Necromancing the Stone (Necromancer, 2); Lish McBride

Much like the first book in the series, “Necromancing the Stone” is witty, snarky, and full of pop culture references that make me giggle. If there is a pun to be made, the author makes it with their whole chest and I cannot state enough how much I love that. For a book about a necromancer, this series never takes itself too seriously and ends with a surprisingly touching message about friendship and family (of the blood and found kind). The book series, I am happy to say, never strays into the overly goofy or campy areas either, despite the obvious fun the author had writing it. Sam is one of my favorite male YA heroes because he’s just so… normal. Even in this second book as Sam navigates the consequences following “Hold Me Closer Necromancer”, his newfound powers, and a house that lowkey tries to kill him, he never strays from who he is at his core: a good guy. He’s not a soft, sensitive poet, he’s not very suave, and often chooses flight rather than fight. But he’s sarcastic, nice, loyal, and tries to do better whenever he can. He’s genuinely a decent guy and I love how normal he’s portrayed, even with the whole necromancy bit.

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I loved watching Sam come into his own as a powerful necromancer and struggle with the mantle of leadership. It’s refreshing to watch a character wrestle with powers that have been labeled Evil and choose to do the kind thing with that power instead. I highly enjoyed seeing our mellow hero deal with hilariously bloodthirsty garden gnomes with names like Twinkle the Destroyer, and strangely sexy bigfoots (bigfeets?). Sam’s relationship with his friends is still exceptionally strong, even though we see a lot less of Brooke this time around. I also really appreciated the fact that the author had a nice little recap of what happened in the first book for people like me who went years in-between finishing this series. And while I loved being with these characters, the plot at times was rather thin.

The main plot of this book was to figure out who was threatening Sam’s family. The reader knows who that is fairly early on, and that really negates a lot of the tension. It seems impossible that Sam can’t figure it out, either. So the book is instead filled with Sam really trying to master his power, deal with the house, bonding with friends and family, and cement his role in the Council and what that means for someone who barely knows how to be a Necromancer. I, personally, didn’t really mind that. The book is still fun and the dialogue usually had me giggling. A lot can be forgiven, for me, if the book is FUN despite its darker themes. I especially appreciated how McBride handled the complexity of family grief and love, even if a family member is evil. Still, a little bit more tension and a firmer idea of where things stand with Sam and Brid would have been nice, which is why I am giving this 4 stars. I genuinely love and enjoyed so much of this series, and if there is ever a third book, you can bet I’ll be grabbing it ASAP!