Stars: 5 out of 5.
This was a lot darker and more angsty than the other books in the series, but I can understand that. Catalina has a LOT of things to worry about, the biggest one being her horrible grandmother. She’d been literally killing herself trying to keep her family safe and solidifying the power of House Baylor. And she thought that she had to sacrifice parts of herself and her happiness to do that.
I’m glad that Catalina and Alessandro had a honest and serious talk as soon as they could and that he was very honest and upfront about what happened. I like that he acknowledged that running away and abandoning her at the end of the previous book was a horrible thing to do. I like that he didn’t try to excuse his actions, but owned them instead.
I love all the relationships Ilona Andrews writes about because they are healthy and mature, where people actually share their feelings and talk about their issues instead of just letting them fester.
I think this was a very cathartic book for Catalina. She finally mended things with Nevada, and she realized that she didn’t have to carry the burden of House Baylor on her own. And she finally found the one person that would stand by her no matter what and be her equal, ready to help or call on her bullshit if needed.
Also, the Abyss was really terrifying, though I can’t help but feel sorry for the nameless telepath that was killed to create this abomination. I’m sure that even if he was a volunteer for the serum experiment, he hadn’t chosen to die for it.
Can’t wait to read the next book in the series.