Scarlet Morning

Stevenson, N.D. Scarlet Morning, Book 1
September 23, 2025 by Quill Tree Books
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Wilmur and Viola live in Caveat, a remote outpost that is far away from everything. The world has ben plagued by storms after a pirate massacre that have turned the seas to salt, so life is dreary. Their parents are dead, and they are cared for by Hestur, who tells them stories.  She has a book that tells of the Dickerson Sea, and Queen Hail Meridian who lived at the Palace Faire Distance. It was a pirate named Scarlet Morning who started the problems when she killed the queen in cold blood, which led to the Parliament ordering the death of all the pirates. Hestur tells the children that they must never let anyone get ahold of the book, which includes stories of the Icarus Band in 1912. Hestur has been gone for years, and the children have been subsisting on preserved eggs, so when a stranger comes to their house, they are wary, especially when she wants Hestur's book. Cadence Chase is the captain of the Calamary Rose, and claims that they are not pirates, but the children have doubts. Wilmur and Viola so desperate to leave Caveat that they make a deal; in exchange for the book, they will be transported away from their home and given a little money to start a new life. They have to sleep in a broom closet, but are thrilled at the variety of food on the ship. When they find that the book belonged to a man whom Chase killed, their concerns deepen. Dickerson Sea is an odd environment, and at one point, Viola falls off the ship and slips "between the cracks". She and Chase are marooned in an odd plane of existence, and have to fight to get back. Wilmur, in the meantime, in rescued by Queensmen, who took over governing after the death of the queen. After many adventures, the two end up in Wilder's Green, a bustling city, and reunite. Can Viola figure out what has really gone on in history and survive? This is the first book in a duology, so many questions are unanswered. 

Strengths: The author has a note saying that they worked on this book for 15 years, and given the style of the writing and the spin on the middle grade fantasy tropes, I was able to guess almost exactly how old the author is! The author, who has illustrated several books, includes some illustrations to support the story. There is a lot of good pirate lore, a well developed back story, and a huge number of quirky background characters, some with LGBTQIA+ representation. Hungry teens will appreciate the descriptions of the hearty pirate fare. Wilmur and Viola have a warm and supportive relationship, and their quest to find each other is touching. Cadence Chase is an especially appealing character. 
Weaknesses: At 432 pages, this is long for today's children, and fantasy writing styles have definitely changed since the early 2000s. I have very few readers who want fantasy that does not include a magical school, and pirates have always been a hard sell in my library, along with circuses. 
What I really think: This would be a good choice for fantasy readers who want to take deep dives into a world that felt like it was narrated in a Neverending Story (Ende, 1979) fashion, and had the dark feel of Sabriel (Nix, 1995). The pirates felt reminiscent of Avi's The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (Avi, 1990 ) or Pirates! (Rees, 2003 ). I would not be at all surprised if Stevenson also read the work of Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (In the Forests of the Night, 1999), Christopher Paolini (Eragon, 2002), and perhaps a Scott Westerfeld title or two (The Secret Hour, 2004).