One of the best books I've read in a while. The rich world building, intentional writing and deep character development had me in a chokehold. Cole is a exceptional writer- ands I can't wait to see what she does next.

I LOVED this book.
The tension. The banter. THE TWIST!!
I cannot wait to continue this series. Diem is a badass who will do anything to protect her family, including sacrificing herself to unravel her mother's secrets. The book follows Diem as she navigates being a healer, a partner, an investigator, a sister, and a daughter. I could not put this down, and highly recommend the book.

This book was such a pleasant surprise! It’s packed with political intrigue, class disparities, and old gods, all woven into a rich fantasy world. Diem, the passionate and flawed heroine, is bold and relatable, even if her choices sometimes left me frustrated—especially regarding her missing mother. But by the end, she truly shines, and I’m excited to see her grow in future books.

Luther, the broody and mysterious prince, is perfectly written. His protective and caring nature paired with sharp banter makes him unforgettable. Their slow-burn romance is light on spice but full of tension, and the pacing allows their connection to feel authentic.

The side characters, including Maura and Teller, add so much heart to the story, while the epilogue leaves you desperate for book two. If you love slow-burn fantasy romance with rich world-building, this is one you don’t want to miss!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books

✨Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole✨

Genre: Romantasy
Pages: 416
Series: The Kindred’s Curse Saga, Book 1

📚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, 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.

📝 A promising start to a romantasy series! I had so much fun with this.

The magic system is interesting and the plot is fast-paced! This is definitely a slow burn so don’t expect any romance just yet.

I have to admit Diem is a little annoying, but I want to see how her character develops. Luther is my new book boyfriend, but there are still a lot of secrets that haven’t been revealed just yet.

I’m hoping the next book has more character development and more political intrigue with the Corbois family/house.

PSA: the ending is a cliffhanger🚨

Two different people had recommended this book and I don't know why it took me so long to start it.

Diem Belabor, you have my heart. She ranks high on my list of favorite main female characters! She has bravery and resilience without the naiveté that sometimes makes me 🙄

The pacing is fantastic and at no point did I feel as though I was struggling through a decent sized book. I didn't necessarily guess the ending from early on, but probably from the last eighth onwards, you can figure out where it's headed. Can't wait to read book 2!

Yeah, there’s a reason this has blown up recently. Definitely deserves all the hype & praise! Glad this is being traditionally published, can’t wait to continue on in the series!!

This was SO good! I had a feeling Diem would be the Queen of Lumnos but that still shook me! I can't wait to see what happens next with Diem and her mom as well!

This was the first fantasy book I’ve picked up in a little bit after getting a little fantasy’d out, and I really enjoyed it! I think it was the perfect amount of world building with an intriguing magic system to keep me hooked and engaged without being too much for my brain to handle right now. I read it mostly on audio, following along with the physical when I could. I really loved Amanda Dolan’s narration for the book. She was great with different character voices and her inflection was the perfect thing to give sass to Diem’s character.

This story is one in which those with magic, the Descended (off-spring of the cruel gods), rule over the mortals who are impoverished and weak. A rebellion is stirring and war is on the horizon. Diem is a mortal healer whose mother has recently disappeared, giving her the unwanted opportunity to work as the palace healer in her mother’s place. While she tries to find out what happened to her mother, she increasingly is drawn to the dark and mysterious heir to the throne while also getting recruited to join the rebellion group, the Guardians, with her long-term friend (with benefits), Henri. As she digs deeper into the mystery of her mother’s disappearance, she gets increasingly entangled with both the Guardians and Prince Luthor, and soon must make decisions about how far she will go to protect those she loves.

As I said, I did enjoy the book and found it pretty easy to get into. The characters interested me overall, and the world building and magic is pretty easy to understand. The book wasn’t perfect. I’ve seen some mixed reviews online and would agree that Diem’s character was a bit naive and her behavior had me questioning her often, but it wasn’t off-putting for me and I’m very curious to see what happens with her next book given how this one ended. This book also is a bit slower, as it is doing a lot to set up the world and politics within it. It did have a bit of excitement in the end, but I’m hoping we get more intensity in the next book. It also contains the very common trope of childhood friend who is in love with FMC but she falls for the bad boy/villain/enemy/new guy in her life. It was predictable in that sense, but we eat up that storyline every time, so I can’t complain too much.

Overall, it’s a solid start to a new romantasy series and I’m excited to see where the story goes next!

Thank you Atria and NetGalley for the copies of this book!

Will post review to instagram in December 2024 - along with review for book 2.

You can always count on me to sign up for a romantasy. I was really excited for this one, but in some ways I felt like it just didn’t hit the mark. Diem makes questionable choices left and right that realistically she shouldn’t have been able to survive and walk away from. I mean even in a fantasy land, things still have to make sense. Her character frustrated me to no end, however . . . in comes Luther. Despite Diem making me want to scream from the rooftops, I am so very interested in Luther and will be reading the next one. Hopefully the twists are less predictable and the Everflame series lives up to the promising potential it has.

*Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

4.5⭐️ .5🌶️ for some closed door & angst
A great start to a series! This book had a strong, sassy FMC who is much more than meets the eye. I really enjoyed her strong will and tenacity when faced with those who think they can overpower or silence her. I can’t wait to see the dynamic between her and Luther, the heir-apparent to the throne. The end of the book ends on a lovely cliffhanger with so many Easter eggs, I don’t where to look! I can’t wait to dive into book 2!

One of the best fantasy romances of the year! Diem’s flaws are rooted in not only self-preservation but in protecting her family. She represents the flaws in love and loyalty. The world-building is so effortless and easy to follow while somehow managing to be entricit. The romance subplot is slow-burn but dare I say Luther is one of the best MMC I have encountered in a long time. If you enjoy enemies-to-lovers, slow burn, magical, Gods, and political unrest then pick this book up!

Yet another romantasy I DID NOT see coming. The descriptive layering, world building, sense of humour, distinctive personalities, and conflicts are sharp and stunning. This feels like an adventure fantasy where I’ve travelled with the characters and yet the story takes place within a relatively small area. The slow burn is *chef’s kiss*. I’m all in. I will be reading all of these books. Can’t wait to see what else Penn Cole has coming.

I really liked the world building in Spark of the Everflame. The story was easy enough to follow and I liked learning more about Diem and her powers. I do feel like the romance aspect of this book was not as developed as I wanted it to be. I didn't feel the chemistry between Diem and Luther as much as I would have liked. Interested to see where the story progresses in the next book.

Holy shitttttt. I have no words! This was so good! I loved it and couldn't put it down! I'm so thankful to have gotten to read this! I was skeptical but wow this was amazing! I loved the MMC!

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy and I'm so thankful to have been given this opportunity! 10/10

Fabulous!
Amazing world building right from the outset, and a mysterious plot with a missing person, no less!
This just had my name all over it, and I lapped it up!
The story of Diem's mother's disappearance was fascinating and intriguing, although I did feel the focus on it waned a little in the middle of the book.
I'm so excited to start Glow and see how things develop, it's a brilliant series!

This was sooooo good however, I wish we had more than 1 POV.
Magic, dragons, and strong FMC. What more could you want in your romantasy?!
"Don't chase a mediocre life for a mediocre man" one of the best quotes in the book and made me desperate for the second book.

What a great fantasy read! I don't think I'd call it romantasy just yet... hoping for that in book two. But I'm excited to see where it goes. Great characters, storyline keeps you guessing and wanting to read more, and no crazy world building to confuse you. Also a great read for a ton of ages. Very impressed!

This is a slow burn book. The world building, politics and plot driven with romance. I love this story it's so intriguing and was left with a big cliffhanger ending so you want to keep reading on to see how the story will develop. I can't wait to keep going with the series!

I was so excited to get the chance to read this hyped-up fantasy book! I remember hearing about it when it was still an indie pub and was so excited when it got picked up to be traditionally published. I was completely engrossed in the storyline, working overtime to find any free time to keep reading and devouring every bit it gave me.

Out On: October 8, 2024

FINALLY! A fantasy book that has a unique premise! I absolutely adored this book. I thought that it was so interesting and I thought the magic system was so cool and have so many questions that I am hopeful will be answered in the following books. I did have a good laugh as I realized that Luther is our newest shadow-daddy, but alas.

Unfortunately, Diem did have a mild case of bad-decision-making-fantasy-book-FMC but either way I loved her! I think that she is going to be a strong FMC throughout the remainder of this series.

Henri rubs me the wrong way for some reason, I'm sure there will be some follow up on all things pertaining to him... I am SO curious as to how Diem figures out what to do in regards to the Guardians vs. the Descended. Girlfriend has some decisions to make!