Title: Heat of the Everflame
Author: Penn Cole
Publisher: Self Published
Publication Date: September 9, 2023
ISBN: 9798988161745
Synopsis:
The war has begun. Both sides demand Diem’s allegiance—or her death. After her disastrous coronation, Diem finds herself at the center of the conflict between the Descended and the Guardians. With her newfound friends and the man she’s falling for on one side, and the mortals she has vowed to protect on the other, Diem must walk a careful line to save the people she loves… even from each other.
The mystery of her unusual heritage begins to unravel, sending Diem and Luther on an unexpected journey across the realms. The answers may hold the key to winning the war, but finding them will require her to face painful truths about her mother, her bloodline, and her fate. Meanwhile, the Crowns have set Diem in their sights. Some could be her greatest allies—while others want her dead. To end their oppressive reign, Diem must sort friend from foe and risk it all to build an army of her own. But a powerful figure in the north has plans that could change everything…
I do love this series, even with it’s quirks, it’s still an interesting and engaging series and I cannot wait for the final book to be released. While this book struggles with the relationship development and an often frustrating FMC, overall, the world-building, the expansion of the magical system, and the development of the brewing rebellion/war continues to keep this as one of my top series for the year.
Romantasy lovers will find all the great tropes: enemies-to-lovers, (very) slow burn romans, political turmoil, interesting magic. On top of these themes that keep us all hooked, this world is so expansive and has very distinct magical and political divides from region to region. I am excited every time the story moves to a new part of the world, as it means we’ll get to learn an entirely new group of people and the magic they possess.
It’s not just the world that’s growing, but the power of the FMC too. Diem’s power and ability develops more and more with every passing book. She learns more about her heritage and works on accepting and harnessing her power in this third book, and I can only imagine the heights she’ll reach as she enters the final book in the series. It’d be great to have more time spent on her mastery of her power because it’s expanding exponentially and I’d love to watch her learn to harness and wield it more. I really hope we see her growth and her relationship with Luther come to a satisfying conclusion.
Luther is a questionable character sometimes, but I think that’s part of him being morally grey, but I want to see more out of him. The romance is not as forward-facing as it is in the first two books, which for an already very slow burn, is a bit disappointing. There’s also a lack of trust that’s grown between them, which seems counterintuitive to the growth one would hope to see by book 3. Hopefully better things to come. This is the biggest area where we need to see a come back.
Still keeping an eye out for the final book in the series. It’s been delayed and it’s torture not knowing when/what’s to come, but rest assured as soon as it’s out, I’ll be posting the final review.
Happy reading!
Worn Pages and Ink 