Harrow Faire · 2020
The ClownSpice level, tropes & is it dark romance?
Spice 4/5 (Explicit) · Darkness 5/5 (No light) · 8 trigger warnings flagged
Kathryn Ann Kingsley published The Clown in 2020. It is book 3 of Harrow Faire. Expect dark fantasy. We score it spice 4 (explicit) and darkness 5 (pitch black). The heaviest flags readers report are sexual assault, death, violence. Our scores lean on what readers report, not on a full reread, so treat them as a guide. This note is ours. It is not a publisher blurb.
First published: 2020. Book 3 of Harrow Faire.
The Clown tropes
On this shelf, The Clown is filed under Dark fantasy romance. Each tag opens more books with that trope.
The Clown spice level
Is The Clown dark romance?
Yes, at the very dark end. The Clown scores 5 of 5 on our darkness scale (No light).
Spice and darkness are separate scores. More no light books. How we rate.
The Clown trigger warnings
Book-specific flags taken from reader-submitted content warnings on The StoryGraph (top flag reported by 10 readers), grouped by us. Also on that list: sexual content, mental illness, schizophrenia/psychosis, toxic relationship, injury/injury detail, panic attacks/disorders, body horror, self harm, alcohol. See the reader-submitted list.
Graphic (8) — open before you read
Open this before you read. These are the flags most likely to be a hard stop.
Moderate (0)
Harm, control, or obsession that is common in this lane.
None flagged in this band.
Minor (0)
Present, and usually not the reason someone puts the book down.
None flagged in this band.
Full The Clown trigger warnings
Harrow Faire reading order
The Clown is book 3 of 3 in Kathryn Ann Kingsley's Harrow Faire series. Start with The Puppeteer.
- Book 2 The Puppeteer · 2020
- Book 3 The Clown (this book) · 2020
- Book 4 The Ringmaster · 2020
Order checked against the Goodreads Harrow Faire series page on 13 October 2026. The Harrow Faire series in order.
Who it's for
Shelf note written for this site. We do not copy reviews or publisher blurbs. Outbound links are search pages, not quoted ratings. Kindle Unlimited and endings are only flagged when we were willing to mark them. How we rate.
Missing a book? Suggest it.
Books like The Clown
Matched on shared tropes, then the closest spice and darkness scores. Other books in the same series are listed above, not here.
- Infernium
Infernium
Keri Lake
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Dark fantasy romance
- Lunamare
Lunamare
Pepper Winters
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Dark fantasy romance
- The WitchSlayer
The WitchSlayer
Opal Reyne
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Dark fantasy romance
- A Ship of Bones & Teeth
A Ship of Bones & Teeth
Karina Halle
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Dark fantasy romance
- Lady Venom Takes a Mistress
Lady Venom Takes a Mistress
Kat Blackthorne
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Dark fantasy romance
- Never Keep
Never Keep
Susanne Valenti, Caroline Peckham
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Dark fantasy romance
- Anathema
Anathema
Keri Lake
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Dark fantasy romance
- Caged Wolf
Caged Wolf
Susanne Valenti, Caroline Peckham
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Dark fantasy romance
Books like The Clown, with a reason for each
Questions readers actually ask
What is the spice level of The Clown?
The Clown spice level is 4 of 5 (Explicit). On-page sex, clearly written. Darkness is a separate score: 5 of 5 (No light).
What are the The Clown trigger warnings?
Graphic: Sexual assault, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Gore, Captivity, Abuse. Moderate: none flagged. Minor: none flagged. These are book-specific flags reported by readers on reader-submitted content warnings on The StoryGraph (top flag reported by 10 readers), grouped by us. The author's own note may list more. Read it before you start.
Is The Clown dark romance?
Yes, at the very dark end. The Clown scores 5 of 5 on our darkness scale (No light). The book is not interested in pulling the punch.
What tropes are in The Clown?
On this shelf The Clown is filed under Dark fantasy romance.
Who is The Clown for?
Pick this up if you want dark fantasy with explicit spice. Look at the warnings before you commit. Start earlier in Harrow Faire if you can.
What are some books like The Clown?
Matched on shared tropes and similar spice and darkness: Infernium by Keri Lake; Lunamare by Pepper Winters; The WitchSlayer by Opal Reyne; A Ship of Bones & Teeth by Karina Halle; Lady Venom Takes a Mistress by Kat Blackthorne; Never Keep by Susanne Valenti, Caroline Peckham. More read-alikes, each with a reason, are on zademasked.com/like/the-clown.
Is The Clown a standalone?
No. The Clown is book 3 of 3 in the Harrow Faire series by Kathryn Ann Kingsley. The series starts with The Puppeteer.
What order should I read the Harrow Faire series in?
2. The Puppeteer; 3. The Clown; 4. The Ringmaster.
How many books are in the Harrow Faire series?
The Harrow Faire series by Kathryn Ann Kingsley has 3 main books.
What is the The Clown age rating?
We'd say 18+. Spice sits at 4/5 (explicit) and darkness at 5/5 (no light). That's our recommendation, not an official rating, so read the trigger warnings as well.
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