by Lília
Ilona Andrews has been top of mind lately after the release of This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me. I went back to another of the duo’s series: Hidden Legacy, which they again enriched with a novella published in January.
Let me tell you, it’s definitely worth reading. The characters are fun, the yearning is smoldering, and the romance is well-paced, while so many things happen around it! It’s a more romantic kind of series than what Ilona Andrews usually writes – adventure, intrigue, romance on the side – but all the other elements are still there. The romance is important, and if there were no romance, the story would be a bit less interesting.
The premise: more than a century ago, a serum was developed to deal with a flu virus and instead awakened people’s latent magical powers. The serum was given to everyone willing to take the risk of dying, and too late, people found out that the magical powers were hereditary. Magical dynasties rule the world now, and in this world lives the Baylor family: three sisters, their mother, two cousins, and their grandmother. “The Hidden Legacy chronicles their lives, relationship, and adventures.” (from Ilona Andrews’ website)
The series consists of 8 books so far.
The first trilogy – Burn for Me, White Hot and Wildfire – tells Nevada and Connor’s story, with all the enemy-to-lovers elements, and a lot of intrigue and magic. We learn about the world-building, the different kinds of magic, and how important magic Houses are. It’s a world where magic is the supreme power, and having power is necessary for survival.
Between the first and second trilogies, we have Diamond Fire*, a novella about Nevada and Connor’s wedding told from Catalina’s point of view, Nevada’s middle sister.
*Currently only available as ebook and audio.
The second trilogy – Sapphire Flames, Emerald Blaze and Ruby Fever – tells Catalina and Alessandro’s story. Years after meeting, Alessandro shows up again in Houston and they get involved, but life is certainly not simple for either one, and all the intrigue from the first trilogy keeps going on, with many different developments trudging their way.
The newest installment is Beast Business. Augustine Montgomery, previously a side character, becomes the main character, looking for a stolen alien cub with an Animal Mage. There’s only a hint of a romance in this story, which concentrates on finding the cub and them fighting a powerful mage. But the romantic notes are well-defined and I really hope the author will explore this budding relationship in future books.
There are a lot of people who say they – Ilona and Gordon, the duo who write as Ilona Andrews – don’t write cliffhangers, but I don’t agree. In this whole series, there are enough cliffhangers to make you wonder how things are going to develop, so you want to read the next installment. The cliffhangers are not earth-shattering, but hints to future and developing ideas/stories, which keep the reader yearning for further books in their worlds. I certainly do. Besides the cliffhangers, there are enough twists to keep you wondering in which direction they will go.
One of the most important characteristics of their stories is that the characters are well-rounded, the worldbuilding is extensive and the stories always end on a positive note, even when many negative things have happened. A definite plus in my book.
