Crab & the Blue God

by Robyn Abbott

As harsh and unforgiving as the tundra she grew up in, seventeen-year-old Katya spends her days doing the same work that killed her mother. It’s her job to hack away at the ever-forming ice bridge between her village and the territory beyond, hoping to stave off winter and the arrival of lakerunners—voracious monsters known to devour children—for as long as possible.

When a mischievous winter sprite takes Katya’s baby sister back to its icy lair, Katya determines to go after the mythic creature and get her sister back.

Alone, armed with her mother’s spear and determined to hunt down her sister’s monstrous captor, Katya quickly discovers the icy wasteland beyond her village is full of illusions. Owls turn into trickster-witches, gentle-hearted boys live alone in grand temples, and a voice from nowhere has a message for Katya. It turns out her sister was part of a divine plan, and if Katya can’t find her, she’ll have to take her sister’s place as a piece in a god’s game.

Katya set off with the intention of battling a single monster, but she might just find herself combating a god.

From bestselling fantasy author Robyn Abbott comes a dystopian fairy tale, perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and Katherine Arden.

ebook

Published December 2, 2025

About the author

Robyn Abbott is a bestselling Canadian science fiction and fantasy author who writes stories about good people doing bad things. Depending on her mood, she's also either a tarot reader or adamantly against tarot reading.

She was given Honourable Mention in the 2021 L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest for her short story Joseph and Neem Climb a Ladder. She was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 2018 Utah Film Awards.

Reviews

[Robyn Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't wait for people to meet Katya and Elken, to experience all the haunted magic of this folktale from the future.

You can expect:

- A bleak, fairy tale-inspired fantasy
- With Alice in Wonderland-esque horrors
- The toughest little heroine humanly possible
- Coming of age in a surreal, dreamlike wasteland
- Facing an omnipotent meddling god with hidden motivations

It's feral and brutal and kickstarts a brand new YA-friendly fantasy series within the Forgotten Fragments series.

[Fransie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel so blessed to have been one of the first readers of this amazing book! Thank you Robyn for letting me be a Beta reader.
Here are my thoughts on this book:
-Wow! what a ride !
-If you are a fan of a book where the main character is a total anti-villian and she definitely makes you question some of your own morals and think what you would've done if you were in her shoes.

This book is going to absolutely soar !
Once again thank you Robyn for allowing me to read this slightly gruesome story. The type of story that will sit with you for month.
Like crab says " if you like nice stories, this story is not for you."

[Robert Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crab and the Blue God is a wild ride! It’s my favourite Robyn Abbott book I’ve read so far. It’s got great characters, sit on the edge of your seat tension and thought-provoking themes.

It’s rare that I can stay engaged in a novel all the way through, but I found that Crab and the Blue God just kept getting better as I read it. The last 50 pages were particularly compelling. I love a book that can keep me thinking once I've finished the last page.

I couldn’t recommend the novel more highly!

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crab & the Blue God is what I would lovingly call "acid-trip" fantasy. It's sort of like Alice and Wonderland, and then you get hit with some intense moral obscurity that'll have you rooting for and against the protagonist in equally edge-of-your-seat fashion. As always, the world is fantastical and other and the characters are brutally real.

For my anime fans, reading this book was an experience similar to watching Madoka Magika.

[Tenaya MKD · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve loved everything Robyn has published, but this one has a special something that touched me deeply. It’s her first step into YA, but it’s the type of YA that doesn’t coat the world in sugar or baby its reader. I think it’s the sort of YA that teens need, and the type of YA that a reader of any age will be moved by.

[Mitchell Feero · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Crab’s story! The characters were ruthless but so adorable at the same time. This was a quick read that kept me interested and entertained the whole time! Very excited to see where this series is going.