Tag Archives: Hidden Legacy series

Emerald Blaze (Hidden Legacy 5) by Ilona Andrews

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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.

Sapphire Flames (Hidden Legacy 4) by Ilona Andrews

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Stars: 5 out of 5

This is the first book about Catalina, and I loved it. I loved all of the Nevada books, so I was a bit apprehensive to switch to a different narrator, but I love Catalina too. The Baylor women are strong and badass in their own ways. And it’s a testiment to the authors’ gift with words that the protagonists don’t sound the same. Nevada has a completely different personality than Catalina, and it shows on the page. 

But when it comes to the Hidden Legacy books, I especially love the Baylor family. All of them are a hoot to read about, be it Granma Freda with her letal machines with hilarious names (seriously, who calls a tank Brick?), or  Bern and Leon. I always get this warm and fuzzy feeling when I read about that family, because they feel real, and you can see that they genuinely love and care for each other. In the world of Hidden Legacy, where alliances are made based on power, and children are made based on genetic markers they would have and powers they would inherit, seeing a family that doesnt’ care about any of that and just loves each other is a breath of fresh air.

And I think by being how they are, the Baylors attract the right sort of people to them. They help others because they feel they should, and they stick by those who hire them, so they tend to assemble friends who think and feel the same. I loved that we got to see Sergeant Teddy again. I wonder what kind of creature Shadow is… she has way too many teeth for a dog. I’m sure she will have a surprise or two for those who try to harm Catalina in the next books.

We also learned a lot more about the world of Hidden Legacy and the serum that created it by destroying the world as we know it. I can’t wait to see how Catalina’s new status plays out in the next books.