Heat of the Everflame

Heat of the Everflame is the third installment in the Kindred’s Curse Saga. The novel is preceded by the titles Spark of the Everflame and Glow of the Everflame. Spark of the Everflame introduces the reader to the magical world of Emarion—a kingdom where the descendants of gods (called Descended) reign over the mortals. This preliminary title also introduces the protagonist Diem Bellator as she navigates impossible challenges at her home in the Lumnos realm. The novel’s primary storyline sets the overarching narrative stage for the subsequent titles, and establishes the primary characters, conflicts, stakes, and themes of the entire series.

When Spark of the Everflame opens, Diem is living in Lumnos’s Mortal City with her mother Auralie, father Andrei Bellator, and brother Teller Bellator. She has grown up believing that she is mortal. However, since she was a little girl, Auralie has given her a special flameroot powder to stave off Diem’s mysterious hallucinations. When Auralie disappears from home without explanation one day, Diem sets out on a journey to find her mother and solve the riddle of her own identity. She becomes involved with the Descended royals at the palace via her work as a healer in Mortal City. She develops an interest in the Descended prince Luther Corbois, and she ventures out into the other Emarion realms with her childhood sweetheart Henri Albanon.

These experiences make Diem realize there is something about herself that her parents have been keeping from her: She is a half-mortal, half-Descended. Diem’s attempts to reconcile with this discovery complicate how she sees her family, her realm, her kingdom, and herself. These questions only intensify when Diem discovers her capacity to shoot light and heat from her hands when she is angry. Shortly after the Lumnos King Ulther’s death, Diem gets into a conflict with Andrei. Their argument enrages Diem and she unleashes her magic towards the sky. After the display, a floating Crown appears above her head. Diem realizes the gods have elected her as Lumnos’s new Queen.

Glow of the Everflame picks up where Spark of the Everflame leaves off and traces Diem’s attempts to orientate herself at the Lumnos palace. Relocating to this royal setting immerses Diem in the world of the Descended. She grew up believing Descended were wicked, as they fought for segregation of Descended and mortals in the Blood War years prior. The longer she is at the palace, however, the more she softens to her new Descended advisors and friends. She and Luther also develop feelings for each other. Meanwhile, the Lumnos Royal Houses demand that Diem prove her worthiness to be Queen—they doubt her because she is half-mortal. Diem is forced to undergo feats of courage, strength, and heart in an ongoing event called the Challenging. She struggles to channel and exhibit her magic, but ultimately proves herself with the help of Luther and her new Descended friends.

Heat of the Everflame continues Diem’s story as she rises to power and sets out to reunite the Descended and the mortals. Like Spark of the Everflame and Glow of the Everflame, this third title expounds upon themes of identity, power, duty, and loyalty. The Kindred’s Curse titles also function as allegorical works, which comment upon social and political dynamics in contemporary American society. The books’ romantic elements humanize the characters and attempt to make Cole’s philosophical questions accessible to readers.