History Literature / HalfWorld

* BloodlessCarnage: Deliberately invoked with Mr. Glueskin, who has no blood and is entirely made of glue.

* RavensAndCrows: Crows follow Melanie around everywhere. Subverted in that the crows [[DarkIsNotEvil are her allies]] and eventually help her defeat the BigBad.

* DrivenToSuicide: Many Half Worlders are locked in perpetual suicide, like the woman in ''Half World'' jumping into the canal over and over again, or the people perpetually falling off buildings/stairwells in ''Darkest Light''.

* DrivenToSuicide: Subverted with Ms. Wei. After Nora Stein was killed, she deliberated suicide, but ultimately decided not to.

* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Cracker's sister, Klara, committed suicide by hanging herself in her closet. This is her Half World cycle, and we get to see it happen later.]]

* AnArmAndALeg: Ilanna's arms and tongue were bitten off and eaten by eels.

** [[spoiler:In ''Half World,'' Melanie loses her parents and her home, but she still has her whole life ahead of her and a new home with Ms. Wei. Plus, part of her mother's Spirit manages to return with her, as Red Jade]]

** [[spoiler:In ''Half World,'' Melanie loses her parents and her home, but she still has her whole life ahead of her and a new home with Ms. Wei.]]

** The girls in the library capture the main cast with the intent to eat them.

* InfantImmortality: ''Completely'' averted. There are children running around Half World, reliving their worst moments. Most prominent is the four girls from ''Darkest Light'' and the fact that [[spoiler: Mr. Glueskin died when his father killed his mother while she was giving birth to him.]]

* {{Tsundere}}: Cracker has shades of this, complimenting Gee and [[spoiler:even sharing a kiss with him]] but almost always follows up with something along the lines of "don't get the wrong idea, I'm not into boys."

* [[spoiler: BittersweetEnding]]

* CoolOldLady: Ms. Wei

* ColorCodedForYouConvenience: [[spoiler:The Half Worlders who become Spirit get certain colours: Fumiko gets scarlet, Shinobu gets lavender, Gao Zhen Xi gets a deep green, and the starfish child gets seashell pink.]]

* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Cracker's sister, Klara, committed suicide by hanging herself in her closet.]]

* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: Gee, naturally since he comes from Half World.

* {{Determinator}}: Cracker trudges on besides Gee even though she's literally dying by the second, just to get what she came for.

* MyGreatestFailure: [[spoiler: Cracker blames herself for not being able to stop Klara's suicide, and sees Half World as a second chance to save Klara.]]

* TitleDrop: Early in the story, Gee refers to his "disquiet" (Mr. Glueskin's personality) as sometimes rising "like the darkest light".

* OperaGloves: Fumiko wears these for most of the story.

There are three realms: the Realm of Flesh (the living world), the Realm of Spirit (afterlife), and Half World (a sort of purgatory where dead souls work out their traumas until they are ready to pass to the Realm of the Spirit). The realms were originally together, cycling in harmony, but got separated somehow. Now each realm is isolated, locked in perpetual suffering. When Melanie is [[HolyChild born impossibly into Half World]] her mother flees to the Realm of Flesh to raise her. After fourteen years, her mother gets kidnapped by the sinister Mr. Glueskin, and Melanie goes on a [[TheQuest quest]] to Half World to save her and [[SaveTheWorld the world]].

There are three realms: the Realm of Flesh, the living world, the Realm of Spirit, afterlife, and Half World, a sort of purgatory where dead souls work out their traumas until they are ready to pass to the Realm of the Spirit. The realms were originally together, cycling in harmony, but got separated somehow. Now each realm is isolated, locked in perpetual suffering. When Melanie is [[HolyChild born impossibly into Half World]] her mother flees to the Realm of Flesh to raise her. After fourteen years, her mother gets kidnapped by the sinister Mr. Glueskin, and Melanie goes on a [[TheQuest quest]] to Half World to save her and [[SaveTheWorld the world]].

* StraightGay: Ms. Wei and Cracker. Though Cracker could be bi.

* ImAHumanitarian: It's revealed that [[spoiler: eating living things is how you extend your Half Life and delay when you're thrown back to your breaking point.]]

* [[spoiler: BittersweetEnding:]] [[spoiler: ''Half World'' ends with Mr. Glueskin defeated and the Realms getting fixed, meaning that the people of Half World don't have to suffer eternally anymore. But Melanie is now orphaned, has no home and has to take care of Baby G. However, it's not completely bitter in that Ms. Wei takes her in, and Melanie realizes there's so much more in life left for her. And her mother managed to return with her as Red Jade to boot.]]
** [[spoiler: ''Darkest Light'' ends with Illana defeated and Cracker is saved. But Gee accepts his place in his Half World cycle and returns to where he was meant to be, staying behind in Half World. Ms. Wei, Cracker and Melanie are grieved with losing him, but accept his sacrifice and go on to live on in his memory. Gee meanwhile eventually completes his cycle and ascends to Spirit with his mother.]]

** [[spoiler: ''Darkest Light'' has Illana defeated and Cracker is saved. But Gee accepts his place in his Half World cycle and returns to where he was meant to be, staying behind in Half World. Ms. Wei, Cracker and Melanie are grieved with losing him, but accept his sacrifice and go on to live on in his memory. Gee meanwhile eventually completes his cycle and ascends to Spirit with his mother.]]

* [[spoiler: BittersweetEnding:]] [[spoiler: ''Half World'' ends with Mr. Glueskin defeated and the Realms getting fixed, meaning that the people of Half World don't have to suffer eternally anymore. But Melanie is now orphaned, has no home and has to take care of Baby G. However, it's not complete bitter in that Ms. Wei takes her in, and Melanie realizes there's so much more in life left for her. And her mother managed to return with her as Red Jade to boot.]]
** [[spoiler: ''Darkest Light'' has Gee accepting his place in his Half World cycle and returning to where he was meant to be. Ms. Wei, Cracker and Melanie are grieved with losing him, but accept his sacrifice and goes on to live on in his memory. Gee meanwhile eventually completes his cycle and ascends to Spirit with his mother.]]

* [[spoiler: BittersweetEnding]]

* DrivenToSuicide: Averted with Ms. Wei. After Nora Stein was killed, she deliberated suicide, but decided not to.