I picked up Crimson and Cream a while ago with the intention of reading it right away, but I’m finding myself less and less keen to pick up a book of an evening when I read and edit all day in my job. It only compounds the problem as I write fiction and non-fiction as a ‘second job’. Reading, even fiction, feels like work these days. Fortunately I’ve discovered audio books now, and ‘read’ while driving to and from work.
Still, Crimson and Cream was high on my to-read list. I wish there’d been an audio book version because when I finally did get around to reading it over the Christmas break, I loved it.
It very much has a ‘roleplaying game’ feel which I found refreshing after reading so many other forms of fantasy. Wronged wizards, orphans, knights, trolls and dragons all play big parts in this book. It’s a fun yet surprisingly grounded and gritty fantasy targeted to the younger end of the YA market.
While somewhat harsh in what happens to the protagonist (orphaned at a young age, survives in the sewers and stealing to eat), it still has plenty of wonder to entice younger audiences.
The story revolves around Jetsam, an orphan boy with a gift for magic but no one to train him. He survives in a kingdom that’s been turned against magical practitioners, and he and his family of fellow orphans look out for each other and survive by their wits.
Following a string of misadventures that sees his brother dead and Jetsam hunted for a murder he didn’t commit, he’s forced to leave the city in the hopes of finding a fugitive wizard who may be able to help him.
Chased by a bounty hunter and falling in with a bunch of misfit adventurers, Jetsam soon finds himself on an adventure of a lifetime as his companions hunt a dragon.
I don’t want to give much away beyond that, but if you like YA that feels like it may have sprung from a solid grounding in roleplaying adventures and other high fantasy stories, this is the book for you.
