Glow of the Everflame: The Kindred's Curse Saga, Book 2
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This BookTok hit follows the events of Spark of the Everflame with Diem Bellator facing a coming war, dangerous enemies around every corner, and a battle for her heart—now in a collectible hardcover edition featuring gorgeous full-color endpapers, an exclusive designed hardcover case, and a never-before-seen bonus chapter.
The threat of war has arrived at Diem’s doorstep, along with a new discovery that could save her people. To use it, she must survive the next thirty days by bargaining with the people she hates most: the royal family of House Corbois.
But as she dives into the world of the Descended elite, Diem quickly realizes good and evil aren’t as black and white as they seem. Old prejudices are challenged, and new loyalties blur the line between friend and foe.
With her mother still missing, the secrets she left behind can no longer be ignored—and neither can the Guardians and their demands. Caught between an old flame and a sizzling new spark, Diem must confront the truth about who she is and what she wants before time runs out.
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Community Reviews
Glow of the Everflame somehow made a magical crown, deadly royal challenges, political rebellion, forbidden attraction, and an approaching war feel painfully uneventful. Penn Cole expands the world of The Kindred’s Curse Saga considerably in this second installment. My attention disappeared somewhere beneath the court politics, lengthy explanations, and seemingly endless worldbuilding.
Diem Bellator has been chosen by the Everflame as the next Queen of Lumnos. Her new position places her among the Descended. They are an immortal ruling class she has spent years distrusting. She has thirty days before rival Houses can challenge her claim through deadly combat. Survival requires an alliance with House Corbois and its intimidating prince, Luther.
Diem must contend with a missing mother, mortal rebellion, dangerous royal families, emerging magic, and competing loyalties surrounding her from every direction. The amount of explanation devoted to each piece drained most of the life from them. Plot twists were unsurprising because they received so much preperation with the long winded writing. I usually knew where the story was headed long before Diem did.
Character relationships suffered from the sheer volume of prose. Diem’s changing beliefs about the Descended should create compelling internal conflict and character development. Her relationships with Henri and Luther should bring intrigue into an already dangerous political situation. Both became background noise beneath pages of political maneuvering and fantasy lore. I wanted considerably more time with the characters as people and considerably less explanation of the world surrounding them.
The romance tested every ounce of my patience. I found myself searching through hundreds of pages for small pieces of their relationship. Diem and Luther have attraction, chemistry, forced proximity, and plenty of obstacles standing between them. The romantic progression moves at a pace that made slow burn feel like a generous description. They finally kiss after roughly 1,048 pages. I stared at the wall after their public display of affection thinking, "We crossed a thousand pages for this?"
Pick up this installment if you are someone who adores sprawling high fantasy, extensive worldbuilding, royal politics, and extremely slow romantic development. I spent far more time counting pages than wondering what would happen next.
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