Spark of the Everflame

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Chapter 9

Chapters 10-19

Chapters 20-25

Chapter 26-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Background

Authorial Context: Penn Cole

Penn Cole is an American author who began her authorial career with the 2023 publication of the first three installments of The Kindred’s Curse Saga: Spark of the Everflame, Glow of the Everflame, and Heat of the Everflame. The fourth title, Burn of the Everflame, is forthcoming. In the midst of working on her series, Cole celebrated her feat by stating that she had finally “accomplished [her] lifelong dream of becoming an author” (“About Penn.” Penn Cole). Although Cole pursued a creative writing degree in undergraduate school, she went on to work as a lawyer and start her own business, only later pivoting back into her writing pursuits. Her innate love for storytelling is reflected in her heartfelt, empathetic tales, and, as she states, her lifelong habit of “filling mountains of notebooks with wild worlds and angsty romances” informs her romantasy narratives (“About Penn”). Like many contemporary authors of the genre, Cole blends the conventions of fantasy, romance, and adventure to create unique commentaries on issues of morality, autonomy, and feminism. Cole also advocates for women, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ writers and readers.

Series Context: The Kindred’s Curse Saga

Spark of the Everflame is the inaugural title of The Kindred’s Curse Saga, and the novel therefore spends considerable time introducing and developing the fantastical Emarion universe in which the protagonist and first-person narrator, Diem Bellator, resides. Because Diem has always been isolated from Lumnos City, Mortal City, and the surrounding Emarion Realms, her explorations of these settings also serve as a primer for readers, allowing Cole to develop the nuances of her world building. As Diem ventures beyond the confines of her insular cottage and remote village, she gradually learns the rules of Emarion and finds out more about the Descended and the history of her country and her people. The more risks she takes and adventures she experiences, the more she understands her own destiny.

The series’ second installment, Glow of the Everflame, was published in December of 2024 and picks up the story where the previous novel ends. After discovering that she has inherited the throne, Diem is forced to work with “the people she hates most: the royal family of House Corbois” (“Glow of the Everflame.” Penn Cole). Because her new circumstances force her to dive into the social realities of the “Descended elite,” Diem finds herself modifying her understanding of good and evil and challenging her alliances.

In the series’ third installment, Heat of the Everflame, Diem must navigate the conflict between the Descended and the Guardians—a rivalry that is first introduced in Spark of the Everflame. Now that Diem is the queen, however, she must balance her newfound friendships with her former mortal loyalties. The series’ final installment, Burn of the Everflame, is set to depict the Emarion universe after the brewing war between the Descended and the Guardians finally breaks out. All four books are works of romantic fantasy, also known as romantasy. Cole uses this genre as a platform to explore complex ideological and philosophical questions surrounding issues of human rights, equality, and freedom.