It’s no secret to anyone following my book reviews that Ilona Andrews is one of my “drop everything and read the new book ASAP” authors. I anxiously awaited the arrival of the newest installment of the Hidden Legacy series and devoured the book within 24 hours.

Reading the previous installments of this series makes for a better story (which I revisited the week before release, and was just as thrilled with them as the first time), especially including the novella that stars Catalina as a POV character. Catalina features many of the attributes that made her older sister Nevada a compelling character, but even though they are sisters, there are plenty of differences between them. Catalina’s skill set, both magically and practically, give her a unique viewpoint to solving problems. Her relationship with the main mystery of the book also takes a different approach from how her sister might have handled things.

The main male hero is intriguing, and his actions in the book give a broader look at how magic exists on an international scale, beyond Houston and even the United States. I especially liked the historical details slipped into the narrative, such as only one world war instead of two. I’d love a better picture of what Europe looks like based on this history.

As usual, other Baylor family members also get in on the action, and continue to delight.

This is a solid beginning to a new set of books in this series, where many answers are left tantalizingly out of reach.

Rating: 5 (out of 5) stars. Cross-posted to Amazon and Goodreads.