A data storage device includes a non-volatile memory (NVM) device and a controller coupled to the NVM device. The controller is configured to create a bad block table that tracks bad blocks of the NVM device, send the bad block table to a host memory location, and check the bad block table to determine whether a block to be read or written to is bad. The controller is further configured to request information on a bad block from the bad block table located in the host memory location, determine that the requested information is not available from the host memory location, and retrieve the requested information from a location separate from the host memory location. A sum of the times to generate a request to check the flat relink table, execute the request, and retrieve the requested information is less than a time to process a host command.