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kzimm2024's review against another edition
5.0
Re-read Jan 2024- what fun to read them all again. Catalina is in a hard spot, with Victoria and Linus and their demands but she is worthy of the task.
"I was mourning the old me. For the new me to emerge, the old me had to disappear, and killing her bit by bit hurt."
Alessandro comes back after a near death experience, so we forgive him, are glad for his honesty and then feel sorry for him.
“I’m not leaving.” His voice was a ragged growl.
“I tried, because I can offer you nothing and you deserve so much more. You deserve someone better, but I’m a selfish bastard and I can’t stay away. I can’t give you up.”
And oh look! Victoria Tremaine knew all along about him and it all works out. That woman is the very devil.
A pivotal conversation between Catalina and Nevada was intense but really explained a lot.
Bug is priceless:
“Is he right there next to you?” Bug roared into the phone. “Is that spoiled moneyfucker in the room with you now, Catalina?”
----------
“Bug, I don’t have a choice. Can you do this for me or not?”
“Of course I’ll do it. Here is my price. Next time you see him, I want you to tell him, ‘Hey dickfucker, Bug is watching you.’ Because I am.”
He hung up.
Love their family dynamic:
Leon had pestered me during dinner one night, I lost control, and the black wings made their debut. The family was stunned into silence for a whole thirty seconds.
And then everyone called me Goth Princess for a week and Arabella kept leaving vampire novels by my door.
These are just some of the best IMHO :)
*
Re-Read 11-21, same feelings as the review below except I see more threads coming together than I did before. Excellent writing, great banter and interesting plots. Ready for the finale.
I decided to start the series over again before reading this new release. FUN!
I enjoyed it but struggle with Alessandro and connecting with him. I am glad he says he is here to stay and I love the banter with him and the family, I just hope that the HEA we are heading towards is done well.
What am I saying?
Its Ilona Andrews- OF COURSE it will be well done. They are the Masters.
So we wait. As the good little soldiers that we are. For the final book.
"I was mourning the old me. For the new me to emerge, the old me had to disappear, and killing her bit by bit hurt."
Alessandro comes back after a near death experience, so we forgive him, are glad for his honesty and then feel sorry for him.
“I’m not leaving.” His voice was a ragged growl.
“I tried, because I can offer you nothing and you deserve so much more. You deserve someone better, but I’m a selfish bastard and I can’t stay away. I can’t give you up.”
And oh look! Victoria Tremaine knew all along about him and it all works out. That woman is the very devil.
A pivotal conversation between Catalina and Nevada was intense but really explained a lot.
Bug is priceless:
“Is he right there next to you?” Bug roared into the phone. “Is that spoiled moneyfucker in the room with you now, Catalina?”
----------
“Bug, I don’t have a choice. Can you do this for me or not?”
“Of course I’ll do it. Here is my price. Next time you see him, I want you to tell him, ‘Hey dickfucker, Bug is watching you.’ Because I am.”
He hung up.
Love their family dynamic:
Leon had pestered me during dinner one night, I lost control, and the black wings made their debut. The family was stunned into silence for a whole thirty seconds.
And then everyone called me Goth Princess for a week and Arabella kept leaving vampire novels by my door.
These are just some of the best IMHO :)
*
Re-Read 11-21, same feelings as the review below except I see more threads coming together than I did before. Excellent writing, great banter and interesting plots. Ready for the finale.
I decided to start the series over again before reading this new release. FUN!
I enjoyed it but struggle with Alessandro and connecting with him. I am glad he says he is here to stay and I love the banter with him and the family, I just hope that the HEA we are heading towards is done well.
What am I saying?
Its Ilona Andrews- OF COURSE it will be well done. They are the Masters.
So we wait. As the good little soldiers that we are. For the final book.
bookbruin's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
This was another action packed read! The story picks up about 6 months after the end of Sapphire Flames and I loved seeing Catalina come into her own. She's such a great heroine (though I think Nevada will always be my favorite). I thought the evolution of Catalina's relationship with Alessandro was well done and I will admit that his *immediate* grovel pretty much won me over. Catalina makes him work for it though and he rose to every challenge time and time again. The Baylor family is always a hoot and I loved that we got more of Nevada and Rogan this time around. Also, how cute are Bern and a certain BFF red head?? ;) Grandma Tremaine continues to be ruthless and it was interesting to get more insight into all the puppet strings she holds. I do wish that the final reveal wouldn't have been such an info dump though and that Alessandro and Catalina could have talked about it versus simply reacting to the information.
The audio was phenomenal again and Emily Rankin really is such a perfect casting choice. Like before, the main conflict of the book is resolved by the end, but there is a larger plot thread that will conclude in the next book. I'm just glad we weren't left wondering where Catalina and Alessandro's relationship stands this time around <3 On to Ruby Fever!
Audiobook Review
Overall 5 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 4.5 stars
The audio was phenomenal again and Emily Rankin really is such a perfect casting choice. Like before, the main conflict of the book is resolved by the end, but there is a larger plot thread that will conclude in the next book. I'm just glad we weren't left wondering where Catalina and Alessandro's relationship stands this time around <3 On to Ruby Fever!
Audiobook Review
Overall 5 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 4.5 stars
shayeantal143's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
xvicesx's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Another solid performance by House Andrews. It's funny to think that the work that probably took them the better part of a year to write took me maybe a day to devour. But that's the Book Devouring Horde for you.
I read someone commenting that Catalina and Alessandro are just a YA version of Nevada and Rogan. I deeply disagree, since they're very different people with different behaviours and reactions. Nevada will always be first in my heart,which is why that little heart to heart Catalina had with Nevada felt brutal and unfair but Catalina comes across as a fully formed different person. She's softer, and shows us much more of the ordering around that a head of house has to do, but she's ultimately nice.
The plot, I can comment next to nothing on, because it's perfect and keeps you on your toes and I loved it.
I read someone commenting that Catalina and Alessandro are just a YA version of Nevada and Rogan. I deeply disagree, since they're very different people with different behaviours and reactions. Nevada will always be first in my heart,
The plot, I can comment next to nothing on, because it's perfect and keeps you on your toes and I loved it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Gun violence
Minor: Cancer and Death
caitybell's review against another edition
4.0
I finished. And I am not okay. Full review to come after I pull myself together.
I've finally done it, I've finally written my review!
Emerald Blaze was one of those books that I had been waiting and agonizing over for months, so much so that when I accidentally received it days before its actual release, I canceled everything and read it immediately. After I devoured it, it took me a long time to come to terms with how I felt. And by a long time, I mean months. I'm writing this in the new year, finally able to put words down about all the tumultuous feelings I have for this book.
In Emerald Blaze, Catalina is tougher, harder, and fully accepting of her new secret role as Texas's Deputy Warden. Forced to not only keep the job a secret from her family but also her deals she made with her evil grandmother. The secrets are starting to catch up with her.
Months after Alessandro Sagredo left, taking Catalina's heart with him, he's returned just as she takes a new case and puts himself in the middle of the investigation. With no choice but to let him tag along, Catalina decides to use him to her advantage and they start their hunt for a killer, and, worse, a monster living in the swamp at the center of a magical pit in Houston. A killer who wants to silence them, a monster who takes an obsessive liking to Catalina.
Emerald Blaze has secured the spot of "favorite Hidden Legacy villain". The force Catalina and Alessandro go up against is equally horrifying as it is grimly beautiful. The plot of EB vaguely reminded me of Bayou Moon from Andrews' The Edge series, which is a tremendously good thing considering Bayou Moon is my all-time favorite Andrews book.
The heartache of Sapphire Flames remains, only, like Catalina and Alessandro, it's a different kind of ache. These are not the same characters we met in the past books. Catalina is a force, a woman who has been hurt and has hardened and thrown herself into becoming a Prime to be reckoned with. Alessandro is no longer the cocky, flirty assassin. I've said before that one of my favorite things with Ilona Andrews is their ability to write their stories with actual time lapses. It's been months since the events of Sapphire Flames and the time has allowed these two lovesick Primes to change and grow. At first, I was skeptical, concerned that I was no longer reading the characters I fell in love with. Worried that Andrews had changed so much of the development in order to appease complaining fans. There were complaints about Sapphire Flames, that Catalina was too young and infatuated, that Alessandro was toxic. I agreed and disagreed. I knew what was happening, I knew Andrews had planned a development that would be realistic and worth the struggle over a period of three books. In Emerald Blaze, we got this growth, but there were some things that felt info-dumpy, felt forced, as if to placate complainers of SF. This caused my first read to be a confusing mess of feelings. I wish some of the revelations and reveals in this book had been saved for the next book.
After finally bringing myself to reread Emerald Blaze, I've accepted all the feelings I have about it and come to one conclusion: I do love it and I have the utmost faith in Ilona Andrews to wrap up Catalina's trilogy in the next book with the spectacular writing I expect from them.
I've finally done it, I've finally written my review!
Emerald Blaze was one of those books that I had been waiting and agonizing over for months, so much so that when I accidentally received it days before its actual release, I canceled everything and read it immediately. After I devoured it, it took me a long time to come to terms with how I felt. And by a long time, I mean months. I'm writing this in the new year, finally able to put words down about all the tumultuous feelings I have for this book.
In Emerald Blaze, Catalina is tougher, harder, and fully accepting of her new secret role as Texas's Deputy Warden. Forced to not only keep the job a secret from her family but also her deals she made with her evil grandmother. The secrets are starting to catch up with her.
Months after Alessandro Sagredo left, taking Catalina's heart with him, he's returned just as she takes a new case and puts himself in the middle of the investigation. With no choice but to let him tag along, Catalina decides to use him to her advantage and they start their hunt for a killer, and, worse, a monster living in the swamp at the center of a magical pit in Houston. A killer who wants to silence them, a monster who takes an obsessive liking to Catalina.
Emerald Blaze has secured the spot of "favorite Hidden Legacy villain". The force Catalina and Alessandro go up against is equally horrifying as it is grimly beautiful. The plot of EB vaguely reminded me of Bayou Moon from Andrews' The Edge series, which is a tremendously good thing considering Bayou Moon is my all-time favorite Andrews book.
The heartache of Sapphire Flames remains, only, like Catalina and Alessandro, it's a different kind of ache. These are not the same characters we met in the past books. Catalina is a force, a woman who has been hurt and has hardened and thrown herself into becoming a Prime to be reckoned with. Alessandro is no longer the cocky, flirty assassin. I've said before that one of my favorite things with Ilona Andrews is their ability to write their stories with actual time lapses. It's been months since the events of Sapphire Flames and the time has allowed these two lovesick Primes to change and grow. At first, I was skeptical, concerned that I was no longer reading the characters I fell in love with. Worried that Andrews had changed so much of the development in order to appease complaining fans. There were complaints about Sapphire Flames, that Catalina was too young and infatuated, that Alessandro was toxic. I agreed and disagreed. I knew what was happening, I knew Andrews had planned a development that would be realistic and worth the struggle over a period of three books. In Emerald Blaze, we got this growth, but there were some things that felt info-dumpy, felt forced, as if to placate complainers of SF. This caused my first read to be a confusing mess of feelings. I wish some of the revelations and reveals in this book had been saved for the next book.
After finally bringing myself to reread Emerald Blaze, I've accepted all the feelings I have about it and come to one conclusion: I do love it and I have the utmost faith in Ilona Andrews to wrap up Catalina's trilogy in the next book with the spectacular writing I expect from them.
agw622's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This one was really well written. It was a fun quick paced read that will definitely keep you interested.
winterreader40's review
4.5
It's been 6 months since Alessandro disappeared from Catalina's life, emotionally she's finally pulled herself back together and she's simply focusing on her work as deputy warden and trying not to get sucked into her grandmother's schemes.
Her latest case has her investigating the murder of a prime in "The Pit" and while she is discussing next steps with her boss Alessandro crashes back into her life insisting on being her bodyguard because the man he's been after for years has set his sights on her.
I really enjoy the family dynamics in this series and how they are all sassy to each other in different ways and the steam rising between Catalina and Alessandro is has just the right touch of angst on the sass to not make this a "whoa is me" kind of situation.
Her latest case has her investigating the murder of a prime in "The Pit" and while she is discussing next steps with her boss Alessandro crashes back into her life insisting on being her bodyguard because the man he's been after for years has set his sights on her.
I really enjoy the family dynamics in this series and how they are all sassy to each other in different ways and the steam rising between Catalina and Alessandro is has just the right touch of angst on the sass to not make this a "whoa is me" kind of situation.
5feet_of_fury's review
5.0
Loved it. So much character development, so much added to the world, science/magic & the rules the Houses operate under.