I really despise when a book can’t stand on it’s own as a complete story arc without relying on the following books. This story is all a build up to a day trip that doesn’t happen in book one.
In addition, this book is a lot more tell and a lot less show than any book should be.
The main character, while ultimately likeable, drove me crazy for the first 3/4 of the book. The other characters are great and pulled a lot of the weight.