Halflings (Halflings Novel, A) [Kindle Edition]

Heather Burch (Author)

Book Description

Split. After being inexplicably targeted by an evil intent on harming her at any cost, seventeen-year-old Nikki finds herself under the watchful guardianship of three mysterious young men who call themselves halflings. Sworn to defend her, misfits Mace, Raven, and Vine battle to keep Nikki safe while hiding their deepest secret---and the wings that come with. A growing attraction between Nikki and two of her protectors presents a whole other danger. While she risks a broken heart, Mace and Raven could lose everything, including their souls. As the mysteries behind the boys' powers, as well as her role in a scientist's dark plan, unfold, Nikki is faced with choices that will affect the future of an entire race of heavenly beings, as well as the precarious equilibrium of the earthly world.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 7-10-The angelic (or in this case half angelic) YA invasion continues with this series opener. Nikki Youngblood is just an average 17-year-old, which means she's a black belt in karate, an intuitive artist whose work is already in a gallery, a science nerd, a motorcycle chick, and, of course, beautiful in an unconventional way. She is also being chased by assorted human and otherworldly bad guys (and hell hounds), possibly under the control of the mysterious Damon Vessler. Not to worry; a trio of super-hot blond guys-not angel or human but something sadly in between-has been tasked with keeping her safe. Halflings are the offspring of rebellious angels and human women. While they are allowed to fight on the side of good, they aren't given the possibility of a heavenly afterlife or even allowed to fall in love. No surprise that Good Boy Mace and Bad Boy Raven are both attracted to Nikki. Religion is addressed but isn't particularly intrusive; secondary characters are pretty stock (the ditzy BFF, the antisocial computer-nerd Halfling); and Nikki, despite her many talents, is more Bella than Katniss. Still, fans of the Romeo & Juliet model will enjoy, and the cliff from which readers are left hanging should entice them to return for Book 2.-Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Libraryα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

"A well-written, thoroughly thought-out, and utterly addicting read. Burch's novel captivated me from the word go - and the hits kept on coming. Packed with action, Halflings is stocked with a feisty, likable cast. This hard-to-put-down novel kept me up late into the night and burrowed itself into my imagination." - Serena Chase USA TODAY

"Gobble up and seek more." - PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY


"Burch has penned a great read with a beautiful and smart heroine, hot heroes and evil villains. You'll be entranced by the end of the first chapter. With action from the first page to the last, paranormal romance fans will most definitely enjoy this." - Meera Patel, RT BOOK REVIEW

Rumors of 'Hollywood options' are already buzzing through the blogosphere and a (free) illustrated e-book prequel is now available through several outlets. Combining those tasty details with the way the novel's ending longs for the September 2012 sequel, well ... the word 'franchise' certainly comes to mind. I can't say I object. Burch may be riding the coattails of a mainstream trend, but she's giving the fashion a distinctly fresh cut that will allow it to stand out on the angelic romance runway. I'm excited to watch this series take flight -- and curious to see where the next book will take what's sure to become a devoted following. Packed with action, Halflings is stocked with a feisty, likable cast and a fantastically impossible love-triangle that made my heart flutter, race and sigh. This hard-to-put-down novel kept me up late into the night and burrowed itself into my imagination. -- USA Today - Happy Ever After Blog (Serena Chase)

(USA Today - Happy Ever After Blog (Serena Chase) )

RT Rating: FOUR STARS 'Burch has penned a great read with a beautiful and smart heroine, hot heroes and evil villains. You'll be up late reading this paranormal romance, and you'll be entranced by the end of the first chapter. With action from the first page to the last, paranormal romance fans will most definitely enjoy this.' -- Romantic Times

(Romantic Times )

'...gobble up, and seek more.' -- Publishers Weekly

(Publishers Weekly )

'Packed with action, Halflings is stocked with a feisty, likable cast and a fantastically impossible love-triangle that made my heart flutter, race and sigh. This hard-to-put-down novel kept me up late into the night and burrowed itself into my imagination.' - Serena Chase, USA Today -- USA Today Review

(USA Today Review )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 1915 KB
• Print Length: 289 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0310728185
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Up to 5 simultaneous devices, per publisher limits
• Publisher: Zondervan (February 7, 2012)
• Sold by: HarperCollins Publishing
• Language: English
• ASIN: B006BEQPPI
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #140,869 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Oh my heart! January 16, 2012

By ShawnaLeAnn

Format:Hardcover

When I was approved to read and review this book through NetGalley I was more than excited. First off, the cover is just like pure beauty is it not? I have a thing for the color red I think. Secondly the blurb caught my attention right away. I love the whole angel theme, and this was a great little twist from other angel books out there. This book wasted no time catching your attention and hurling you into all the action. From page one it was like Heather Burch is telling you hold on to your seat, this is going to be one insane ride and it really is. From the characters whom you grow extremely attached to the insane plot that is driving the story, there is no time to calm down and gather yourself. You have to keep pushing through so you can understand it all, and quench the thirst the book leaves you with. Because trust me, this book leaves you hanging in so many ways.

One thing that I didn't enjoy with this book was after the incredible first two chapters you have so much information thrown at you and then loose site of where the book is going. I was sort of in and out of this book for the first half. I knew a great story was there, I felt it in my bones, but I was just coming up short. It was page 179 that started really hitting it off with me. After you get to a certain point it starts to slow down and you finally see the world of this book come together. Once I hit it that groove I could NOT put this book down. I loved the characters even more than before and started to put together the puzzle pieces I had gotten earlier. This is no easy puzzle to put together though folks, the Halflings world is a crazy piece of literary genius.

Like any great YA book nowadays there was one hell of a love triangle. You have the bad boy Raven and the good hearted Mace. Now I loved them both, I really did, but I definitely had my favorite. [*cough* Raven *cough*] The thing with this love triangle is that no matter who she chooses, she could never be with either one. It put a huge damper on my heart when certain things happened and left me clinching my chest for the boys I had grown to love. Nikki was seriously a breath of fresh air in this book. She was strong, knew how to hold her own, and didn't let others get to her. She was far from heartless though, and the depth of her emotions is what really endeared her to me. I wanted the book to never end, I needed to know what happened to her and her fight to figure out what was going on around her.

The ending half of this book was my favorite, like I said, I honestly could not put it down. I was so attached to everyone at this point that I didn't want to let them go. As I kept flipping the last few pages I kept hoping the page numbers would somehow double because the ending in this book is killer. KILLER I tell you! I don't want to spoil it for anyone out there but be ready to pre-order the second book in this series, because you will HAVE to. After the last page I sat stunned in my chair for a good 20 minutes. I couldn't believe it just ended that way, no doubt Heather Burch knows how to keep her readers hooked. So, if you are asthmatic [like me] make sure to keep your rescue inhaler close because this book is going to take your breath away. This was definitely a great debut book and I will be keeping an eye out for the second to this dazzling series.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Halflings Delivers Heavenly Heroes February 10, 2012

By Kathleen Edwards

Format:Hardcover

Nikki Youngblood is one happenin' chick. At 17 her ride is a Kawasaski Ninja 600. She's a martial artist and an artist with a paintbrush just beginning to be recognized for her talent. She's beautiful and just a bit awkward around guys. It's true Nikki's very down to earth - but heaven and hell have taken notice of her.
Heather Burch's book Halflings opens with Nikki being chased by hell hounds bent on taking her down. But three hunky heavenly heroes fly to her rescue. Thus begins a harrowing otherworldly adventure for Nikki and her Halfling bodyguards Raven, Mace, and Vine.
Burch's concept for Halflings is taken from Genesis 6 where the "sons of God" saw the "daughters of men" were beautiful. In Burch's world Halflings are descendants of the "marriage" of demons and man: half fallen angel/half man. Unfortunately for Nikki's Halfling friends, they don't belong in heaven or in the human realm, but are destined to fight for The Throne because God is worthy - even if they themselves are beyond redemption.
Nikki deals with heaven, hell, and high school with equal amounts of breathless, starry-eyed romance and throttle turning, butt-kicking action. Her hot-wings love interests: bad-boy Raven and vulnerable Mace- will make young teenage girls everywhere wish they were her.
That being said Nikki's budding romances are nothing but chaste and seemingly hopeless. Halflings and humans just can't mix.
In Halflings Burch is obviously laying the groundwork for the two remaining books of the trilogy to follow. Toward the end of the book the action seems tighter and the plot pace picks up considerably. It definitely leaves you with a sense of anticipation.
Halflings is certainly a good alternative to the emo-teen romance fiction out there. Peopled with characters who desire to serve the light even when darkness is closing in, Burch's first novel promises to captivate its audience with a wing and a prayer.

(Courtesy copy of Halflings provided by Zondervan books.)

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars There are angels, there are demons...and then there are halflings! March 21, 2012

By Katie McCurdy

Format:Hardcover

There are angels, there are demons...and then there are halflings! Heather Burch's vivid imagination brings to light a world where halflings--half angel, half human--live among us with the purpose to protect humans and fight against evil. Halflings was a bit of a stretch for me, personally, as I am not too crazy about this kind of fantasy. But it did make for an entertaining read that took my imagination for a wild ride.

I liked Nikki's strong characteristics and tomboy ways. And Krissy's attempts to educate her in the latest fashions added a neat (and funny!) touch to the book. I think out of all the characters, I enjoyed reading about Raven the most. Mainly, I think, because throughout Halflings he seemed so mysterious and difficult to understand, but the scenes from his point of view shed a little light on his character and helped me understand him better.

My favorite scene had to be when Raven took Nikki out and taught her how to fight. I read that whole scene several times--I just loved the banter and Raven's serious efforts to teach Nikki, even if he had to rough her up a little. Burch knows how to keep a reader's attention! And Nikki's run-ins with the hell hounds had me glued to the pages. Talk about a creature right out of your worst nightmare!

While I am not against the main characters in books being `drop-dead gorgeous/handsome', I admit I got a little tired of hearing about how totally beautiful and perfect-looking Raven, Mace, and Vine were. And even though there was a lot in this book to like...there was one angle to the book that I really didn't care for--the romance. Now, I'm not the kind of reader who abhors love triangles, but I have to admit that in this one, I just didn't like it. In the end, I was totally confused about who Nikki really liked and who just appealed to her flesh. And I felt as if all the attraction between the three teens was all physical--there was no growing to love or admire something about the person...it seemed to just focus on how hot/beautiful the person was or how they reacted to being touched by each other.

All that said, Halflings was a pretty good read for me. Not sure if I would reread the book, but I will probably read the sequel--gotta find out what happens next. After reading that mild (but still frustratingly suspenseful) cliffhanger at the end, I jumped on the computer almost instantly to find out how much longer till Guardian comes out!

I reviewed this book for Team Novel Teen Blog Tour and Netgalley. It was not required that I give a positive review, but solely to express my own thoughts and opinions of this book, which I have done.

More About the Author

Heather Burch writes paranormal young adult novels. Her YA novel Halflings released in hardcover in January and is the first book in the Halflings Series.

"I'd always known Halflings would open with Nikki being chased through the woods by hell-hounds. I couldn't get the image out of my head, so I wrote that scene." An X-Men fan and a hopeless romantic, Heather wanted to someday tell a story of extraordinary young people and the struggles that accompany saving the world.

Someday became now when half-angel teens started holding conversations in her head. "But it all began with Nikki and those hell-hounds and the Halflings watching from above. Once that scene was written, the adventure began. And I never want it to end."

Heather lives in Florida where she writes full time and has conversations with fictional teenagers. Every. Single. Day.