Book: Burn of the Everflame by Penn Cole
Reviewed by plotdrunk
Rating: 3/5
I was SO excited when this book was originally supposed to come out last year to read it. I loved the series leading up to this, and I couldn't wait to see how it all wrapped up. Delays (no fault of Penn's, I wanted her to get it right!) ate through some of my excitement, but I still obviously wanted this to be a great finale.
Unfortunately, the entire book felt like a slog. I wish I had a better word for it, but that's the only word that keeps going through my mind. It was a gigantic book, but I felt like it could've been 2/3 or even 1/2 the size and it would have been functionally the same story. There was technically a lot happening, but also somehow it felt VERY slow and a lot of the conflicts felt manufactured. Diem already had a bad habit of not communicating with anyone about her plans (which is a huge pet peeve of mine normally), but I'd been able to put it aside because I loved the characters and the world and the relationships. This book really doubled down on her secrets, and it resulted in a lot of times where a conflict could have been resolved if they would JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER!
The pacing was not great, but there were some moments I did love. Diem's time on the island and her resulting trauma were handled well and felt really believable, and I loved a lot of moments with her and Teller throughout the book. Luther was a standout as always, and I also really like the politics of the council and Diem's growing relationship/trust with Alixe. I even understood why Diem held back from Luther at times after getting off the island. There were good pieces, but there was just too much plot around it (smothering it imo).
But then, I got to the ending. I HATE when authors don't commit to being ruthless. It makes all the heartache unbelievable and really takes away from the emotional impact for me. Killing Diem and leaving Luther alive as a stranded mate could have been a devastating ending (and was for a minute!). Her sacrificing herself at his hand and leaving him to pick up the pieces, rule in her place, and figure out how to live without her would have been heartbreaking but ultimately would have meant more and I think could have been a really poignant end to the series. Instead, inexplicably, some vaguely explained god lets Diem go back and then she's suddenly alive?? I love an HEA, but then why kill her in the first place? It felt like another in a long line of moments created for the drama. All in all, I really wanted this series to end on a high note and it just didn't. There were some good moments, but most of the time I felt like I was pushing through out of obligation, and then the ending REALLY annoyed me after all that. Big feelings about a big book (both in thickness and in hype).