Thursday, January 16, 2014

Necromancer & Hold Me Closer, Necromancer

*Book source ~ Picked up for free on Amazon
Title ~ Necromancer
Author ~ Lish McBride
Publisher ~ Henry Holt and Co.
Published ~ 1 February 2011
Genre ~ YA/Fantasy/Paranormal
Pages ~ 33

My Rating ~ 5 bites out of 5

Matt’s best friend Ashley died of cancer when she was 10. That doesn’t stop her from coming around to visit with him though.

I picked this up after reading Hold Me Closer, Necromancer. I went looking to see if there were more stories in the series and couldn’t believe my luck when I saw this short for free on Amazon. Score!

Ashley is a Harbinger. Matt calls her Death though that’s not what she is. She doesn’t kill people, she’s just a guide for those who are newly dead. Sort of like an usher showing you to your seat in a stadium. She can make herself look however she wants, but she prefers the form of her 10-yr-old self. She says it makes her less threatening to the newly dead who are confused though that can backfire when they have a hard time believing a little girl. She’s smart, funny, loving and occasionally snarky. I loved her. She’s a great character! I’m glad she got her own short story in this one and I look forward to seeing more of her in the series.



*Book source ~ Local library
Series ~ Necromancer, #1
Author ~ Lish McBride
Publisher ~ Henry Holt and Co.
Published ~ 12 October 2010
Genre ~ NA/Fantasy/Paranormal
Pages ~ 343

My Rating ~ 5 bites out of 5

Samhain ‘Sam’ Corvus LaCroix is a college drop out working in a fast food place with his best friend Ramon when a potato turns his life upside down. Yep, a potato. A spud, a tater, a po-tay-to. If it hadn’t been for that sneaky tuber then Sam may have continued his clueless drifting for a very long time. Instead, he meets Douglas Montgomery, crazy sociopath and mega powerful necromancer. Turns out, Sam is also a necromancer and Douglas does not like to share his territory with any other necromancer even one as weak in power as Sam, so he gives Sam a week to leave town, become his apprentice or die. Not good options there and the messenger he sent to Sam’s apartment? That is messed up. Sam’s running out of time while he tries to figure out what is going on, dodge the cops and stay alive.

I went into this book without a lot of expectations. I saw a lot of book blogging friends had read it and the blurb sounded interesting, but it still took awhile to get on my radar and then longer for me to actually read it. However, once I started it I couldn’t put it down. I like books about people who have no idea they are something else entirely. And Sam’s situation is one I haven’t seen before in all the books I’ve read. The world, the characters, the villains and the plot are all riveting. I did wonder why Douglas wanted to train Sam at all. With his massive ego and paranoia about having anyone in his territory with any kind of power I didn’t see the point though it made for a good plot device. The end has me wondering though. Did Douglas pull a Voldemort? Hmmmm…

10 comments:

  1. I read the first two books in the series, but I think I missed the novella. I enjoyed Hold Me Closer, Necromancer and the second book, Necromancing the Stone. There's a third book in the series due out and I can't wait to see what Sam is going to get himself into next. McBride really has come up with a great cast of characters, hasn't she?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have Necromancing the Stone from the library, but I can't seem to squeeze it into my schedule. I'm trying though! I love the characters!

      Delete
  2. I really want to read Hold Me Closer, Necromancer. I love the title. Too funny! I've heard good things about this one too, so I'm happy to see that you loved it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You should pick it up. It's actually a fairly fast read and the characters are great!

      Delete
  3. Oh, wow! I remember getting this book years ago and lending it to someone before I got to read it. So then I never did. Ugh ... I should get another copy and read it. Wonderful review, and thanks for the reminder!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This was one of those books that once I started reading it, I wondered why the hell I was dragging my feet. lol

      Thanks and you're welcome! :)

      Delete
  4. Oh Carol these have been on my wishlist forever and your reviews have reminding me exactly why I wanted them. Think I will leave these titles laying around with carefully placed hints for V-day :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As soon as I opened the book I was sucked in. It was like Harry Potter and that damn diary of Riddle's. lol I definitely recommend reading them soon. I'm going to try and squeeze Necromancing the Stone in this week. *fingers crossed*

      Delete
  5. I am so glad you enjoyed Hold Me Closer, Necromancer! I read it last year and had such a great laugh. Honestly. I never read the novella though and.. 'forgot' about the sequel. :P I think I should go add it to my list :P

    Great reviews!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was definitely entertaining! Go pick up the novella. It's free!

      Thanks! :)

      Delete