I think I'm done with books starring contemporary male adolescent characters and the paranormal. The past 3 series I can recall have not been good: 
 1. Lies Beneath: Calder, DUMBEST MERMAN EVER, I don't know how he manages to stay alive, much less breathe by himself on land 
 2. Chronicles of Nick: smart-aleck mama's boy who's in way over his head 
 3. Beautiful Creatures: 40-year old Southern spinster disguised as a teenaged boy 
 Hold Me Closer, Necromancer follows the terrible trend. Half the book so far involves random characters and not even Sam himself. You see, I have a quirk. When I read a book, I like knowing the bones first. Suddenly immersing me into 1000000 other characters, whom honestly aren't so likeable, is more likely to throw me off the book. Chronicles of Nick has the same problems. Too many supporting characters about whom I do not give a shit. This book has even more of the same problem, within the first 100 pages, probably 1/3 were about Sam and his life, then we get introduced to a random "Douglas" (yes, I know he's a major character) but he needs a better introduction, and some random people who are so forgettable I don't even want or care if they're in the rest of the book. 
 I'm not fond of the titular character either. Smart-aleck boys who think they're too cool for school and going against the establishment are a dime a dozen in real life, and I don't really want to read about a similar douche in a book I want to enjoy. 
 Not touching the rest of the series with a 15-foot pole.