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Series Review: The Kingston Cycle by C.L. Polk

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.  Full Audio Here    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...

Digest by Evan B. Witmer (Odd Fiction #2)

TITLE: Digest: Ten Short Stories by Convicted & Plausible People-Eaters
AUTHOR: Evan B. Witmer, Vincent Parisi (editor)
PUBLISHER: Independently Published
YEAR: 2020
LENGTH: 350 pages
AGE: Adult
GENRE: Horror 
RECOMMENDED: N/A

*I received a free review copy in exchange for an honest review of this book. 

DNF 28% in.

This collection is, unfortunately, above my personal threshold for horror (I'm more of a creature-feature person) and I had to stop reading. I loved the story "Comorbidity" and the use of the profiles as a framing device was a nice touch. 

Profiles (framing device): CW for drug use (brief mention), domestic abuse (brief mention), violence, cannibalism, rape (brief mention), child death (not depicted), death.

Margaritaville: CW for drug use, drug abuse, suicidal thoughts, body horror, blood, violence, death.

Comorbidity:  CW for parasites, disease, war (backstory), blood, gore, cannibalism, body horror (graphic), child death, death.

Jesus Christ Meets the Chupacabra: CW for racism, xenophobia, bestiality, animal harm, sexual content (graphic), rape, animal death, major character death.

Did not read: "A Vacancy in Staffordshire", "The Life & Times of a Rockefeller Pregnancy Zombie", "Ring The Belles", "Zooland", "Glee-Maiden", "Antiquing", "Six O’s", nor their associated Profiles.

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An open mouth of lips and teeth open wide, filled recursively with two more rings of lips and teeth, the final set having a tongue visible.


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