#37--Hold Me Closer, Necromancer

Bibliographic Information

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride. Henry Holt & Co. (2010).

Price: $16.99 for hardback; $9.99 for paperback

Pages: 343 for hardback

Plot Summary

Picture this: one day you are flipping burgers, the next you find out you are a necromancer and you never found out about that little secret because—surprise!—your mother bound your powers when you were a baby! Now you have a creepy, powerful necromancer after you and you have to figure out a way to defeat him or you, and all your friends and family, are dead meat. So goes the story of Sam, burger flipper one day, necromancer the next. As if that little revelation isn’t shocking enough try having your friend’s reanimated head delivered to your doorstep to prove that the creepy guy you just met isn’t fooling around. After the head incident, Sam agrees to meet with Douglas, a powerful necromancer who seems to control most of the magical folk within the Seattle area while creating undead versions of pandas in his spare time. Given a week before Sam must decide whether to join Douglas or die, he needs some quick answers. Reluctantly his mother admits that that not only does she know about Sam’s necromancer abilities as she bound his powers when he was a baby but she is also part of the magical community as she is a witch. It turns out there are lots of magical people all around Sam—witches, werewolves, satyrs, dragons, shape shifters, among others. Too bad he didn’t know that before he received Douglas’ ultimatum. Now he must find a way to unbind his powers and use them in order to defeat Douglas (who, by the way, long-time necromancers are frightened of) and save his family and friends.

Critical Evaluation

There seems to be a general consensus among reviewers that this novel is funny, funny, funny! It does, admittedly, have some humorous parts, especially when one listens to the audio version, but I think much of the humor falls flat. It is almost as if the author is trying too hard to make her characters hip as Sam and all his friends, save one, are snarky and sassy. Even Brid, the other main character in the novel, is the sort of stock character one is used to seeing in paranormal books—tough, confident, and not afraid to fight. While the plotline is amusing and well woven, it most revolves around action and great revelations. With the possible exception of Sam, there is little to no character development. Perhaps this is because McBride is using Hold Me Closer, Necromancer to set up her world which she will revisit in multiple sequels but the lack of character development is disappointing. Overall, Hold Me Closer, Necromancer is a fun book to read but lacks complex characters and themes. However, maybe this is exactly what the author intended when she wrote the book. After all, how serious can a book be that includes multiple garden gnomes, a sarcastic ghost, and a sassy werewolf?

Reader’s Annotation

Sam’s ordinary life is interrupted when a creepy man reveals that Sam is a necromancer and that he must join him or die. 

About the Author

It is no surprise that Hold Me Closer, Necromancer is set in the Seattle area as author Lish McBride grew up in the Pacific Northwest. When she is not writing she enjoys reading and hanging out with her pet Chihuahua. Her most recent novel is Necromancing the Stone, the sequel to Hold Me Closer, Necromancer.

Learn more about Lish McBride and her books here.

Genre

Adventure, Fantasy, Paranormal fiction, Paranormal romance,

Readalikes

Necromancing the Stone by Lish McBride

·         The sequel to Hold Me Closer, Necromancer

Beastly by Alex Flinn

·         A paranormal book with a first person male narrator

Mort by Terry Pratchett

·         Also humorous, a story about the apprentice to Death

Tags

Cats, College dropout, Divorce, Dragons, Fast food restaurants, Friendship, Half sisters, Mystery, Necromancers, Shape shifters, Supernatural fiction, Werewolves, Witches

Awards Won/Lists On

2011—ALA’s Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults

2011—Bank Street—Best Children’s Book of the Year

2011—Washington State Book Award

2011—William C. Morris YA Debut Award Nominee

2011—YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults

Professional Reviews

Booklist
 Bookpage

Justine Magazine

Kirkus Reviews

·         It’s interesting to note that Kirkus has this book down as a book for 19-20 year olds.

Los Angeles Times
Publishers' Weekly
School Library Journal

The Oregonian

Booktalk Ideas

Synopsis

·         Picture this: one day you are flipping burgers, the next you find out you are a necromancer and you never found out about that little secret because—surprise!—your mother bound your powers when you were a baby! Now you have a creepy, powerful necromancer after you and you have to figure out a way to defeat him or you, and all your friends and family, are dead meat.

Alternative World

·         Fey --> Pub owner (79)

·         Fury --> Ariana (81)

·         Necromancers --> Sam, Nick (chap. 12)

·         Satyrs --> Pello (83)

·         Vampires --> Kell (82)

·         Werewolves

·         Witches --> Sam’s mom

·         All sit on a council together

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness

This book could be used to discuss identity and how to make a difference in the world.

Reading Level/Interest Level

Reading Level: 4^th grade

Interest Level: 9^th-12^th grade

These levels are according to AR Bookfinder at:

http://www.arbookfind.com/bookdetail.aspx?q=140692&l=EN&slid=356538654

Challenge Issues

This book includes the following potentially controversial elements

·         Black magic

·         Divorce

·         Forced drawing of blood

·         Graphic murder

·         Human sacrifice

·         Mention of condoms

·         Nakedness

·         Necromancy

·         Reanimated corpses

·         Stealing from work

·         Summoning spirits

·         Swearing

·         Taking the Lord’s name in vain

·         Talking, severed head

·         Vandalism

·         Violence

·         Werewolves

·          

Librarians can point out that while this book may contain many mystical elements they are meant to be something of a joke. They do not represent actual Wiccan practices. Additionally, this book is more of a coming-of-age story than anything else.

Why Was This Included?

I decided to include this book because I was doing a project on ghosts and necromancy. I was specifically recommended this book by my group partner who said it was funny.