Crow’s Fate by Kim Fielding

Narrated by Joel Leslie

Kim Fielding kicks off the new multi-author Carnival of Mysteries series with Crow’s Fate, the story of a midwestern farm boy who goes to a carnival in the mid 1970s and ends up learning of a terrifying prophecy he can’t outrun. The books can be read in any order.

Crow Rapp‘s mother left him with his grandparents on their farm in Chinkapin Grove, Illinois, when he was just a baby, and has never been heard from again. No one knows who his father was and he is teased a great deal about it at school. Fortunately, he knows his grandparents and Aunt Helen love him, and he is content to think he’ll live out his life on the family farm. One summer night just before his eighteenth birthday, a carnival comes to town, and Crow goes with his best friend Marty and two girls from school. While the other three are playing games, Crow is drawn to the brightly colored Fortune Teller’s tent. Inside he meets a beautiful, black haired young man in his mid twenties who speaks with an English accent. He introduces himself as Simeon Bell. Simeon is a roustabout for the carnival and is watching the tent while the fortune teller is away. Joking around, Simeon puts on the fortune teller’s scarf and decides to ‘read’ Crow’s fortune in the crystal ball. But whatever Simeon sees horrifies him, and while he refuses to say what he saw, he urgently tells Crow to go home and spend time with the people he loves.

Crow is terrified and returns home immediately, but he feels changed and withdraws from his friends, even Marty. On the night of his birthday, three red birds fly through his bedroom window and tell him he must join them. Crow thinks he must be dreaming, but instinctively knows they are evil, and he refuses. Later that night a terrible fire breaks out in the house, and while Crow miraculously escapes, his grandparents are killed. On the ground, he finds a single red feather. From that day on, Crow runs, staying only briefly in any one place and trying not to get close to anyone, leaving once the red birds find him and another tragedy happens.

Ten years later, weary and lonely, he hears there’s an old-fashioned carnival set up just outside town. He’s sure it’s the same one, and he’s determined to seek answers. He finds Simeon, who, oddly, hasn’t aged, and while Crow does get some answers, they only bring more questions. With Simeon’s encouragement, Crow, accompanied by Simeon, starts on a journey to learn more about what’s happening to him. It’s a journey that eventually criss-crosses the country from Illinois to Oregon and back again. Along the way they are helped by several other-worldly individuals who give them rather cryptic pieces of information, and they start piecing the puzzle together.

Ms. Fielding writes an intricate and intriguing story, which feels like a hero quest from mythology. She pulls from myth, legend, and philosophy to build her world, then she unravels the mystery (to Crow and to the reader) piece by piece, and I appreciated the way she weaves the fantasy into a solidly grounded 1980s reality. Her characters are well drawn and sympathetic. Even the many side characters Crow and Simeon meet give the reader insight into the two leads and help move the story along. There are a few pacing issues when the information Crow needs is doled out in dribs and drabs and it feels like he’s spinning his wheels, plus a few pieces of the puzzle are never fully explained. But Crow and Simeon are marvelous and the story kept me glued to my earbuds.

As they travel, a lovely slow-burn romance develops between Simeon and Crow. While Crow tries to keep Simeon at arm’s length, Simeon charms his way into Crow’s heart. The book is perhaps more mystery than romance, but there is a great deal of relationship development, nonetheless. Fielding develops their bond through their interactions and conversations before the physical romance blossoms, and it is very satisfying.

I’ve never been disappointed with a Joel Leslie narration, so it’s no surprise that his narration for Crow’s Fate is top notch, as well. While Crow and Simeon are the main characters, they meet and talk to a wide variety of people along the way, so Joel has to pull a lot of voices out of his repertoire for this one. Crow has a weary midwestern (American) accent, while Simeon’s is a lively English accent, plus there are men and women of all ages encompassing several American dialects. Besides dialects and accents, Joel is a master at conveying emotions. He can make you feel every bit of the characters’ grief, joy, tiredness, and excitement.

Crow’s Fate isn’t a lighthearted book. It deals with grief and malevolent paranormal beings, but it’s also a fascinating and unique story and has wonderful moments of love and redemption. Crow is like a mythological hero at times, only as he begins to understand what’s going on, he works to defy his fate and build something new. I highly recommend this unique story on audio.

Carrie