Review: Hold Me Closer, Necromancer - Lish McBride

Title: Hold Me Closer, Necromancer
Author: Lish McBride
Series: Necromancer (1)
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Release Date: 10 October 2010
Date Read: August 2012
Rating: ★★☆☆☆

I finally finished this. It took me so long to read it mostly because I was really busy with other goings-on in my life. I read about three pages then I had to stop. Then continue reading five pages then stop again. I think that affected my reading experience and how much I liked the story. That didn't really help my liking of the book since the paranormal genre is already a hit-and-miss for me.

Sam LaCroix is a college drop-out, making his living by flipping burgers at a fast food chain. An unfortunate accident forces the encounter between the scary, intimidating Douglas Montgomery, who immediately sees Sam for who he really is- a necromancer. With this discovery, Sam's world turns upside down as he struggles to understand himself and his new powers.

The book was meant to be humourous but I don't really remember laughing out loud. It's probably because of the start-and-stop way I read it. I heard that other people really enjoyed this, in spite of its imperfections. Some said that the humour made up for everything else. You'll probably enjoy reading this and find some parts even hilarious.

The story's perspective switches from a number of different characters. We are introduced first to Sam's first person narrative but then it switches to the other characters' perspective in third person, ie Douglas, etc. It certainly provided depth to each character's personality but it got a bit confusing. If she wanted to switch perspectives, then I think it would've been better if Sam's narrative was written in third person, as well. The amount of character's perspectives were hard enough to follow, but the switch from first to third person was overwhelming to understand. Plus, there were flashbacks in the point of view of different characters. It kind of slowed down the action, as well. It was just all confusing.

I was entertained enough by Sam and the side characters. They all had their own distinct personalities and they were all likable. It would've been better if they had been more developed, Douglas especially. 

I would've liked to see Sam's necromancy powers earlier in the novel. It would add to the story if we see other creatures and their lives as well ie fairies, spirits, etc.

Ultimately, I was just disappointed in Hold Me Closer, Necromancer. Everyone had been going on about how awesome and amazing and funny it is. I suppose I ended up setting my expectations way too high and of course the real thing couldn't compare.