Larkspur, or A Necromancer's Romance

Larkspur, or A Necromancer's Romance by V.M. Jaskiernia is a dark fantasy romance novelette featuring a necromancer as the lead character. It manages to pack a lot of worldbuilding into a short, 48-page story. If you're in the mood to try something that's (possibly) a little different from what you usually read, this might be a good choice.

The world of Larkspur feels like it's set in the Victorian era. We are introduced to two main types of magic users: necromancers and faeries. The fae are only hinted at in this story, but necromancy is explored in some depth. Necromancers can use their blood to enslave or kill others and can even write secret messages in blood.

The two main characters are Pierre and Elizabeth. Pierre is the son of wealthy nobility and is just returning from the end of his schooling. Unknown to most, he is also an accomplished necromancer. He has to keep this secret because necromancy is frowned upon. Something about dark magic and killing people.

Elizabeth is portrayed as Pierre's love interest, similar to a high school sweetheart. They lost touch while Pierre was away at university, but are reunited at the start of the story.

Death itself is also a character in this book. Necromancers have a rather intimate relationship with death, which adds an air of darkness to the story and sets the groundwork for future conflict in following books.

The plot is somewhat brief, since this is a novelette. Pierre has finally returned from school and is ready to take the next step in his development as a necromancer. After meeting each other for what I think is the first time in years, hints of an old romance are rekindled between Pierre and Elizabeth.

The story was nicely self-contained, so you can read it as a standalone, though I believe the sequel was recently released.

It's a bit difficult to compare this to full-length novels, since a lot had to be conveyed to the reader in a short time. The prose is fairly straightforward, spending a good bit of time on worldbuilding in addition to telling the actual story. I think the author managed to strike a reasonable balance between world, plot, and character.

You might like this if you like hard magic systems and detailed worlds. Given the amount of romances out there involving vampires or werewolves, the focus on a necromancer was a nice change of pace. I don't read much romance, but having the main character be a male stood out to me, as well.

If you prefer full-length stories or relatable characters, this might not be for you. I had trouble finding any redeemable qualities in the main character, but I recognize that some might consider that a positive.

Overall, if a short, dark fantasy romance sounds appealing to you, you might want to give this a try.