Ward Against Death (Chronicles Of A Reluctant Necromancer, #1)

Episodic, plot motivated by the protagonists doing stupid things

Episodic, plot motivated by the protagonists doing stupid things, plot made little sense. Celia essentially a horrible person. There's not much to like here. Many many infelicitous turns of phrase. Could have used a rigorous edit.

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Ward Against Death is a historical paranormal romance/fantasy/ad

Ward Against Death is a historical paranormal romance/fantasy/adventure/mystery in which Ward de'Ath is a necromancer, who is hired to call back a young woman, Celia, from the dead.  Typically, a necromancer does this so that the family can spend 15 minutes with their loved one and say goodbye.  In Celia's case, things are a little bit different.  You see, Celia was murdered, and she is bound and determined to find out who murdered her.  She manages to convince (or manipulate) Ward into helping her.  Ward's first and foremost desire is to be a physician.  In fact, he was practically there.  Unfortunately, his obsession with surgery, which was outlawed in those days, nullified any chance of that happening.  Though technically, he isn't a physician, he still holds his physician's oath in the highest regard, and it is that oath that Celia uses to convince him to help her.  Ward performs another spell on Celia, which is supposed to allow her to be alive for longer, so that they can find her murderer.  He improvises some of the ingredients, and really, Celia seems much more alive than she should.  Ward pushes this fact aside as they embark upon the quest to discover the identify of the murderer. 




In the course of their investigation, Ward finds himself in situations he never dreamed of, and he also finds himself attracted to Celia, which is strictly forbidden in his profession, and forbidden by law.  There is also a lot more to Celia that meets the eye, and Ward quickly finds out he has gotten himself into something over his head, but because of his oath (and his feelings for Celia that he tries to deny), he doesn't abandon her.  He and Celia find themselves in one dangerous situation after another, and the things they begin to uncover soon reveal that the reasons behind Celia's murder are much bigger than they ever expected.




Ward Against Death was an intriguing and interesting book.  Melanie Card's take on necromancy and magic was original and entertaining.  The story itself sort of reminded me of an old Sherlock Holmes story, with the whole "who done it" theme going on.  I enjoyed Ward's character, he was kind of goofy, yet endearing at the same time, and very honest and loyal.  Celia is ruthless and cunning, yet she seems to develop a soft spot where Ward is concerned, and soon discovers that when you get past the outer layer, he is very attractive.  The books is filled with magic, murder, mystery, adventure, fantasy, and romance in a historical setting, and if you enjoy stories about necromancy, this is a book you may want to check out.  I look forward to seeing where Melanie Card takes Celia and Ward next in Ward Against Darkness coming out in June. 

WARD AGAINST DEATH was quite a surprise read to me. I had seen t

WARD AGAINST DEATH was quite a surprise read to me. I had seen the cover and read the description on the Entangled Publishing website a few months back and thought "Eh, doesn't sound like a book for me." (I typically don't read "historicals"). But then a friend on Twitter told me I should read it (she was insistent, actually, lol), so I picked up a copy. And I'm so glad I did!

WARD tells the story of a fourth-generation necromancer named Edward de'Ath (he goes by Ward. And incidentally, how cool is that last name?) who has the ability to wake the dead. He makes his living at wakes, giving families a final visit with the departed. He also does something else, but since it's such a huge part of the story I won't reveal it here. On a particular "job", Ward wakes Celia, who immediately denies being dead, but proceeds to take him on a journey through the streets and sewers of Brawenal City in search of her murderer. Over the next several days, both Ward's and Celia's lives are forever changed.

Ward is such an awesome character! He's funny and awkward and blindly naive when it comes to the way things work--which serves for some excellent storytelling. He constantly surprises both himself and Celia with some of the chances he takes throughout this book, and he even manages to come through for her on more than one occasion. He's sweet and a bit noble, and I found myself rooting for him to make it from the very beginning.

Celia is another great character, full of spunk and wit and some tougher-than-tough attitude, and she and Ward clash constantly--which also serves for some excellent storytelling! The romantic tension between them is obvious, but not in an annoying or overpowering way. You truly never know if they're going to end up together in the end, but you never give up hope.

WARD AGAINST DEATH is a fun, exciting, suspenseful read that kept me turning the pages to the very end (I read it in a day). I happily give it 5 stars (as I've said before, Entangled produces nothing less!), and urge you all to pick up a copy and get to know Ward today!

Different in a good way! Check it out

I'm not one to read young adult books anymore, and I'm so over the whole starcross lovers of humans and supernatural species but when I read the back cover my went, "Hold on, a necromancer?" and I was intrigued. I picked it up on whim and I am so glad I did.

I think the characters are well defined. They have flaws, but are geniunely likeable. Thy are not only related-able (in terms of their struggles and inner thoughts) but realistic. Ms. Card painted a beautile picture of intrigue, mystery, some action, and hidden romance.

As I said I do not read YA books much and I have never thought to read a victorian-esque setting but I was enthralled with this book and was excited to learn that a series was being created. I think this is a create debut novel, but Ms. Card set the bar and I hope the others in the series are just as good! I can't wait to see what adventures lie before our duo and their growth as characters!

Read it, in any format! Just read it!

Necromancers...?

I loved this book! I was hesitant because this is out of my usual scope of reading. Its different but in a good way. Im so over vampires and teenage romance with brooding misunderstood guys. This book was suspenseful, with likeable characters and a well thought out plot. Dont be squeamish. Try it out, you wont be disappointed. I eagerly look forward to the next book (and hopefully more)!

A Thrilling Debut With a Victorian-esque Setting

Ward Against Death is a fast-paced mystery thriller with a fascinating storyline and irresistible characters. The world itself is complex, with different groups of people working towards different goals, and an almost Victorian-esque dark city setting. Ward and Celia¿s chance ¿friendship¿ is problematic, but so very entertaining. They bicker constantly and have this underlying distrust for one another that just works.

The different organizations are introduced early on and aren¿t explained right away, so I felt some confusion for a bit. Adding all the political-like mystery and Celia¿s illusive past to the mix makes the plot a little convoluted, but if you follow along and pay attention, everything clears up perfectly. If you like urban fantasy with some seriously vivid characters, then Ward Against Death is just for you.

Celia, the newly dead, but also newly risen, daughter of a very powerful man is a spitfire, both in her attitude and her actions. She¿s as likely to take down a bull of a man with just a knife, as she is to turn a man like Ward into an incoherent puddle. Speaking of Ward, I kind of loved him. He¿s a necromancer, but doesn¿t feel like he¿s a very accomplished one. He has this innocent charm to him and takes his oath as a physician (even as one whose been ordered to never practice again) very seriously. Despite his bumbling nature, it¿s clear to the reader that he¿s far more talented than he thinks.

Ward Against Death is a thrilling debut that satisfies as a standalone, but offers so much as a series. Melanie Card has opened up a world that, though similar to regal days of the past, is unique and holds this darkness in it. I¿m eager to see what happens next for Ward and Celia and just what it all means for the shady organizations that they¿ve found themselves entangled with.

Good Book!

I really loved the way this book played out. We have a necromancer, who raises the dead and finds himself in a sticky situation. What I liked the most about this book is the characters. I adored the min character, Ward and his oath. He took things very seriously and figured things out quickly. Other characters played some roles I didn't think would be big but did at the end of the book. Celia is feisty. She is determined and very suspicious of everyone. Given what happen to her, I would be too.

The plot line of the book went slow for me. One moment is was good and the next no. I had a hard time through these sections and went through it fast just to get to the next part. Although I did enjoy the drama that went on between the two characters.

I wasn't to keen on the love interest. While they acted liked they hated each other, the slowly fell for each other. But these characters drove me mad!!! I just wanted them to kiss and make up already. I also would have like to see more chemistry between the two.

Overall, this is a okay book. It definitely wasn't what I expected but enjoyed it nonetheless. It has good characters with loads of travel and action!

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