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Stormsong (The Kingston Cycle Book 2) Kindle Edition
“Fantastical, thoughtful, and un-put-downable, I flew through Stormsong and want the third in the series NOW.” —Elizabeth Hoyt
A Reader's Digest Top 25 Best Fantasy Series Ever Written
After spinning an enthralling world in Witchmark, the winner of the World Fantasy Award for best novel that was praised as a “can't-miss debut” by Booklist, and as “thoroughly charming and deftly paced” by the New York Times, C. L. Polk continues the Kingston Cycle in Stormsong. Magical cabals, otherworldly avengers, and impossible love affairs conspire to create a book that refuses to be put down.
Dame Grace Hensley helped her brother Miles undo the atrocity that stained her nation, but now she has to deal with the consequences. With the power out in the dead of winter and an uncontrollable sequence of winter storms on the horizon, Aeland faces disaster. Grace has the vision to guide her parents to safety, but a hostile queen and a ring of rogue mages stand in the way of her plans. There's revolution in the air, and any spark could light the powder. What's worse, upstart photojournalist Avia Jessup draws ever closer to secrets that could topple the nation, and closer to Grace's heart.
Can Aeland be saved without bloodshed? Or will Kingston die in flames, and Grace along with it?
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherTor Books
- Publication date11 Feb. 2020
- File size3.3 MB
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Review
PRAISE FOR STORMSONG
"Fantastical, thoughtful, and un-put-downable, I flew through Stormsong and want the third in the series NOW." --Elizabeth Hoyt
"[Stormsong is] a marvelously readable novel set in a fun world." --Locus
"A superb sequel blending political intrigue, witchcraft, and queer romance. This delectable treat is a worthy follow-up to her debut." --Publishers Weekly Starred Review
"Polk's sequel to Witchmark continues to unwrap an intriguing world of magic, political intrigue, and alternate-Edwardian times. Familiar and favorite characters support the young woman who takes center stage, while Polk's charming prose frames an original and witty story filled with action and romantic tension." --Library Journal
"A thoughtful and passionate depiction of one woman's struggle to discover her truest self." --Kirkus Reviews
PRAISE FOR WITCHMARK
"Thoroughly charming and deftly paced." --The New York Times
"Invigoratingly original, crisply and subtly and wittily written." --Anthony Rapp
"C.L. Polk's Witchmark is a delightfully compulsive read. With an intriguing alternate world of magic and modernity and the costs of both, and an endearing protagonist in Dr. Miles Singer -- more, please!" --Carrie Vaughn
"Enthralling, fast-paced, and romantic, Witchmark unveils a fascinating world. Polk writes with assured ease. I can't wait for her next book!" --Elizabeth Hoyt
"This book has it all: alternate history Edwardian world, magic system world-building, murder mystery, family drama, examination of class systems -- did I mention magic? -- and a sweet male/male romance." --Alyssa Cole
"A crackler, with layers like a nesting doll and just as delightful to discover. Witchmark is a can't-miss debut that will enchant readers." --Booklist Starred Review
"Polk's stellar debut... blends taut mystery, exciting political intrigue, and inventive fantasy... Polk is a writer to watch." --Publishers Weekly Starred Review
"The world of this new series feel rich and familiar, yet wholly unique. The atmosphere is perfect for this tale of dangerous magic, lost souls and lonely hearts." --RT Book Reviews
"The subtle ways Polk builds her characters, reveals the systems under which they live and unwinds a complicated, twisting plot with both personal and political implications are testaments to her skill as a storyteller." --Shelf Awareness
"This book has romance, mystery, witch battles, and bicycle chases." --Elizabeth Bear
"Glowing with expertly handled magic, in a deeply-layered alternate world, Polk's Witchmark is a serious mystery and a steaming romance. I'm enchanted." --Fran Wilde
"Witchmark is a brilliant read, full of atmosphere and thrills, likable characters, and more than a bit of romance. It is a remarkable debut!" --Los Angeles Public Library
"If you need a fun queer period adventure romance, you'll want to add this to your TBR pile." --Aliette de Bodard
"Witchmark is an exciting, accomplished and wonderfully written debut. C.L. Polk has created a world which, while recognisable, is nonetheless wholly original -- the perfect setting for a fast-paced, complex and wonderfully characterised story." --Foz Meadows
A Reader's Digest Top 25 Best Fantasy Series Ever Written
About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : B07HF2M4QS
- Publisher : Tor Books
- Accessibility : Learn more
- Publication date : 11 Feb. 2020
- Language : English
- File size : 3.3 MB
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 345 pages
- ISBN-13 : 978-0765398987
- Page Flip : Enabled
- Book 2 of 3 : The Kingston Cycle
- Best Sellers Rank: 599,619 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 1,050 in Gaslamp Fantasy
- 2,482 in LGBTQ+ Fantasy (Books)
- 4,119 in Romantic Fantasy
- Customer reviews:
About the author

C. L. Polk wrote her first story in grade school and still hasn’t learned any better. After spending years in strange occupations and wandering western Canada, she settled in southern Alberta and is here to stay. She has a fondness for knitting, bicycles, and single estate coffee. C. L. has had short stories published in Baen’s UNIVERSE and Gothic.net, and contributed to the web serial Shadow Unit. She spends too much time on twitter at @clpolk.
Customer reviews
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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 April 2020I love CL Polk's writing style and way of painting a clear picture of the characters.
The plot leads on from the the end of Witchmark, combining a novel fantasy concept with mystery and political intrigue.
The main character was introduced in Witchmark, but be aware that Stormsong doesn't focus on Miles (although he does make regular appearances). If you came for the queer content, don't worry, there's still some in Stormsong.
Highly recommend.
Top reviews from other countries
- L. HoranReviewed in the United States on 20 February 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding sequel to an equally impressive debut
Stormsong is the sequel to author C.L. Polk’s outstanding debut novel, Witchmark, a book that impressed me so immensely it ended up being one of my favorite reads of 2018. Thus, the two most pressing questions I had going into this novel were, one, would Stormsong live up to the excellence of Witchmark, and two, would Grace live up to her name. The answer to both is an emphatic yes.
The country of Aeland is facing a climate crisis as well as being in desperate need of an alternative energy source to fuel its economy, restore electricity and its communications network, and get its citizens back to work. The cause of Aeland’s downfall, the results of it not entirely unlike the Great Depression in some ways, ties directly into events that transpired at the end of book one, which makes it imperative, in my opinion, not to attempt to read this book as a standalone. The world building in Witchmark is one of its hallmarks, and that carries over to this book as well. I love the magic and spellcraft which ties into what was its gaslamp/steampunk style setting before the collapse, not to mention its supernatural elements, but what’s even more fascinating—or, perhaps disturbing—about the deterioration of Aeland’s technological advancements, which have been devastated by the rightful destruction of its power source, is the question of the greater good versus the end justifying the means. In this case, there is no gray area, and the risk to life and limb Grace’s brother, Dr. Miles Singer, took to destroy the aether network was not only justified, it was morally imperative.
There is a line of demarcation between the privileged and the working class that Grace is coming to recognize in her newly appointed role as Chancellor and the Voice of the queen. To put a finer point on it, Grace is seeing, firsthand, the bias inherent in a system which protects her but criminalizes other witches and dictates they go into hiding to avoid imprisonment. Fear mongering has been key to sublimating witches, instigating the Witch Protection Act, and Grace comes to see the exploitation in it and commits to right the wrong of it through compassion and strategic political maneuvering. The question is, when the truth emerges from the darkness of corruption and greed, what will become of a society whose queen has secrets of her own which have fueled her every move and decision? There is a revolution afoot, enlisting not only Grace’s aid but that of the Amaranthines (this realm’s version of the Fae). And Grace’s imprisoned father, a despicable and power-hungry man, may or may not have his hands in all of it.
This is where journalist Avia Jessup comes in. Her friend, and fellow journalist, Nick Elliot was murdered, and his death is the reason Miles and his lover Sir Tristan Hunter, an Amaranthine himself, were brought together in book one. Avia is in possession of Nick’s collection of notes and discoveries he made during his investigation of Aeland Power and Lights, and its government ties—he died because he was on the trail of something explosive and corrupt—which places Avia in the middle of all the danger and intrigue on the political landscape, and emphasizes her personal and journalistic integrity in the fight for the greater good. Something she fought hard for and left her own wealthy family to achieve. Something that earns Grace’s deepest respect and admiration, but which is not a clear-cut path to their romance.
And, of course, it all becomes moot if the Storm-singers fail to stop a powerful blizzard the likes of which means certain ruination and death to those in its path.
There is a corresponding murder mystery that aligns with political underpinnings which emphasizes not only the danger Grace and Avia find themselves in, but it threatens to undermine Grace’s goal of distancing herself from her father—the man who molded Grace in his image but did not succeed in making her his clone. He may have had a hand in her education and inspired in her a gift for political strategy, but Grace is fighting to become her own woman, to be more than, better than, just another cog in a corrupt system. Her proximity to Avia in their joint efforts to expose the truth breeds familiarity, and in Grace it breeds an empathy that makes her yearn for Avia’s respect. Misunderstandings and machinations from an outside force threaten to derail them before they even get started, though, and the peak of the action is inspired by events that affect Avia in dangerous ways.
Snakes in the grass, keep your friends close and your enemies closer, murder, theft and a coverup, the mystery within the mystery—C.L. Polk handles it all with such a deft and talented hand. I was every single bit as absorbed in and impressed by this book as by the first. Polk is a nimble storyteller, drawing bits and pieces from various characters, situations, and sources, and composing them into a whole cloth of conspiracy, internal affairs, betrayal, corruption, danger, and she’s not quite done weaving it all together yet. The storm is still threatening, Grace and Miles’s father lives to taint and corrupt another day, and there are witches yet to liberate. Polk offers a sweet and sincere romance to her readers as well, amongst all the corresponding storylines. While the budding relationship between Grace and Avia doesn’t overshadow the more critical machinations and issues facing them and Aeland as a whole, their happy start is not left in doubt, and I look forward to seeing them, along with Miles and Tristan, again in their continuing adventures.
- Anne MarieReviewed in Canada on 25 June 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Such a good book
Magic and mayhem are the biggest part of this story. The MCs catch your interest from the beginning. Well written, great plot and entertaining tale.
- Kindle CustomerReviewed in the United States on 12 March 2020
4.0 out of 5 stars Love the switch-up of protagonist from the first book
The first book in the series was from the character of Miles perspective. This is a continuation of the overall story as seen from his sister's eyes. I loved the protagonists on this one even more than the first book. Great magic, mystery and intrigue. I hope there is more to come in this series, and soon!
- Patricia L. PooleReviewed in the United States on 12 February 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Sequels are hard - this one is brilliant
I read Witchmark. I liked Witchmark. I wanted more.
But when I read "Stormsong (The Kingston Cycle, Bokk 2)"?
My happiness dimmed, just a little. Because sequels, and middle books in a trilogy? They're usually weak because they only tell the middle of the story.
Plus, while I'm an enthusiastic reader of same sex romances, professional or fanfic? I wasn't sure I could buy Grace falling in love with a woman when in Witchmark she's seemed so much in love with Edwin, her teen romance.
But, I pre-ordered anyway, and dove into this novel as soon as it was released. I just finished.
Storm song is not only every bit as strong as Witchmark, but may be an even better constructed book.
It deals with consequences, and does so brilliantly.
And if I say much more? I'm going to stray into spoilers.
So, if you liked Witchmark? You should read Stormsong. Because there are yet more consequences to come.
I doubt the Kingston Cycle is going to be a mere trilogy.
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in the United States on 9 August 2021
3.0 out of 5 stars Lacks the fast pacing and strong characters of Witchmark
Having finished the trilogy, this is the second most enjoyable book. Grace is a good protagonist and narrator, and Miles and Tristan make good supporting characters. The plot and romance felt underdeveloped, maybe because there were too many things going on with the plot and a few too many characters that weren’t as interesting as the original three.