Title: Necromancy and You
Series: Guidebook 02
Author: Missouri Dalton
Genre: Paranormal, Young Adult
Length: Novel (206pgs)
Publisher: Prizm Books (Torquere Press) (3rd July 2013)
Heat Level: Low
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4 Hearts
Reviewer: Pixie
Blurb: Al Skelton is a nearly fifteen-year-old boy with an unusual interest—raising the dead.
When the book Necromancy and You! arrives in the mail and Al’s interest goes from theory to practice as he’s dragged into a world he doesn’t really understand. A world full of undead frogs, vampires, ghouls and a sinister cabal called the Coalition who would like nothing more than to bring Al into their fold—by any means necessary.
Purchase Link: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=83&products_id=3934
Review: Al Skelton has always been fascinated by raising the dead so he is excited to get his very own copy of Necromancy and You (From A – Zombie) that he sent away for in the back of a magazine and he can finally try to really raise the dead. Al discovers that things have been hidden from him when he actually makes a frog or two rise from the dead and… well, maybe a few bird skeletons. As Al delves into a world of ghosts, vampires, and ghouls and learns to avoid the Coalition, he discovers who he can trust and just what happened to his father.
This is a great young adult adventure that while isn’t strictly GLBT it does have Duncan and Lucas from Vampirism and You for a large part of the storyline. Al has a secret longing, to bring his father back from the dead, Al sends off for a necromancy book in the back of a magazine and he is drawn into a world he never knew existed and makes allies and enemies along the way. The Coalition want Al but Al has been warned about them, dodging them is harder than Al thought and he briefly ends up in their hands. Running from a disgusting organization, Al discovers that he has limited choices, but he also finds he has powerful allies.
This is a great fun story that has slashes of danger, some loss, startling discoveries, and a kindling of love. Al is a brilliant character who is like a typical depressed teenager, he is obsessed with raising the dead, but as Al discovers he can really do it. With the help of his trusty Guidebook and his undead frog familiar, he begins to explore the necromancy world and soon discovers just why he has been warned away from the Coalition by a vampire. Al’s journey is filled with danger and secrets but he soon learns who he can trust. We see quite a bit of Duncan and Lucas and we also find a remorseful ghost, Al has his very first crush on a young female necromancer and he has to face a deadly foe.
I will recommend this to those that love young adult stories that has just a touch of GLBT, great characters, a brilliant storyline, angsty teenagers, danger, lots of dead things and a happy for now ending.