Necromancing the Stone (Necromancer Series)

Necromancing the Stone (Necromancer Series) by McBride, Lish. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780805090994.

With the defeat of the evil Douglas behind him, Sam LaCroix is getting used to his new life. Okay, so he hadnt exactly planned on being a powerful necromancer with a seat on the local magical council and a capricious werewolf sort-of-girlfriend, but things are going fine, right? Well . . . not really. Hes pretty tired of getting beat up by everyone and their mother, for one thing, and he cant help but feel that his new house hates him. His best friend is a werebear, someone is threatening his sister, and while Sam realizes that he himself has a lot of power at his fingertips, hes not exactly sure how to use it. Which, he has to admit, is a bit disconcerting. But when everything starts falling apart, he decides its time to step up and take control. His attempts to do so just bring up more questions, though, the most important of which is more than a little alarming: Is Douglas really dead?