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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...
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Coulrotopia by Matt Doyle

When Coulroptopia—the world’s only circus where the performers are all animatronic clowns—comes to your town, you know you’re in for a show like no other. From the knife-throwing of The Juggla to the attempts to tame the monstrous Boozle, there’s something for everyone.

But when an accidental power outage sees the mechanical monstrosities loaded with a new, murderous AI, the screams turn from awe to fear. Now, a man on the run, a happy couple, and a handful of staff members are fighting just to survive the night.

So, sit back and enjoy the thrills, chills, and blood spills as these killer clowns take you through a mascot horror tale where death just became part of the show.

PUBLISHER: NineStar Press
YEAR: 2023
LENGTH: 64 pages
AGE: Adult
GENRE: Horror
RECOMMENDED: Highly

Queer Rep Summary: Lesbian/Sapphic Main Character(s), Gay/Achillean Main Character(s), Bi/Pan Secondary Character(s).

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

COULROTOPIA is a killer robot clown horror story with a clever conceit for why the robot clowns would suddenly turn murderous. It establishes characters swiftly so that by the time the violence starts the reader is invested in whether or not they survive the ordeal. It’s fast-paced, gory without being overly graphic, and overall a great short story. There’s several very cool character moments, conversations that I had not expected to turn funny, and a really sweet and thoughtful relationship between a couple attending the circus.

Graphic/Explicit CW for blood, gore, injury detail, violence, gun violence, murder, death.

Moderate CW for misogyny, toxic relationship, fire/fire injury.

Minor CW for child abuse, confinement, sexual content, infidelity, sexual harassment, vomit.

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A dimly-lit forest of trees with red light rising from the gloom


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