YA, Why Not?: Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

Sam is your average underachiever. He dropped out of college, and he works at the local fast food place, Plumpy's, with his three best friends. He lives in a crappy apartment, and skateboards whenever he can. Other than that, there isn't a lot to say...until a round of potato hockey in the alley behind the restaurant introduces him to Douglas.

Suddenly really really strange things start happening to him. He gets beat up by some crazy guy with talons for fingernails for no reason. Then his friend Brooke shows up at his door, as a living disembodied head! A visit to the zoo to meet Douglas (of course he's the one behind all this) introduces him to Tsing Ling...the living dead panda. Douglas is a necromancer AKA can bring people back from the dead. He tells Sam that Sam is a necromancer too - is this really happening? Given an ultimatum (join me or die), Sam goes looking for answers.

First up, he learns that the medicine bag he wears around his neck has been hiding his aura. That leads him to number two: the person who made the bag for him, his mom. After the initial shock, Sam is surprised that he believe the things everyone is telling him. He really is a necromancer, and he inherited it from his biological father (who then proceeded to take off). Some of the stuff his mom told him about binding his powers has him feeling really disconnected, and unsure of what to do. It's all a little much to take in, but Douglas gave him a week to think it over. He has some time to digest and decide on his next course of action.

Until Douglas decides that a week is too much time, and imprisons him in a freaky cage in his also freaky basement...with a naked girl. What?! Sharing his cage is a (after offering his shirt and boxers) slightly less naked, but still pretty hot, chick who tells him that she is a hybrid: half werewolf, half fey. She's also next in line to take over her pack, which makes her a prime commodity. Something is definitely going on.

Can Sam find a way to unbind his powers? Will they be able to get a message to someone who can help? McBride does a fantastic job of weaving paranormal with teen angst, without making it feel like every other book about the subject. It really is a funny book, and I loved the little touches: all the chapters are song lyrics. This book was a runner up for the debut Morris Award, and well deserved.

"I opened the box, then quickly dropped it and scrambled up onto the counter , making very difnified shrieking noises. Ramon stared. Frank came into the kitchen just in time to see the box bounce onto its side and its contents roll laxily out. Ramon tried to back up, but he was already agains thte wall. Frank managed a quick hop back as Brooke's head rolled to a stop in the middle of the floor. It had been severed cleanly at the neck, making her ponytail appear longer as it trailed behind like the tail on a grotesque comet. I couldn't see any blood. In fact, the wound looked cauterized, which didn't make it any more pleasant.
Nobody said a word.
Nobody but Brooke.
'Ow, cut it out, you guys!' Her blue eyes popped open and swung around until they found me. 'Ugh, so not cool. Really, Sam. You don't just drop somebody's head. Especially a friend's...." (McBride pg. 49, 2010).