Team Novel Teen Blog Tour: Halflings by Heather Burch

Age Range: 15 and up
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy
Release Date: Jan 2012
Pages: 288
Publisher: Zondervan


Tag Line: "What if following your heart meant losing your soul?"

Summary: 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 it. 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.



What I Loved: This book started out with a bang, and sucked me in for an enticing stay. If you love strong female leads, motorcycles, young love triangles, infectious mystery, scientists with dark intentions, handsome protectors and "wolves" you are in for a delectable treat. 


I absolutely loved being introduced to Nikki Youngblood and her unique world, as well as her protectors, the Halflings. Nikki is really just a girl trying to find and be herself, ultimately, in the midst of some rather strange happenings. I loved how genuine and unique her character is, and how she clings to being her authentic self throughout the whole story. I definitely found myself identifying with her on more than one occasion. 


As far as the Halflings are concerned though: THEY ROCKED!  I loved that they came across as being normal-yet-supernatural teen guys with wings, tricky situations to muster through and that they were such strong fighters for souls that are at stake, including Nikki's. I was kind of worried about how Heather Burch would conquer the whole half angel/half human shtick since it's been done a few times already in literature, but she totally pulled it off and made it her own. All of the Halflings in the novel were totally believable for what they were created to be, including the group of female Halflings and the other members of Mace, Raven and Vine's band of heaven-side team mates, which I quite liked.


Needless to say I'm very excited about reading the other two books in this series (Guardian is the next in this trilogy's lineup, due out sometime this October.) The writing was extremely clever and the pacing throughout the entirety of the novel was simply perfection.


What I Didn't Like So Much: The story ended on a cliffhanger, which I don't much care for, but I guess I can completely forgive it because there will indeed be a Halflings Trilogy. (Yay!)


I'm Recommending This Book... This book was utterly exciting, fast paced, super strong and a wonderful new world to find yourself falling head over heels into. This book deserves a 4 1/2 out of 5 stars for sure! It's definitely a favorite book of mine now, and Heather Burch is most definitely a new favorite author of mine too. 

About The Author: Heather Burch grew up in Branson, Missouri, where she learned to love fiction. She then married into a family of published novelists and quickly learned writing was her heart's desire. When she's not working on her latest book, Heather can be found watching a sunset at a beach near her home in Southern Florida, along with her sons Jake and Isaac, and husband, John--who is her hero in every way. 


Check out these other links...

Author's Website:
Purchase Halflings HERE
Get the FREE ebook prequel HERE
Watch the Book Trailer HERE


Check out these other Team Novel Teen bloggers to see what they had to say about Heather Burch’s Halflings. 


The Book Fae • Bookworm Reading • Colorimetry • Fiction Fire • My Story Shelf • Jill Williamson • Katie McCurdy • Oh, Restless Bird • Rachelle Rea • SLY Games • Terri Harr • Virtuous Girlhood  


Team Novel Teen is a group of bloggers dedicated to spreading the word about clean teen fiction. Check out other posts about Halflings by Heather Burch by clicking on the links above, and check out www.NovelTeen.com for more information about Team Novel Teen. 

20 comments:

  1. Loved your review and totally agree with it! She did a great job of making it her own. That is one thing I love about writing, you can take a story that has been "done" and change it and make it unique to YOUR imagination. Just because something has been done a certain way doesn't mean it is written in stone. Heather did a great job and while, like you, I don't like cliffhangers so much (that seems to be the way YA books in series are at times) I am thrilled to know there is another one coming out very soon.

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    1. Yes, Yes, Yes! I love it when authors become true artists and storytellers by retelling a story that they've heard before and see in their own unique way. That's kind of what I'm hoping to write one day. Fairy Tales with a twist and my own vision driving it. ;)

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  2. I can't wait to read the next book either! I hate cliff hangers even though they make me want to read more. :)

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  3. Cliff hangers are smart, but they drive me insane and make me want to hear more of the story oh so badly! I guess that means that Heather Burch's mission was accomplished then, huh? ;-)

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  4. Can I be honest? I hate cliff hangers too. In fact, when I realized it was probably the best way to end the book, I really fought it. After I wrote the end I asked multiple beta readers "If you never got to read another word about Nikki Youngblood, did I leave you with the sense she will be okay?"
    Everyone said yes. But they definitely wanted to read more. I thought, "Okay, I can live with this kind of cliffhanger. "
    Thanks so much for the review!

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    1. I was actually, for the most part, quite satisfied with the way you wrote the ending of Halflings, Heather. I mean it is a series after all, so I had guessed that Halflings would end with us all teetering on the edge of our seats a bit, but overall I really liked the ending you went with. It was befitting, and a very nice place to stop and breathe for a moment which allowed us to feel that Nikki still had a safe place and a home after all she had been through. I even liked that you mentioned Zero in the last paragraph too, because I'm really quite partial to him as a character.

      All that said I truly do think that Nikki will be okay too, but I still can't wait to find out more about her and the Halflings in the next two books! =)

      You're most welcome. I absolutely loved your book and quite frankly I jumped at the chance to get the word out about Halflings! Please, let me know if there's any other ways that we can promote your book.

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  5. Fun review!! :-) So cool you liked it so much. I was a little more hung up over being left in the dark, but it was still a fast fun read.

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    1. Laura, I think I would've been a bit more irritated too had I not already known that Halflings was part of a series before I even read it. ;-)

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  6. Loved reading your review -- so personally and uniquely written. Very nice! :-)

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    1. Thanks! I loved reading through your review too! :-)

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  7. Yes, me too, Sierra. It's really rare to find a supernatural book with a Christian message held within it's pages. That's exactly why I'm so excited about the Halflings novels!

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  8. I loved you review! I liked how you pointed out how Nikki tried to stay authentic to herself throughout the book. Nikki and I are very different, but that one thing made me feel connected to her, which I thought was really good.

    Also, I dislike cliffhangers too, but the end of Halflings is one of my favorite scenes. I loved the thoughts running through her head as she made her decision, and the last line I thought was very clever and dramatic.

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    1. Yes, the last line was very clever and dramatic.

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  9. Great review, Sarah! I ended up really liking this book. Heather's book has got me hooked!

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    1. Thanks! Your review was great as well...and...we're hooked! ;)

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  10. Irony: I saw this book at the library and refused to pick it up. See, I'm really weird about reading supernatural things if I don't know they came from a Christian perspective. Guess I should have checked the publisher. Now I have to check this book out!

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  11. Good review. I was also concered how the half angel/half human thing was going to go but I thought she did a good job too. My only complaint was that they wished to be humans when I thought it would make more sense to wish to be a full angel. Anyways, I like your review so keep them up. Can't wait for book 2 also. Why do we have to wait?!

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    1. Angel or Human? There's not even a doubt in my mind on which I'd side with. Oh, I'll have another book review coming up soon, don't you worry! ;)

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  12. Great review, Sarah! I like you how broke everything up and all that! :)

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