Hold Me Closer, Necromancer

by Lish McBride

Overall: YYY
Action: aaa
Comedy: aaa
Drama: aa4
Romance: aa4
Suspense/Mystery: aaa
Tragedy/Tear-worthy: a
Explanation of rating

THIS IS A REVIEW OF AN *ADVANCE* COPY! IT IS *SPOILER FREE*
***Hold Me Closer, Necromancer will be released October 12, 2010***

Summary: Sam is a barely-college student making a not-so-extravagent life working at Plumpy's, spending his time playing Potato Hockey and "Guess What I Put in the Fryer" with his co-workers/friends: Ramon, Brooke, and Frank. One day a rogue potato shot hits an expensive car belonging to Douglas Montgomery and Sam's life gets a little complicated. That night he is attacked in the parking lot and left with long scratches down his back.

Back in his apartment with his friends, using his mom's hippy/herbalist medicines to heal his cuts, a package is delivered. The boys open it up to discover Brooke's severed head... her talking severed head (she's none too happy about it either). A note tells Sam to meet at the zoo the next day.

When he shows up next to the panda exhibit, Sam meets Douglas again and discovers his own hidden ability to raise the dead. Douglas gives the boy one week to decide to become an apprentice, or die. Through that week, Sam discovers more and more about his hidden ability and just how much his own mother has kept from him.

All during this[the narration switches most chapters], Douglas also has a hand in the kidnapping of Brid, a werewolf/werehound hybrid who is the heir to lead the pack. He does experiments on her and hints at previous tests on other creatures. Sam is kidnapped as well and is held captive in the cage with Brid [did I mention that she's naked?], occasionally being let out and forced to learn and use his power.

With twists in the classic bad-guy-underestimating-the-good-guy, this is a unique story sprinkled with the undead.

"'So, you see the dead and stuff, huh? How very Sixth Sense of you.'"

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Opinion: My friend, Dorothy Donne, attended the 2010 Book Expo America and nabbed several books for me (reviews to come, I'm sure). Not having heard any talk about Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, she chose it purely from the title - so the book definitely has that going for it! Other than that, though, this is nothing spectacular.

McBride definitely has talent, however. She present great detail and sprinkles in small events that the characters mention from their pasts - it makes them seem more real and gives a greater dimension to each person. And her sense of humor is evident on every page.

There's so much potential to be greater than it is... And I'm honestly unsure if there will be a sequel or not. The ending leaves us with a possibility, but not a guarantee. If there happens to be a second book to Sam's Necromancy skills, I'll absolutely pick it up in hopes to see its potential filled.

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For School? (Hey, I'm a teacher, I think about this stuff!) I wouldn't teach it, but I'd recommend it to the more reluctant readers, particularly the boys. The only problem, aside from the whole Necromancy thing that I'm sure many religious families would have a problem with for no real reason aside from never having read a fiction book before, is there is a quick-barely-there sex scene that isn't even described, just alluded to.