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Summary
Summary
"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?
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Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Polk follows her gaslamp fantasy Witchmark with a superb sequel blending political intrigue, witchcraft, and queer romance. Spirited Dame Grace Hensley--fresh from helping her brother, Miles, the protagonist of the first book, foil an assassination plot against Aeland's Queen Constantina--is appointed chancellor of the England-like country and elected Voice of the secret group of witches that protect Aeland from storms. At the request of the queen, Grace and Miles investigate a delegation from Laneeri, a rival country, that may have been involved in the assassination plot. Meanwhile, norm-bucking journalist Avia Jessup works to get to the bottom of the role the Hensley family played in the discontinuation of Aeland's use of aether, a power source that draws from human souls. Grace exhausts herself navigating the mass demonstrations over the loss of aether power, her attempts to reform antiwitchcraft laws, and her strong attraction to Avia. When the Laneeri heir dies under mysterious circumstances while in Aeland, Grace and Miles pivot their investigation to find his murderer. Polk's ambitious world-building never encumbers her assured, action-packed pacing, deep characters, and genuine emotion. This delectable treat is a worthy follow-up to her debut. Agent: Caitlin McDonald, Donald Maass Literary. (Feb.)
Kirkus Review
A young politician confronts affairs of state, the dark secrets of the past, considerable emotional turmoil, and the weather in this follow-up to the World Fantasy Award-winning Witchmark (2018).The country of Aeland reels after the events of the previous volume, in which Dame Grace Hensley's brother Miles discovered that the aether network (a magical equivalent of electricity) was being powered by the souls of the dead, the brutal war with neighboring Laneer was trumped up to grab Laneeri souls for the network, the Laneeri retaliated by possessing the returning Aelander soldiers and forcing them to murder innocents, and their father was complicit in most of it. The people are angry about the loss of aether, and they would be angrier still if they knew that many of the nobles were secret witches who thrust common witches into asylums to exploit their powers. As the country's new Chancellor, Grace is supposed to calm the people, maintain the status quo, and mollify the Amaranthines, the faerylike psychopomps who condemn the aether network's abuse of souls. As the Voice of the Invisibles, Grace must lead a cabal of unwilling mages to quell the worst storms that Aeland has seen in centuries. But she has no support from her scheming peers, and her imprisoned father, the former Chancellor and Voice, is clearly manipulating events behind the scenes. Grace would like to free the witches and finally be honest with Aeland's people, but she fears it will cause mass riot. However, others are forcing her hand, including Miles' friend Robin, a medical student and secret witch, and Avia Jessup, an astute and dangerously attractive former heiress-turned-reporter who's nearing many explosive truths. Grace is an intriguing contrast with her brother Miles, protagonist of Witchmark, who has a much more black-and-white sense of morality. Grace was the designated heir to her father's several types of power; and while she now despises him, freeing herself of his influence and ruthless love isn't easy for her. She has good intentions toward the people of Aeland, but she has no idea about how the other half lives. She takes her comforts for granted even as she neglects her own desires in the service of others, exemplified by the narrative's emphasis on the many meals she misses in the course of her duties.A thoughtful and passionate depiction of one woman's struggle to discover her truest self. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Miles Hensley's sister, Grace, takes a star turn in this dramatic follow-up to Witchmark (2018). Aeland's industry grinds to a halt without the power of the aether network. Hunger is imminent as crops are lost in the violent weather that Grace and the secret, elite Stormsinger witches struggle to control. Among the common folk, witches still live in fear of the Protection Act. A young, talented Laneeri emissary is found mysteriously dead. As the newly appointed chancellor, Grace experiences a role reversal by falling under the spell of news reporter Avia. Is she interested in getting closer to Grace, or just in a newsworthy scoop? While Miles and Amaranthine Tristan pop in and out of the action, Stormsong concentrates closely on Grace and her attempts to discern a way forward for herself and her homeland. Polk weaves family secrets, political power struggles, murder, natural disasters, and romance into a new, lush fantasy ripe with sensory detail. Readers will gasp at the deft twists and turns laced into this newest entry in the Kingston cycle. A most bewitching sequel.
Library Journal Review
Dame Grace Hensley assisted her brother Miles to undo the aether network just 14 days ago. Now Aeland is without power, filled with ghosts, and faced with an incredible set of winter patterns that could destroy what is left of the country. All Grace wants to do is make sure her family in Kingston is safe, but circumstances place her in the middle of the growing conflict between stubborn Queen Constantina, reparation-seeking Amaranthines, and the mages imprisoned throughout the land. Revolution is coming and soon Grace will be forced to choose sides, with her family divided. A young photojournalist, Avia Jessup, is close to discovering the truth and sharing it with the nation. Grace finds Avia both infuriating and intriguing as all the storms come to a head. VERDICT 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.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton
