D. Wallace Peace: The Necromancer’s Daughter

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In her acknowledgment page D. Wallace Peach writes how Cathleen Townsend, a beta reader and editor challenged her to write a book “with one beautiful character, not someone physically stunning, but someone with a beautiful heart, a truly good person.”

Taking up the challenge, D. Wallace Peach created the royal daughter Aster, a sweet, innocent and fearless girl who was born dead but brought to life by Barus, an old, slight, crippled man who practices the art of bringing the dead back to life through necromancy.

Necromancy: The Summoning, Manipulation, and Resurrection of the Dead.

Barus, learned the art of necromancy through Olma, the woman who’d rescued his abandoned body in the woods and her book of herbal craft.

When Barus is summoned by the King of Verdant to save his dying wife, the Queen and the child she bares, the Queen begs the King to allow her to die but to save the baby. Upon discovering that the baby is a girl King Aldring abandons her and Barus steals her and brings her up as his child.

The loving bond between Aster and Barus is one of the most touching and beautiful father/daughter relationships in literature. This is expressed in letters which Barus wrote while separated from Aster:

You were my first attempt at necromancy that mattered. I knew then that you would become my snow fairy and transform my lonely days with your bright spirit.

Aster learns this skill of using herbs, poisonous distillates, incantations and human blood to resuscitate the dead.

In a later letter, Barus explains to Aster how her mother, the princess of Blackrock’s marriage to King Aldring was a political exchange and how she entered this world through an act of sacrifice.

When King Aldring is close to death, he must find an heir and so he seeks out Aster and brings her to his palace.

From there, the novel turns into an adventure where Aster escapes, crossing borders into Catticut where she encounters dragons and much hardship. The forest of silver cats lay between her and the mountains of Blackrock – her mother’s homeland – where Aster hopes to find Barus still alive.  

This is a story of a young woman’s courage, hope, and loyalty.

Besides the plot, the novel shines with its exquisite, poetic descriptions.  

Much has been written about this novel both through her 10 day book tour.

 and her many 5 star reviews of the book on Amazon.

D. Wallace Peach has succeeded in creating a beautiful character, not someone physically stunning, but someone with a beautiful heart, a truly good person.  One of literature’s heroines.

Finally, I was most impressed by D. Wallace Peach’s talent and vivid imagination.  

43 thoughts on “D. Wallace Peace: The Necromancer’s Daughter”

  1. I always give credit to authors who can explore relationships and character development within the context of speculative fiction, Carol. It’s not easy to do that, but it sounds as though it worked here.

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      • Thank you so much for the wonderful comment, and I’m thrilled that you might add the book to your reading list. Yay. If you give it a try, I hope you enjoy the story. Books are still the best deal around. WordPress has a great community of writers, readers, and reviewers. I can’t remember who found who, but I know I’ve enjoyed Carol’s books too. Have an excellent week and Happy Reading. 🙂

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      • I didn’t know that, and I’m glad to hear it. I think getting that extra insight from the author brings extra depth to the reading experience. In fact, the series of books I’m reading now has a chapter-by-chapter annotations from the author on his website that I read (afterwards, not before, no spoilers :D) along and it makes, for me, for a much more captivating experience!

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    • Thank you so much for the kind comment, Margot. I was delighted and honored by Carol’s lovely post about my book. Though I write fantasy, the characters and their relationships are the bones of my stories. The rest is just trimmed with imagination. ❤ Have a beautiful day.

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    • Thank you for the lovely comment. Carol warmed my heart with her kind review. I get most… all of my reads through the recommendations of other bloggers. They never seem to lead me wrong. If you decide to give the book a read, I hope you enjoy the story. ❤ ❤

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    • Thanks, Jill. The reviews have been incredibly kind, and Carol’s was a wonderful surprise. I couldn’t have asked for a lovelier description of the story’s father/daughter relationship. Whenever you get to the book, I hope you enjoy it. Hugs.

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  7. What a wonderful surprise to find your gorgeous review here, Carol. I was delighted and also touched by your kind words, especially about the father/daughter relationship between Barus and Aster. Those scenes, especially the letters, were the most rewarding parts of the book to write. Thank you so much for sharing the book with your followers. I’m honored and grateful. ❤ ❤ ❤

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