Title: Spark of the Everflame
Author: Penn Cole
Publisher: Independently published
Publication Date: June 2023
ISBN: 9798988161714
Synopsis:
In a mortal world colonized by the gods and ruled over by the Descended, their cruel magic-wielding 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.
Since reading A Court of Thorns and Roses and Fourth Wing earlier this year, I’ve been on a quest to find another series that holds it’s own against these romantasy giants. It’s a tall order. Some have come very close, like Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Blood and Ash series, while many have fallen short. After months of hearing about Spark of the Everflame on Instagram and BookTok, I finally took the plunge and bought the first book in the series. I cannot tell you enough how much I loved this book! This is one that definitely lives up to the hype.
Filled with topes like slow burn romance and enemies-to-lovers, the story follows a fiery female protagonist, Diem, who is on a journey of self discovery in the wake of her mother’s disappearance. Having taken up her mother’s legacy as a healer, Diem is doing everything she’s been told she should: working as a healer, taking her medicine, spending her time with long-time friend and recent lover Henri. A flame burns within her and she’s purposeful and driven to make a change in her world. She’s a character that can’t stand inaction and her narration of her world is artistic and intensely moving.
Diem’s world is divided by the mortals–those with no powers–and the Descended–those who are born of the crowd who carry special magical gifts. The Descended commit countless injustices against the mortals. But as Diem’s relationship with Henri grows, she learns that her own race is committing equally brutal atrocities against the Descended. She’s not sure if this is something she can stomach. As she quests to find her true path, she’ll begin to learn that things are not so black and white. Not all Descended are the brutes the humans believe them to be, and not all humans have good intentions at heart.
The romance is very slow burn, with not a lot unfolding in book one. If you’re looking for heat, it’s not going to be present in most of this first book. Our main male character, Luther, is a Descended prince with a tumultuous reputation. He’s not known for being warm and fuzzy, and that’s just the start of it. When he and Diem clash, there is instant fire that ignites between them, a compulsion that pulls them together. He’s brooding and intense, with a mysterious past, but he has a soft spot for his family and underneath his hardened exterior, there’s a soft and very real being underneath. He may be grumpy most of the time, but his attraction to Diem is undeniable.
As soon as I finished this book, I immediately ordered the next two books in the series. They’re next on my list after my current read and I can’t wait to get swept away into this world. Romantasy readers, this is a new one for you! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Happy reading!
Worn Pages and Ink 