City of Secrets

“City of Secrets” by P.J. Tracy
Published by Minotaur Books
 
This is the 4^th book in a series that I haven’t read.  When I was given the book, I was told it was a “standalone installment” so I accepted it.  I need to be upfront and tell you that I disagree with that and only recommend this book if you have read the other books in the series.  Whereas I thought the storyline and mystery were good, without all the backstories that were alluded to, it’s easy to feel a little lost while reading.  I also had an issue keeping all the characters straight.  I felt like everyone had at least 2 names they went by – sometimes it was just their first name, sometimes it was their last name, and other times it was a nickname.  Maybe if I’d read the other 3 books I would know the characters better to more easily go from one name to another but as a person thrown into an existing series with many characters, it was hard to keep track.  These are the issues that make it only an OK read rather than a really good read for me personally.  I’m sure others that have been following the series have much higher praise because again, the storyline and mystery were good.  It’s piqued my interest enough that I will be putting the 1^st in the series on my TBR to give the series a proper try.
 
Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the complimentary copy of this book.  As always, the opinions expressed within this review are completely my own.
 
Finished 8/19/24 – 3/5 stars
 
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