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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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Early October Reviews (2023)

Greetings

Welcome to the Books That Burn Fortnightly Roundup! Releasing every two weeks (one week early for Patrons).

News and Events

Notable OCTOBER Releases:

  • THE DEAD TAKE THE A TRAIN by Richard Kadrey and Cassandra Khaw (October 3rd)

  • LAST TO LEAVE THE ROOM by Caitlin Starling (October 10th) ARC Review

  • SOUL JAR by Annie Carl (October 17th)

  • UNDER THE SMOKESTREWN SKY by A. Deborah Baker (October 10th)

  • THE INNOCENT SLEEP by Seanan McGuire (October 24th) ARC Review

Recent Reviews

SALT MAGIC, SKIN MAGIC by Lee Welch is Fantasy/Historical/Romance, with queer character(s), marketed as Adult. Lord Thornby has been trapped on his father's estate for a year, compelled to remain in a way that feels almost like magic, something he doesn't think exists. Told in First Person with Dual POVs.

AN UNNATURAL VICE by K.J. Charles, book 2 of Sins of the Cities is Historical/Mystery/Romance, with queer character(s), marketed as Adult. Nathaniel is a journalist and atheist, finding himself falling for Justin, a spiritualist. Told in Third Person with Dual POVs.

TALES OF MUNDANE MAGIC, VOLUME FOUR by Shaina Krevat is Fantasy, with queer character(s), marketed as Young Adult. Bridget and Gertie have a disagreement over how they think about magic. Told in Third Person with Ensemble POVs.

AN UNSUITABLE HEIR by K.J. Charles, book 3 of Sins of the Cities is Historical/Romance, with queer character(s), marketed as Adult. Pen doesn't want anything to do with the fortune to which he's apparently heir. Told in Third Person with Dual POVs.

Reviews forthcoming for THE ARCHIVE UNDYING by Emma Mieko Candon and NEVER A HERO by Vanessa Len.

DNFs

  • STARTER VILLAIN by Jon Scalzi has too contemporary of a setting for me, though I did enjoy the writing style.

I wrote a formal DNF review for THE TAINTED CUP by Robert Jackson Bennett (ARC).

No Review (Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, etc.)

I enjoyed THE ELEMENT OF FIRE and THE DEATH OF THE NECROMANCER (like if the crew from Leverage were trying to stop a murderous necromancer) by Martha Wells.

I also finished reading DRAGON WING by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.

Current Reads

Dracula Daily is in the final stretch but it's not quite over yet!

I'm paused in three books, OCEAN'S ECHO by Everina Maxwell (re-read), FEVERED STAR by Rebecca Roanhorse, and IMMORTAL LONGINGS by Chloe Gong. I think I should only have one physical book pending at a time, since if I get too many I tend to not make progress on any of them. Ebooks and audiobooks are easier for me to juggle.

I'm also reading a nonfiction book about a UFO cult in the 1950's and what happened when the prophecy that aliens would pick them up didn't come true. It's a fascinating topic and a book that's highly recommended in this sphere. The book is WHEN PROPHECY FAILS: A SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY OF A MODERN GROUP THAT PREDICTED THE DESCTRUCTION OF THE WORLD. In this case, "Modern" refers to the 1950's when the group's prophecy occurs and the book was published shortly thereafter.

In Case You Missed It

This time last year I read IRON AND MAGIC by Ilona Andrews, the first book of a spinoff series from the Kate Daniels books.

Pluggables and Podcast News

If you're looking for a place to buy any of the books I've reviewed, please consider our Bookshop page (if you use our links to purchase any books we get a small commission). Let us know if there's a category you'd like to see curated and we'll see if we can get some titles together.

As for the podcast, hopefully you're enjoying our most recent episode. If you'd like to receive episodes early, as well as bonus content, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Patrons receive this newsletter one week early, as well as a list of upcoming podcast episodes.

Patrons pledging $20 or more each month receive a bonus episode. Patrons pledging $50 or more can vote once per month on what we'll cover in the podcast. You can find all of those polls here. Patrons at any level receive the booklist with our planned episodes for up to three months at a time.

Thanks for reading, the next roundup will be in two weeks!

-Robin

Co-host of Books That Burn

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