Review: Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews
Title: Sapphire Flames (Hidden Legacy #4)
Author: Ilona Andrews
Publication Date: August 27, 2019
Publisher: Avon
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Find It: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, Book Depository
Source: e-ARC via Edelweiss
Rating: 4 stars – stay up late
In a world where magic is the key to power and wealth, Catalina Baylor is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, and the Head of her House. Catalina has always been afraid to use her unique powers, but when her friend’s mother and sister are murdered, Catalina risks her reputation and safety to unravel the mystery.
But behind the scenes powerful forces are at work, and one of them is Alessandro Sagredo, the Italian Prime who was once Catalina’s teenage crush. Dangerous and unpredictable, Alessandro’s true motives are unclear, but he’s drawn to Catalina like a moth to a flame.
To help her friend, Catalina must test the limits of her extraordinary powers, but doing so may cost her both her House–and her heart.
The Hidden Legacy series continues, albeit with a new narrator. I admit that I was a little wary of the shift from Nevada’s story over to that of her younger sister, Catalina, who has become a power of her own over the course of the series. However, as a huge fan of the Ilona Andrew team, I was excited to dive back into this world and to see the Baylor family story continue. If you haven’t read it yet, Diamond Fire is a good primer for Sapphire Flames. The novella gives you a good taste of some of the new players and introduces us to the world through Catalina’s eyes.
Catalina has always had her her big sister look for her but she’s now a Prime and the head of House Baylor. As the head of her House, she is now responsible for the health and happiness of her House and its members. All of the pressures and much of the danger of being a part of a powerful magical family now falls on her shoulders. She takes a case to investigate the murder of her friend’s mother and sister and finds herself in the cross hairs of arcane magical forces and a sexy assassin whose motives are unknown. Catalina has her work cut out for her trying to solve the mystery while trying to keep her family, and her heart, safe.
If you’re a fan of Ilona Andrews, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed in Sapphire Flames. It has all of the signature world building, action, and snappy dialogue that you would expect out of an Ilona Andrews novel. I just love the Hidden Legacy world with all of its strange creatures, magical families, and intrigue. I didn’t have much of an impression of Catalina in the first two books except that she had a very unique power that caused her to hide away most of the time. Over the course of the series, though, she came out of her shell more and Diamond Fire put her in the spotlight. Even though she’s reluctant to be the center of attention, she never shies away from her duty or helping those in need. I loved how her character has grown over the series into an extremely capable and badass woman who still faces a lot of doubts and insecurity. She just felt very relatable in that way. She steps it up in this book though and really start to believe in her own power instead of being afraid of it.
Of course, I loved the sexy assassin thrown into the mix. Alessandro Sagredo is Catalina’s teenage crush and is impossibly charming and dangerous. Catalina doesn’t trust his feelings for her and tries to keep him at arm’s length. I love their chemistry (Ilona Andrews is so good at love/hate relationships) and the will they or won’t they pull that they have throughout the book. Ilona Andrews love to make their readers wait for a good HEA though so we may have to wait awhile for these two to get together.
One of my other favorite parts of this series is all of the amazing supporting. Grandma Frieda is a personal favorite but I also love Bern and Bug. Nevada and Rogan also make appearances throughout the book.
Sapphire Flames is a solid entry in the Hidden Legacy series. It may seem a bit familiar if you’re a die hard fan of Ilona Andrews’s writing but it’s always so fun to dive into the worlds that they create. If you love amazing action and story, badass characters, smokin’ romance, and magical monsters , then I think you’ll love this series as much as I do. I’m excited to see where the duo take Catalina next (hopefully into Alessandro’s arms)!
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my review or opinion of the book.
