Necromancing the Stone

Gr 9 Up—After killing Douglas Montgomery, an evil necromancer, in an act of self-defense, Sam LaCroix inherits all of his property, including his house and James, the pukis or house spirit. Sam also thinks he has absorbed all of Douglas's ability to raise the dead. He's struggling with his new powers, dealing with his friend Ramon's transformation as a werebear, trying to train with his girlfriend Brid's werewolf brothers, and adjusting to his place on the supernatural Council, when his sister is threatened. Sam knows the person is trying to get to him, and when Brid's father, Brannick, is murdered, the killer appears to be a necromancer. Sam doesn't realize that Douglas is back from the dead and, with the help of James, he may finish the job he started with Sam. If Sam can't prove he didn't kill Brannick, he may lose the support of the pack and be at the mercy of his worst enemy. In McBride's witty and sarcastic sequel (2012) to Hold Me Closer Necromancer, (2010, both Holt), Jonathan Todd Ross captures Sam's witty sarcasm and good-natured vulnerability and Chris Sorensen perfectly voices Douglas's cold-heartedness. The author carries on with the themes of family, loyalty, betrayal, and redemption, and adds to this the theme of accepting responsibility. This volume is as darkly hilarious, horrifically suspenseful, and heartbreaking as the first book.—Sarah Flood, Breckinridge County Public Library, Hardinsburg, KY