From the powerhouse creator of Nimona comes a breathtaking illustrated novel, the start of a duology, following two orphans who leave the only home they’ve ever known to sail with an eccentric crew of pirates.
Viola and Wilmur have been waiting for their parents for fifteen boring years in the colorless town of Caveat. Their lives are a drudge of salt, trash, pirate stories, and what-ifs . . . until one very stormy night, when Captain Cadence Chase breaks down their door. They cut a deal with the captain: Chase can take their most prized possession, a mysterious book, but only if she takes them, too. After all, if their parents aren’t coming, Viola and Wilmur might as well have a grand adventure to find them.
Setting sail into the treacherous and beautiful world beyond Caveat, the two inseparable friends must uncover the facts behind legend-and the key to saving all of Dickerson’s Sea from obliteration-before the truth tears them apart.
Wickedly funny, deeply emotional, and sharply incisive, Scarlet Morning is a tale of love, betrayal, and the extraordinary lengths we’d go to save a world broken beyond repair.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 432
Imprint: HarperCollins US
Publication date: 30/09/2025
Scarlet Morning
by N. D Stevenson
Review by Alex A
Scarlet Morning is an old pirate’s tale of a wicked captain who slays the beautiful and defenseless queen, Hail Meridian. This is one of many old-world myths that Viola tells her brother Wilmur while awaiting their parent’s return on the forsaken island of Caveat. Fifteen years prior, a cataclysmic event has rendered the world’s oceans poisonous, now just a roiling mass of salt-bergs and terrifying sea creatures.
When Captain Cadence Chase arrives at their door one stormy night, the two see a chance to escape their miserable existence, and set out with Chase and her motley crew.
This is a definitely a story for older kids, 9-12+. The world building is immersive and far-reaching. There is a good dose of horror, and it delves into difficult emotions and how they manifest. I loved the casual diversity of the characters, the stark details of their environment, and the central, creepy mystery that ends on a cliff-hanger (book two is in the works).
Protagonist Viola is plucky, clever and the unlikely friendship she strikes up with Captain Chase forms the emotional spine of the novel. This is a sophisticated children’s book that prods at ethical dilemmas, how outer appearances can deceive, and the strength of found family ties.I can’t wait to read the next one!
Perfect for fans of Kieran Larwood or Rebecca Stead.
