Hope and Red

Starred review from April 25, 2016
YA author Skovron builds on his strengths in his first book for adults, diving deep into the lives of two, gruesomely orphaned children in an Earthsea-like island realm. The land is ruled by a degenerate imperium whose amoral face is the biomancers—part scientist and part sorcerer—who operate with utter impunity for ends of their own. Bleak Hope is the sole survivor of a village destroyed by a biomancer. She’s raised by the leader of a sect of warrior monks who give her all the skills she will need to wreak vengeance. Red, son of a chemical-addicted artist and a prostitute, hitches his star to Sadie the Goat, who mentors him into becoming the greatest thief in the stews of New Laven. When the adolescents emerge from their apprenticeships, they launch their adult voyages. Skovron’s eye for characterization and situations is exceptional, raising this from a fun ninja and pirate mash-up to a compelling coming-of-age yarn that genuinely merits a multivolume treatment. Agent: Jill Grinberg, Jill Grinberg Literary.

June 15, 2016

Bleak Hope, the only survivor of her village's massacre by the emperor's mystical biomancers, is taken in and secretly trained by a Venchen warrior monk. Hope learns skills that will help her in her quest for vengeance. Another orphan, Red, is fostered by one of the biggest names in the criminal underworld. With the tools of a thief and a con artist, Red searches for power and the next thrilling con with his friends. When their worlds collide, Red and Hope join forces to hunt the biomancer that destroyed her home; in the process they uncover a secret that could destroy his. VERDICT YA author Skovron (Struts & Frets) makes his adult fantasy debut with this engaging series starter. His skillfully developed world, filled with swords and magic, is a perfect foil for his dynamic characters.--KC

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