Review: Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews

Sapphire Flames (Hidden Legacy #4) by Ilona Andrews

Publication Date: August 27th 2019 by Avon

Pages: 400

Source: Publisher

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible

About the book:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews comes an enthralling new trilogy set in the Hidden Legacy world, where magic means power, and family bloodlines are the new currency of society…

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.

My Thoughts:

The Hidden Legacy series has now come to focus on Catalina Baylor, one of Nevada’s younger sisters who is now head of House Baylor.  Catalina has taken over as lead investigator for their firm as well. Runa, a poisoner we met in Diamond Fire comes to Catalina after tragedy befalls her house. Taking on Runa’s case, Catalina runs up against a dangerous foe bringing not only her, but her whole family into danger.  To complicate matters, after three years of no contact, once again Alessandro Sagredo pops back into her life right smack in the middle of her case.  Alessandro alternatively flirts with Catalina and then seriously warns her off the investigation. Oh, I look forward to seeing how it’ll all play out in the coming books!

Ilona Andrews is such an amazing writing talent; I’m always anticipating their next story. There’s never a dull moment with lots of action, danger and humor expertly woven into their smart plots!  The Hidden Legacy has been an amazing series and I’m sooo happy we’re getting more stories in this world, now focusing on Catalina.  I’m so happy to see her as a power in her own right, gaining confidence, and whipping out attitude when needed.  I was glued to the pages right from the start! Love the teasing humor from Grandma Frieda (her Herald must be very entertaining) and Arabella! There was bound to be some payback from Nevada, lol! The photo was priceless!  The other Baylor’s continue to entertain as well, and I wonder at something between Burn and Runa? The current mystery/conflict is solved, but as this is a three-story arc, things are up in the air which made me very eager for the next book!

While I think a reader would benefit from reading the books in order, I do think you could read Diamond Fire, the novella before this story, and then Sapphire Flames and still enjoy the story.  However, skipping the previous stories would deprive you of the awesomeness of this series!

5 Suns