Hopeless Necromantic ARC Review
- Kori
- Feb 3
- 4 min read
Shiloh Briar wrote Hopeless Necromantic a while back, but this gem was picked up by Orbit and is being traditionally published on June 9. Thanks to NetGalley, I recieved an e-arc and didn't have to wait that long––but it's worth the wait, trust me!
Genre: Dark Fantasy / Romantic Comedy
Category: Hilarious Read
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Rating: 5/5 Stars
Plot: 5/5 stars
Characters: 5/5 stars
World: 5/5 stars
She raises Hell. He raises the dead. What could possibly go wrong?
PLOT
Hopeless Necromantic opens with an advertisement for Sikras "Catseye" Nikabod's necromancy services––complete with a hilarious disclaimer. I knew then this fantasy rom-com would have the horror comedy vibes I can't get enough of.
For Sikras, life stopped four years ago when failed to defeat Vessik's undead army...for the second time. Since then, he's remained holed up at home with his skeletal compaion, Benjamin. Together they ignore the outside world, aside from the occasional client desperate for a loved one to be raised from the dead.
Helspira, the only demon serving in the Queen Saelihn's Red Sentinel army. As such, she gets stuck with tasks no one else wants, like escorting Sikras back into battle. Third time's a charm, right?
"I'm thirty-something years old. I'm tired. [...] Shouldn't this whole save the kingdom business fall to a plucky teenager with untamed magical prowess and a heart of gold hiding beneath their hormonal aggression?"
As the trio sets out, we're treated to a dual POV as a delicious slow burn sets in, weaving between endearing friendships, military intrigue, wicked action scenes, gut-wrenching decisions, and lots of banter.
Categorizing this novel was difficult because while I laughed aloud several times, I also had to fight––and lost the battle to––tears. I don't want to spoil anything, but a story featuring a necromancer, sentient skeleton, and demon is required to have traumatic backstories, right?
This is a story about loss, grief, repression, letting go, friendship, new beginnings, and learning how to feel again. It’s a tragic, humorous, heartfelt, and highly entertaining story that I couldn't put down. I can't wait to continue the rest of the trilogy and its upcoming prequel.
CHARACTERS
While there is plenty of plot, I'd argue the characters are the heart of the story because they're so endearing.
Sikras is a dramatic, irreverent, self-deprecating and sarcastic charmer; but underneath it lies a heart that’s hurting. What else would you expect from a grumpy, arthritic necromancer?
"I'd ask you to hold my emotional baggage, but a barbarian with an elixir of strength would still struggle to hoist that load, am I right?"
Baldur's Gate 3 fans will love Helspira; she's a Karlach-coded character with intrusive thoughts that may or may not be relatable. Her demonic strength and heightened senses are reflected in her insane self-control, empathy, self-sacrifice, and compassion.
"How about I believe in you enough for the both of us until you have the means to do it yourself?
Benjamin provides comedic relief––who doesn't love a lute-playing skeleton? It has Tim Burton written all over it!––but his true powers are common sense, hard truths, and pushing two characters in denial to take chances.
"We may outgrow the ability to ask for help, but we never outgrow needing it."
In the background we have a cinamon roll-turned-villain, a demonic baker, Death, and a queen who reminds me a bit of Galadriel.
I adored each of these characters, especially the friendship Benjamin and Helspira form. He may be a third wheel, but without him Sikra and Helspira would spend eternity denying their feelings via panicked inner monologue.
Although the story takes place over a short span of time, I'd still call this a slow burn. The two go through so much and see each others depths during their adventure, so that the progression from attraction to catching feelings is believable. Some may have wanted it to stretch out even longer since this is going to be a trilogy, but I'm okay with how it's going.
WORLD
Nyllmas, the smallest city in Siaphara, feels like a standard fantasy world. It's easy to picture wihtout being boring. Here you'll find a pantheon of gods, mishmash creatures that add a level of whimsy, small towns, forests, and a larger cityscape with its colorful markets and questionable wizards.
Helspira's story reveals a little information about her homeland, Cthononia––a dangerous hellscape I've no doubt we'll visit in the future.
Thanks to Sikras's necromantic powers, we get a glimpse of Death's domain, Enos, where souls await their various gods to take them to their final resting place. I hope we have reason to go back and explore this realm more in depth because Death and her realm are really interesting.
The magic system is also easy to follow, with distinct types of magic and casters, multiple sources of magic, limitations, and high risks / physical consequences of casting spells. The rivalry between types of casters / wizards is fun, which I hope gets used more in future of this story. While some characters may look down on Sikras's brand of magic, there's no denying it's visually badass.
TL;DR
Hopeless Necromantic is a lovely blend of dark comedy, fantasy, and romance featuring heartwarming characters, action-packed battle, mysterious realms, interesting gods, and a neat magic system. It's an emotional and highly entertaining story that will leave you desperate for more. Luckily, Shiloh Briar has character art on her website, and posts cute skits on her TikTok page; hopefully that will help you pass the time until we get the rest of the series.
If you like the sound of a slow burn rom-com with dark comedy, a grumpy / sunshine pairing, battle couple moments, only-one-bed[roll], D&D vibes with a Karlach-coded character, a skeletal companion / third wheel, witty banter, and Death as a character, Hopeless Necromantic should be on your TBR. You can preorder now, or grab a copy on June 9.
