BOOK REVIEW- Sapphire Flames (A Hidden Legacy Novel #4) by Ilona Andrews

Description

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrew 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.   AMAZON LINK
                                                          5+ STARS

What great world-building.  I barely got into it and was finding it really easy to be pulled into the story. And what about the people you ask?  They were really good but especially Catalina who I thought was outstanding.   She wasn't anything like I expected.  She was way better.
Catalina wasn't the only great character.  There was depth of description of each person and magical skills with each one.  Even the "monsters" were really well done  and scary.    A couple of times I wondered if I had been dropped into  the Twilight Zone.  But I mean that in the best possible way.  Because the emotions and interactions were good and there was humor too.  Some of the interactions between Catalina and Alessandro made me grin.  The whole part where Catalina was making salsa for the family and swaggering Alessandro shows up is really funny! The other people who were there and witnessed it was almost as funny.  I know I giggled right along with them. 
 I have to admit more than once I was right there with Catalina when it came to "who is the real Alessandro?"    It was fun with the different names that Catalina had for his persona's.  "Instagram Alessandro" was one of my favorites.
Is it unpredictable, you ask?   Absolutely!  And I loved every minute of that!!
There is a huge twist at the end.  One I was half-afraid was coming. But in the end, all it did was make me want to see MORE of Catalina and Alessandro.  But I do have ask, how in the world could this author top this book with other adventures?
By the way, the cover for this eBook was one of the reasons I stopped along the way to find out more about this book.  I'm so glad it caught my eye and I read the book.


   “I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”