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ladyaylesworth's review against another edition
1.0
Really deep, dark, bloody, angry subject matter told in a very funky, upbeat, campy way. Either the tone needs to change or the torture and murder need to go away... leaving just about nothing left in this book.
jobird's review against another edition
5.0
28 Dec 201: re read. Its been a while. That was a fun read. I didn't enjoy it as much as I did the first time around because I was so tired when I had time to read and I felt I was missing bits of the story. Not the books fault. Just my works fault. :P
27 Dec 2010: I want more. I think the characters were great, I want to know more about them. I hope there is a sequel. It was a book I never wanted to put down. I liked all the twists and turned. I was so Shocked with what happened to Brooke. I did not see that happening. I also love the cover art.
27 Dec 2010: I want more. I think the characters were great, I want to know more about them. I hope there is a sequel. It was a book I never wanted to put down. I liked all the twists and turned. I was so Shocked with what happened to Brooke. I did not see that happening. I also love the cover art.
kmthomas06's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent read - funny, fast paced and with great characters. I don't know what I was quite expecting but this book exceeded my expectations. I was wary of the necromancer angle as zombies aren't really at the top of my list for things I like but there aren't actually a lot of zombies here since the bulk of the book is spent figuring out the main character's powers - where they came from and how these newfound powers are causing nothing but havoc for him, his friends and his family. This definitely more on the Tim Burton side of the macabre which is more my style. Can't wait to read the next one!
theplantsalivesed's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as a did. Charming characters really carry this. Definitely give it a try.
bring_out_your_read's review against another edition
4.0
Cute & Funny, while also being a fresh take on necromancy magic.
emleemay's review against another edition
3.0
I'd just like to make a point of saying that three stars for me can mean indifference or "liked but had issues with" or just anything else in between the two. This book I liked, let's be clear on that, I don't want to be the hosepipe at the bonfire on this one. It's taken me a long time to get around to reading this because funny is a harder sell for me than dark, sad, disturbing... take your pick. Obviously, humour is far more subjective than those I just mentioned. However, I can say that as far as I'm concerned, this book really is funny. Some parts are even hilarious.
The humour wasn't an issue, but the over-crammed zig-zagging all over the place plot was. The story starts in 1st person POV with Sam (Samhain) as narrator, he finds out that he is actually a necromancer and his mother has been hiding it from him. In this crazy town of Sam's, there is some kind of supernatural council headed by Douglas - also a necromancer - and after our first encounter with Sam, we are taken on a history trip into Douglas's life and then into his present (now in 3rd person). After this, we find ourselves being introduced to a group of werewolves - who we also get a mixture of past and present info on - because the daughter of the pack leader has been kidnapped.
I appreciate that this is not intended as a serious book, so I did try my hardest not to read it as one. However, the comedy factor combined with the skipping from subplot to subplot made me feel like I was in a sketchshow. Not to mention the whiplash I got from being dragged here and there and desperately trying to keep up. There was so much going on that I quickly became detached from it all and I lost track of what was happening and who was who.
If you are after a quick laugh, I'd place money on this book giving it to you. I just think I wanted something a bit more from the story. Nothing spectacular, but just enough to really make me want to read on. I will come back to other books that always make me laugh like [b:Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging|402013|Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson, #1)|Louise Rennison|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1312509738s/402013.jpg|108471], [b:The Boyfriend List: 15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me, Ruby Oliver|301022|The Boyfriend List 15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me, Ruby Oliver (Ruby Oliver, #1)|E. Lockhart|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320516434s/301022.jpg|292089] and [b:Dairy Queen|16178|Dairy Queen (Dairy Queen, #1)|Catherine Gilbert Murdock|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166719842s/16178.jpg|564970], the characters in these series are so vibrant and hilariously lovable that I always need to find the next installment. McBride's characters, on the other hand, were good for a few laughs but I will almost certainly forget them in a few days.
catherine_mack's review against another edition
4.0
Well I had my doubts when I started reading this book, but I ended up really enjoying it.
If you can imagine Harry Potter meets Buffy (I mean this in a positive way) you'll have it close. The plot is vaguely HP (what YA fantasy isn't these days) a regular boy discovers he has secret powers, he must fight a powerful evil guy (no boarding school) who wishes to do him in because he is a threat. But the plot has detail and twists that are original, the writing is witty and snappy (like Buffy was) and the love interest is a strong female worth her salt. I look forward to reading the sequel when it comes out and will definitely recommend this to kids looking for more of that type of story.
If you can imagine Harry Potter meets Buffy (I mean this in a positive way) you'll have it close. The plot is vaguely HP (what YA fantasy isn't these days) a regular boy discovers he has secret powers, he must fight a powerful evil guy (no boarding school) who wishes to do him in because he is a threat. But the plot has detail and twists that are original, the writing is witty and snappy (like Buffy was) and the love interest is a strong female worth her salt. I look forward to reading the sequel when it comes out and will definitely recommend this to kids looking for more of that type of story.
sprout_monster's review against another edition
2.5
I don't think the author wrote a young adult man very well, feels like he's 13 most of the time. Don't like the instant soulmates, tho I'm not sure if they stick together or it was just a one time thing.
librarian_kristen's review against another edition
5.0
I finished this book four days ago and I'm still thinking about it, which is the mark of a good book in my opinion. It's a nice urban fantasy without much in the way of romance, and that's a nice change from the many para-romance books on the market. I'm looking forward to a sequel.
liinukka's review against another edition
4.0
This was a lot of fun! I enjoyed Sam's voice in particular, with his young sass and silly escapades. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.