I’m honestly unsure if I’ll be continuing this series after Heat of the Everflame. I absolutely adored books one and two, but this third installment left me feeling very up and down. The pacing and character development felt like a complete 180 from what I had grown to love.

I know Diem has been a polarizing character for many readers, but I never found her unbearable—until now. Her characterization in this book, paired with the overwhelming miscommunication, made it genuinely difficult for me to get through. It felt like these two elements dominated about 70% of the book, which made the story frustrating rather than engaging.

Another major struggle for me was the world-building. The first two books did such a great job of expanding the world and setting up intriguing conflicts, but this book left me with more unanswered questions than I expected—especially considering the intense cliffhangers from before.

I really wanted to love this book as much as the first two, but it just didn’t work for me. I’m torn on whether I’ll pick up the next one, but for now, I’m feeling pretty disappointed.

Amazing! Words can not express how much love this book and series. Luther and Diem are amazing together. This series has evolved so much. It has the best slow burn romance ever and the found family in this series rivals the inner circle in ACOTOR. I am holding my breath and begging for Burn! Penn Cole you are amazing! Please hurry! 😉

Thank you to Netgalley, Penn Cole and Headline for this ARC

This series is everything!! Plot driven but full of romance. I can’t get enough of these books. The characters have great character development as the series goes on and you become so invested in each character you feel as if they are your best friends

Heat of the Everflame is such a good book. Loved the story so much! I rated it 5 stars because I couldn't put it down for a second. So so good.

I'm a huge fan of the Kindred's Curse saga and Heat of the Everflame did not disappoint! Penn Cole expertly expands the world and magic system, in a way that is somehow both mind blowing and easy to follow.

What I love about these books is that you truly never know what's going to happen next! Just when you correctly predict one outcome, another happens that shakes you to the core - and the end of this book is the perfect example of that.

I am now desperately awaiting Burn of the Everflame!

When I finished Glow (book two) I was wanted more of the world, and we get that in this book. The world building that happened was brilliant - no fleeting visits. We got to know realms, people, and magic. The situations that put the characters in each place to allow the world building felt purposeful, not tokenistic.

I do wish there was more communication, especially between characters, but we're still dealing with a young and independent FMC who was unceremoniously thrust into a world she not only knew nothing about but also grew up despising, so I'm not surprised we have an overly headstrong character here. But I'm glad to see so much growth in her in this book. She's definitely growing.

Luther. I. Just. There are words there, but. I don't have them just now. He's strong, in so many ways, but his heart is just something else. And I just can't right now. The ending of the book still has my heart on a vice. His devotion, his loyalty, his stubbornness. He's a great character and I really can't wait to see more of him. His bonus chapter(s) are great - I really enjoyed his one in this book, and the small bit we get from his pov at one point too (vague so no spoilers).

So much happens in this book. But the end of book cliffhanger is sore. It's likely why I have no words and my heart feels the way it does. I need a moment, but I also need to rest and heal myself before I do this again. It's been a while since I felt like this with a book - I both love it and really don't like it in equal measure. A sign of a book well done in my opinion.

Bring on more adventure and heartache in book four....

Penn Cole’s Heat of the Everflame is an ambitious and sweeping continuation of the Kindred’s Curse Saga, bringing high stakes, unraveling mysteries, and long-awaited romance to the forefront. As war erupts, Diem finds herself caught between factions, forced to navigate treacherous alliances and her own rapidly evolving power. With Luther by her side, she embarks on a journey across realms to uncover the truth of her lineage—a truth that may be the key to ending the war but comes with devastating consequences.

One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its immersive world-building. Cole expands the scope of the story by introducing new kingdoms, each with its own political intrigue, betrayals, and power struggles. The time spent in Umbro’s kingdom, in particular, adds a fascinating new layer, especially with the mind-speaking elements. These explorations keep the narrative fresh, even when some plot beats—Diem’s repeated conflicts with rulers—start to feel predictable.

The romance between Diem and Luther remains a central focus, and while their dynamic is still compelling, it shifts in ways that may divide readers. The tension and slow-burn build-up of the earlier books give way to a more established relationship here, making for some satisfyingly emotional moments but also diminishing some of Luther’s edge. Meanwhile, Diem continues to grow into her role, embracing her power more fully, though her tendency to make reckless decisions without learning from past mistakes can be frustrating at times.

At over 1,000 pages, Heat of the Everflame is a dense read, and while action, magic, and romance keep things engaging, the pacing does suffer in places. Some conflicts feel repetitive, and certain arcs could have been tightened to maintain a stronger momentum. That said, the book still delivers plenty of intrigue, humor, and intensity.

With another cliffhanger ending that promises even greater challenges ahead, this installment will leave you eager for the next book. If you love slow-burn romantasy with intricate world-building, warring factions, and grumpy-but-devoted love interests, Heat of the Everflame is a worthy, if slightly meandering, continuation of Diem’s journey.

4.25🌟

I’ve been sat here debating this one! The first half of the book was amazing, easily a 5 star but I think book 3 should have finished there. With the second half of the book made into a separate book. The second half was a lot slower and pulled the book down slightly, which was a shame. The slow burn was exceptionally slow, which gave great tension between the MMC and FMC.
I have to say I highly recommend the series and really can’t wait for book 4. This is a series that will stay with me for a while 🥰

I requested this, and then realised I'd already read it. However, I thought I'd share my thoughts.

Overview:
The third book in the Kindred's Curse series, we follow our two main charactersas the travel to different realms to gain allies.

Review:
While I loved the first two books in this series, I felt that this title dipped a little bit. It felt too long and I was getting frustrated with the FMC.
Penn Cole manages to write in a way that's engaging but I struggled with the plot for this one. It seemed like a place holder, building up to the next book in the series. Diem started to do things that felt out of character, and Luther did nothing to stop her. There was more world building in this book than we'd previously seen before, which I liked, but Diem visiting the other realms became predictable and repetitive.

I can see how other people would love it though, the slow-burn romance continues, the magic system becomes more interesting and there's some great scenes.

•the ending isn't as bad as I thought but still another cliffhanger, but it think it will make a good read in the one.
• I mayble slightly liked book 2 more than 3 but this was still soo good. It's a long one but alot happens. A lot of secrets are revealed but i also have just as many questions needing answered
• I loved seeing all the other kingdoms in this one. especially the time spent in the Umbro's kingdom a little mind speaking is my fave !
•less of the friend group which sucked because I love them but lots more of The main couple together IYKYK
• I equally wanted to binge this and take my time because I didn't want it to end ! I really enjoy the FMC in this one she's really accepting her self and her powers and the MMC his grumpy protectiveness is everything. I love the romance in these books! This one is the spiciest but it's not loads but I think it's a perfect amount
•Theres still alot of laugh out loud moments too which I love, there's got to be some fun with torture !
'"I am very naked, and you are very dressed," I joked, trying to laugh off my unease.'
"Why is it you and I never seem to be
unclothed at the same time?"

I love this series but my god can this group not catch a break. I do think this book could have been split in half and as readers we would have been able to digest a lot more of the story.

But the ending 🤯

Heat of the Everflame is the third instalment in the Kindred’s Curse Saga. Following Diem as she grasps life-altering events that see her go from a human healer, to discovering she is descended, to becoming queen of Lumos, and much more that would be spoilers for those who have not read the first two books.
I have to begin my review by stating how much I adored the first two books in the series. They made this series become a fast favourite. However… this third instalment really lost me. The characters spend the whole book going round in circles, coming to the same conclusions, and all of the battles have the same outcome. Diem is incredibly naive and constantly makes mistakes that puts her and everyone she holds dear at risk. This wouldn’t necessarily be an issue if she learned from these mistakes, but in this book she doesn’t seem to.
Luther’s character also did a full 180. I loved the build up and the tension in their romance. How slow burn it was to the point you could feel their genuine connection. But for some reason in this book he lost his charm as a strong character, and he was reduced to following Diem round like a lovesick puppy.
It wasn’t all bad, there were some great moments in this book of action and the found family continued to be really strong (this was also lost towards the end of the book however as the other characters were no longer present)
I believe that the story has some great foundations and real potential, but this particular instalment was too long. It was long for the sake of being long, because the same plot seemed to be recycled for 1000 pages.
*spoiler*
Diem goes to one of the other kingdoms, doesn’t see eye to eye with their ruler, wants to protect both humans and descended, betrayal, ruler dies, Diem becomes the queen of that kingdom.
The first time it happened it was a great twist, but it happened 3 times in one book, making it very repetitive.
I guess I am more let down because of how much I adored the first two books. This book is by no means bad, but it could’ve been a lot shorter and had a much stronger impact on the reader.

I really did love this series, but this book really was tooooo long in my opinion. It felt very dragged out and made me want to put it down quite often.

I'm still a big fan of the world and the Characters do I NEED the newest book asap!

Thank you NetGalley for sending me this ARC.

I have been enjoying the Kindred Curse series, however this book definitely didn't need to be this long. Some parts were repetitive, and Diem is prone to being naive - like taking Luther's reluctance to be with her or let her touch her as rejection instead of what it clearly was, him being injured/dying.

I am intrigued to see how Diems powers will develop and seeing the war play out.

4 stars!