Many reviews said this could be read as a stand alone. I found I got so lost in some areas of the story that I wound up frustrated and not enjoying the story. I found the author to be very strong in creating detailed characters and giving us amazing storyline, so I decided to head on back and read the first 7 books. After that I found I really enjoyed this novel. I would definitely recommend reading this series as a whole and taking yourself on a laugh out loud adventure!