Burn of the Everflame

Kindred's Curse #4

by Penn Cole

War has overtaken Emarion. In the north, Ophiucae and his army of bloodthirsty mortals seek to eradicate all Descended from the continent. In the south, the Guardians of the Everflame lie in wait, plotting a rebellion generations overdue.

In Lumnos, Realm of Light and Shadow, the Crowns are gathering. Caught between two deadly foes, they must form an unlikely alliance to save their people.

But the Crowns have a secret—and a heart without its mate will burn the world down to fulfill its fate.

Hatred reigns. Hope seems lost. With the future in darkness, can a flame emerge to bring the light?

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Fiction, Magic, Audiobook

550 pages, Hardcover

First published September 8, 2026

About the author

While my life has taken me through a lot of ups and downs, my love for reading and writing has forever been my true north. I’ve been writing stories since my childhood, filling mountains of notebooks with wild worlds and angsty romances. After a detour as an attorney and small business owner, I am thrilled to finally be pursuing my lifelong dream of becoming an author.

Though I’m a Texas girl born and bred, I currently live in France with my husband, where I can usually be found drinking far too much wine and eating far, far too many pastries.

Reviews

[✨sofia✨]

Edit (September 2026): ITS OUT EVERYONE IM NOT JOKING SHES OUT

~~~~~~~~~~~

Edit (April 2026): (hopefully) FINAL RELEASE DATE EVRYONE!! SEPTEMBER 8 HERE WE COME

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Edit (february 2026): so…we no longer have a release date…

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Edit (august 2024 or december??): WE HAVE A RELEASE DATE
July 2026 is a long way to go 😭😭

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NO WAY YOU LEFT ME ON THAT CLIFFHANGER, MS MA’AM

This better eat and leave zero crumbs!!

[levi (starboy) (s.ia)]

Lessgooooooo

[SK]

IT'S HEREEEEE
NOBODY TALK TO ME
SANITY HAS LEFT THE CHAT
I'M FINALLY REUNITED WITH MY HUSBAND LUTHERRRR

Broo my Kindle edition has 1050 pages and that edition isn't on GR 🥲

[♥︎ Heather ⚔ (Semi-Hiatus-attempting return)]

I can no longer edit my original review of this book...25 years later... we have another release date. July 2026.

[kendall]

my bad yall i thought the release date got announced and it was a SPECIAL EDITION 😭😭😭

possibly my most anticipated book of the year i apologize in advance for the person i will become when this book comes out

[Mbhabibti]

Waiting (somewhat) patiently for the release date!

[Alexandria Capp]

Well, I accidentally burned through the first three and now I suppose I will humbly wait for the fourth!

[Jo]

I feel so duped. I wasn’t aware of the crazy delay and started reading the series recently, incorrectly assuming because it had started years ago that it would be finished by now. What an epic disappointment. Lesson learned. I’ll never start a series again without checking the status because it’s such a let down not even having a date to look forward to.

[èvieane]

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ᯓ ✿ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍pre-reading ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⪼
ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ○ started ┆09-September-2026┆

ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ㅤ ‍‍‍‍‍‍ ⤿ what do you mean 1041 pages?....what do you mean 1041 pages? 🥲 let's hope the editor did a better job with this one because book 3 made me TIRED (I never even wrote that review for it 💀)

[Alya ( 20 comments restriction ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughts
First off, so much for "other books being read alongside this" this consumed my entire existence yesterday lol and I'm not even mad about it, I'm officially a fantasy reader now 😂 still picky af though 😂

I really loved this but I also really wanted it to be five stars since the other three books were 4 stars but unfortunately it didn't quite hit like a 5 star read especially for an ending to the series -- not in a bad way, just the fact that the ending felt somewhat underwhelming and predictable.

The buildup to the ending in this series and the last book was perfection! I was so invested in everything from the tiniest detail, though at times there was more telling than showing but I was entertained so there's that. I think my issue with the ending is that I wanted something more dramatic to happen for how the series was progressing but that may just be a me thing.

The MCs
Diem: God she drove me mad! You can't tell me this is the same FMC we met throughout the 3 books. I felt like she was much weaker in this book and don't get me started on how she treated Luther, the epitome of toxic! I understand she went through something and she's tried to protect him or those around her but girl it gets to a point 😭🤦🏼‍♀️ but she did redeem herself with the way she treated Luther so I shall forgive lol

Luther: Oh my heart 😭 not one flaw in this man's bones 😭 unconditionally loving and devoted to the core; the type of love that breaks and heals a soul in the same breath❤️‍🩹 I genuinely don't think I've ever or will ever read another character like Luther!

Final Thoughts
One thing I will say about this book specifically, it could've or rather should've been two books rather than everything in one book because this was packed some chapters or things that went on felt choppy "just to try n fit everything in" - I don't have an issue reading 1,000 pages but this just had so much going on for one book!

Overall; I'll miss this world so much and I'm glad I picked it up when I did ❤️‍🔥

My Bookstagram

[Shelynn Curry]

“Desire is a pathetic word for what I feel for you. I require you.” - me to this book

[Kaila.Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been conflicted on what to rate this book because it was an epic, satisfying end to the story, but diem will go down in history as one of the most annoying characters to ever exist. At least she was consistent.

This book is very political, and the world didn’t feel nearly as big as it did in book 3. I think this should have been two books. There was so much happening that everything could have used more room and the story could have been built out more instead of everything feeling so dense.

Spoilers…

I think some of the deaths were unnecessary and felt like they were added for shock value rather than because the story actually needed them. Like how poetic would it have been if diems mom sacrafjced herself and that was that

Major spoiler.

I f cling HATE a resurrection.

Diem should have stayed dead. I said what I said.

[Charity (Booktrovert Reader)]

IT IS FINALLY HERE!!!!! Now I have to wait to get my copy in the mail. If it is not fast enough, on to the store I go!

Here are the recaps! Just in case you forgot what happened and don't want to do all the rereads.

SPARK OF THE EVERFLAME ⟫ GLOW OF THE EVERFLAME ⟫ HEAT OF THE EVERFLAME


It is painful to be patient for this be published. Someday. Someday

Connect With Me:

BLOG ⟫ INSTAGRAM ⟫ NEWSLETTER ⟫ PINTEREST ⟫

[Ceacea · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's here! Happy reading to all who partake!

Genre: Romantic Fantasy
⭐️ 5/5
🌶 2.5/5
Cliffhanger: No
Noteworthy: 4th and final book of the series. Multi first-person POV. Content warnings provided. Expected publication date is 9/8/2026.


To start I would like to give a huge thank you to Penn Cole for the gifted eARC. She made more than good on her promise to allow the original ARC readers access to this one. So much love for her!

I know it feels like we've been waiting for this book for forever. Some of us patiently, some less so. But I promise you it is worth your patience. This book delivered pretty much everything I could have wanted. It isn't always pretty because the world itself is ugly most of the time. But the finale will leave you breathless and satisfied.

You can expect very consistent writing of the story and the characters as well as tremendous growth for many. Yes, I know Diem gets a lot of criticism for holding onto her morality and principles throughout the series when it would have been easy to give in. This book gives a perfect final arc for her and you will love her by the end. And Luther, god, one of the best MMCs put to paper. His devotion oozes off the page throughout the entire series. He will always hold a special place in my fantasy romance heart.

Penn has written some of the best side characters in the genre and the supporting cast here gets their time to shine. So good! I may have cried like a baby for 2 straight chapters but I wouldn't change anything in this story. I can't wait for publication so we can all discuss and hug it out together.


****


Done! Yes it was amazing. I cried like a baby. A full on blubbering mess. I'm sad that it's over and can't wait for everyone to read it. I will give a more comprehensive review after I clean my tear riddled contact lenses, stare at a wall for a few hours then hopefully pull myself together.

****

I'm at 90% and feel like I've been hit by a literary bus. I feel exhausted and had to pause to sleep before I could finish it. This is how epic Romantacy is supposed to be written. Now the characters and I are about to drag ourselves over the finish line. Let's go!

****

75% in and I can confirm that Luther Corbois is an MMC without flaws. Not.One.Single.Flaw!

****

At 35% I feel like I need to stop and breathe because everyone has me worn tf out already. And I fear what is coming.

****

Pre-read: I've never been more excited for an ARC in my life! I will be up for air in 2-3 business days. Maybe less if I pound energy drinks.

[cali]

PENN COLE PLEASE RELEASE THIS BOOK I NEED IT TO LIVE 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[Taskin⋆彡⭒]

pre-read
࿔‧ ֶָ֢˚˖𐦍˖˚ֶָ֢ ‧࿔
WAITED THREE YEARS FOR THIS BOOK, NO ONE CAN STAWP ME NOW🤸🏽‍♀️

[kitkat (vacation era ♡︎)]

i’m going to have a grey hair and a beard by the time this actually comes out ✋😭

[Karly Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've officially rated every book in this series 5 stars. SUCH an epic conclusion.

🗓️ eARC Review. Pub Date: September 8, 2026 🗓️
🎁 eARC gifted to me by Atria Books

It's such a bittersweet feeling to say goodbye this world and its characters. This conclusion is everything I could've wanted and more, so I GUESS I'm okay saying goodbye for now (but I wouldn't be mad about a spin off book or series).

I'm glad Penn Cole took the time she needed to finish this series and give it the ending it deserved. I can tell how much thought and care went into every scene within this book—it felt very intention and well thought out. I'm especially referencing the world exploration, magic system expansion, and politics.

I LOVE the characters in this book/series. I’ve forever been a Diem apologist and will continue to be!! 😌 Was she frustrating at times in this book? Duh. HOWEVER, I continue to stand by the fact that her reactions are believable. She's an imperfect person that has been put in an impossible position.

Luther Corbois. No notes. One of the best male main characters I've ever had the pleasure to read about.

The last half hour of this book was straight trauma. I couldn't see past my tears at one point. The way I care SO deeply about these characters just goes to show the magnificent job Penn Cole has done in telling this story.

Do I think the ending of this will be divisive? Yes. I think a lot of people tend not to love that in books. HOWEVER, I think it was very fitting for this story.

I'll never be ready to fully say goodbye to this series, so I'll continue to be insufferable about recommending it to whoever will listen to me. One of my favorite romantasy series of all time.

[Silvy (silvylinings) · Rating 5 out of 5]

what an absolute privilege it is to live inside penn’s beautiful, evil genius, brilliantly creative mind for one last ride through the realms of emarion.

this is an ARC review! five million forehead kisses to penn and her team for the opportunity to read an early copy!

brb while i writhe in absolute delighted agony over how beautiful!! and devastating!!!! every!!! single!!! second of this was!!!!! my heart is so full and also so sad!!!! i feel like i’ve been through emotional physical and spiritual WAR and i loved (and wept through) every single page.

if you’re picking up burn, you’ve already traversed the first three books of this series (all of which were life-changingly good), but this conclusion does the story, the characters, and the reader SO much justice that i really don’t know if i can even think of a stronger, more beautiful, or more devastating conclusion to a fantasy series that i've read. THIS WAS A MASTERPIECE.

she’s thick, she’s long, she’s perfect, and she’s genuinely nonstop intensity from start to finish. much like my favorite book boyfriend, luther corbois. 😌

the message threaded through this series — of hope, of change, and of fighting back against the myriad injustices of the world — is never so strongly felt as it is in burn. what a journey. what a message. and most importantly, what a mind, penn!!!!

make sure you have tissues on hand, a friend who’s read it (i volunteer as tribute for any and all emotional damage reactions), and some favorite snacks to keep up your stamina.

i’m genuinely heartbroken to say goodbye to a world and characters that i’ve loved for years now (alexa play right where you left me) but i cannot WAIT to see what penn cooks up next. but for now i'll be rereading this series on repeat g2g sry to my tbr luther is CALLING

[Nicole Simmons · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of this book directly from the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!
IF YOU CONTINUE TO READ IT ANYWAY YOU HAVE NO ONE TO BLAME BUT YOURSELF!!
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Perhaps the hardest books to review aren’t the ones we hate, but the ones we desperately wanted to love.

I’ve been reading and championing this series since Spark of the Everflame was originally indie published. I’ve watched this world grow, fallen in love with these characters, and spent three books completely invested in where Penn was taking them. I genuinely love this series, which makes admitting that Burn of the Everflame didn’t quite land for me incredibly difficult.

More than anything, I wanted this finale to feel epic.

The stakes have never been higher, and yet I often felt strangely removed from them. There was far more telling than showing, particularly during moments that I desperately wanted to experience as they unfolded. I wanted the world to open up around us. I wanted more history, more culture, more understanding of the magic and its boundaries. I wanted battles that put me directly in the chaos alongside these characters rather than learning about so much of the conflict through exposition and summary.

For a story that had become so enormous in scope, the world itself somehow felt smaller than I expected it to in the finale.

By the end, I was left with answers to some long-held questions but considerably less certainty about how everything actually worked.

My greatest disappointment, though, was probably Diem.

I’ve loved watching her grow over the previous three books, and I came into Burn ready to see that growth culminate. I didn’t expect perfection! I wanted to see the woman who had stumbled, learned, lost, loved, and fought her way here finally begin to understand what it meant to be a queen.

Instead, so many of the communication problems that have followed these characters throughout the series remained. There were moments when I desperately wanted someone to challenge Diem and force her to confront what she was doing. Ironically, one of the most satisfying examples came through Symond’s control of Teller and Alixe because, FINALLY, someone was voicing so much of what I had been thinking.

And Luther. Sir. PLEASE.

What surprised me most was how little chemistry I felt between Luther and Diem this time around. And this has absolutely nothing to do with spice; I didn’t need more of it. What I missed was their intimacy. Their tension. Their ability to challenge each other. I wanted conversations that could only happen between two people who know one another this deeply. I wanted Luther to push back when Diem needed it instead of repeatedly allowing things to go unsaid. Their relationship needed emotional friction far more than it needed additional spice.

Even the ending left me conflicted.

The deaths themselves didn’t particularly shock me; in a war of this magnitude, I actually expected to lose a few more major characters. But I struggled with the decision to give Diem a third choice and ultimately allow her to return. I think there was an opportunity for something much more devastating and, for me, much more satisfying: let Diem’s sacrifice stand. Let Luther step forward and finish what they began. Let everything Diem changed continue through the people she affected.

And someday, when Luther’s own story was finished, let her be waiting for him at the Everflame.

THAT would have emotionally destroyed me. And honestly? I wanted this finale to destroy me a little.

I expected Burn to feel like the most expansive and fully realized book of the series. Instead, there were many places where I found myself wishing the story had been given more room to breathe and its biggest moments more time to unfold on the page.

Still, none of this changes how much I have loved this series or how grateful I am to finally have its conclusion. We received answers to questions I’ve carried for years, returned to characters and a world I genuinely adore, and finally got to see how their story ends.

Maybe that’s why this one hurts a little.

I wanted desperately to love Burn of the Everflame. Instead, I simply liked parts of it while mourning the finale I thought the first three books were building toward.

And sometimes three stars is harder to give than one.

★★★☆☆

[Booksreadbykatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my god. I need 10 business days to recover and to process Burn. This book was beyond worth the wait. The emotional damage. The journey. The healing. UGH. 10/10 no notes. This was the most amazing finale to one of my favorite series, EVER.

[Steph (fallintosteph) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bye

[Meagan✨]

I need this book immediately….like, yesterday. PLEASE, I’m begging 😭📚

But why is it only 550 pages?? Be serious. This story deserves at least 1,000 pages of emotional damage and plot perfection 🧐

rMy Ratings for The Everflame Series-
Spark- 4.25 Stars
Glow- 5 Stars
Heat- 5 Stars

[Rebecca]

As of 02/07/26 this still does not have a release date! I told myself I wouldn't read book 3 until it at least had that.

**Update!**
Finally a confirmed date from the author! And it's one day after my birthday <3

[Noi (in & out)]

Moving this to my 'remind me next year' shelf because unless it's out, I don't want to think about it.

[Alexa · Rating 5 out of 5]

♾️/5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
2/5 🌶️🌶️


"Because hope isn’t just a spark—it’s a fire. And the flames always win in the end."


What an absolute masterpiece. Without a speckle of doubt, my favorite book and series of all time.

I finished this early today and I can't bring myself to do anything but stare at the wall. I giggled, I gasped, I sobbed, this book brought out every single emotion under the sun. I normally am not one to cry during a book but this just had me sobbing into the sleeve of my sweatshirt for minutes on end.

Burn was absolutely worth the wait, I'd have waited another two years if I had known it was going to be like this. There will truly never be another story like this and characters like these. Diem, Luther, and the entire crew are everything. The way that Penn wrote the final book in their story was nothing short of breathtaking, gut wrenching, and full of hope.

Thank you Penn for letting me be apart of your ARC team, this was a dream come true 🧡

[Paige (wingsandsmut) · Rating 5 out of 5]

No spoilers, but this series is one of my fave romantasy series, hands down. It is so easy to become immersed in this world and the plot always leaves me wanting to know what will happen next. There’s suspense, twists, action, and literally so much more than happens with our characters. And this book definitely brought all the emotions and I don’t think it’s a surprise that I cried….multiple times. I don’t think this series could have wrapped up more perfectly and I don’t think I could love Luther any more, because he is perfection IMO!

The audio is performed by Amanda Dolan & Will Watt, in addition to Bahni Turpin, Tim Campbell, Katherine Littrell, Kieran Regan, and Keval Shah. I loved being able to listen to this and love when we have multiple narrators!

[Hayley Stevens · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Penn Cole and the entire ARC team for the opportunity to read and review this book early — I really appreciated being included.

With that said, I'm sad to report that I did not love Burn of the Everflame. I'd waited years for this book, and unlike a lot of other reviewers, I came away disappointed. The momentum and excitement that carried books one through three just wasn't matched here.

The most frustrating part was that Diem felt like she'd learned nothing over the course of the first three books. I understand the "bleeding heart" characterization at the core of who she is, but it was pushed to a point that felt illogical and, frankly, exhausting to read. There were definitely strong moments — the final battles were genuinely interesting — but so much of the personal character development felt belabored and repetitive. This book needed significantly more editing; there were so many drawn-out sections that could have been tightened into something more cohesive.

Overall, I'm glad the series is finished, but this installment felt like a miss for me. It's a bit of a bummer to end things on this note, since I still think books one through three are fantastic.

[&#x1f319;henny✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars overall because I really enjoyed the first two books, I liked the third book, but this final one took a lot out of me. It felt like clocking in to work at some parts. It was just so LONG, and the slow burn got dragged out even more, to the point where I was questioning whether this is actually a romantasy.

I think in fantasy books with romance, as soon as the couple gets together, the romance plot takes a nose dive. So I do understand wanting to stretch it out. But this book, AND ALSO BOOK 3, were over a thousand pages each. 35 hours long. And a lot happened, but at the same time it feels like nothing happened.

I think it’s because Diem’s character development was basically nonexistent. It felt like everything was just happening TO her, and she wasn’t learning anything from the experience. She continued to put her own sense of morality above people’s lives that she was responsible for, she refused to do the difficult things that needed to be done, and she didn’t seem to understand how many people were going to die if she didn’t make those tough decisions. So we just watched her essentially condemn thousands of people to death because she was too cowardly to do something that would hurt her.

Luther started out as a delightful simp, but he didn’t really seem to grow as a character either. His entire personality became obsessing over Diem, and he did nothing outside of simping for Diem. And it pissed me off because both of them absolutely refused to communicate with each other about what was going on. We watched Luther almost die because he wanted to keep his wound a secret, and then we watched Diem push Luther away because she didn’t want to hurt him further by getting close to him and then dying. All of this could have been solved by having a conversation. But then there would be no plot.

I did enjoy this series at first, and I did finish it with mostly neutral or positive feelings about it, but I found my enjoyment of these books slowly depleting from about the middle of book three. It just didn’t seem to go anywhere. The couple were still refusing to talk to each other. The main villain kept switching back and forth between two people. And this definitely could have been several hundred pages shorter overall. But Luther remains an incredibly romantic and devoted man who puts real men to shame. Someone said ‘I just looked at my husband in disgust’ and I felt that 🥴

I’m a bit disappointed that I didn’t like the end of this series as much as I thought I would, especially since we’ve all been waiting so long for it. But I’m also very relieved to be done with it because it’s consumed my life for the last week and I’m excited to move on to something new. ADHD be like 😅

[Caitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only started this dang series when I did because the final one was supposed to release within a month
i’m not going to remember a damn thing by the time july 2026 comes around and these books are way too chunky to try and dedicate myself to a reread

big saddddd
this feels like a name of the wind type situation with how many times the release date is getting pushed :(((((