Witchmark / C. L. Polk.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

WINNER of the 2019 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, and a finalist for the Nebula Award, the Locus Award, and the Lammy Award !

One of the 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time, according to Time Magazine

One of the best books of 2018, according to NPR, Publishers Weekly , BuzzFeed , the Chicago Review , BookPage, and the B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog.

The Kingston Cycle is One of Reader's Digest Top 25 Best Fantasy Series Ever Written

C. L. Polk arrives on the scene with Witchmark , a stunning, addictive fantasy that combines intrigue, magic, betrayal, and romance. The New York Times calls it "thoroughly charming and deftly paced... an accomplished and enjoyable debut."

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 faking his own death and reinventing himself as a doctor at a cash-strapped veterans' hospital, Miles can't hide what he truly is.

When a fatally poisoned patient exposes Miles' healing gift and his witchmark, he must put his anonymity and freedom at risk to investigate his patient's murder. To find the truth he'll need to rely on the family he despises, and on the kindness of the most gorgeous man he's ever seen.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

DEBUT Taking advantage of wartime chaos, Dr. Miles Singer changed his name and hid from his family to avoid being bound to his sister Grace as a source of magical power. Miles's freedom is in peril; however, when a dying man comes to him for help, how can he refuse to act if others are also in danger and the fate of the realm is at stake? Perhaps an unexpected ally can help. Except that Tristan Hunter is both distractingly attractive and a member of an alien race of magical beings. As if Miles needed more complications in his life! First novelist Polk has created a supernatural realm of magic and privilege set in an alternative Edwardian world in the aftermath of a World War I-like conflict. -VERDICT Readers will root for a complex and likable protagonist who struggles against societal pressure to put his family's interest above his own. For fans of V.E. Schwab, Melissa McShane, or Tarun Shanker.-Laurel Bliss, San Diego State Univ. Lib. © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

Polk's stellar debut, set in an alternate early 20th century in an England-like land recovering from a WWI-like war, blends taut mystery, exciting political intrigue, and inventive fantasy. Miles Singer's influential family of mages wants to turn him into a living battery of magic for his sister to draw on. Fearing this fate, he runs away to join the army and make use of his magical healing abilities, although-like all magic-users-he must hide his powers or risk being labeled insane and sent to an asylum. When Tristan Hunter, a handsome, suave gentleman who's actually an angel in disguise, brings a dying stranger to Miles's clinic, the two pair up to uncover the reason for the man's mysterious death. The devastating war has left most young men shell-shocked, and many veterans are inexplicably killing their families. Miles struggles to find a socially acceptable physiological explanation for the veterans' dark auras, while Tristan hopes to understand why no souls from this country have moved on to the afterlife. A sudden reunification with Miles's social-climbing, deceitful sister upends progress on solving the riddles (and on the gently developing romance between Miles and Tristan) as she pulls him back into the secretive and manipulative world of powerful mages. Polk unfolds her mythology naturally, sufficiently explaining the class-based magical system and political machinations without getting bogged down. The final revelations are impossible to see coming and prove that Polk is a writer to watch for fans of clever, surprising period fantasy. Agent: Caitlin McDonald, DMLA. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* The magnetically handsome Tristan brings a dying man to Dr. Miles Singer's doorstep, aware of Miles' secret identity as a witch, though he is well hidden in an unfashionable hospital after returning from the just-concluded war in Laneer. Miles quickly becomes entangled in the hunt for the man's killer, while dealing with an attraction to the mysterious Tristan and a deepening malaise among fellow soldiers returning from war. Then Miles' powerful family threatens to shackle him to his sister to be used as a sort of magical battery, to enhance her storm singing and protect Aeland from the ravages of bad weather. Many disparate elements are expertly woven together to make this debut a crackler, with layers like a nesting doll and just as delightful to discover. There's a will-he-or-won't-he heat to the romance, a Philip Pullmanesque setting full of mages, wizards, and political intrigue, all wrapped up in the feeling of a historical mystery that fans of Maisie Dobbs and other WWI-era novels will dive into. Polk has created an amazing new world with hints of Edwardian glamour, sizzling secrets, and forbidden love that crescendos to a cinematic finish. Witchmark is a can't-miss debut that will enchant readers.--Howerton, Erin Downey Copyright 2018 Booklist