Reviewed by Quirky Cat on
So, confession time: I read ninety percent of this book the night it came out, and only stopped reading because my eyes were becoming unfocused. Determined to not be distracted at work the next day, I left it at home (even though I could have read it during breaks). This was pure madness on my part. I regretted it instantly, and ended up buying the kindle version just so I could finish it. I have zero regrets about owning two copies of this book.
After waiting two years, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I was afraid that I had built the series up too much in my head, and that I would ultimately be disappointed by the sequel. I wasn't. It was just as good as the first, if not better. All promises made to us were delivered, which is always a huge plus in my book.
In many ways I actually think White Hot was stronger and more grounded than Burn for Me. This is because Ilona Andrews (technically Ilona and Andrew Gorden) is fantastic at world building and structure. Each novel builds off of the previous one, adding complexity and intensity as they go. It's making me pretty anxious for Wildfire (I did not read the except for Wildfire at the end – I wasn't sure I could handle the mere two month wait if I did that).
A lot happened in this book, so I'm just going to focus on what I considered the highlights. (Seriously, don't read past this point if you don't want spoilers). The most obvious part being Nevada and Rogan finally work things out between each other. I say finally like it's been ages since they started their dance, but to the fans it certainly feels that way that way. I've always thought the two characters were good for each other, on a multitude of levels, so it's satisfying to see them figuring that out as well.
I loved seeing Cornelius again, and only partially because I love his magic (the ability to talk to animal? Yes please!). His plot arc is both fascinating and absolutely heart wrenching. I'm thrilled that we'll presumably be seeing him in book three as well (it feels like a safe assumption, since he is not one of Nevada's employees). The ending with him being a Pied Piper was outstanding (I suppose THE Pied Piper is more accurate, it just feels odd to say). Speaking of abilities; Nevada's sisters? Their abilities are mind blowing. I think they complement each other perfectly, and I absolutely adore that. Well done!
Watching Augustine make multiple bids to gain control over Nevada during the course of the novel was pretty interesting as well. I got the impression his plans had been more long term, but then upon seeing Rogan still hanging out he panicked and made his move too soon. The urgency and near desperation of his actions doesn't strike me as something Augustine does often; so instead it leads me to believe he was in fact feeling a bit of both of those emotions thanks to the other factors at play. It was great fun getting inside his head a bit there.
I think most fans anticipated the big reveal about Nevada, and I don't think that's a bad thing. We were set up knowing that Nevada's mother was hiding something during Burn for Me, and we also know that Rogan had figured something out, but hadn't said what. The indecision about revealing the truth or not was truly human, and believable for Rogan's character (not being sure which was the right course of action for her happiness or protection, both of which extremely matter to him). I'm eager to see how everything is going to play out in Wildfire, and am frantically waiting for it to be July 25th.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 31 May, 2017: Finished reading
- 31 May, 2017: Reviewed