Spark of the Everflame Synopsis:
When old secrets catch fire, everything will burn.
In a mortal world colonized by the gods and ruled over by the Descended, their cruel offspring, Diem Bellator yearns to escape the insular life of 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 the web of mysteries her mother left behind.
With the dying King’s handsome, mysterious heir watching her every move, and a ruthless mortal alliance recruiting her to join the growing civil war, Diem will have to 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 fantasty romance that follows our fiesty, badass heroine Diem Bellator in her fight against injustice and oppression, her struggle to survive in a royal palace for of betrayal and intrigue, and her journey of self-discovery and finding true love. This slow burn, enemies-to-lovers series is perfect for fans of unique magic systems, dragons, angst, romantic tension and hilarious banter. This book will appeal to fans of plot heavy, character-driven romantasy such as A Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass, From Blood and Ash, Gild, Shadow & Bone, and the Serpent & the Wings of Night.
I started this book yesterday at lunch and got to chapter 2. I then came home from work around four pm and started reading it again, and finished it at eight pm. Spark of the Everflame is probably one of my favorite ARC books that I have ever read.
This book is so well written. The inner monologue of the main character is really good, and I really love the Penn Cole’s writers voice. Everything just flows so naturally and it’s a super fun read. I didn’t want to stop reading it (obviously I didn’t)
“But I was made of swinging fists and rash words, my edges too jagged and my temper too hot. Nothing about me was delicate.”
Spark of the Everflame
The flow of the story was good, and the way that the character makes decisions. Sometimes I was like “Oh my gosh, why?” and I could feel Diem’s anger and emotions. Some of her decisions -though I didn’t always agree with them- kept me on the edge of my seat and brought much more intrigue to the storyline.
The characters are all very strong and standout. Diem’s snarky attitude is perfect, and so is her will to fight and be heard. In Henri you can see the fervent core beliefs that he lives by. He tries to protect her from his world at first, then he’s proud of her cause he thinks she believes the same things he does. I love the Prince Luther. He’s so broody and larger than life in Diem’s eyes. I love that you can see that he cares about Diem. Even Diem’s familial relationships are written so well and are so strong. You want her dad to be proud of her, you want her little brother to be in the gifted school, you want her teacher Maura to believe in her. The character conversations are excellent. The characters are what pull you into the story, and make you feel like you are right there with Diem.
The world building is beautiful. The author describes the beauty of the Descended castle and town, the mortal slums and all its smells. It’s very easy to build a picture of what Diem is seeing in your minds eye.
The storyline is really good. There’s no super clear antagonist (yet). There are some antagonistic characters throughout the story, but there’s not a specific antagonist. However the story builds up like it’s going to have one. If you look at it – the war that is brewing and the fighting between the mortals and the Descended is the antagonistic part of the story, which I really like. But the storyline is still clear – bad things are happening to her and she is trying to adjust and fight. It’s just so good.
Like I said, this has got to be one of my favorite ARC’s I’ve read, and definitely one of my top books of 2023. Actually – I already added it to my list of favorite books.
The spice is really good – it’s tastefully done and hasn’t gotten super spicy yet, but it’s so good. 2 or 3/5 on the spice scale. 5/5 stars. I recommend this for anyone who loves the MC finding power within themselves, enemies to not-quite-lovers, (but the feelings are there), and found power. It’s just a really great read with a great storyline, a beautiful world with strong characters that you get attached to so quickly.
It comes out June 1st – and I recommend it!
I received this book as an ARC from author Penn Cole. Thank you so much for letting me read your book! All opinions are 100% honest and my own.
The Bashful Bibliophile 
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