Guest Reviewer Week! @Aprilelayne1 reviews Hold Me Closer, Necromancer

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer

By Lish McBride

4.5/5.0 stars

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?

(Goodreads description)

STOP!! Please ignore the title of the book…for all that is awesomely wicked and evil in this and all other worlds, black out the title in this post and ignore the title of this book!!

I had read the synopsis of this book and was tempted several times but something always held me back from getting it.  It was the title.  Luckily one night I was desperate to start something new.  I wasn’t into a book of “loving” a necromancer, I wanted action and supernatural plotlines, but I was desperate.  After purchase I then noticed the chapter titles and thought ‘what the hell have I gotten myself into?’

Chap 6 – “Sweet Dreams are Made of This”

Chap 9 – “The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades”

Chap 12 – “Sweet Child o’ Mine”

Chap 26 – “Everybody was Kung-Fu Fighting”

While I was happy that I was the right age group to appreciate the references, I was initially thinking ‘oh dear lord, the book is from Cheese Factory, USA”

So before proceeding to the actual review:

1.       Ignore title of book – check!

2.       Ignore the chapter titles – check!

Now you have my permission to join the journey of Sam LaCroix and his dramatic change in life and emergence into the world of witchcraft, necromancy, zombies, shifters, weres, and whatever else McBride might throw at Sam in the next installments.  Sam is your everyday college dropout who hangs out with his buddies.  Friendships typically aren’t a focal point for many, but McBride brings the friendships full circle and they establish their roles in this new world of Sam’s.  I can easily see a book later on from one of the friend’s perspective.

We are introduced to the shifters and while McBride went out on a limb giving her female a higher ranking in the pack than her older brothers, she built enough brief background for it to work.  And ultimately we get the two worlds colliding between Sam’s naïve suburban world that is quickly fading away and the shifters.  Now the fun can begin!

Lish McBride must be a kindred soul to me, her dialogue and characterization for Sam and his friends is spot on to how I speak and think.  The dry humor, one-liners, and perfect retorts are exactly what I want to hear and read as it seems natural.  This book, despite being about necromancy and unsavory souls (or lack of), is humorous.  I found myself chuckling along with how Sam speaks and reacts to the chaos that has suddenly become his life.  Kudos to McBride on capturing so much personality simply in the dialogue, Sam could be anyone of my friends.

As the book neared the end, I grew more anxious for the next installment.  Hold Me Closer, Necromancer is Sam’s transition into the paranormal world, and McBride leaves the reader the perfect tease into next book. 

Now that I’ve overcome the two hurdles listed above, and getting to know Sam LaCroix?  The chapter titles are PERFECT.  The book title? I’m still not fond of, but it goes along with Sam’s personality.  For perspective, I’m confident that if it were re-released with a new title, the response would be significantly better and more sales.

I looked past both the title and the cheesy chapter titles and truly was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book.  I’ve recommended it to several friends, but the scene always ends up like this:

“Oh you have to read it!!! It is called Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, …don’t look at me like that! I’m serious! You will like it, I promise."

About the Reviewer

Aprilelayne, yes all one word, touts herself as a 'Jane of all trades.' An Army brat who ended up in Austin, Texas, she has two full-time jobs --motherhood and work-work (aka: the paying gig). She spends her time trying to master any one of her many hobbies, but really loves to read anything off the beaten path--especially the dark and twisty ones.  On any given day you'll likely find her in the kitchen with a toddler hanging onto a leg sneaking peeks at a book while stirring something on the stove. You can currently find Aprilelayne on GoodReads and Twitter @Aprilelayne1.