Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC! *Spark of the Everflame* by Penn Cole is an exciting first installment in the *Kindred’s Curse* series, blending elements of fantasy, romance, and political intrigue. The story follows Diem Bellator, a young woman searching for answers about her missing mother while uncovering secrets about her own mysterious heritage. Set in a world ruled by the Descended royalty, Diem’s journey into dangerous court politics and rebellion pulls readers into a slow-burn romance with the prince, Luther, while grappling with intense internal dilemmas. Fans of complex world-building, magic, and enemies-to-lovers tropes will appreciate the depth of the characters and plot twists, leaving readers eager for the next book.

This was really fun! Loved the world, it seems to be very well thought and flushed out. The pacing of the story was slow at times, but the epilogue made me really excited to continue the series.

I feel like one more Luther scene would have been good!

On the whole, yes I liked this book. The writing made up for some of the lackluster plot. I enjoyed the romance and the mystery behind Diem's missing mother. I enjoyed the lyrical way in which this book was written. I did not enjoy the overused FMC "im going to cut off your balls" with the MMC "shocked but attracted" trope. I did not enjoy the overused hot dark-haired royal who is strong, has shadow magic, shows no emotion but is clearly immediately obsessed with the fmc trope. This book didn't do anything new, but it wasn't awful to read-just repetitive of many others in this genre.

Got me out of a book hangover - and straight into another one! I cannot wait for this to be a finished series so I can devour it over and over.

Immersive world - building, fascinating writing, and the beginnings of a slow burn romance that you're really excited to see develop. The main character (Diem) was a little annoying in a few moments, but even that felt true to her development as a person and didn't pull me out of the story.

Four stars instead of 5 because: while this is a first book in a series, it really feels like a first book. The fast pace of the first half turns to a second half where not much happens. The feisty FMC loses her feistiness in a few key moments, choosing instead to be quite dumb - to a degree we do not want from a main character. The "angst" inserted into what will become the slow burn romance feels more like moodswings and not proportional reactions to what's happening.


Fans of immersive worlds, badass FMCs, and interesting magic systems unite.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC for my honest review.

I found Spark of the Everflame to be a new favorite fantasy read! I love it when the FMC is not perfect, and is dealing with the consequences of secrets that have been kept from her all of her life. It affects her relationships and decisions, and I thought Cole did a great job showing this with Diem.

The book is fast-paced and I never felt like I got bored during the story. There is intrigue, betrayal, family secrets, hidden powers and a love triangle, which all make for an exciting story. I also thought that Cole brought in a great family dynamic between Diem, her father and her brother. Chapter 31 was an intense confrontation, and I felt the emotion of it. I also enjoyed getting to see snippets of her mother, through Diem's POV, and I look forward to seeing how her character plays into the rest of the series.

I did wish that there was a bit more back-story to Luther's character, just to get more insight into him. But, I am looking forward to seeing how his character develops in the second book.

If you love enemies to lovers, a slow burn romance, magic and hidden identities, then I would definitely recommend Spark of the Everflame.

Spark of the Everflame by Pen Cole is an enchanting journey into a world where magic, adventure, and heart-stopping danger intertwine seamlessly. From the very first page, Cole weaves a mesmerizing narrative filled with vivid descriptions, intricate world-building, and a cast of memorable characters that leap off the page.

Cole offers a fresh perspective in the romantasy genre. Spark is a book with heart, rich world building, and means something. Cole is saying something on and off the page.

I loved this book. I read it before a publisher pick it up. It is the best slow burn ever! I love the main characters too.

Okay... first of all. It's pretty hard for a book to make me laugh; I actually tend to dislike it when a book actively tries to make me laugh. Humor is HARD. And while I could tell she was trying to make me laugh, I still laughed MANY times reading this book. I think the author has the same irreverent humor that I do. I feel the same way about how kind the FMC is when she's working with kids. It's so easy to give me the ick when it feels forced, but working with kids I know exactly the feeling and it really endeared me to her.

Second! I read once (totally on a meme or in an IG post or something) that the reason so many people prefer villains over the hero is because the hero will sacrifice the girl to win the war/save the kingdom/etc... but the villain will burn the earth for her. Now, is MMC a villain? Technically no, BUT you'll see what I mean WHEN you read this.

This slow burn will be the death of me. The way I regularly screamed: PLEASE. OPEN YOUR EYES. IT'S NOT A CRIME TO SEE.

I really enjoyed myself. I immediately downloaded the sequel. I have zero regrets.

This is without a doubt in my top 5 books from 2024- might even be in the top 5 of all time. From the very first page I was hooked and dove head first into the world spun up by Penn Cole. I can safely say this is the only book that has ever made me audibly laugh out loud while I was reading. It felt like I was a fly on the wall following around the FMC Diem Bellator - I felt her conflict, felt involved in her decisions, and even cringed a few times when she did something silly/out of line/down right embarrassing. (lol) I was never able to predict what was happening next which made me all the more invested in the story. I cant even count how many times I would finish a chapter, close my kindle, and say "Gosh, this is such a good book" or telling my partner "This book is so good!!!!" to which his response was and I quote "woman control yourself!" I will be recommending this book to anyone who will listen and be patiently waiting for the next in the series!

This was good, but I feel like I was expecting more based on everything I’ve been hearing. The world building and magic system were interesting and I was intrigued by the Descended and their war with the mortals. There were a lot of twists and secrets to uncover and still so many questions I need answers to.

I honestly wasn’t the biggest fan of the MC, Diem. While she was fierce and kind at heart, she also made a lot of bad decisions and was pretty wishy washy. I did really like Prince Luther, but I would have liked to have seen more him and way less of Diem’s childhood friend/lover Henri. While there was definitely a lot of tension and mistrust between Diem & Luther, I’m not sure if it really qualifies as enemies to lovers as advertised.

I didn’t really find any of the twists to be all that surprising but they were still pretty good. I honestly understood next to nothing about the epilogue but it definitely leaves you wanting more. I probably will continue the series at some point to find out what happens.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐ 3 stars

3 stars for me is an average rating for a book and this was average! I wasn't gripped by the world or characters or really anything, if I'm being honest, but I was not put off by anything either. Cole's prose is approachable and easy to consume, allowing for you to breeze through this story in a way a clunkier book would not have. It has that bingeable quality to it. That being said, I'm not sure it's entirely a good thing as often I felt the dialog was too predictable t0 be satisfying. This book is cliché, but you almost can't be mad at it. It feels purposefully snug within it's genre in every regard and those who love this very specific dynamic will be happy, I'm sure. (I'm often one of them).

One of the critiques I saw before starting this book was that Diem was stupid. I am here to tell you that that is absolutely true. Diem is an irrational, intemperate moron about 90% of the time. Why? No good reason beside that she's not the sharpest tool in the shed. She's frustrating, but once I realized she was going to do the worst thing imaginable in every scene, it became comedic to watch her flail and pretend to be a good spy. You gotta hand it to her, the girl fails upwards.

The romance was almost nonexistent but that was not a problem for me, I can survive on crumbs, but if you need your stories to be drenched in pining and lustful glances, this will be slow for you. Actually, overall, it felt slow to me, like the entire book was set up. So here's to hoping that I enjoy the second book even more!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC

Wow was this amazing! Solid world building, strong character and plot development. I’m so excited to continue on in the series right away. I also can understand why this originally indie published series is getting a trad pub now. Highly recommend if you fantasy!!!

Diem Bellator serves as a nurse, and one night she overhears a conversation she wasn’t meant to... then her mother disappears!

This book is packed with fantasy-political intrigue that keeps you wanting answers to every question that arises as you read. Of course, there's also tension between the FMC and her male companions 😏. Romance isn’t the main plot yet, but that’s why it’s called a slow burn, right? 🔥 Let me tell you, we definitely get the spark, and now I NEED to know what happens in the second and third books!

I enjoyed this book so much! The world, composed of Humans vs. Descended, makes for such an intriguing society. I adore a great fantasy world, and if there’s romance too, even better! AGH, I flew through this one 📚✨. But to all of those that said if this was a slow burn OH IT ISSSSS because I swear it was 5% romance (but the tension scenes were delish) I can't wait to see it unravel in the second book GIVE IT TO ME!

Thank you Atria Books & Netgalley for the eARC in exchange of my honest review

WOW!!! This book was so exciting and captivating and I’m so floored that this is a debut book!! Cannot wait to continue this series and will be picking up book 2 VERY SOON!

Slow burn, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, touch her and die, and he falls first are some of my fav tropes and I just ate this up. Highly recommend!! ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

4.5 stars. Why did I wait so long to start this series?! I love the FMC who basically walks around risking herself to help anyone in need. There really was only small glimpses of magic, and I suspect book 2 will reveal so much more. The ending of this book has me freaking out! I have to start book 2 asap!

I strongly recommend this book if you liked The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, ACOTAR, and The Mortal Instruments. Be warned that there is no spice! Not all books need spice you pervs.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review. Feel free to share book 2 with me!!!!

A fun read and kept me engaged. I hadn’t previously heard of the author or series and am SHOCKED that this is better/more widely known. Well written and was kind of a slow burn but it WORKED! Loved it and am sad I can’t read it again for the first time!

What a great start to a new romantasy series. I wanted to jump right into the second book and continue this slow burn romantic fantasy. I found Diem to be slight irritating but I know that we are setting up for a huge character arc and she is going to be amazing as she grows. I am ready to fall In love with Luther. I can tell he's going to be top tier book boyfriend material. I think if you like Kaan from When the Moon Hatched you'll like Luther. Penn Cole has a really beautiful and lyrical writing style that I am really enjoying.

thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review!

I wanted to read this book for a while and I'm glad I did. it's a good time for sure, and the world is really cool. however, it's also got issues.

I found Diem so charming and I think it's extremely clear that the author loves her too. one thing I did want from her was her to STRUGGLE more. I feel like she either carried things out perfectly with little effort, or she entirely failed. the two examples of her spying are a good example of this. I also really do dislike it when books go on and on about how one person (or group of people in this case) is SO powerful and SO dangerous but then the main character spends all their time sassing and insulting them with no consequences, but that's just an annoyance.

Luther is where I feel the book really falters. I feel like this guy was only in about 25% of the book and I had no real sense of who he was. this book gets advertised as enemies-to-lovers, but it only really works on Diem's side because Luther is obviously immediately smitten and doesn't seem to struggle with his feelings at all. we also, again, just have so little of him. I feel like this will be improved in future books, though.

I loved the supporting cast. pretty much all of them were so charming and I hope they come back in future books. I was going to say how much I loved Diem's relationship with her family, but (spoilers) I don't know the status of that after the last 10% or so. yikes

one thing I do appreciate is that the author clearly has the series as a big picture in mind, so not every question gets answered here. some of the mysteries here, like what exactly happened with Diem's mom, work really well as hooks for the rest of the series. however, others, like Diem's real father/lineage, are so laughably obvious that I don't know why they weren't answered in this one.

I will eventually check out the rest of this series, but it's on the backburner for now.

This was such a fun and delightful read. I loved getting to hang with Diem, and the tension going on with her and Luther is so, so good. Emarion is certainly going to be a fun and exciting place to explore, and I hope we get to learn about more of the territories. Immediately diving into the rest of the series!