Review: Spark of the Everflame (Kindred’s Curse #1)

Spark of the Everflame, Book 1 in the Kindred Curse Series by Penn Cole

Published By: Atria Books
Publication Date: January 1, 2021
Date Read: January 28, 2025
Genre: Adult – Romantasy
Source: Bought
Format: Audiobook
Pages: 416

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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 fantasy romance series. This slow burn, enemies-to-lovers epic is perfect for lovers of magic, dragons, angst, and banter and will appeal to fans of books like A Court of Thorns and Roses, From Blood and Ash, Gild, and The Serpent & the Wings of Night.

“Don’t choose a mediocre life for a mediocre man. Go be exceptional. If he’s worth it, he won’t judge you. And if he’s really the one, he’ll come along for the ride.”

Spark of the Everflame is a book I’ve seen around the bookstagram and booktok platforms for a few months. Everyone I see talking about this book seems to absolutely love it, and when I saw that the author is attending this years RARE London, I decided it was time to finally pick this one up. I decided to read this one via audiobook and I am so glad that I did. The narrator did such a fantastic job, and I highly recommend the audio edition of this book to anyone who is an audio listener.

Spark of the Everflame is a fantasy series set in a world where the descendents of Gods are ruling over the world. Humans are living in fear of what the Descended can do to them. When Diem’s mother, a healer that worked for the Descended, goes missing, Diem finds herself thrown into the world of the Descended. But she is harbouring a secret that is too dangerous for anyone to know. Will she be able to find out what happened to her mother, while keeping herself and the rest of the family safe.

I absolutely loved everything about this book. I really enjoyed the fact that there was a little bit of a unreliable narrator. We know that Diem has a big secret, but even though she knows it, you as the reader do not until later on in the book. And while it was something that I personally guessed very early and feel like it was easy to guess, I really liked that there was still the element of the narrator keeping things hidden from us. It was very cleverly done and I loved this.

Honestly, I was really apprehensive when starting this book. I’d seen a lot of reviews and videos about this series where people hated on Diem, and said how annoying she was, and that nobody could like this character… but I honestly really like Diem as a main character. She goes through such a journey in this book. Does she made ridiculous decisions that you know will blow up in her face? Yes, she does. And there were times where I was like ‘Girl… don’t do that!’ but I appreciate that she is a 20-year-old girl, who is going to make mistakes. And honestly it is needed to allow for character growth later on in the series. I personally loved her.

Spark of the Everflame is an addictive book. I couldn’t stop listening to this book and loved every single moment of it. The ending had me completely reeling, and I can’t wait to dive into book 2 of this series. I will absolutely be buying this series in physical as I need them on my shelf. This is definitely a book that I will read again and again. I can’t wait to dive into book 2 and see what happens next. This is a definitely must-read for any romantasy lovers. I adored every moment of it!

“But I didn’t choose to be a healer, nor did I choose to take my mother’s role. And I didn’t want gentle or delicate. I wanted to burn.”