Back of Book: 

Sticks and stones may break their bones, but he'll just resurrect them.

Four years ago, Sikras 'Catseye' Nikabod had it all: a beautiful wife, friends and family, and the endless luxuries that came with being the all-powerful necromancer to the queen.

Now, his brother-in-law is a walking corpse, he's wanted for tax evasion, his oldest friend, Vessik, has slaughtered thousands of the queen's people with a skeleton army, and his wife is dead. Sort of.

With the kingdom under threat, it's only natural for the queen to task Sikras with the totally normal, not-at-all-cruel chore of brutally murdering his dearest friend. Sure. Great. It's not like he already failed to stop Vessik's reign of terror twice or anything.

Turns out, it's hard to kill a monster when you can't stop remembering the good man he used to be. Harder still when you're pretty sure his descent into madness is kind of, sort of, hypothetically ... all your fault.

Raise a glass. Raise the dead. Just don't raise your hopes.

Book Number: One 

Genre: Adult | Fantasy | Romance 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 

A darkly comedic fantasy about a necromancer and the demon that slowly captures his heart. 

Sikras "Catseye" Nikabod had a glorious life only four short years ago. He was the queen's official necromancer, lived in luxury, and was doted on by his loving wife. Now, Sikras finds himself alone besides his undead brother-in-law, Benjamin. Wanted for tax evasion and doing anything he can to avoid the past, Sikras is at an all time low. When a hopelessly optimistic demon by the name of Helspira comes knocking at his door demanding he sees the queen, he finally decides to hear her out. Upon reaching the castle, Sikras is tasked at taking down Vessik, a powerful necromancer that is using his power for evil and just happens to be one of Sikras's ex-best friends. In order to save the kingdom, Sikras may just have to give up the little that he has left. 

When "Hopeless Necromantic" first made its way into my Bookstagram feed, I knew that this would be a book I'd love. As soon as my library bought a copy, you can bet that I was the first one on that waitlist! 

What drew me in at the start was definitely the characters. It was easy to tell through Sikras's negative mannerisms that he has been through a ton. His dark sense of humor is hilarious, and he often makes choices that one would typically attribute to a bad guy in a fantasy story. When optimistic and naive Helspira shows up on his doorstep, I knew this book was going to be a hoot. Sikras's doom and gloom attitude paired with Helspira's bubbly nature makes for a super enjoyable combination of grumpy x sunshine. Also, the third member of their trio is an undead bard, so there’s really no beating that. 

This book honestly feels like reading a D&D campaign. We've got necromancers, demons, wizards, undead, bards, and so much more. The quest to take down a corrupt necromancer is also very D&D coded. I absolutely eat up this type of fantasy, so I was grateful I got the chance to go on this fun adventure with the gang. 

The character depth in this book was great. At first glance, this book seems like a cutesy adventure/romance book, but Sikras, Helspira, and Benjamin have all truly went through some terribly traumatic experiences in their lives. Sikras and Ben are still deeply mourning the loss of Imri, Sikras's wife and Ben's sister. The loss of a loved one is always hard, but pair this with the magical tomfoolery that Sikras and Ben have been through and my heart felt like it was bleeding. 

Helspira's pain comes from being an outsider. Demons are consider less than human in this world, which always saddens me. The things that Helspira has lived through and the ways she's put herself down all in the name of making others feel more comfortable is so sad. It is inspiring to see her shoot for her dreams and support her family despite all the adversity she faces. 

When Helspira and Sikras meet, it felt just like what the other needed to keep going in the cruel world. They are both loners and outsiders who find company in one another, which is just so sweet and wholesome. I was surprised by how much of a slow burn this one is (there aren't even rumblings of sex until the final chapter and the epilogue), but I was totally here for it. I like my romance slow, and I felt that it was much needed with this one, as Sikras is learning how to love again after the death of his wife. 

The humor of this one is on point! I found myself giggling constantly at Sikras's dark humor and Ben's quirky quips. Helspira is also so bubbly that I couldn't help but smile at her constantly.

Overall, "Hopeless Necromantic" was everything that I was hoping it would be! Sikras, Helspira, and Ben are all such lovable characters that it only took an instant for me to be hooked. The fantasy world feels very D&D inspired and the epic adventure that their party goes on only adds to that feel. The touching messages about grief and finding one’s people are also masterfully done. The slow burn is also immaculately pulled off, but it's certainly slow. If you are a fan of epic fantasy adventures, dark humor, or slow burn monster romances, I highly recommend that you check this one out. This book was such an enjoyable experience; I'm really looking forward to seeing how dynamics shift in book two!