Review: Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish Mcbride

Book description via Goodreads:

Sam leads a pretty normal life. He may not have the most exciting job in the world, but he’s doing all right—until a fast food prank brings him to the attention of Douglas, a creepy guy with an intense violent streak.

Turns out Douglas is a necromancer who raises the dead for cash and sees potential in Sam. Then Sam discovers he’s a necromancer too, but with strangely latent powers. And his worst nightmare wants to join forces . . . or else.

With only a week to figure things out, Sam needs all the help he can get. Luckily he lives in Seattle, which has nearly as many paranormal types as it does coffee places. But even with newfound friends, will Sam be able to save his skin?

Source: Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, Kathryn Hurley

My Thoughts:

Samhain – Sam – was just a college dropout and an employee a Plumpy’s who spent his time wiping tables, flipping burgers and skateboarding until a really scary-looking businessman claimed that he was a necromancer with little power to make him useful. But he still did not know about his true self and true potential. The family dynamics was also something I liked. Whoever thought a family could be this complicated or secretive?

Creepy and humorous, Hold Me Closer, Necromancer moved from mundane to extraordinary. Sam’s discovery of his heritage and of his family’s secrets was accompanied by beautifully written, vivid flashbacks. But being a necromancer in Seattle was difficult and risky. He would be threatened by Douglas and worse – he did not know thing about necromancy. Sam’s lessons with Douglas were terrifying and shocking. It was just plain creepy and a bit harsh. But because of Samhain, it became somewhat funny. His light way of treating things made it enjoyable.

Told in first person POV for Sam and 3^rd person POV for the other characters, Hold Me Closer, Necromancer let the readers see the story from various angles, unraveling the mysteries and showing the eccentricities of the supernatural world. There was a great cast of supernatural creatures here, a blending of various mythologies to build this story world.

Mcbride’s writing was superb. It was fascinating, compelling, and full of life. She weaved two lives together, Sam – a necromancer, and Bridin, a were-hound hybrid. Caged in cold iron with silver markings and forced to stay in a basement that looked more or less like a mad scientist’s laboratory, they became close. The romance was sweet and almost effortless.

The characters were really fun and entertaining. They were well developed. Just perfect. Their conversations were hilarious, never dull. Half the time, I was laughing and staring, creeped out or shocked at the other half. It was great to get to know them.

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer is unforgettable and witty, with just the right dose of humor to balance the creepy and violent events of this super awesome debut! I recommend this to fans of paranormal and humorous reads! If there happens to be a sequel...please, please, please can I have a copy?

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