June 24, 2025

Ep 67 Spark of the Everflame Review, Summary, and Deep Dive | Kindred’s Curse Saga Book 1

1 hour 10 minutes

Send us a text

"In this episode of Besties in the Books, hosts Liz and Ashley dive into Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole, the first book in the Kindred Curse Saga. As a fresh romantasy read from a New York Times bestselling debut author, this novel blends strong female leads, a compelling magic system, and light feminist themes that set it apart in the fantasy genre. The hosts share a spoiler-free review, their personal star and spice ratings, and discuss Penn Cole’s thoughtful character development, world building, and tropes like hidden identity and slow burn romance. They also highlight their exclusive spoiler-free interview with Penn Cole—linked below—along with community reactions on their Fable book club and good reads. Perfect for romantasy lovers and fantasy newcomers alike, this deep-dive episode offers layered insight, trope breakdowns, and fun personal updates, all while celebrating one of the genre’s most talked-about series."

We’re finally here to do our deep dive series on Penn Cole’s amazing debut Spark of the Everflame! Book 1 in the Kindred’s Curse Saga is a fantastic start to an epic slow burn Romantasy series, but is also an examination of the effects of colonialism, classism, racism, and sexism (among other examples of inequality) on a fictional world, and we’re here to talk about it!

We had the pleasure of interviewing Penn Cole about her thoughts on these topics, on strong female characters and the men that support them, and why these stories about unlikely heroines fighting for justice resonate so much with us. So make sure to check that episode out and then dive right into our talk about book one.

We have spoiler free reviews, our spice rating, our five sentence summary of the entire plot, and then all of our likes and dislikes. What tropes did we enjoy? Plot points? Does this book deserve all the hype? And most importantly… what are the feminist themes? And are we excited to keep going?

Stick around to find out, to hear all about our faves and fails TV / ½ Marathon edition, and a smash or pass with America’s favorite sweetheart and a hell demon.

Don't be shy, subscribe! New Podcasts every Tuesday!! (And sometimes Friday!…)

Check out these author interviews? ⬇️
Penn Cole talks with us about Strong Female Characters, Feminist Themes, and her debut bestselling Spark of the Everflame Series! https://youtu.be/7ukNImyoObw?si=7C3Y9kOUMN4hfcKb

We interviewed Callie Hart all about her NYT Bestseller Quicksilver! Watch it here! https://youtu.be/CED5s7qDBdQ?si=8xtIRO1IzX6Rsld4

Check the official Author Interview with Lindsay Straube of Split or Swallow! Now a Barnes & Noble & Amazon best seller titled: Kiss of the Basilisk! https://youtu.be/fknhocSNIKM

Need more ACOTAR in your life? Cook your way through Velaris with the help of Chelsea Cole and her cookbook A Feast of Thorns & Roses. Check out our author interview here! https://youtu.be/fjzmqd-x3OA?si=kNJ4D9cxvUjhp-I

____

Shop bookish apparel worn in this episode!
Ashley is Wearing: Red Starborn Fae Hoodie from @LionheartThreads | * https://go.magik.ly/ml/27ucw/ | Use Code: LIZ15 to save!
Liz is Wearing: R