Heat of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, # 3)
By: Penn Cole
Expected Publication: September 9, 2023 by Penn Cole
776 pages
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Magic, Dragons
Source: Personal Kindle Library
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Goodreads description--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...
Heat of the Everflame is the third book in The Kindred's Curse Saga, a four-book epic fantasy romance series that follows our fiesty, bad*ss heroine Diem Bellator in her fight against injustice, her struggle to survive in a royal palace full of betrayal and intrigue, and her journey of self-discovery and finding true love. This slow burn, enemies-to-lovers series is perfect for fans of unique magic systems, dragons and other mythical creatures, angst and romantic tension, and hilarious banter. This book will appeal to fans of plot-heavy, character-driven romantasy such as A Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass, From Blood and Ash, Gild, Shadow & Bone, and The Serpent & the Wings of Night.
Glow of the Everflame ended not exactly in a cliffhanger but in a pretty big event. Diem's father (at least the man who raised her) was murdered as a message to Diem. She's getting too powerful, and she has enemies on every side that want to crush her and her movement. But Diem can't stay down for long. She has a mission, and even if she wasn't active in pursuing her purposes, her enemies wouldn't let her rest unmolested.
Diem and Luther have to flee Lumos. And their journey leads them through several other realms. Diem can't quite help making her presence known. I can't discuss much of anything that happened within the plot in detail as it would spoil the story too much. Some woke agenda messages were persistent throughout this book. I can't mention them besides in vauge terms because Amazon will block me when I share my review there.
Favorite quotes:
-“Hello, Prince,” I gasped. “I missed you, too.”
-“You cannot solve a problem you refuse to look at,”
-“Don’t you dare mistake compassion for lack of courage,” he growled. “Anyone can slaughter their enemies. Hate is easy— it’s mercy that requires the greater strength.
-“It is not just my body that craves you, Diem. It is my heart.” He clutched at his chest. “My scarred, ruined scrap of a soul. Your smiles, your affection, the way you look at me, the way you see me... that is my lifeblood. I would sooner wither without food or water, sink into the sea until my lungs burst, abandon my magic and let my godhood burn me alive from within than endure one more day of life without you in it.”
-“Desire?” He gave a dark, throaty laugh. “Desire is a pathetic word for what I feel for you. I require you. I am sustained by you. You are the flame that fuels my fire. Don’t you dare question that— not for a second.”
-“Because an education is the most powerful weapon of them all.”
-“I respect it, too. I’d rather have your honesty than your loyalty.”
-“It takes being denied what you want to understand the power of wanting more. Satisfaction is the death of curiosity. And this group has been satisfied in abundance.”
-“You,” she said simply. “My successor will be your most difficult adversary. They will stand in the way of what you need to do. They will drive a wedge between you and those you love, they will cost you a terrible price, and there’s a strong chance they’ll put you in a premature grave. I fear telling you now will only make it worse.”
-You don’t have to be perfect, Aemonn. Just honorable.”
-“My mother, Auralie... she taught me to heal— to save lives every chance I get. My father, Andrei, taught me to fight— to end lives, but only when I must. And my brother, Teller, taught me to think— to lead with reason, not prejudice. That is the Queen I strive to be. I will not demand that you bend your knee. Past Crowns have done enough of that. I will only vow, on my blood and my soul, on all that I am, and all that I hold dear, if you give me your faith, I will do my best to earn it—” I crossed my swords at my chest. “— and I won’t stop until my dying breath.”
-“I want there to be no part of you that you hide from me because you fear it’s a part I will not love. I treasure your darkness as much as your light.” He dropped his mouth a breath away from mine, his words a whisper on my lips. “Show me your worst, my darling, and I’ll show you how far my love can go.”
-“Don’t mistake the pain of change for failure.”
-“Your daughter is everything to me, Auralie,” Luther said quietly. “All that I am, it belongs to her.”
-“Let all those who might try to tear us apart see this and know how far my devotion will go. I will suffer for you, bleed for you, but most of all, I will survive for you. My body can be carved in two, open and dying, and still I will crawl from the ruins of my flesh and fight my way back to your side. Death itself could not keep me away.
I do remember getting increasingly frustrated with Luther through this book. He claims to love Diem so fiercely, yet he pushes her away pretty constantly. There's a reason for that, but it was a little frustrating for me.
I briefly mentioned above that this book had some woke ideaology, but it also increased in spicy scenes. I was frustrated with this because the series was so good without having to add this in. And it wasn't even added in just between the main characters, but there's one scene in particular when they're visiting a different court that was utterly unnecessary.
All things considered, I enjoyed the plot enough to still give Heat of the Everflame 4 Stars. I like the building of Diem and Luther's relationship. This book ends in a negative cliffhanger--meaning things end in a bad place for our characters and we don't know how they are going to make it out of this horrible situation. The wait for the final book in this series feels so terribly long. But I can't wait to get my hands on it and see how things end. Have you read Heat of the Everflame? What did you think? Let me know!
This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.
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