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A review by lindsayb
Necromancing the Stone by Lish McBride
5.0
CONTAINS SPOILERS.
I wasn't so sure I was going to like this follow-up to Hold Me Closer, Necromancer. I wanted to, believe you me, and the first chapter was awesome. But then it quickly devolved into mushy domestic bliss that just had no truck with me (albeit causing a slight existential crisis because I was actually feeling adverse to the kissy parts and I almost always love the kissy parts), and I wavered, wondering if Lish could actually lead us astray like that.
Ye of little faith. Once Brannoc was murdered, I found myself in the same state of rabid consumption as with HMCN. I just adored learning about the characters more. Every one of them I loved, even that tiresome meanie Douglas. I especially enjoyed the character development with James and watching him come into the family. Even Frank, who I find a little insufferable, became more endearing with his relationship with the gnomes; and similarly, I enjoyed that the shenanigans of the lawn ornaments and shrubbery were included rather frequently to lighten the plot. And Minion?! Hilarious!
I had a little bit of a hard time with Sam's character and what seemed like a bit too frequent mention of his guilt for dragging his friends into the mess of his necromancy. Hadn't this already been addressed at the end of HMCN? After a while, I really wanted him to grow a pair and move on. And I was taken aback a little with his automatic and fierce treatment towards his Uncle Nick. In all other facets, Sam was so compassionate, and it seemed from the information learned in the first book that Nick's behavior was understood, no matter how aloof. So that left a bad taste in my mouth.
The final fight scene redeemed Sam in the end with how he treated Douglas. I really applaud McBride for how she handled that. It could have turned sappy and after-school-special, but it was such a heartfelt and (wonderfully) still violent interaction, that I maybe kinda started misting up a bit.
I would also like to give a shout-out to McBride for not leaving us with a gimmicky cliff-hanger that happens so frequently in other YA series. Those so often fall short and don't deliver in the sequels. Sure, NTS has little tidbits of what will be addressed in the next book, and I certainly look forward to book 3, but I feel so content with how this book stands on its own (though not to be confused with being stand-alone). HMCN was great in this same way, and I truly hope she continues to treat her novels with this kind of dignity.
I look forward to learning about more of the Council in the following book(s?) and watching Brid come into her own as leader of her pack. James's evolution will be interesting to see, and I hope we get more of Ramon and his new were-bear status than what seemed to be in this book. All in all, I really love this quirky, snarky world we get to be privy to with its limitless bombardment of all things supernatural. Three cheers for Lish McBride for another fantastic novel!
I wasn't so sure I was going to like this follow-up to Hold Me Closer, Necromancer. I wanted to, believe you me, and the first chapter was awesome. But then it quickly devolved into mushy domestic bliss that just had no truck with me (albeit causing a slight existential crisis because I was actually feeling adverse to the kissy parts and I almost always love the kissy parts), and I wavered, wondering if Lish could actually lead us astray like that.
Ye of little faith. Once Brannoc was murdered, I found myself in the same state of rabid consumption as with HMCN. I just adored learning about the characters more. Every one of them I loved, even that tiresome meanie Douglas. I especially enjoyed the character development with James and watching him come into the family. Even Frank, who I find a little insufferable, became more endearing with his relationship with the gnomes; and similarly, I enjoyed that the shenanigans of the lawn ornaments and shrubbery were included rather frequently to lighten the plot. And Minion?! Hilarious!
I had a little bit of a hard time with Sam's character and what seemed like a bit too frequent mention of his guilt for dragging his friends into the mess of his necromancy. Hadn't this already been addressed at the end of HMCN? After a while, I really wanted him to grow a pair and move on. And I was taken aback a little with his automatic and fierce treatment towards his Uncle Nick. In all other facets, Sam was so compassionate, and it seemed from the information learned in the first book that Nick's behavior was understood, no matter how aloof. So that left a bad taste in my mouth.
The final fight scene redeemed Sam in the end with how he treated Douglas. I really applaud McBride for how she handled that. It could have turned sappy and after-school-special, but it was such a heartfelt and (wonderfully) still violent interaction, that I maybe kinda started misting up a bit.
I would also like to give a shout-out to McBride for not leaving us with a gimmicky cliff-hanger that happens so frequently in other YA series. Those so often fall short and don't deliver in the sequels. Sure, NTS has little tidbits of what will be addressed in the next book, and I certainly look forward to book 3, but I feel so content with how this book stands on its own (though not to be confused with being stand-alone). HMCN was great in this same way, and I truly hope she continues to treat her novels with this kind of dignity.
I look forward to learning about more of the Council in the following book(s?) and watching Brid come into her own as leader of her pack. James's evolution will be interesting to see, and I hope we get more of Ramon and his new were-bear status than what seemed to be in this book. All in all, I really love this quirky, snarky world we get to be privy to with its limitless bombardment of all things supernatural. Three cheers for Lish McBride for another fantastic novel!