Wildfire (Hidden Legacy, #3)

by Ilona Andrews

[Quirky Cat]

I would like to preface my review by saying that Ilona Andrews (well, technically Ilona and Andrew Gorden) is one of my favorite authors. Even though it hasn’t even been three months since White Hot came out, it felt like an absolute eternity waiting for this release. Luckily for me, I was on vacation when it released, and I happily pounced on my mail carrier when the delivery came. In case you were wondering, yes I did in fact read it in one sitting that night. Completely worth it.
I loved this series, and was sad about the thought of it ending. I’m happy to report though, that according to Ilona and Andrew Gordon during their AMA (Ask Me Anything) they hosted a couple of weeks ago…we may be seeing more of the Baylor crew, which is utterly fantastic in my mind. Basically the way it stands right now is its pretty dependent on the numbers. If the numbers are good, Avon will probably order at least one more book (if not more – possibly even focusing on Nevada’s sisters). Regardless of the numbers, we may still get one more novel out of our favorite duo, though it’ll be self-published if Avon doesn’t order more. Considering I’m not ready to let go of this series, I’ll take it and anything else they’re willing to give me!



Wildfire is the tumultuous conclusion to the Hidden Legacy series (well, sort of, see the paragraph above). On top of dealing with everything else going on in her life (registering as a House, tracking down the people behind the scenes, dealing with her grandmother, working out a relationship with Rogan) Nevada agrees to take on a missing person’s case…the twist? It’s Olivia Charles’ son-in-law. If that wasn’t complicated enough, his wife (the woman who brought the case to Nevada to begin with) is Rogan’s ex-fiancé (through arrangement more than choice). So needless to say the awkward meter is pretty high up on this one.
Rynda’s sudden reappearance into Rogan’s life forces Nevada to acknowledge just how serious her relationship is with him (and just how much he means to her). It really was the perfect catalyst; as the reader I didn’t feel too threatened by it (mostly because I’ve seen how much Rogan cares for Nevada, and can safely say that he’d never give that up), but Nevada did, which was the important factor here. I’ll admit that I got a little annoyed with Rynda, as she clearly saw Rogan as a backup, something I felt he deserved better than (plus she got over that plan quick enough, didn’t she?).
The actual introduction of the grandmother (whom formerly had been hinted at or seen through secondary manners) was fantastic. She was the perfect level of threatening and aristocratic (I kind of pictured her as the evil step-mother from Cinderella – anybody else?). Her determination was made pretty clear, though I’m not sure I agree with her methods (you get more flies with sugar, as the saying goes).
Nevada and her entire family are finally forced to make peace with and accept who and what they are, as well as all of the consequences that come along with that. This includes them registering as an official house (House Baylor, in case you weren’t sure). As it stands: Nevada, Catalina, Arabella, and Bernard all registered (I know, I wasn’t expecting that last one, based on all the build-up, but trust me, there’s a reason), but not Leon(more on that later).
Leon chose not to register, as mentioned above. Considering they’ve been hinting about his ability or lack thereof the whole series, this may come as a shock, but I actually respect his reasons for it. He’s decided that the best way to protect his family is to become a Dark Horse; the one in the family that remains unregistered. Usually this means they’re the ones that do the family’s dark deeds, which I think Leon is romanticizing more than he realizes. Only one way to find out I suppose (fingers crossed on that spin-off!).
On top of getting a name for Catalina’s ability (Siren, love it!) we’re finally allowed to find out what Arabella actually is, and man can I understand why they chose to keep that a secret. Based on history the Baylors had reason to be afraid of what would be done to her, should she be outed. Circumstances forced the issue on this one, but with Nevada, Rogan, and the entire City Justice department backing her up, things turned out ok in the end (so far – I can see how this alone would be a perfect plot for a spin off).
Another relevant point is the history of how their father was born. I won’t give it away, but it certainly raises some questions. Specifically about genealogy and how magic is passed down. Clearly all the calculations done by families over the years (to get the “perfect child”) aren’t fully accurate, if at all based on the new information given. Also, this fully secured Victoria Tremaine as a horrible person in my book.
Considering the length of the book, I sincerely can’t believe how much detail and information was crammed into it. I’ve barely skimmed the surface when you get right down to it. I highly recommend reading it (which, if you’ve read the first two you probably don’t need my push). Now I’m just going to sit here and cross my fingers for a follow-up novel or two…


For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks