Sapphire Flame is the first book of the Catalina Baylor trilogy and I thought it was pretty good. I especially liked the parts with the Baylor family.

I mostly liked Catalina, but she does have some annoying qualities. Alessandro seems alright, too, I just hate that he doesn't seem to think of Catalina as a capable adult. ( )

Another good one in the series! Well done, as usual! ( )

First of, this is not a book about Nevada and Rogan... they've had their fun, now it's time for a new heroine... Catalina. Yes, this will be very different than what we're used to reading (as in, the first three books), but trust me... keep this in mind and it will be no less awesome! Also, go and read Diamond Fire if you haven't already as in my opinion it gives a deeper insight into Catalina.

On with the review.

After 3 years and after some (very necessary) training (courtesy of Mrs Rogan) Catalina is putting on her badass shoes :D

3 years have passed since the trials and the grace period for House Baylor has come to an end, meaning they are now vulnerable and without protection. On top of all that good news, there is a case of a close friend that could really make or break their new House, but Catalina is the only one left to help. As Nevada and Mad Rogan are off and unavailable, she will have to step up and make it known that House Baylor is a force to reckon with and there to stay.

Character development was good. Catalina has matured a lot since we last read about her in Diamond Fire. Though that doesn't mean she doesn't struggle or flings around her magic willy-nilly. No, she still has a very tight lid on that actually. She is well written en believable. She's not perfect, she has hopes, fears, flaws like everyone. But she has some serious balls, I can tell you that :D
It was really nice to read how the family functions without Nevada, how everyone has come to grip with the reality of what is going on and what needs to be done. Great to read how they all work together. Throw in a boring Bug and you have a recipe for awesome.
And then we have our 'male of the series', Alessandro. Who really knows how to get in a girls way of doing her damn job! That said... wow, I mean, I really wouldn't mind, seriously... hahaha.
I'm looking forward to seeing a lot more of him and his interactions with Catalina.

Pacing and flow were very good, a lot happening but the authors achieved a great balance between conversation and action to keep the story moving forward. I pretty much read this in one go and never was I bored of got the feeling it was too much at once.

The book itself was well written with no (noticeable) errors.

All in all... bring on the next book, please! Can't wait to read more in this wonderful world with such great characters. ( )

My Thoughts:

Catalina's story was started with Diamond Fire, so everything I have to say about Sapphire Flames was already said then. In this book we explore more into her character and the romance between her and Alessandro Sagredo. And of course, it has to be complicated... Catalina takes three books before Arabella's series starts. I don't mind because Ilona Andrews usually makes it worth it. I also liked the fact that I get to read about Zeus again! Darn! That cat has a way of wriggling his way into your heart!

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 5
Ending = 4.5
World building = 5
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = (12 hrs and 32 mins)
Plot = 5
Narration = 4.5

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 ( )

I'm so sorry, IA. So, so, so sorry.

I've never even thought about giving an IA book less than four stars, and I tortured myself thinking in circles about this book trying to give it a better rating, but... alas... here we are.

It's not this book was bad. As always, the world building was some of the best I've ever read, the supporting cast was as 3-dimensional as can be, and I loved grown-up Catalina figuring out how to lead House Baylor.

However. All of you out there that read the original trilogy (and if you haven't, you should), do any of you really think that Nevada would ever abandon her family? You're telling me that Nevada, who we've seen sacrifice everything for her family, would turn over leadership of her fledgling House to her 21-year-old sister right before their grace period expired, exposing them to the scheming of every power-hungry House in the country? That she would leave her family to face assassins and magical monsters while on an idyllic trip to Spain? I don't believe any of that for a second, and it's not just the elephant in the room, it's the herd of elephants plus a couple zebras that's between me and the bathroom. I just can't get around it, no matter how much I want to. ( )