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the_magpie_reader 's review for:
Amy of the Necromancers
by Jimena I. Novaro
Thank you to the publisher and BookSirens for providing me with a copy of this novel for an honest review. It is set to be published in July 2021.
"Amy of the Necromancers" by Jimena I. Novaro was quite a pleasant surprise for me.
I admit it was the beautiful art on the cover that caught my attention, even before I knew anything about the story itself or about the author.
The plot is at the same time pretty familiar (a bunch of high-school misfits playing amateur detectives in a mystery involving the supernatural) and at the same time fairly original (a teenage necromancer has unwittingly raised a human from the dead for the first time in her life and she then starts searching for clues about the dead girl's identity and fate).
Many of the characters are sorely one-dimensional (there's the Faithful Best Friend, the Gossipy Friend, the Quiet and Mysterious Love Interest, the Distracted Mother, the Annoying Older Sister...), but after all the story is plot-driven and the pacing is swift enough that in the end, I didn't mind the lackings of the characterization too much.
The plot has some good twists and turns and doesn't shy away from some very dark themes, which are seldom dealt with in YA books.
Besides, the author did an amazing job of portraying a vastly diverse cast of characters when it comes to ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
I can definitely recommend this book to anyone, teenager or not, who struggles with inclusivity and who doesn't see themselves represented in most books.
Overall, I enjoyed reading "Amy of the Necromancers" and I would definitely read a sequel (or more than one). I can easily see this novel becoming the first installment in a series, or even being picked up to be made into a movie or a TV show.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
"Amy of the Necromancers" by Jimena I. Novaro was quite a pleasant surprise for me.
I admit it was the beautiful art on the cover that caught my attention, even before I knew anything about the story itself or about the author.
The plot is at the same time pretty familiar (a bunch of high-school misfits playing amateur detectives in a mystery involving the supernatural) and at the same time fairly original (a teenage necromancer has unwittingly raised a human from the dead for the first time in her life and she then starts searching for clues about the dead girl's identity and fate).
Many of the characters are sorely one-dimensional (there's the Faithful Best Friend, the Gossipy Friend, the Quiet and Mysterious Love Interest, the Distracted Mother, the Annoying Older Sister...), but after all the story is plot-driven and the pacing is swift enough that in the end, I didn't mind the lackings of the characterization too much.
The plot has some good twists and turns and doesn't shy away from some very dark themes, which are seldom dealt with in YA books.
Besides, the author did an amazing job of portraying a vastly diverse cast of characters when it comes to ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
I can definitely recommend this book to anyone, teenager or not, who struggles with inclusivity and who doesn't see themselves represented in most books.
Overall, I enjoyed reading "Amy of the Necromancers" and I would definitely read a sequel (or more than one). I can easily see this novel becoming the first installment in a series, or even being picked up to be made into a movie or a TV show.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.