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The Young Necromancer's Guide to Ghosts
Lusi is a perfectly normal 12-year-old wizard except for the part where she can talk to ghosts. But everyone knows ghosts aren’t real, so at best they think Lusi is lying and at worst that she’s lost her mind. Her big sister Marsi is the only one who believes her, but Marsi is running away to escape Uncle’s terrible plan to make her marry his creepy nephew. Lusi can’t imagine being separated from her sister and leaves behind the rest of their family to flee with Marsi via merchant caravan to the Wizards Guild for help. All their plans are dashed to pieces when Uncle catches up to them in a matter of days.
Uncle’s connections to powerful wizards make him far more dangerous than Lusi initially realized. But Lusi isn’t crazy or a freak for talking to ghosts: she’s a necromancer! Marsi is worried—they’ve always been told that necromancers are monsters. Lusi needs to learn more to set both their minds at ease. She must enlist the help of a ghost girl, a dragon, and a strange wizard from the other side of the world if she wants to control her unusual talents and keep her family safe.
Uncle’s connections to powerful wizards make him far more dangerous than Lusi initially realized. But Lusi isn’t crazy or a freak for talking to ghosts: she’s a necromancer! Marsi is worried—they’ve always been told that necromancers are monsters. Lusi needs to learn more to set both their minds at ease. She must enlist the help of a ghost girl, a dragon, and a strange wizard from the other side of the world if she wants to control her unusual talents and keep her family safe.
181 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 30, 2024
5 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
Vanessa Ricci-Thode
13 books69 followersVanessa is a Nebula Award-winning word sorceress who loves a good story. She’s a Halloween enthusiast and a bookish geek who loves dragons, dogs, astronomy, and travel. If she’s not hibernating, she can be found in her butterfly garden, achieving her final form as a garden witch. To learn more, visit her website thodestool.ca or follow her on social media @VRicciThode
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 25, 2024
Yes, I'm reviewing my own book. If I had to read it 5 times in the last 3 months, it can go toward my Goodreads reading goal, ha! Also, this book as fun to write! I've never tried writing middle grade before but I'm super happy with how this book turned out. It's a fun little adventure with dragons and ghosts and spooky magic and a whole lot of queer characters just out doing their things.
March 16, 2025
I read this book because it's a Norton Award finalist.
In this cute, breezy secondary fantasy, Lusi can see and talk with ghosts. Only her big sister Marsi believes her--everyone else in her family and town thinks she's lying. When their manipulative Uncle threatens to marry off Marsi, the two sisters run away--and find a dragon, more ghosts, and whole new lives.
This was an enjoyable read with an inclusive, diverse cast and an innovative take on necromancy that works well for middle grade.
In this cute, breezy secondary fantasy, Lusi can see and talk with ghosts. Only her big sister Marsi believes her--everyone else in her family and town thinks she's lying. When their manipulative Uncle threatens to marry off Marsi, the two sisters run away--and find a dragon, more ghosts, and whole new lives.
This was an enjoyable read with an inclusive, diverse cast and an innovative take on necromancy that works well for middle grade.
March 18, 2025
I don't believe in ghosts but if there ARE ghosts it would be cool if they were all like Shirla. Just a chill sweet little thing with puppy-dog eyes and all you have to do is keep one of her bones in your bag.
This was a fun read and an interesting take on magic. It's hard to do something new in that area but I think the author pulled it off. I loved the close relationship between the sisters, and that they had each other to rely on when the adults around them were either inept or dangerous. They're resourceful and confident but not foolhardy, which is what I like to see in middle grade. Plus we get dragon who are very well-spoken, so that's a fun bonus.
I did think it dragged a bit at times and typically in MG you'd have less exposition and more dialogue, but it's short enough that it doesn't really affect the overall enjoyment.
This was a fun read and an interesting take on magic. It's hard to do something new in that area but I think the author pulled it off. I loved the close relationship between the sisters, and that they had each other to rely on when the adults around them were either inept or dangerous. They're resourceful and confident but not foolhardy, which is what I like to see in middle grade. Plus we get dragon who are very well-spoken, so that's a fun bonus.
I did think it dragged a bit at times and typically in MG you'd have less exposition and more dialogue, but it's short enough that it doesn't really affect the overall enjoyment.
June 30, 2025
When I heard about the Nebula win, I bumped this up my to-read list!
I think this book would be good for the younger end of middle-grade. The main character relies on adults for help a lot, which, though realistic, means she doesn't get up to her own adventures quite as much as older MG readers might prefer. Lusi also tends to experience her emotions quite physically, which is something I think would resonate with younger readers who might not have the vocabulary yet to describe what they're feeling but know HOW it feels.
I thought it was very interesting how in Lusi's country, their death customs result in a lack of ghosts and therefore lack of belief/understanding of necromancers. It was a well thought out way to address the premise of a child's power being misunderstood in a world that's familiar with magic. I wished for a bit more explanation about the setting, though, since I wasn't familiar with the established world where the books take place (I assume most MG readers would also be unfamiliar, since the other books are meant for adults). Some references to the larger mythos make the world feel very lived-in, but I found it difficult to get a sense of the size of the world when new countries and languages were introduced fairly late into the book without having been mentioned earlier. I felt as though it was written with the assumption readers would already be familiar with these details, although for the most part it works as a standalone.
The necromancers, and their role in their society, were very intriguing. The book takes a unique view of their powers as helping with the end of life, guiding the spirits of the dead, and passing on messages. The dead aren't used as tools as in other depictions of necromancy (although they can do some pretty cool things with bones!) The description when Lusi is using her power to move bones is very eerie, I could feel it in my bones as well! That all being said, I wish that we had actually gotten to see more of Lusi learning about her powers and the necromancers' way of life. Some very cool things are lost to time-skips, only to be referred to after the fact. I wish we could have seen them rather than only hear about them.
Like most self-published books I've read, this could do with a good round of editing for things like pacing, phrasing, and misused words. There was a lot I liked about the book, but that I felt could be taken one step further. While it's a book that doesn't quite reach its full potential, I think a voracious young reader would still find it interesting, especially if they have an interest in magic or ghosts. Dragons don't play too big of a role (the book is more focused on human and ghost relationships), but the descriptions of them are still very cool.
I think this book would be good for the younger end of middle-grade. The main character relies on adults for help a lot, which, though realistic, means she doesn't get up to her own adventures quite as much as older MG readers might prefer. Lusi also tends to experience her emotions quite physically, which is something I think would resonate with younger readers who might not have the vocabulary yet to describe what they're feeling but know HOW it feels.
I thought it was very interesting how in Lusi's country, their death customs result in a lack of ghosts and therefore lack of belief/understanding of necromancers. It was a well thought out way to address the premise of a child's power being misunderstood in a world that's familiar with magic. I wished for a bit more explanation about the setting, though, since I wasn't familiar with the established world where the books take place (I assume most MG readers would also be unfamiliar, since the other books are meant for adults). Some references to the larger mythos make the world feel very lived-in, but I found it difficult to get a sense of the size of the world when new countries and languages were introduced fairly late into the book without having been mentioned earlier. I felt as though it was written with the assumption readers would already be familiar with these details, although for the most part it works as a standalone.
The necromancers, and their role in their society, were very intriguing. The book takes a unique view of their powers as helping with the end of life, guiding the spirits of the dead, and passing on messages. The dead aren't used as tools as in other depictions of necromancy (although they can do some pretty cool things with bones!) The description when Lusi is using her power to move bones is very eerie, I could feel it in my bones as well! That all being said, I wish that we had actually gotten to see more of Lusi learning about her powers and the necromancers' way of life. Some very cool things are lost to time-skips, only to be referred to after the fact. I wish we could have seen them rather than only hear about them.
Like most self-published books I've read, this could do with a good round of editing for things like pacing, phrasing, and misused words. There was a lot I liked about the book, but that I felt could be taken one step further. While it's a book that doesn't quite reach its full potential, I think a voracious young reader would still find it interesting, especially if they have an interest in magic or ghosts. Dragons don't play too big of a role (the book is more focused on human and ghost relationships), but the descriptions of them are still very cool.
November 17, 2025
Edit: I completely allowed autocorrect to change Marsi to Merci throughout the entire review. I apologize profusely and will correct this at a later date.
Uncle has made it clear that Merci, Lusi's older sister and the only person in her family that seems to care for or understand her thanks to her ability to talk to ghosts, will be marrying his son as soon as she graduates school. Neither of them can allow this to happen though so they hatch a plan to run away to the Guild in order to seek help against their uncle. They believe they have gotten away when, while separated in the town they will depart from Lusi discovers that Uncle has somehow caught up with them already! Determined to keep him away from Merci, she leads him on a chase through town stumbling into an ox shed, not knowing that these oxen are kept specifically to feed the local dragons! She is quickly snatched up by a dragon forcing her uncle to stop his chase and beginning the adventure of a lifetime for Lusi!
This was a lot of fun, but I will say right off the bat that it dealt with far more mature themes than I had expected and while I think most middle grade readers would enjoy it I would definitely read it before giving it to a child who has been in the foster system due to a parent's inability to take care of their children due to mental health issues or a child who has been in an abusive household.
That out of the way on to the review!
Obviously, I was attracted to this because it had a child necromancer which was awesome, however, it came with some interesting twists on your standard necromancer which made it that much better! I am not going to reveal how one becomes a necromancer I will say that while heartbreaking it makes sense and firmly establishes that necromancy in this world is an inherently empathic magic. Which lets be honest that doesn't happen very often with this particular type of magic. It's also linked to bones specifically which I also found to be interesting as well, while I suppose you could still do some damage with bones, I find this takes away a lot of the accusations of corpse desecration out of the conversation immediately, which is something that people find repulsive about necromancy. Necromancy itself is a deeply ingrained magic in one culture in the world as well, so we find that necromancers are respected as well as allowing for a very positive relationship with death in this culture. Unfortunately, this is not the culture Lusi and Merci grow up in, so Lusi is ostracized even by her own family. She also grows up fearing her own powers as in her culture necromancers are treated as abominations. Much of the story revolves around Lusi unlearning much of the negative things she has thought about herself and her magic most of her life. I found that while she most definitely grew by leaps and bounds by the end of the book, she still wasn't sure about her magic, which I found to be understandable and completely reasonable given the society she'd grown up in. The rest of the magic system is interesting as well; we don't dive too deep into all of the forms of magic (it seems to be an element-based system) but enough to recognize that it's limits seems to be based on the user's skill and quite honestly their imagination. Tollar (the woman who ends up becoming basically a foster parent to Lusi) seems to be powerful because she has found different applications for her magic not just because she is inherently stronger than other mages, if that makes sense.
I enjoyed each of these characters, Lusi especially, she is simultaneously extremely mature for her age while being very much just a child. This is clearly a side effect of the household she's grown up in but honestly Ricci-Thode kind of nails this. Lusi recognizes that her father isn't able to take care of her, not the way she needs, but she is desperate for him to be able too. I wouldn't call her a happy child, by any stretch, at least not at the beginning of the book but as the story progresses she blossoms quite a bit. I would call Lusi a work in progress, by the end of the book she has grown so much but still has a ways to go and that feels right to me. Especially for a middle grade book. Merci is a wonderful older sister who recognizes that she has become a parental figure to her little sister but also is somehow mentally healthy enough to realize when it's time to let go and allow the adults to step in. I loved that a lot, Ricci-Thode could have wrote her differently and I think many authors would have but given the girl's lives it was nice to see that this kind of circle ends with Merci. Tollar is absolutely wonderful as a foster parent. She relates her own life experiences to Lusi in such a way that isn't patronizing and gives her room to grow. Again, a really great way to give Lusi a positive adult influence at a time in her life when having one is critical.
Now, what made me place the trigger warning at the beginning of this book is that this book essentially echoes the life of a child who has been taken by the courts. If there wasn't a scene where a representative of the courts has Lusi and Merci's father sign paperwork to that effect I would have said I wasn't even sure that Ricci-Thode was aware that was what she had wrote. Lusi's father falls into a deep depression after her mother died giving birth to her. At some point he is dragged out of it as he does end up marrying their stepmother Lida, but thanks to this Uncle he falls right back into it. It is clear from the get-go that Lusi's father is not mentally healthy enough to raise the girls and so after running away they seek help from the Guild, which essentially acts as a family court. While the main point of getting the girls away from the family is to keep their Uncle away from them, had their father been in a position to protect them honestly the Guild wouldn't have been needed. Both Merci and Lusi recognize this which is sad but as a person who has lived in an abusive household it's pretty spot on. Honestly, this was truly well done and I think children who have lived in a household where you have a parental figure who has kind of given up will relate to all of this. Hell, I did and I'm 41 years old and haven't had to really deal with this since I was a teen. So on that level I think this would be a wonderful read for kids that have gone through this sort of thing.
I do have a couple of small complaints though the first being this uncle. Other than needing a bad guy, I don't understand his purpose. Lusi and Merci's dad is clearly incapable of making good decisions involving his children with or without the uncle so why he is needed I don't know. Nor do I understand how he ends up becoming so deeply involved with the family. He is their stepmother's brother, he owns a large estate and appears to have his own family so why he would feel the need to meddle in his sister's is just weird to me, especially since it's never explained. It seems he just spends half of his life at his sister's house intimidating the hell out of everyone. To an extent I'd accept him as a metaphor for their dad's depression as a physical embodiment of it, except we find out at the end of the book he's a serial killer. Or just a murderer but they do find three bodies in his basement so that screams serial killer to me. I just found him as an unneeded source of violence in a family that has a father that is completely depressed all of the time and a child that has a magic that she doesn't understand That's enough ya know.
The other complaint was their stepbrother Lio and their stepmother Lida. It is implied heavily that the girls are not treated as well as Lio while simultaneously being implied that Lida is like of this because of her brother. When Uncle is gone Lida becomes a completely different person she treats the girls well, even making them cookies. When Uncle is there, she treats the girls as bad as the stepmother in Cinderella and Lio gets away with everything regardless. Again, this is more reminiscent of their father being the abuser as again there is zero explanation as to why the uncle is there to begin with. We just have to accept that this uncle basically is the Narcissist King of their household and everything bad falls on his shoulders.
Even with those two complaints I found this to be a far more complex story than I expected following two girls as they try to find their place in the world while coming to terms with the fact that their family isn't as happy as they'd like it to be but knowing that it could be with time and work. I would highly recommend for any age group but again I think children in abusive households or those who are in the foster system would find a friend in Lusi especially!
P.S. Merci may actually use Them/They as their pronouns. There are several comments about them possibly transitioning and/or not going by She/Her pronouns but as it is never specifically stated that they change their pronouns I have used she throughout this review.
Uncle has made it clear that Merci, Lusi's older sister and the only person in her family that seems to care for or understand her thanks to her ability to talk to ghosts, will be marrying his son as soon as she graduates school. Neither of them can allow this to happen though so they hatch a plan to run away to the Guild in order to seek help against their uncle. They believe they have gotten away when, while separated in the town they will depart from Lusi discovers that Uncle has somehow caught up with them already! Determined to keep him away from Merci, she leads him on a chase through town stumbling into an ox shed, not knowing that these oxen are kept specifically to feed the local dragons! She is quickly snatched up by a dragon forcing her uncle to stop his chase and beginning the adventure of a lifetime for Lusi!
This was a lot of fun, but I will say right off the bat that it dealt with far more mature themes than I had expected and while I think most middle grade readers would enjoy it I would definitely read it before giving it to a child who has been in the foster system due to a parent's inability to take care of their children due to mental health issues or a child who has been in an abusive household.
That out of the way on to the review!
Obviously, I was attracted to this because it had a child necromancer which was awesome, however, it came with some interesting twists on your standard necromancer which made it that much better! I am not going to reveal how one becomes a necromancer I will say that while heartbreaking it makes sense and firmly establishes that necromancy in this world is an inherently empathic magic. Which lets be honest that doesn't happen very often with this particular type of magic. It's also linked to bones specifically which I also found to be interesting as well, while I suppose you could still do some damage with bones, I find this takes away a lot of the accusations of corpse desecration out of the conversation immediately, which is something that people find repulsive about necromancy. Necromancy itself is a deeply ingrained magic in one culture in the world as well, so we find that necromancers are respected as well as allowing for a very positive relationship with death in this culture. Unfortunately, this is not the culture Lusi and Merci grow up in, so Lusi is ostracized even by her own family. She also grows up fearing her own powers as in her culture necromancers are treated as abominations. Much of the story revolves around Lusi unlearning much of the negative things she has thought about herself and her magic most of her life. I found that while she most definitely grew by leaps and bounds by the end of the book, she still wasn't sure about her magic, which I found to be understandable and completely reasonable given the society she'd grown up in. The rest of the magic system is interesting as well; we don't dive too deep into all of the forms of magic (it seems to be an element-based system) but enough to recognize that it's limits seems to be based on the user's skill and quite honestly their imagination. Tollar (the woman who ends up becoming basically a foster parent to Lusi) seems to be powerful because she has found different applications for her magic not just because she is inherently stronger than other mages, if that makes sense.
I enjoyed each of these characters, Lusi especially, she is simultaneously extremely mature for her age while being very much just a child. This is clearly a side effect of the household she's grown up in but honestly Ricci-Thode kind of nails this. Lusi recognizes that her father isn't able to take care of her, not the way she needs, but she is desperate for him to be able too. I wouldn't call her a happy child, by any stretch, at least not at the beginning of the book but as the story progresses she blossoms quite a bit. I would call Lusi a work in progress, by the end of the book she has grown so much but still has a ways to go and that feels right to me. Especially for a middle grade book. Merci is a wonderful older sister who recognizes that she has become a parental figure to her little sister but also is somehow mentally healthy enough to realize when it's time to let go and allow the adults to step in. I loved that a lot, Ricci-Thode could have wrote her differently and I think many authors would have but given the girl's lives it was nice to see that this kind of circle ends with Merci. Tollar is absolutely wonderful as a foster parent. She relates her own life experiences to Lusi in such a way that isn't patronizing and gives her room to grow. Again, a really great way to give Lusi a positive adult influence at a time in her life when having one is critical.
Now, what made me place the trigger warning at the beginning of this book is that this book essentially echoes the life of a child who has been taken by the courts. If there wasn't a scene where a representative of the courts has Lusi and Merci's father sign paperwork to that effect I would have said I wasn't even sure that Ricci-Thode was aware that was what she had wrote. Lusi's father falls into a deep depression after her mother died giving birth to her. At some point he is dragged out of it as he does end up marrying their stepmother Lida, but thanks to this Uncle he falls right back into it. It is clear from the get-go that Lusi's father is not mentally healthy enough to raise the girls and so after running away they seek help from the Guild, which essentially acts as a family court. While the main point of getting the girls away from the family is to keep their Uncle away from them, had their father been in a position to protect them honestly the Guild wouldn't have been needed. Both Merci and Lusi recognize this which is sad but as a person who has lived in an abusive household it's pretty spot on. Honestly, this was truly well done and I think children who have lived in a household where you have a parental figure who has kind of given up will relate to all of this. Hell, I did and I'm 41 years old and haven't had to really deal with this since I was a teen. So on that level I think this would be a wonderful read for kids that have gone through this sort of thing.
I do have a couple of small complaints though the first being this uncle. Other than needing a bad guy, I don't understand his purpose. Lusi and Merci's dad is clearly incapable of making good decisions involving his children with or without the uncle so why he is needed I don't know. Nor do I understand how he ends up becoming so deeply involved with the family. He is their stepmother's brother, he owns a large estate and appears to have his own family so why he would feel the need to meddle in his sister's is just weird to me, especially since it's never explained. It seems he just spends half of his life at his sister's house intimidating the hell out of everyone. To an extent I'd accept him as a metaphor for their dad's depression as a physical embodiment of it, except we find out at the end of the book he's a serial killer. Or just a murderer but they do find three bodies in his basement so that screams serial killer to me. I just found him as an unneeded source of violence in a family that has a father that is completely depressed all of the time and a child that has a magic that she doesn't understand That's enough ya know.
The other complaint was their stepbrother Lio and their stepmother Lida. It is implied heavily that the girls are not treated as well as Lio while simultaneously being implied that Lida is like of this because of her brother. When Uncle is gone Lida becomes a completely different person she treats the girls well, even making them cookies. When Uncle is there, she treats the girls as bad as the stepmother in Cinderella and Lio gets away with everything regardless. Again, this is more reminiscent of their father being the abuser as again there is zero explanation as to why the uncle is there to begin with. We just have to accept that this uncle basically is the Narcissist King of their household and everything bad falls on his shoulders.
Even with those two complaints I found this to be a far more complex story than I expected following two girls as they try to find their place in the world while coming to terms with the fact that their family isn't as happy as they'd like it to be but knowing that it could be with time and work. I would highly recommend for any age group but again I think children in abusive households or those who are in the foster system would find a friend in Lusi especially!
P.S. Merci may actually use Them/They as their pronouns. There are several comments about them possibly transitioning and/or not going by She/Her pronouns but as it is never specifically stated that they change their pronouns I have used she throughout this review.
Want to read
September 5, 2024This is not a full review. I read through the beginning of all 300 SPFBOX contest entries. This was a book I wanted to read more of.
Sisters with enough magical talent to be wizards run away from their abusive uncle to join the wizards’ guild in this MG fantasy.
This active middle grade starts in medias res with our sisters already on their way to a new life - hopefully. The prose is direct and engaging, with our POV younger sister hurriedly picking out supplies at a stop along the way.
There are lots of good details in this opening to ground the reader in the scene, but it keeps a firm sense of focus, introducing us to our main characters and their situation.
The world is slower to reveal itself, but the drama of our MCs circumstances root our attention. As does the appearance of a ghost that only she can see - not that she wants to talk to this ghost. People think you’re crazy when you do that.
I think this is an excellent middle grade opening. It makes effective use of its first chapter, starting with excitement and carrying that excitement all the way through to the last page.
I want to know what happens next, what this ghost is going to have to do with our story, and what this guild is going to be like - that is, if our sisters get there safely. We’re off to a great start! I’m in!!
Sisters with enough magical talent to be wizards run away from their abusive uncle to join the wizards’ guild in this MG fantasy.
This active middle grade starts in medias res with our sisters already on their way to a new life - hopefully. The prose is direct and engaging, with our POV younger sister hurriedly picking out supplies at a stop along the way.
There are lots of good details in this opening to ground the reader in the scene, but it keeps a firm sense of focus, introducing us to our main characters and their situation.
The world is slower to reveal itself, but the drama of our MCs circumstances root our attention. As does the appearance of a ghost that only she can see - not that she wants to talk to this ghost. People think you’re crazy when you do that.
I think this is an excellent middle grade opening. It makes effective use of its first chapter, starting with excitement and carrying that excitement all the way through to the last page.
I want to know what happens next, what this ghost is going to have to do with our story, and what this guild is going to be like - that is, if our sisters get there safely. We’re off to a great start! I’m in!!
March 22, 2025
3.5 stars, Metaphorosis reviews
Summary
Lusi and her sister Marsi are trying to run away from Marsi's impending forced marriage. But ghosts no one else can see keep trying to get Lusi's attention.
Review
I found The Young Necromancer to be pleasant and harmless, but a little too wish-fulfilling to be effective. It’s a fantasy world, and of course has its own rules, but I found the adults too hapless and laissez-faire to believe in.
I tried to argue that that’s because they’re seen through the eyes of a young protagonist (Lusi), but she’s twelve, and a bit part of the book center’s on the fact that she’s not an adult by local standards. I didn’t buy that the ‘good’ adults would be fine with her risking her life quite as recklessly as she does, especially given the fairly adult themes hinted at.
The fact that she does, of course, makes this more appealing to young readers – Lusi is in the thick of things and acting, not acted on. And she, her sister, and her friends are appealing and engaging. Still, there was too much glossed over for me to get fully on board.
This is set in an existing universe, and while I thought I could see a few joins, the author does an admirable job of making this a true standalone story; I didn’t feel I was missing anything.
Light and enjoyable, but not enough to draw me in to the rest of the world (which I get the impression is more aimed at adults).
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Summary
Lusi and her sister Marsi are trying to run away from Marsi's impending forced marriage. But ghosts no one else can see keep trying to get Lusi's attention.
Review
I found The Young Necromancer to be pleasant and harmless, but a little too wish-fulfilling to be effective. It’s a fantasy world, and of course has its own rules, but I found the adults too hapless and laissez-faire to believe in.
I tried to argue that that’s because they’re seen through the eyes of a young protagonist (Lusi), but she’s twelve, and a bit part of the book center’s on the fact that she’s not an adult by local standards. I didn’t buy that the ‘good’ adults would be fine with her risking her life quite as recklessly as she does, especially given the fairly adult themes hinted at.
The fact that she does, of course, makes this more appealing to young readers – Lusi is in the thick of things and acting, not acted on. And she, her sister, and her friends are appealing and engaging. Still, there was too much glossed over for me to get fully on board.
This is set in an existing universe, and while I thought I could see a few joins, the author does an admirable job of making this a true standalone story; I didn’t feel I was missing anything.
Light and enjoyable, but not enough to draw me in to the rest of the world (which I get the impression is more aimed at adults).
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
June 15, 2025
The worldbuilding around necromancy is really well thought out. Lusi is from a country that doesn't have necromancers but travels to a land that does and learns about necromancy along with the reader. It's not the zombies and undead army type, it feels more like learning about end-of-life customs in other cultures.
Lusi's adventure has dragons and ghosts and wizards. It skews on the younger end of middle grade. She looks for trustworthy adults to help her, rather than trying to do everything on her own. However she still has a very active role in solving her problems.
We never get an answer to why Uncle is obsessed with getting ahold of Lusi and her sister, leaving me unsatisfied in the end.
Lusi's adventure has dragons and ghosts and wizards. It skews on the younger end of middle grade. She looks for trustworthy adults to help her, rather than trying to do everything on her own. However she still has a very active role in solving her problems.
We never get an answer to why Uncle is obsessed with getting ahold of Lusi and her sister, leaving me unsatisfied in the end.
November 17, 2024
This book had me at: "a perfectly normal 12-year-old wizard except for the part where she can talk to ghosts." Yup, got to read that! It's a great fantasy story for young audiences, with an epic setting, dragons, ghosts, a despicable villain, and Lusi, our perfectly normal wizard heroine struggling to understand her innate talent for creepy necromancy. And at its heart, it's a tale of self-discovery, belonging, accepting others, celebrating our differences.
p.s.: It's set in Ricchi-Thodes' rich Fireborn setting, but it's a standalone story. You do not need to read any other Fireborn books to understand (and love) this one.
p.s.: It's set in Ricchi-Thodes' rich Fireborn setting, but it's a standalone story. You do not need to read any other Fireborn books to understand (and love) this one.
April 23, 2025
Avatar: the Last Airbender meets How to Train Your Dragon with ghosts!
This is a cute, fun story with a serious thread about sisterhood and the challenges of living with (or escaping) abusive family and meeting adults you can actually trust. Yay found family! Very much a coming of age novel.
This reads well whether you've read the other (adult) books in the universe or on its own. Lusi and Marsi are active protagonists who don't let the adults steal the show. The magic and necromancy are cool (just need your pocketful of human bones, lol) and the whole story is enjoyable for adults just as much as middle grade.
This is a cute, fun story with a serious thread about sisterhood and the challenges of living with (or escaping) abusive family and meeting adults you can actually trust. Yay found family! Very much a coming of age novel.
This reads well whether you've read the other (adult) books in the universe or on its own. Lusi and Marsi are active protagonists who don't let the adults steal the show. The magic and necromancy are cool (just need your pocketful of human bones, lol) and the whole story is enjoyable for adults just as much as middle grade.
December 29, 2024
This book has everything my 12-year-old self would have wanted in a book - magic, dragons, adventure, and found family. It's a book for all the kids who feel left out or othered, and an affirmation that we all have special skills and talents that should be nurtured and encouraged. This is a stand-alone story for younger readers from a series of adult fantasy tales. If you like this, definitely check out the rest of the Fireborn books!
July 15, 2025
This is a 2.5-star rating rounded up. I enjoyed this book for what it was but there was a great deal missing for me. I thought this was a standalone but I am guessing, based on some other reviews that I was mistaken. It was a decent option for me as I needed something to read on my phone while traveling but it needed some editing and just seemed too light given some of the themes addressed in the story.
June 5, 2024
The first full length spin-off of the Fireborn series does exactly what a good spin-off ought to do, standing alone as a new story while expanding the world—and rewarding fans who’ve read everything (namely the anthology, Further Reefs, in which fan-favourite Tollar first appears). With a story specifically tailored to middle graders this time, and full of all the coolest things (more dragons, plenty of ghosts, queer characters, human remains), Necromancer will delight 12-year-old fans of How to Train Your Dragon, Paranorman, and Avatar: The Last Airbender.
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