Kindred's Curse Saga (Books 1-3)

By Penn Cole

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Spark of the Everflame

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Glow of the Everflame

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Heat of the Everflame

What's it about? (spoiler free)

The Kindred's Curse Saga follows Diem Bellator, a healer living in a world divided between mortals and Descended. When secrets about her past begin to unravel, Diem is thrust into a dangerous political game filled with rebellion, prophecy, magic, and, of course, forbidden attraction.

I picked up Spark of the Everflame on a whim and immediately understood the hype. Before I knew it, I was flying through pages and jumping straight into book two. This series delivers addictive fantasy, political intrigue, high stakes, and one of those romances that keeps you turning pages long past bedtime.

What Worked:

✨ Spark of the Everflame (5 Stars)

This book completely hooked me.

The slow-burn romance was perfection, the world-building was immersive without being overwhelming, and Diem felt like a genuinely strong FMC from the start. She isn't perfect, but she's determined, compassionate, and willing to fight for what she believes in.

Most importantly? I couldn't put it down.

This is one of those rare fantasy books where I finished the final page and immediately opened the sequel.

🔥 Glow of the Everflame (4 Stars)

I've seen a lot of readers complain about Diem's decisions in this book, but honestly, they worked for me.

Diem is struggling with impossible choices while trying to understand her own flaws and limitations. Her mistakes felt frustrating at times, but they also felt human. She's navigating both internal and external battles, and I appreciated seeing her wrestle with the consequences of her actions instead of magically becoming the perfect heroine overnight.

The pacing remains highly readable, the tension continues to build, and the relationships become even more compelling.

⚔️ The Series as a Whole

Penn Cole knows how to end chapters.

Every time I thought I'd stop reading, something happened that forced me to keep going. The political intrigue, secrets, betrayals, and romance all work together to create a series that's incredibly bingeable.

What Didn't Work:

🌋 Heat of the Everflame (3.5 Stars Rounded Up to 4)

This was the first book in the series where I really struggled.

The biggest issue was the length. At times, the story felt stretched beyond what it needed to be, and the pacing suffered because of it.

More frustrating was Diem's character arc. Throughout much of this book, she makes obvious mistakes and ignores things that seem painfully clear to both the reader and the characters around her. Instead of feeling like natural flaws, some of these choices felt like they existed solely to move the plot forward.

For me, it occasionally crossed the line from character growth into character regression.

The Diem I loved in the first two books seemed to devolve at times, which made portions of this installment frustrating to read.

Read This if you Like:

📚 Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

📚 A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

📚 From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

📚 The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

📚 Fantasy romance with slow-burn tension

📚 Strong female leads who aren't afraid to make mistakes

📚 Political intrigue and hidden identities

📚 Binge-worthy fantasy series

Final Thoughts

Despite my frustrations with Heat of the Everflame, I'm still fully invested in this series.

Spark of the Everflame remains my favorite installment so far, and Glow of the Everflame successfully built upon everything I loved about book one. While book three stumbled in places, the world, characters, and overarching story are still compelling enough that I'll absolutely be picking up the next installment.