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Blurb
***NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, USA TODAY BESTSELLER, AND AMAZON TOP 15 BESTSELLER***
When old secrets catch fire, everything will burn.
In a mortal world colonized by the gods and ruled over by their cruel, magical offspring called the Descended, healer Diem Bellator yearns to escape her poor village.
Her mother’s sudden disappearance—and the discovery of a dangerous secret about her past—offer Diem an unexpected opportunity to enter the dark world of Descended royalty and unlock a web of mysteries left behind by her mother.
With the dying King’s handsome yet enigmatic heir watching her every move and a ruthless rebel alliance recruiting her to join the growing civil war, Diem must navigate the unwritten rules of love, power, and politics in order to save her family—and all of mortalkind.
Spark of the Everflame is the first book in The Kindred's Curse Saga, a four-book epic fantasy romance series that follows feisty heroine Diem Bellator in her fight against oppression, her struggle to survive in a royal palace full of intrigue, and her journey of self-discovery and finding true love. This enemies-to-lovers romantasy features a unique magic system, dragon-like mythical creatures, hilarious banter, mysteries that will leave you theorizing for weeks, and a true slow (slowwwwwww) burn. This book will appeal to fans of plot-heavy, character-driven series such as A Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass, From Blood and Ash, Gild, Fourth Wing, and The Serpent & the Wings of Night.
Review
Spark of the Everflame by Penn ColeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
BOOK: Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole (Format: Library Paperback)
The book starts off with Forging Day, a celebration of when the Kindred (immortal siblings) bound their lives to mortal lovers in the name of peace, leaving their immortal children—the Descended—to rule in peace and prosperity... Unfortunately, the kids had other ideas...
TITLE: [Spark of the Everflame]
Author: [Penn Cole]
Status: Read Rating: 3.75/5 ⭐
Progress: Read - Total Pages: 442
QUICK IMPRESSION
As we join Diem and watch her adjust to her mother's disappearance, we learn that her origins have been kept from her and she was told she needed a herbal treatment to stay stable. Once her mother is gone, she starts thinking for herself and realizing how sheltered she's been. After a chance meeting and a cryptic message from an old woman, Diem knows her mother was mixed up in something and she's determined to find out what.
She quickly utilizes the skills her mother and her stepfather have taught her. I liked how determined she was, even knowing that it would be dangerous.
QUICK NOTES
(view spoiler)
QUOTES TO KEEP
“For anyone who has ever been told their spark shouldn’t burn so bright and for all the people who loved them precisely because it did.”
When forgotten blood on heartstone falls, then shall the chains be broke, Life for life, old debt requires, or eternal be his yoke.
Whatever you do or don’t do, sweetheart, do it for yourself. Don’t choose a mediocre life for a mediocre man. Go be exceptional.
The goddess Lumnos and her siblings wanted the Descended to protect the mortals.
KEY CHARACTERS
• [Character 1 Diem Bellator]: [Role: Healer Class: Mortal]. [A mortal healer who uses a powder called flameroot. She is a healer, but has also been taught to fight from the age of 8 by the commander (her stepfather). Compassionate, she cares deeply about her family and the mortals in her city.]
• [Character 2 Henri Alban]: [Role: Messenger Class: Mortal]. [Henri lost his mother as an infant to a treatable disease because the Descended refused to let his father travel to get medicine, and he hates them as a consequence. Childhood friend and now boyfriend of Diem.]
• [Character 3 Luther Corbois]: [Role: Prince Class: Descended]. Prince and nephew to King Ulther, with the dual power of wielding both light and shadow magic. Grumpy, but loves his sister, Princess Lilian (Lily). He is drawn to Diem and intrigued by her origins.
(There are more, but these are my favorite characters 😁 Honorable mention to Sorae the Gryvern—I love mythical creatures!)
FINAL THOUGHTS
• The Good: The worldbuilding is given easily, and the history is briefly introduced at the beginning. The pacing is slow to start, but it picks up midway through. Diem starts off with a get-it-done attitude. Her interactions with the prince were few and far between, so I didn't really get much of an opinion on his character yet.
• The Bad: The romance with Henri. I didn't like him as a character even from the beginning; a childhood friend, yes, but I am not a fan of the love triangle trope and it just didn't feel right. We also didn't get much background on Prince Luther, the scenes with Diem were limited and I because of the first person POV, we don't get to experience his side of their connection but hopefully we find out more in book 2.
• Verdict: Diem is the dominant character in this book, and because it is written from her POV, I think that is why the other characters didn't really connect with me. But in saying that, I enjoyed this book enough that I will definitely be reading book 2.
There are clues dropped in this book regarding Diem's origin, and I want to see if my predictions are correct!
View all my reviews
Author Bio
Hi! I'm Penn Cole, a NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author of fantasy romance.
While my life has taken me through a lot of ups and downs, my love for reading and writing has forever been my true north. I’ve been writing stories since my childhood, filling mountains of notebooks with wild worlds and angsty romances. After a detour as an attorney and small business owner, I am thrilled to finally be pursuing my lifelong dream of being an author. While I’m a Texas girl born and bred, I currently live in France with my husband, where I can usually be found eating way too many pastries and trolling my readers on Discord. Find out more here
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