I received a free copy of this title to read and review for Wicked Reads
Outcast is the 4th installment in the Hunter series and most definitely cannot be read as a standalone, as all threads tie together. As for it being the 9th installment in the Thieves series, I can attest to how reading the Thieves series prior to the Hunter series is not a prerequisite. No doubt the emotional payoff is better, but I was never confused due to not reading it first. However, I will eventually go back and read the original series.
Since it had been a long while since I read the 3rd in the series, and the events tying the books together are rather complicated, it did take me a bit to play catch-up. I almost wish I did a refresh of the series. But I will applaud Lexi Blake for giving amazing plot cues from past installments to spark the reader's memory. I'm never a fan of a rehash or info-dump, but this author releases just enough information to remember, without bogging down the novel with too much.
Gray and Trent are not on good terms, after the death of Gray's brother at Trent's hand to protect and save Kelsey. She is being pulled in two, while also feeling guilt for Gray's pain but justification in the death. She needs them to get along for all three of their wellbeing. This budding relationship issue adds an angsty yumminess that underlies the mystery to solve.
Gray's demon daddy needs a renegade wolf found just outside of Devil's Tower (thought this was awesome as I've visited and walked the base of the tower, so it was fun to imagine the goings on. The motel was spot-on from one I stayed in. LOL!)
No one trusts the demon, but they still do his bidding for diplomatic relations, while the royal family deals with Merlin. Little Lee, aka Big Lee's soul, Kelsey fears what will happen to the nosy child spy should the magician see him for who he truly is, the man he killed and was reborn into the little fella.
A team descends to locate the wolf and solve the mystery, and it was the retinue that made the novel so much fun. It was more humorous than I remember the previous books to be, with Little Lee and the butler in training, who just happens to be a 'too tall' satan. All the characters interacting with one another brought an endless source of entertainment as Kelsey dealt with her bickering mates, while sensing her abusive stepfather is out there a step ahead of them.
I thoroughly enjoyed Outcast, looking forward to the next installment, while also feeling eager to go back to the very beginning and read the Thieves series. Where I did struggle, the book felt on the long side, without much happening for a large bulk of the novel. While I was entertained, I wasn't hooked, especially in the beginning as I struggled to place myself in who/what/where/when/why/how, but especially appreciate the author cluing me in.
The only issue stopping me from giving a 5-star rating is simply the pacing, as I wasn't hooked, taking me several days to complete the novel, which is a rarity for me. But, on the flip side, you can say I savored it.