Review: Halflings by Heather Burch

Title: Halflings
Author: Heather Burch
Published: 1st February 2012
Publisher: Zondervan Publishing
Series: Halflings #1
Source: eARC thanks to Zondervan and NetGalley

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. - From Goodreads

This is the story of Nikki and the half man half angels who have been given a divine mission to protect her. The 3 half man half angels, also known as halflings, are Mace, Raven and Vine. All three of the boys pose as high school students in an attempt to be close to Nikki and keep her safe from some danger both demonic and human.

The halflings in this book are beautiful, Greek god looking, boys and with both Mace and Raven showing an interest in Nikki we have a whole book with the mother of all love triangles! We have Mace who she meets first and who has the sweet and earnest thing going for him, then there is the bad boy type who is Raven. Nikki is torn between the two of them for the whole book which was felt a little forced to me.

There also felt like there was more to Nikki than her just being a mere human. We have a glimpse of what she might be, but the relationship between her parents, another man and the halflings makes it feel like there is far more to Nikki than we get to see. This is not something that is addressed in this novel and it is one of the many threads left hanging with nothing resolved at the end of the book.


By the end of the book I felt that there were a number of plot threads left unanswered with not enough explanations for my liking. I also felt that there was a build up to some kind of grand plot event towards the end of the book that never appears. It feet to me like the whole book was a build up to something and then the book just finishes. I wanted more story and more action. Also it was never very clear who the enemy was in this book. I like a little bit of suspense and mystery, but if I am kept guessing for more than a book I get a little bored.

I think that when the next book in this series is released I will have to have a very light TBR pile for me to pick this up. If I do pick up the next book in this series I will definitely be needing some answers quickly.