Review: Emerald Blaze (Hidden Legacy #5) by Ilona Andrews


At one point, while enjoying this book, I turned to the spouse and said, “I love reading about idiots in love.”

Catalina and Alessandro are far from being idiots in their daily existences. Both live lives that are much too dangerous for that to be the case. But it’s obvious the way they attract each other like magnets when in each other’s presence, and I adored the through-line of this story regarding how they eventually collide.

This story includes much more than an epic-level love story, however. I anticipated a quest to search for the missing vials of Osiris Serum, but instead, we’re hit with a murder mystery. These two plotlines intertwine, but they do so in a way I’ve come to expect from Andrews, in that everything is actually completely unexpected.

Alessandro’s personal quest also ends up closer to home, and the dynamic he and Cataline established in the previous book must fluctuate to incorporate it. I appreciate that Alessandro’s life is not stagnant when outside of Catalina’s perspective between books.

No spoilers here, but I especially love how numerous personal stories come to light, especially in regards to Nevada. I know that a lot of reviews of the previous book hated a particular story element. I didn’t hate it, but something about it never sat well with me—the revelations that we get here go a long way toward explaining and reassuring that the Baylor sisters still have each other’s backs, even if they now belong to different Houses.

As always, I must give a shout-out to the fantastic cast of supporting characters. Their presence and roles in this book are another element I adore about Andrews’ story-telling.

Catalina and Alessandro are one step closer to their happily ever after, but this is no sagging middle book of a trilogy. It’s a fun, engaging adventure that makes me all the more excited for the epic finale.

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

Published by J.L. Gribble

Author, Editor, Worldbuilder

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