Book Review: Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Magic, Slow Burn
Pages: 438
Format: Ebook
Rating:

This review contains mild spoilers.

Initial Thoughts

Spark of the Everflame is another Booktok favorite I was excited to try. Truthfully, I didn’t know much about, but I knew it was a fantasy romance, and I thought it was a completed series, but I was bamboozled on that front – the last book is coming out sometime in 2026. I asked my TikTok followers should I read this book next or The Cruel Prince, and Spark of the Everflame was chosen. I’m also trying to make my way through my physical TBR, so that’s another reason this book was a contender.

The Plot 

Diem Bellator is a mortal living in Lumnos, Realm of Light and Shadow. She’s following in her mother’s steps of being a healer, while also being a trained fighter under her father. One day Diem sees her mother talking to a Descended, and the next day her mother is gone. Diem is determined to find out where her mother is, and she knows the Descended are a key to this. As Diem starts on this journey to find her mother, she learns that her mother was keeping secrets that’ll change her life as she knows it forever.

What I Liked

I enjoyed the first chapter a lot. It started off fast-paced and there was a lot happening already which surprised me. We were presented with a clear mystery: where is Diem’s missing mother; who the “villains” or antagonist were: the Descended; and a witty, strong, FMC: Diem.

There was a lot of world-building and info dumping in the beginning, but I was intrigued by the world and the lore:

“According to the old mortal religion, all life began as sparks from the Everflame that fell to the earth as glowing seeds. At death, those found worthy by the Old Gods would be placed among its burning branches, where their earthly bodies would turn to ash but their souls would remain forever warmed by the Undying Fire. Those found unworthy were doomed to an eternity in a cold hell encased in ice, far from the Everflame’s redeeming heat.”

This world also includes nine realms: Lumnos, Realm of Light and Shadow; Fortos, Realm of Force and Valor; Faunos, Realm of Beast and Brute; Arboros, Realm of Root and Thorn; Ignos, Realm of Sand and Flame; Umbros, Realm of Mind and Secret; Meros, Realm of Sea and Sky; Sophos, Realm of Thought and Spark; Montios, Realm of Stone and Ice.

So the plot for sure had potential, and the world-building was there. I liked Diem in the beginning as I always appreciated a FMC who isn’t a damsel-in-distress, knows how to fight, and is quick with the comebacks. I’m almost embarrassed to admit it, but I kind of thought Diem was like my girl Aelin in the beginning, but that is a very wrong comparison and I take that thought back. There’s only one Aelin, and she’s my Roman Empire. However, I still do appreciate Diem’s ability to fight, having been trained by her father, and I do like her one-liners:

What Didn’t Work for Me

Something I don’t like is predictability and this book was so predictable. Also, the denial Diem was in drove me crazyyyyyyyy. Like, beyond crazy. ALL THE SIGNS WERE THERE. It was CLEAR she was a Descended or even something more. There was no mystery, no suspense, we all knew it. The very end though, I didn’t expect it to happen until books 2 or 3, but that wasn’t too much of a shock either.

The plot also felt a little too familiar. The healer FMC with hidden powers, realm-divided world, and prophecy-driven destiny reminded me heavily of A Dawn of Onyx (Kate Golden) with a touch of A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (Jennifer L. Armentrout). While there are differences, I didn’t love feeling like I’d read this story before.

Also, I felt like there was no true climax to the story. The very first chapters started the off very fast-paced, but then after that I felt like the pacing was very stagnant. Usually the last 100 pages of a fantasy is fast-paced, but for this one, something exciting did happen, but I wasn’t as engaged as I would want to be.

Final Thoughts

I guess I would recommend this book, especially if you liked A Dawn of Onyx. (I have a review for the final book in the series, A Reign of Rose, but not books 1 or 2.) I really wasn’t blown away by this book, but I am intrigued enough to continue with the series. There was a cliff hanger towards the end, and I do want to see how it plays out. I try not to DNF books or series, but if Glow of the Everflame doesn’t substantially pick up, I may not continue on.