Me and romantasy are often a good match. However, this totally depends on the kind of book and whether it’s interesting to me. Said book has to have some components to make this an enjoyable read for me. After taking a small break from this genre after reading Onyx Storm, I was ready for another romantasy and since I want to focus more on my backlog this year, it was time for Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole to try and impress me. I didn’t read any reviews beforehand, I saw the title plenty of times, checked the blurb months ago and got myself a copy. So, I went into this reading/listening experience with little to no expectations. Yes, I first got the ebook but found the audiobook for sale sometime later.

Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole
Series: The Kindred’s Curse #1
Published by Independently published on June 1, 2023
Pages: 438
Genres: Fantasy, New adult, Romantasy

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.

This book starts off quite slow. This is no surprise when you take into the account Cole already warns the readers that this is a slow-burn. Our main character Diem is introduced, alongside her family and the setting of this novel. Diem is destined to follow in her mom’s footsteps as a healer. She enjoys her job, but she wants more in life. She wants to leave the kingdom where she has been living under strict rules and protection for nearly all her live. Diem is a fierce character who doesn’t stay away from a fight, even if it would be better if she did. She seems like to have everything a person could wish for, a loving family, a respected job and a loyal best friend. Once the story progresses, we learn much more about Diem and her world. Slowly it’s becoming clear that she’s unhappy and wants to do everything to create a better world for herself and her younger brother. These events rapid once her mom disappears and they mark the point where this book is slowly getting more interesting. All characters are well-written and show growth, but if we should be happy with this… Who knows.

The first few chapters are a great setup for what’s to come. The world is introduced, although the characters often stay in one place. I still find the entire worldbuilding quite complicated, because the kingdoms and their explanation aren’t included in the audiobook. Thankfully I also got myself the ebook months ago, so I was able to figure this out somehow. However, it took me a long while before I was fully emersed in Diem’s story, despite Cole’s accessible writing. This writing style made the book an easy listen, alongside Amanda Dolan’s great performance.

The plot picks up quite far into the book. But, when it picks up, it picks up good. Whereas the first half of this novel is moving slow, the second half is a whirlwind. So many things seem to happen at once and we see so much growth in our cast of characters. Masks are coming off and true motives are revealed. This part kept me listening, whereas it took me several days to get through the first half. This is definitely a slow-burn regarding pace, but also regarding spice. Yes, there is romance, but it’s not more than a few passionate kisses. The ending is a cliffhanger that leaves hungry for more.

Spark of the Everflame is the first book in the “Kindred curse” saga by Penn Cole and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters are well-written and are definitely not the weak, dependent, special snowflake type which is pretty refreshing. Despite the accessible writing and the great narration, it took me a while before finishing the first half of the book. This part is moving slow, whereas the second part picks up speed. This was really intriguing, and the ending is such a cliffhanger! I can’t wait to figure out how this story will evolve in the following books, something I didn’t expect at first.