I had high hopes for this series and still like the premise, but I cannot give it more than 2 stars. (it's a 5/10 or 2.5, but definitely not a 3). My problem with the book was not the plot holes, of which there were many - this is fiction, and we have to suspend our disbelief and allow writers their fun. No, my issue was with the character of Amber Fang herself. We are led to believe that Amber is an intelligent and highly resourceful young adult pursuing her Master of Library and Information Science degree and that her mother burned into her to be cautious and guarded. Yet she continually shows that she is naive and reckless to the point where in my opinion, she could never have survived on her own. I often had to put the books down out of frustration over things the character did that were just plain stupid - things I didn't believe were in the character's nature.
That said, many people seem to absolutely love these books, and mine is but one opinion. So read the first book. If you love it or hate it, you know what to do. If, like me, you're on the fence at the end of book one, I can assure you it doesn't get any better - so make your choice based on that thought.