Book Review – Farlander’s Law – Rose Shield Book 3

I’ve been long awaiting to start Book 3 in the Rose Shield series – Farlander’s Law – by the very talented D. Wallace Peach. I finished it yesterday and was so thrilled I had to compose a review straight away.

Without any more preamble, here goes…

Farlander’s Law – The Rose Shield: Book III – by D. Wallace Peach 

Farlanders' Law (The Rose Shield Book 3) by [Peach, D. Wallace]

Book III in the Rose Shield series was – in my opinion – the best book in the series so far. The land of Ellegeance has become lore, the background of key characters fully established, so now, author D. Wallace Peach really lets fly with the story – and this one is a gripping, engaging instalment.  

Whereas books I and II were more about Catling’s journey, Farlander’s Law is Whitt’s book. Previously, that might have put me off, as I was enamoured with Catling’s story and hadn’t yet fallen for Whitt. However, in Farlander’s Law, Peach fully realised her main male protagonist, and guess what – she made me fall in love with the heroic, self-sacrificing Whitt. What an endearing character!  

I say this book is Whitt’s book because a lot of the story (and copious action) surrounds Whitt, however Catling and the other cast of characters do get their parts to play. In fact, one of the best parts of the book – in my opinion – happens early in the piece, when Catling, suffering from unimaginable grief, visits Markim-Ava, the Poisoner, and endures another session with the maker of woads. Peach’s description of physical and emotional pain is truly second to none, and in her cryptic sentence – “She surrendered to death’s companionship, accepted its amoral nature, and exhaled, her body limp.” – I sensed something a little bit dark in our Catling… something that makes me wonder if maybe she might not be the hero of the book after-all? Is Peach building Catling up to be a dark-horse? An anti-hero? I’m dying to find out!

Again, we were treated to endless machinations and politics as the rulers and power-players of Ellegeance played their games with the lives of their subjects. I was thrilled when Catling bit and told Gannon what she really thought of Queen Lelaine (that girl needs a slap upside the head! ). It was also great to see a new power-player – who’d previously only lurked in the background – step forward and make their presence known – the Cull Tarr. I wonder what they herald for Ellegeance, especially in light of Catling’s burgeoning new powers… and I think it can’t be good. 

Speaking of the Cull Tarr, one of my favourtie lines in Peach’s book comes from her observation on the Cull Tarr religion – a commentary which could be applied to any religion;  

“Their messages always struck me as confusing and contradictory. I don’t know anyone who takes them seriously.” 

“When their sermons are of use, they are the truth,” Shafter said.   

Poignant and powerful!

I won’t go into the story-line of Farlander’s Law here – you’ll have to get it and read it for yourself – but I will close by saying, if you hop into Peach’s world, you can expect rich characters, a complex story-line and gems of writing like this; “The rain relented, and woolen clouds pillowed the ebony sky, the moons and stars secreted from view.” 

So why are you still here? Go get Farlander’s Law right now!

19 thoughts on “Book Review – Farlander’s Law – Rose Shield Book 3”

  1. Ooo, this sounds so good. I’ve read a number of Diana’s books and am always amazed by how talented she is. I’m in awe of her world-building skills and the intricacy of her plots. This sounds spectacular. I really need to catch up with the series!

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    2. Thanks for taking the time to check out Jess’s review, Trent. It was a wonderful surprise to wake up to this morning. Thanks for taking the time to read the first two, and if you pick up the third, I hope you enjoy it. 🙂 Have a great day.

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  5. Wow, Jess. You are too kind. What a great surprise to wake up to this morning. Thank you so much for the wonderful, thoughtful, encouraging review. I love it when someone “gets” the book (and series) and enjoys the characters the way I did when bringing them to life. ❤ ❤ I will definitely reblog, but since I've been promoting books a bit much lately, I'm going to wait a few weeks. Thanks again for the best gift ever. I hope you enjoy the conclusion of Catling and Whitt's tale. 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. My sincere pleasure D 🤗
      You give us a unique rich world, toss in a fabulous and intriguing concept (influence), then pepper it with likeable (and loathable) characters… what’s not to love?

      I’m reading a King story I’ve never read before now (actually from the Bachman books), but when I’m done with that I’m onto the conclusion!

      Liked by 1 person

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