BRINEHAVEN

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Cameron Kessler has always been a problem. Born in the slums of Brinehaven to a demonic contractor, he grew up street-smart and steeped in trouble. But when a job goes wrong, he's caught by Leroy Waters—a licensed arbiter with the power to either bury him or offer something far more dangerous: a second chance. Together, they dive into Brinehaven’s underworld of crime syndicates, companies with vested interests, and monstrous horrors that don’t stay in the dark. Demons, bullets, and blood. Freedom comes with a cost, and every job could be his last, but Cameron isn’t just trying to survive. He wants revenge. WHAT TO EXPECT:- Dual POV: a jaded master & headstrong apprentice dynamic- An urban fantasy setting in a fictional microstate between the US & Canada, circa 1990s- Intrigue, conspiracy--a big emphasis on build up.Slower-burn moments sandwiched between action- Street-level occult/arcane abilities mixed with gunfights, artificed trinkets, and gritty brawls- Occasional interludes- Occasional separate POV chapters-ProgressionLite: Earned, gradual progression (Brinehaven will be very long), butnotinfinite growth-BrinehavenRituals:side stories decided upon by the readers via polls/voting--word count varies widely.Chapters typically range from 2,200-4,500 words (+/-). Chapters release Mondays and Fridays.Join ourDiscord!*BRINEHAVENis posted exclusively on RoyalRoad and onPatreon. If you are reading it elsewhere, it is an unauthorized and stolen copy.© 2025 CR0WSULL. All rights reserved.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2025
Author: CR0WSULL

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.8/ 5.0
Followers: 629
Views: 81,232

What readers say about BRINEHAVEN

“Now this is one hell of a good story. The writing is immaculate, the worldbuilding is amazing, the dialogue, the pacing the characters, it's just so damn good. If someone told me about a fictional story set in the 90s with demons, arbiters, hex's and like s…”
CapwallcroftRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“So as a disclaimer I am a fan of urban fantasy. Something baout the fact that the cities we live in can harbor tremendous secrets behind every corner speaks to my imagination more than any purely fantasy setting. That said this genre is often plagued with v…”
ConAnPretorgRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

CapwallcroftRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Now this is one hell of a good story.
The writing is immaculate, the worldbuilding is amazing, the dialogue, the pacing the characters, it's just so damn good.
If someone told me about a fictional story set in the 90s with demons, arbiters, hex's and like street gangs I would have blinked squarely at their face but oh my god, this is fresh, this is new and this is really damn good.
The story comes off as a bit of a mix of the Dark Tower, Ready Player One, Mistborn and Dishonoured. Now I'm saying that because when I picture brinehaven, I picture the world in dishonoured but just like 1990s instead. It's fantastic. You can almost taste the grime of the streets, the gotham like appeal mixed with beatuifully normal emotional dialogue and amazing combat scenes.
This is a world that has already been fleshed out, a world that has already been developed and undoubtedly is a world that is an impressive work of art. This fiction was crafted with love, care and dedication across almost every turn. It is professionally written. Crafted with a talent that shines through every smidget and every sliver of written word. Not to spoil but there some great descriptors when u know what happens to u know who in cameron's apartment and it's so visceral and real. Also the whole debates and dialogue of the characters makes them almost leap out of the page it's just great.
Leroy and Cameron are fantastic characters and their introductions are amazing!!!
I will also say this author has a real talent for pacing and combat descriptions, like they know how to do combat without making it boring which is extremely important. We get some great switching big fish small fry pov changes aswell with Leroy and Cameron as well as a healthy dose of mystery through both a fascinating world (like damn man you actually make this genre work what the hell???!!!!!!!!) and some really cool history for the characters that makess us hunting for more. Honestly the vibe of the story is really well represented by it
ConAnPretorgRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
So as a disclaimer I am a fan of urban fantasy. Something baout the fact that the cities we live in can harbor tremendous secrets behind every corner speaks to my imagination more than any purely fantasy setting. That said this genre is often plagued with vampires, werewolves, demons, half-angels and all the other human disguissed as something otherwordly just to have creey romances with protagonsits.
AND THIS STORY HAS NONE OF THAT!
Magic exist and people are changed by it, or use it, but the setting seems real. Its brutal, its grey, misty, foggy and full of despair and cruelty, with jsut occassional rays of hope. And I love it. LOVE It.
Can't wait for more.
GoolashRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I can count on the fingers of one hand how many stories managed to grip and hold me like this one. All those zero to hero stories so prevalent on this site pale in comparison to this one where people start as the bad guys and stay as the bad guys but with hints of tolerable acts and occasional flashes of heroism. It's good. It means that they are grounded in reality and in reality changes don't come easy and they are costly. This is definitely the biggest plus of the story, it's characters. But the plot is nothing to discredit either. Actions have consequences,.those lead do disasters and those to attempts at everting them. And it all makes sense! I know that's a shocker, but it is true.nand don't get me started at magic. Where in other works I would call it a magic system, here such a term is truly meaningless. There are so many flavors to it, it requires a really good chef to make it all work and not clash with everything else you have on a platter and I must say that this chef really knows how to make a well balanced meal. Demons, mages, warlocks, people changed by the occult, shape shifters, shady church. All of those are covered. Just not by the insurance,.so if you are allergic,.please stay away. And if not, this is the right thing for you,.so please enjoy. I know that I will.
HeavyporkerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
My goodness. Urban fantasy noir with wonderful characterization.For those to whom it matters, spelling and grammar is very good, and I'm quite impressed with how slick the art is.I'm enjoying the story so much, what wonderful darkness in the world's magic and the characters have depths to them that make them memorable.
Juan Miguel CarvajalRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I would describe this story as a seinen if you liked anime. This is an adult story, far from troop and academy stories, at least so far. Dark, amazing writing, great characters, unpredictable. Congrats! Also I think the idea of the place of the story being anisland is pretty interesting, makes you wonder about the rest of the world and if the protagonists will leave the island in the future. Also hoping Cameron will get some love, such a sad life, hope he will not be totally consumed by hatred, but will gladly accept the story the author wants to share with us. Finally caught up to the story in chapter 57 (I wrote the first part of the review in the first chapters) and it gets even better!
LibromancerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Amazing characterisation morally ambiguous protagonists who don’t like each other but still have to work together, if this wasn’t on royalroad I would pay money for this book and not be disappointed.
For fans of urban fantasy, dark fantasy, morally ambiguous protagonists who sometimes don’t do the right thing, and a interesting cast of side characters with their own goals and motivations.
OneDropRainRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
At its heart, this is a story about a boy and a man—both driven by their inner demons, some more literal than metaphorical, yet both deeply and painfully human.
Leroy is a man of many talents, some quite extraordinary—like surviving a bureaucratic phone call—and others more subtle and uncanny, such as controlling water. Cameron, meanwhile, is a street ganger, rough around the edges but clearly destined for something greater as the story unfolds.
The dynamic between an older, world-weary cop and a younger, reckless upstart is always compelling, and the author handles their evolving partnership with great care. So far, the buildup shows real promise, giving both characters strong, believable motivations. Cameron’s rage toward Leroy and his thirst for revenge is a powerful driver of the plot, and the strange figure living near Leroy’s cerebral cortex promises even more conflict ahead.
Leroy himself is nearing the end of his career, and out of either spite or veiled hope takes Cameron under his wing to train him as an under-arbiter—someone charged with facing supernatural threats both within the city and in the treacherous Pines beyond its walls. Leroy is flawed yet formidable, wielding immense power and vast knowledge. Cameron, by contrast, is only at the beginning of his journey. As a hexling—one who has inherited powers from his less-than-stellar parents and their demonic dealings—he has yet to master his abilities, though he tries. He also struggles to understand the man who took something precious from him, and in return, offered only himself.
The supporting cast is another strength. Each character feels like the visible tip of a much larger iceberg, carefully placed by the author with the promise of deeper revelations to come. They are compelling, multidimensional, and flawed—just like real people.
The setting is equally striking: a gritty American city built on foundations laid by masons far more powerful than we are used to. Layered atop this is a complex magica
Some Guy with a PotatoRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
If you liked Hellblazer, Baltimore, The Dark Company, Hellboy, or other dark fantasy, this might be a story for you. It leans the way of old-school detective novels, except the setting and characters are steeped in magic and the occult by way of blood and dirt.
Our main characters fundamentally hate each other, and I can't say say they're particularly NICE people, but they try to do something right in the course of trying to put each other through the wringer. The city is a dark place steeped in tradition, with much in the way of growing pains as the modern world mixes with magic, fiends, and old money looking for new investments. Nothing quite symbolizes the Commonwealth of Brinehaven like the industrial processing of demons bent on violence and chaos into syrups bottled up and placed on corner store shelves as an over-the-counter pharmaceutical. Corporations, gangs, magical academics, shady local buisness people, everyone is desperate for the next opportunity to make a buck.
The storyline is neat, the characters are convincing, the atmosphere is creepy, and the worldbuilding is a great deal of fun to unravel. I'm a big fan of where the story is going, and the author is consistently getting better at getting us there.
SpaceWolfRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Some days, I get exhausted seeing all of the tropes plastered on this website. I understand why it is the way it is, but seeing 'OP MC, No Harem, Grimdark LitRPG,' on the front page can make it feel like originality has been lost from this world.
Then a story like Brinehaven comes along, and I am reminded that a stories quality has naught much to do with how many tropes it conforms to. There is so much that this story is inspired by, but what makes it feel unique is the voice of the author and how the story, in spite of the reader's trope intuition, still keeps you in for the 20 chapters available.
sorry for the rambling, this shit is just peak fiction and i cant stop thinking about it. If you're on the fence, just READ.
Trick97dRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
TLDR: Brinehaven is a well paced, & extremely vivid story where characters feel real & the worldbuilding makes me want more!
Brinehaven is a very deliberate & engaging story. It’s not often that I’ve read stories where the reflection the characters do actually amounts to anything. Here, they get their teeth punched in, take the lessons to heart, & come back wearing a mouthguard. Is it going to save their teeth totally? Likely not, but it’s a step in the right direction, & they always seem to trend in that direction.
The world building is just a treat, it feels like an early 90s detective novel with the atmosphere of a city shaped by it’s closeness to Canada & the U.S., and the eldritch & mundane horror that exists in the city itself.
Characters have realistic goals, worldviews, & motivations. The powers all feel grounded & fairly well explained while still leaving more for me to want to bite into. At times I feel like it comes off a little slower than I’d like, but I recognize it’s a personal issue having read so many ultra fast powerup fictions where the characters get overpowered in 30 chapters or your money back guaranteed.
They’ve been slowly getting more powerful, whether that’s actual power boosts, or just getting smarter, & fighting that way instead of smashing their proverbial shonen heads into the wall until it breaks.
I 100% recommend this story, & I look forward to more from it & the author! Keep up the great work!