish we’d gotten some answers as to how he could be both vampire and human, but we didn’t. However, I did think he proved his love for Carlie in the end, with huge cost to himself.
The plot of this story involved Carlie trying to figure out how and why a vampire was capturing humans, and using them for food. Carlie had to talk to vampires, shapeshifters, and smart librarians to figure out a lot of the answers. I liked the setting this novel had, which was a small town in the Adirondack Mountains.
The thing that really took away from this book for me was the writing. It was great at communicating Carlie’s personality, but there were times when the scene would change, and I was confused. The world-building could have been a bit stronger, as well. There wasn’t much explanation on the existence of magic and paranormal creatures. As it seemed to be set in our time and world, I was expecting a little bit more information in that regard. However, this is the second book in a series, so a lot of my confusion could have come from unknowingly reading out of order.
Overall, though, I think this was a fun, quick urban fantasy read. Carlie was a likable heroine, with an admirable personality. The mystery kept me reading, especially to see if Carlie and her grandmother prevailed over the evil taking over their town. There was a pretty big cliffhanger at the end of the novel, which of course makes me wish I had book three. So yes, I do think urban fantasy readers should check this out. It’s a nice read if you’ve only got a few hours, filled with magic, paranormal creatures, and a heroine you can root for. I’d probably start with book one though, as I’m sure that one gives explanations that I would have liked in this story.
*I received an ARC from the author in exchange for my honest review.*
I didn’t see this book coming. I’d been reading historical romances one after the other, and then one day, the author kindly informed me of this story. I read the blurb, saw it involved a small town and witches, and was sold. Magic workers are my weakness. While reading this review, however, keep in mind that this is book two in a series. I didn’t know that before I read this story, so there may be some spoilers.
Carlie was the heroine and narrator of the story. It’s always such a treat to come back to my old familiar favorite, first-person point of view. Of course, it helped that Carlie had a likable enough personality to sell it. She was just an ordinary cook at a regular diner, who also happened to be a witch. I loved how fiercely protective Carlie was of her friends, family and even acquaintances.
One of the things that stood out to me in this story was Carlie’s close relationship with her grandmother, Tess. Not only were they both witches, but they fiercely loved one another. Plus, I liked Tess as a person, because she was super-strong and perceptive. The only other big side character in this book was Carlie’s lover, Wulfric. He was half-human, and half-vampire. I wish we’d gotten some answers as to how he could be both vampire and human, but we didn’t. However, I did think he proved his love for Carlie in the end, with huge cost to himself.
The plot of this story involved Carlie trying to figure out how and why a vampire was capturing humans, and using them for food. Carlie had to talk to vampires, shapeshifters, and smart librarians to figure out a lot of the answers. I liked the setting this novel had, which was a small town in the Adirondack Mountains.
The thing that really took away from this book for me was the writing. It was great at communicating Carlie’s personality, but there were times when the scene would change, and I was confused. The world-building could have been a bit stronger, as well. There wasn’t much explanation on the existence of magic and paranormal creatures. As it seemed to be set in our time and world, I was expecting a little bit more information in that regard. However, this is the second book in a series, so a lot of my confusion could have come from unknowingly reading out of order.
Overall, though, I think this was a fun, quick urban fantasy read. Carlie was a likable heroine, with an admirable personality. The mystery kept me reading, especially to see if Carlie and her grandmother prevailed over the evil taking over their town. There was a pretty big cliffhanger at the end of the novel, which of course makes me wish I had book three. So yes, I do think urban fantasy readers should check this out. It’s a nice read if you’ve only got a few hours, filled with magic, paranormal creatures, and a heroine you can root for. I’d probably start with book one though, as I’m sure that one gives explanations that I would have liked in this story.
briarsreviews's review against another edition
4.0
Book Title: Halfway Bitten
Book Author: Terry Maggert
Introduction: Terry Maggert gave me free copies of this series in return for an honest review.
Review:
"Like I said, I'm an adult. And I do adulty things."
Halfway Bitten is the second novel in the Halfway Witchy series. The first book was a home run so I wasn't sure how Terry would make a book that could outdo the first novel, but he managed it!! The second novel kept me interested right from the start, hooking me in with action and mysteries that I wanted to know more about.
The writing style improved a lot from the first book. I'm not sure what changed in Terry's head, but I really liked this novel better for the style of writing. It helped that there wasn't as much introduction as the first book (which you needed, since in the first novel we didn't know the characters), but it helped make this book move so much faster. It also made this book more interesting than the first one, and I was way more invested in finishing this book than book number one.
That doesn't mean that the first book didn't set this book up perfectly though. What lacked in the first book helped set up this novel - so you win some, you lose some.
This book starts off with a bang - dead bodies! What happened and why? Carlie has to deal with more drama and adventure in this novel, which helps develop Carlie's character. I liked seeing her slowly develop as she dealt with the cards at hand in this novel. Wulfric, Gran, Maggie - all of the characters we know and love - as well as all the new characters ignore this story into a beautiful firework of literature. It goes up and splashes a magnificent story to the reader.
There are some beautiful metaphors that heighten this reading experience - such as using the Cheshire Cat to describe a disappearing image. These metaphors and imagery give an added bonus to this already great novel. Add in Carlie's humor - snarky, sarcastic and overall sassy - a full packed twisty, turny, surprising plot and a spark of romance and you've got the full package!
It was a very different read for me - I enjoyed reading a book that was pulling from typical story tropes (love story, vampires, drama) and twisting it around with new tropes (circus, clowns). Overall, this book was absolutely fantastic. I need to read the next book ASAP!
Vampires. Circus. Dead Bodies. Magic. Witches. Crime. Necromancy. Clowns.
This book holds a lot of potential for the continuation of this series. It breaks your heart, sews it back together, takes it on a roller coaster and then throws it around - you'll get attached and desperately want to read more by Terry!! This indie author definitely does not disappoint!!
Four out of five stars.
Book Author: Terry Maggert
Introduction: Terry Maggert gave me free copies of this series in return for an honest review.
Review:
"Like I said, I'm an adult. And I do adulty things."
Halfway Bitten is the second novel in the Halfway Witchy series. The first book was a home run so I wasn't sure how Terry would make a book that could outdo the first novel, but he managed it!! The second novel kept me interested right from the start, hooking me in with action and mysteries that I wanted to know more about.
The writing style improved a lot from the first book. I'm not sure what changed in Terry's head, but I really liked this novel better for the style of writing. It helped that there wasn't as much introduction as the first book (which you needed, since in the first novel we didn't know the characters), but it helped make this book move so much faster. It also made this book more interesting than the first one, and I was way more invested in finishing this book than book number one.
That doesn't mean that the first book didn't set this book up perfectly though. What lacked in the first book helped set up this novel - so you win some, you lose some.
This book starts off with a bang - dead bodies! What happened and why? Carlie has to deal with more drama and adventure in this novel, which helps develop Carlie's character. I liked seeing her slowly develop as she dealt with the cards at hand in this novel. Wulfric, Gran, Maggie - all of the characters we know and love - as well as all the new characters ignore this story into a beautiful firework of literature. It goes up and splashes a magnificent story to the reader.
There are some beautiful metaphors that heighten this reading experience - such as using the Cheshire Cat to describe a disappearing image. These metaphors and imagery give an added bonus to this already great novel. Add in Carlie's humor - snarky, sarcastic and overall sassy - a full packed twisty, turny, surprising plot and a spark of romance and you've got the full package!
It was a very different read for me - I enjoyed reading a book that was pulling from typical story tropes (love story, vampires, drama) and twisting it around with new tropes (circus, clowns). Overall, this book was absolutely fantastic. I need to read the next book ASAP!
Vampires. Circus. Dead Bodies. Magic. Witches. Crime. Necromancy. Clowns.
This book holds a lot of potential for the continuation of this series. It breaks your heart, sews it back together, takes it on a roller coaster and then throws it around - you'll get attached and desperately want to read more by Terry!! This indie author definitely does not disappoint!!
Four out of five stars.
elylibrarysec's review against another edition
4.0
Rating: 4.5 Stars
What did you love best about Halfway Bitten?
This narrator has the perfect tone to bring the character of Carly to life. I think that even if I read this book I would still hear Ms. Spencer reading to me. Even though the secondary characters are good it's Carly that adds life to this book. You want to be there as you see her work at getting rid of the evil that has come to town.
What did you like best about this story?
I like that we have a strong female character here. But that also doesn't mean that she doesn't need help and isn't afraid to ask for it.
Have you listened to any of Erin Spencer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I actually listened to book one and this is a great follow up to Halfway Dead. She has such an easy voice to listen to and such a calming effect which lends to how I picture Carly to be.
Any additional comments?
You might consider this as a stand-alone but if you want to know more about the secondary characters that appear here, you may want to listen to this series in order. Especially how Wulfric came to be in Carly's life. I would still love a chance to meet her. Bet she would be an interesting person to get to know. If I ever come across ghosts or any other paranormal entity, I would want her in my corner. My only disappointment came when I realized that this book was over. There's some romance between our couple but it's Carly's abilities and what she does to protect the townspeople that is most important here. I'm getting ready to do the happy dance in anticipation of listening to Halfway Hunted next. And then once the series is complete, I look forward to a Carly marathon.
I voluntarily reviewed an audio version of this book.
What did you love best about Halfway Bitten?
This narrator has the perfect tone to bring the character of Carly to life. I think that even if I read this book I would still hear Ms. Spencer reading to me. Even though the secondary characters are good it's Carly that adds life to this book. You want to be there as you see her work at getting rid of the evil that has come to town.
What did you like best about this story?
I like that we have a strong female character here. But that also doesn't mean that she doesn't need help and isn't afraid to ask for it.
Have you listened to any of Erin Spencer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I actually listened to book one and this is a great follow up to Halfway Dead. She has such an easy voice to listen to and such a calming effect which lends to how I picture Carly to be.
Any additional comments?
You might consider this as a stand-alone but if you want to know more about the secondary characters that appear here, you may want to listen to this series in order. Especially how Wulfric came to be in Carly's life. I would still love a chance to meet her. Bet she would be an interesting person to get to know. If I ever come across ghosts or any other paranormal entity, I would want her in my corner. My only disappointment came when I realized that this book was over. There's some romance between our couple but it's Carly's abilities and what she does to protect the townspeople that is most important here. I'm getting ready to do the happy dance in anticipation of listening to Halfway Hunted next. And then once the series is complete, I look forward to a Carly marathon.
I voluntarily reviewed an audio version of this book.
bookfever's review
4.0
Halfway Bitten is the thrilling sequel to Halfway Dead and I loved it. Although I liked the first book for sure I had my reservations with it so I'm really happy to say that I thought this one was better. It was really great and I could hardly stop reading it.
I think part of what made this book better for me than the first book was that I was already familiar with the characters. And I also the writing has improved a lot also (though I thought the writing was already excellent with book #1).
Halfway Bitten features the characters we got to know and love from the first book. Carlie, Wulfric, Gran and some others. This time the mystery involves werepanthers, vampires, dead bodies and even clowns. And of course there a big amount of magic.
I loved the mystery of the circus that came to town and how Carlie and the others once again had to try to figure everything out. There's also romance involved between Carlie and Wulfric, who is her boyfriend now. The end, though, kind of freaked me out and maybe broke my heart a bit.
Overall, Halfway Bitten by Terry Maggert ended up making me want and need more of this world. Especially with an ending like that. Carlie is quickly growing into one of my favorite heroines ever!
I think part of what made this book better for me than the first book was that I was already familiar with the characters. And I also the writing has improved a lot also (though I thought the writing was already excellent with book #1).
Halfway Bitten features the characters we got to know and love from the first book. Carlie, Wulfric, Gran and some others. This time the mystery involves werepanthers, vampires, dead bodies and even clowns. And of course there a big amount of magic.
I loved the mystery of the circus that came to town and how Carlie and the others once again had to try to figure everything out. There's also romance involved between Carlie and Wulfric, who is her boyfriend now. The end, though, kind of freaked me out and maybe broke my heart a bit.
Overall, Halfway Bitten by Terry Maggert ended up making me want and need more of this world. Especially with an ending like that. Carlie is quickly growing into one of my favorite heroines ever!
prpltrtl946's review
4.0
A bit bummed by the cliffhanger!!
But, the characters and plot lines are just So Interesting I can forgive it. I am thoroughly enjoying these books and the world building going on in them!
But, the characters and plot lines are just So Interesting I can forgive it. I am thoroughly enjoying these books and the world building going on in them!
shutupnread's review
4.0
Link: https://holedupinabook.blogspot.com/2017/01/book-tour-halfway-bitten-by-terry.html
I definitely found this book to be significantly better than the first one. The plot is so much better. I mean, this one had clowns in it and crazy vampires whereas the first one was Carlie originally trying to find a “mythical circle” of chestnut trees. This is obviously a no-brainer as to which plot is more intriguing to the reader.
That being said, I felt that Carlie, as a character was more developed in this book. I felt like she wasn’t as intricately developed in the first one that it felt like it was character building throughout book one and now that it’s book two, you start to see different aspects of herself. However, I did feel that she was quite annoying at times when she was with Wulfric and would be like “this is what normal girlfriends do” and then proceed to do something a bit obnoxious. I’m pretty sure that’s not what normal girlfriends do – at least that’s not what I did with my previous boyfriends nor do my other friends with their boyfriends.
I think Wulfric really influenced Carlie in a positive way so I was glad to see more of him. Unfortunately he was only around much in the second half – he was pretty MIA during the first half of the book. I think it’s because he’s so old that he’s super patient and calming that he can go along with Carlie’s antics with him. With her personality, she definitely needs someone who is more subdued and more mature. So I think they actually really complement each other well. He needs a little spice in his life after his long exile in the woods and she needs someone to calm her down.
The plot started off a little slow until around halfway and then it actually got quite interesting. I was particularly interested in the fight at the really end with Gran. I’m always shocked to see someone who is elderly fighting. I mean, granted, it’s with magic and not a physical fight but it’s still draining in a mental way so I was very impressed to see Gran fight alongside her. Carlie always talks about how powerful Gran is but you don’t really get to see and understand that till the fight.
At the end, I found this book to be a lot better than the first one so if you can push on through to the next book, I would recommend this one. I also think that the narrator got a little better at narrating this book than the first one. I was actually able to find myself engaged rather than zone off like I had in the previous book. I’m going to rate this one a 3.5* but since Goodreads doesn’t allow half stars, I’ll have to round up on the stars below.
I definitely found this book to be significantly better than the first one. The plot is so much better. I mean, this one had clowns in it and crazy vampires whereas the first one was Carlie originally trying to find a “mythical circle” of chestnut trees. This is obviously a no-brainer as to which plot is more intriguing to the reader.
That being said, I felt that Carlie, as a character was more developed in this book. I felt like she wasn’t as intricately developed in the first one that it felt like it was character building throughout book one and now that it’s book two, you start to see different aspects of herself. However, I did feel that she was quite annoying at times when she was with Wulfric and would be like “this is what normal girlfriends do” and then proceed to do something a bit obnoxious. I’m pretty sure that’s not what normal girlfriends do – at least that’s not what I did with my previous boyfriends nor do my other friends with their boyfriends.
I think Wulfric really influenced Carlie in a positive way so I was glad to see more of him. Unfortunately he was only around much in the second half – he was pretty MIA during the first half of the book. I think it’s because he’s so old that he’s super patient and calming that he can go along with Carlie’s antics with him. With her personality, she definitely needs someone who is more subdued and more mature. So I think they actually really complement each other well. He needs a little spice in his life after his long exile in the woods and she needs someone to calm her down.
The plot started off a little slow until around halfway and then it actually got quite interesting. I was particularly interested in the fight at the really end with Gran. I’m always shocked to see someone who is elderly fighting. I mean, granted, it’s with magic and not a physical fight but it’s still draining in a mental way so I was very impressed to see Gran fight alongside her. Carlie always talks about how powerful Gran is but you don’t really get to see and understand that till the fight.
At the end, I found this book to be a lot better than the first one so if you can push on through to the next book, I would recommend this one. I also think that the narrator got a little better at narrating this book than the first one. I was actually able to find myself engaged rather than zone off like I had in the previous book. I’m going to rate this one a 3.5* but since Goodreads doesn’t allow half stars, I’ll have to round up on the stars below.
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