Greetings and welcome to Reviews That Burn: Series Reviews, part of Books That Burn. Series Reviews discuss at least three books in a series and cover the overarching themes and development of the story across several books. I'd like to thank longtime Patron Case Aiken, who receives a monthly shoutout.
This episode discusses The Kingston Cycle by C. L. Polk.
In an original world reminiscent of Edwardian England in the shadow of a World War, cabals of noble families use their unique magical gifts to control the fates of nations, while one young man seeks only to live a life of his own. Magic marked Miles Singer for suffering the day he was born, doomed either to be enslaved to his family's interest or to be committed to a witches' asylum. He went to war to escape his destiny and came home a different man, but he couldn’t leave his past behind. The war between Aeland and Laneer leaves men changed, strangers to their friends and family, but even after faking his own death and reinventing himself as a doctor at a cash-strapped veterans' hospital, Miles can’t hide what he truly is. When a fatally poisoned patient exposes Miles’ healing gift and his witchmark, he must put his anonymity and freedom at risk to investigate his patient’s murder. To find the truth he’ll need to rely on the family he despises, and on the kindness of the most gorgeous man he’s ever seen.
PUBLISHER: Tor Books LENGTH: ~975 pages (~32 hours) across three books AGE: Adult GENRE: Fantasy RECOMMENDED: Highly
TITLES DISCUSSED
- Witchmark (2018)
- Stormsong (2020)
- Soulstar (2021)
I have previously reviewed all three books in the trilogy: Witchmark, Stormsong, Soulstar
If you like this you may like:- A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske
- Blind Man's Wolf by Amelia Faulkner
- Death by Silver by Amy Griswold and Melissa Scott
More by C. L. Polk
- The Midnight Bargain
- Even Though I Knew The End
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Major Series CWs: confinement, kidnapping, racism, classism, fire/fire injury, mental illness, violence, gun violence, medical content, body horror, slavery, murder, death.
Miscellaneous CWs: coercion, drug use, suicide, torture.
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