Glow of the Everflame (2023) is a romantic fantasy novel by Penn Cole. Preceded by Spark of the Everflame, the novel is the second installment in Cole’s Kindred’s Curse Saga. Set in the fantastical universe of Emarion, the novel follows the feisty hero Diem Bellator as she battles good and evil and comes of age.

At the outset of the novel, the Crown appears above Diem’s head, and she realizes that she’ll have to report to the palace and meet with the Descended about her new royal position. She begins to work with Prince Luther Corbois, aligning herself with his royal House to gain temporary safety as she learns about her magical powers. Meanwhile, other factions rise up to dispute her right to the throne, and Diem’s struggles with these new personal and political challenges contribute to her Quest for Self-Discovery and show her new aspects of the Challenges of Balancing Love and Duty and the Burden of Leadership.

This guide refers to the 2024 Atria Books hardback edition of the novel.

Content Warning: The source material and this guide feature depictions of child abuse, graphic violence, death by suicide, death, and sexual content.

Plot Summary

The novel opens where Spark of the Everflame leaves off. Having just been magically recognized as the heir to the throne, Diem Bellator kneels in a field outside her house as a magical, luminous Crown spins above her head. When her brother, Teller Bellator, finds her there, he insists that she has been chosen as the new Queen of Lumnos. His friend, Princess Lily Corbois, seconds Teller’s observation and shepherds Diem to a royal hunting cabin to keep her safe for the night while they all decide what happens next.

Diem lies awake in the cabin, unsure of what to do. Because she is a mortal, she cannot believe that the gods would choose her as queen. Prince Luther Corbois arrives, having heard the news from his sister Lily, and he offers Diem a ride to the palace on his horse, insisting that he can help her communicate with his family.

Over the following days, Diem comes to terms with the fact that she is a Descended. Meanwhile, she gets to know the Corbois family, and when Luther’s father, Remis Corbis, offers to help her, she accepts. If she joins House Corbis, Remis will try to keep the other houses from rising up against her during the Period of Challenging. This ritual will take place in one month, at which point the other royal houses will be allowed to contest Diem’s right to the throne and battle her to the death in an arena.

Diem starts working with Luther and her new cousins, Taran and Alixe Corbois, attempting to hone her magical powers. In the past, Diem has only been able to summon her magic by accident, but during the Challenging, she won’t be able to use any weapons and will die if she cannot defend herself. However, no matter how hard she tries, Diem cannot activate her powers.

The Corbois family—including Diem’s new advisor, Eleanor—help her prepare for the upcoming Ascension Ball. One night, Diem’s childhood sweetheart, Henri Albanon, finds her at the palace and interrogates her, accusing her of lying to him about being a Descended. He hates the Descended and now feels betrayed. She swears that she didn’t know her estranged birth father was a Descended, and she explains that she had no intention of becoming queen. She begs for his forgiveness and suggests that they get married. She also invites him to attend the ball with her so that she can introduce him as her King Consort.

Henri accepts, but Luther interrupts the passionate exchange and takes Diem aside, warning her not to bring Henri to the ball because the Descended will never approve of a mortal King. Diem gives in and agrees to let Luther’s cousin, Aemonn Corbois take her to the ball instead. She writes Henri a note, warning him not to attend the event.

On the night of the ball, Henri appears at the palace despite Diem’s warning note and reveals that he and his rebel group, the Guardians of the Everflame, are on the verge of attacking the Descended. Diem summons Luther and has him lock Henri in the dungeon and stop the Guardians’ attack without bloodshed.

Over the following weeks, Diem and Luther grow closer. Even though Diem cannot make sense of her emotions and still doesn’t know whether she can trust Luther, she cannot deny the passion between them. Meanwhile, she continues practicing her magic to no avail, and she also navigates complex negotiations with the other royal houses.

On the day of the Challenging, every one of the 20 houses challenges Diem, including Luther. Diem is shocked and hurt by Luther’s actions, but he insists that he’ll help her to survive if she agrees to fight him. Diem refuses to battle Luther because she doesn’t want him to die. Instead, she fights a violence-prone Descended named Rhon Ghislaine, hoping to punish him for killing an innocent in the village some weeks ago. During the Challenging, Diem fails to summon her powers, and Rhon taunts her and knocks her out. While unconscious, Diem has a vision and suddenly realizes that she needs to grow up and fight for her people. She wakes up, summons her magic, kills Rhon, and proves her worth to the Descended.

Afterward the Challenging, Luther escorts Diem to Coeurîle for the coronation ceremony. During the ceremony, the other Emarion kings and queens question Diem’s right to the throne. Suddenly, lightning splits the sky and hits the temple where the coronation is taking place. From the bushes, a panicked Auralie ( Diem’s mother, who has been mysteriously absent for quite some time) realizes that Diem is in danger and calls out, ordering her daughter to run.