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Emerald Blaze (Hidden Legacy, #5)

Ilona Andrews

Start date: September 1, 2020

Finish date: September 30, 2020

Discussion: Book of the Month

Why we're reading this: Voted as our "Most Popular Books Published in August 2020" September BOM…more
[close] Voted as our "Most Popular Books Published in August 2020" September BOM

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* BOM: Group Read History [2025]
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What Members Thought

Aug 26, 2020 Monadh rated it it was amazing

Shelves: magic, uf, action, series, mystery

Superb, faced-paced, action-driven UF adventure

Once again, what an exhilerating and action-driven ride this has been! This ist he 5th full length novel in the Hidden Legacy series and the 2nd book in Catalina and Alessandro’s story. Ilona Andrews books always give me the worst book hangovers and I don’t know how I am going to cope with waiting a year for the conclusion to come out.

Book one, Sapphire Flames had ended on a not so good a note with Alessandro feeling compelled to go off to pursue hi Superb, faced-paced, action-driven UF adventure

Once again, what an exhilerating and action-driven ride this has been! This ist he 5th full length novel in the Hidden Legacy series and the 2nd book in Catalina and Alessandro’s story. Ilona Andrews books always give me the worst book hangovers and I don’t know how I am going to cope with waiting a year for the conclusion to come out.

Book one, Sapphire Flames had ended on a not so good a note with Alessandro feeling compelled to go off to pursue his vengeance (without us – the readers – really knowing what drove him) and Catalina left behind with a broken heart, although Alessandro never promised her anything. But Catalina can’t afford to mope around, because even at her young age she is stuck taking care of her family as she is now the head of the family.

I have to say I was quite sceptical in the beginning (of Catalina and Alessandro’s) story, when the narrative perspective switched from Nevada to Catalina, who is around 21, because normally such a young heroine wouldn’t be my thing at all. But because of the responsibility she has had thrust on her, Catalina feels mature much beyond her years. And Alessandro, who is only a few years Catalina’s senior has been in the position of de facto provider for his own family for a long time, as it turns out. Although I usually like my heroes and heroines quite a bit older, I was ok with these two, because they both came across as mature and responsible.

Catalina is just slowly getting over having her heart broken, when she is assigned a new case in her capacity as the Deputy Warden, so she can’t refuse it. On the surface it appears to be a simple murder of one of five partners involved in a municipal construction project. But things are not as simple as they appear on the surface, and soon Catalina and her whole family are once more immersed in complicated House machinations. And to make matters worse, Alessandro not only reappears, but he manages to insert himself into the case in such a way that Catalina is forced to work together with him…

I always marvel how Ilona Andrews is able to deliver such action-filled non-stop tension, with all the right feels on a tapestry of imaginative and original world-building, with interesting and likable side-characters and a mystery that keeps the reader racing across the pages until the very end.
I can’t get enough of the Andrews’ writing: 5 shining stars! ...more

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Aug 26, 2020 Ann rated it it was amazing

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Once again, Andrews has penned a hit with Emerald Blaze. The Hidden Legacy series continues with book five, another book in the adventures of Catalina Baylor. Catalina is really growing on me as a heroine, and her journey in this book confirms that she can definitely kiss ass and take names. Alessandro is back too, and we get new information about him and his past. The romance between ...more

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Sep 14, 2020 Mashara rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mad-max-battle-warriors-of-the-book, urban-fantasy, contemporary

I read this book in one sitting, that's all I have to say about it.

But since I have decided to write a review, here it goes:

- The cast of characters continues to be great and found family is core to all IA books, but here the necessity of family is underscored, how this relationships, which can drive us crazy, or be toxic and even dangerous, are the ones that keep us grounded. I believe we might have all learnt that lesson in 2020.
- The world-building keeps evolving. The cases become more comple I read this book in one sitting, that's all I have to say about it.

But since I have decided to write a review, here it goes:

- The cast of characters continues to be great and found family is core to all IA books, but here the necessity of family is underscored, how this relationships, which can drive us crazy, or be toxic and even dangerous, are the ones that keep us grounded. I believe we might have all learnt that lesson in 2020.
- The world-building keeps evolving. The cases become more complex and the plot of the books are interesting and action packed. The books stops for nothing and nobody. It is a violent world and as much as IA shows that the violence takes it's tool on the characters, it does not waste time with trying to justify or moralise on the necessity of killing some people. I do not condone violence for violence's sake, but I have heard so many people, from a position of privilege, not suffering any sort of oppression, moralise about the necessity for peace, discourse and cordiality, I find it refreshing to see characters that do not waste time trying to debate the merits of their existence with people that do not believe they have a right to one.
- The romance is far more fleshed out. One important aspect I really liked was seeing Alessandro changed, not by Catalina, but what things that have happened to him. It is not Catalina's job to change/save/improve Alessandro. He comes to it on his own, he becomes who he needs to be in order to be with Catalina, and that is pure fucking romance. I enjoyed their pairing, their banter, their chemistry and even tho I was a bit "chill girl" when Catalina was explaining they couldn't get married, it still felt like a logical conversation in the world of Prime mages IA has built.
- Return of old characters and explanations regarding some wacky stuff. I will give IA the benefit of the doubt here and say I believe this was what they always meant to happen. Nevada leaving House Baylor always felt out of character, but also necessary to make room for Catalina and her books, so the true reason does feel a bit retconny, but I will take it, because it makes sense for the characters.
Seeing Nevada and Connor again was really nice.

As per, excellent, fun, entertaining and I cannot wait to read the next one.
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Aug 31, 2020 Cc rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ebook, favorites, 2020

Catalina and Alessandro

Story opens with Catalina barely recovering from her broken heart being given a job by The Warden of Texas.

One of the four members of a consortium has been horribly murdered on the site of The Pit, the job they had joined together to clean up. Turns out there’s more to/in The Pit than anyone imagined.

Attending the first meeting after she was directed to discover Felix’s murderer who walks in but Alessandro. He has been hire by the murder victim’s Family to kill the pers ...more

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