Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole

Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole

The first in The Kindred's Curse Saga, Spark of the Everflame is Penn Cole's debut novel and since it's release in 2023, it seems like it is everywhere. An age old story of one group of people held down by another, this story deals with child abuse and death, hate crime, racism, violence - sexual and otherwise, blood, murder, fire and injuries by fire, abandonment, war, and classism. This is a review for Spark of the Everflame, but if you're looking for a more in depth summary before going further into the series, check out our series page for The Kindred's Curse Saga.

Diem Bellator's life is not glamorous, but it is her life and she is (mostly) content. A brother who she loves (even if he is annoying as all younger brothers are), a doting boyfriend (kind of), and a career that she followed her mother into and which she loves. Until her mother suddenly goes missing. Now she must dig further into what's been going on around her to make sure that her brother can stay in the school that he attends, and safe. She finds out that her mother had secrets that she still doesn't understand, that her almost boyfriend has gotten himself involved with dangerous company, that maybe her own past isn't exactly what she thought it was, and that war is on the horizon. In order to learn more and help where she can, Diem begins to attend to the dying king and others of the Descended in Lumnos City. There she meets Prince Luther, who has a strange sort of pull on her that she doesn't understand, but she doesn't altogether hate either.

I would not say that I loved Spark of the Everflame. I think the writing is a bit juvenile and does not have any subtlety. Not to mention that Diem is annoying and overly naive. However, I am intrigued. There are some interesting parts of the plot that are moving and I'm interested to see where it goes, plus I think that Diem could pull herself together if she wanted to and possibly become a character that I would like. For a first novel, I don't think it was bad and it has some real potential. There's nothing really groundbreaking here, but I'm hopeful for the next book in the series.

Altogether, I'm giving Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole 3.5 stars out of 5. Spice level is a .5. There was nothing here to really complain about, but there was also nothing here that I was really excited about. I will be reading the next in the series, Glow of the Everflame, when I can get my hands on a copy and am cautiously optimistic that Penn Cole will only get better. To see our series summary, check out our page for The Kindred's Curse Saga.

For more from the author, check out her website at https://www.penncole.com/

Pairs well with red currant yogurt cakes in honor of the color of the flameroot powder and not getting a giant, illicit back tattoo.