Dead Is So Last Year

Dead Is #3

by Marlene Perez

In the beach town of Nightshade, California, home to both human and supernatural beings, the Giordano sisters find summer employment and uncover mysteries involving doppelgangers and oversized football players.

Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Mystery, Vampires, Supernatural, Romance

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Author of the paranormal teen mystery Dead Is series, the adult urban fantasy Nyx Fortuna series, and the new teen vampire trilogy, which starts with The Afterlife of the Party with Entangled Teen.
One of Ten Books to Pick Up After You've Sunk Your Teeth into "Midnight Sun"
https://www.buzzfeed.com/rachelstroll...

Trilogy order
The Afterlife of the Party, Afterlife #1
I'm with the Banned, Afterlife #2
A Sucker for You, Afterlife #3

Nyx Fortuna series
Strange Fates
Dark Descent
Fortune's Favor

DEAD IS series is as follows:

DEAD IS THE NEW BLACK
DEAD IS A STATE OF MIND
DEAD IS SO LAST YEAR
DEAD IS JUST A RUMOR
DEAD IS NOT AN OPTION
DEAD IS spin-off
DEAD IS A BATTLEFIELD
DEAD IS A KILLER TUNE
DEAD IS JUST A DREAM
ww.marleneperez.com.

Twitter:@MarPerez
Instagram:marperezauthor

Welcome to Nightshade FB page
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Welcome...

Reviews

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a YA paranormal story, featuring a mystery regarding doppelgangers.

Daisy seemed a little more responsible in this book, and she seemed to be working hard at her new job as well.

The storyline in this was about a mass of doppelgangers being seen around town, and Daisy and her sisters trying to work out what was going on. We also got a storyline about werewolves on the football team as well, and a surprise arrival in town too. The book did drag a bit though.

The ending to this was quite surprising, and it will be interesting to see what happens in the next book.



6 out of 10

[Trisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Daisy is at it again. She's gotten a job and is taking care of herself this summer. Still dating the adorable Ryan and still friends with Sam and Sean. But she's noticing that the freshman football team is bulking up and liking their steaks and burgers very very rare. A lot like Ryan does.

She also spots her father lurking around time. But she can't seem to imagine it's really him. No contact for so long and he just suddenly stops in to town, leering at every female near him and eating all the sugary things within his grasp.

She soon learns a town secret that sends her reeling and knowing she needs to step in and help. I liked that the plot had more to it and seemed to include the whole town council as they pieced together what was going on. But it's still super light and silly.

[Veronica Morfi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4/5

It's summer in Nightshade and the Giordano sisters jsut came back from their summer vacation in Italy withou their mother. While she stays back to work on a case the three sisters go back to their home to spend the rest of the summer. But while they were gone things had changed. The guys on the football team look like they are on steroids, the people of Nighshade are acting crazy for sugar and there are clones walking around the town. It's up to them to figure out who are the real residents of their hometown and who are the clones, also who is creating them and why. Especially since someone form their past makes their appearance and they can't be sure if they are a clone or not.

This one was different from the two previous books. Especially since it's summer and there is no school drama, but still had the same Nightshade charm that the series is famous for. We got to see the three sisters on tehir summer jobs, having more responsibilities than usually and then the sock of their visitor and the way they reacted. We got to know each of them better.

The clone mystery was a hilarious one, especially since the clones acted all crazy. It also ahd me guessing about who was their creator and even though it wasn't hard to come up with the correct answer I wasn't able to guess every aspect of the plot, which is always a plus. And the ending...oh my...I didn't see that coming. Now I can't wait to see what happens in the two final books.

[Mya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my least favorite book out the series. I just couldn't keep up with the plot but I loved how the drama unfolded.

[Kate McMurry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating third book in the "Dead Is" comic, paranormal, mystery series for teens

Daisy Giordano and her older sisters Rose and Poppy have just returned home from vacation in Italy the summer after Daisy's junior year. Their psychic mother has stayed behind to work on an important case and is unavailable to help solve a big mystery here in Nightshade, the quirky little town where the Giordanos live in Northern California. Doppelgängers of local residents are appearing all over the place, a fact the girls hesitate to mention to their mother because one of the mysterious doubles appears to be their long-lost father. Their mother has never stopped trying to find him for the past six years, and Daisy and her sisters don't want to get their mother's hopes up about him until they are 100% sure that the man who looks and acts like their dad--at least some of the time--is really him. But figuring out the truth is made doubly hard because they are prejudiced in favor of the man due to their desperate longing that he might truly be their beloved father. Fortunately, they have working in their favor Rose's ESP, Poppy's telekinesis, and Daisy's ability to do both those things, as well.

On top of this pressing family problem, Daisy is confounded by the fact that a big portion of the players on the high school football team--including her hunky boyfriend Ryan--have bulked up massively in just the three short weeks Daisy has been in Europe. This seems physically impossible, and Daisy is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery, too, while simultaneously attempting, along with her two sisters, to make a little money at a summer job. Rose is working for an eccentric scientist at a secret lab at the local university, Poppy is running a concession stand at the beach, and Daisy is cooking and waiting tables at the local diner. The fact that her boss is permanently invisible and his juke box is enchanted doesn't phase Daisy a bit compared to the many other problems facing her during the weirdest summer on record.

This book is another big hit for Marlene Perez, in her wonderful "Dead Is" series. Daisy is as unstoppable as ever, and the kooky characters in her town alternate between being spooky, scary and downright hilarious, including, besides her boss, the juke box, and the sugar-snarfing doppelgängers, a powerful witch and assorted werewolves and vampires.

This book is the third of five books, which are best enjoyed in order. Book 1 is Dead Is the New Black. Book 2 is Dead Is a State of Mind. Book 4 is Dead Is Just a Rumor. Book 5, the final book in the series, is Dead Is Not an Option. It is scheduled for release in 2011.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys light, humorous YA fantasy stories with an intriguing mystery plot.

Note for parents, teachers and librarians: This book is G-rated. There are no incidents of drinking, drugs or adolescent sex either on or offstage, and Daisy's family relationships are warm and loving.

I grade the book as follows:

Heroine - 5 stars
Subcharacters - 5 stars
Fantasy world-building - 4.5 stars
Writing - 5 stars
Mystery Plot - 4 stars
Romantic Subplot - 4 stars
Overall - 5 stars

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book felt too fast, too shallow, and too predictable. It could have been a good book with more development, depth, and mystery. I forced through it just to end the pain of reading it. I'm not giving it a 1 simply because I liked the feel of the book in my hands. Good shape and paper quality. Sad, but true.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t enjoy this one as much, but it was still fun. There was two plot points and I only cared about one. I also feel like Ryan had way less of a personality in this one.

[Samantha Roman · Rating 5 out of 5]

the book Dead Is So Last Year by Marlene is just like the other books in the series spectacular. It follows the same story line as all the other books but more twists and turns and is Daisy's relationship still okay? I think that this books story is a little more harder to understand because of everything that was going on. I think that this spicific book had a little less detail but it was still an amazing read non the less. I recommend this book to people who liked the first two books.

[Lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

2nd Read: Happy page-flipping through two dangerous mysteries: juicing footballers and a vengeful witch.

After a vacation in Italy Daisy has to deal with a pack of troublesome teen werewolves and doppelgängers as well as adjust to an even hotter version of her boyfriend. A short, narration available on Kindle Unlimited.

[Nickle Love · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like the others before it, it was an ok read. I guess it can be read by younger teens, there's no sexual content and the mystery is resolved quite easily.

[Shannon Hadjis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am an eighth-grade ELA teacher who stumbled onto this series after picking up the fourth book at my local library a few weeks ago. While I do recommend reading them in order if you're a middle schooler, it really isn't necessary for adults since the author fills you in on previous events. After going back and reading books one-three, I just started book five today. While I admit the writing is straightforward, I think this series would definitely appeal to middle school/high school reluctant readers. It combines elements of the paranormal and mystery with decent characterization. The climax is often predictable, but the stories are engaging. I think this series is appropriate for seventh-ninth grade students. Book one would be an awesome read-aloud to get students hooked!

[Heaven Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book when I was younger still like it now. 100% a good book for the targeted age range.

[Lelani]

this book was very revealing for me because in this book the characters lived in a small town which meant they were very open and social with one another and this has made me over the time i have been reading it very opening up ish because i wanted to have that social interments. what i am trying to say is that this is a very good mysterious book to read if you like books like that and this book could open your eyes and make you do things you never knew you would or could do.

[Joe Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mom Giordano had taken the Giordano women Daisy, Rose, Poppy and Grandma to Italy for a surprise vacation and the girls had returned with Grandma leaving mom in Italy on continuing business. The girls are staying by themselves in Nightshade with Grandma checking in once or twice a week. Poppy had recently broken up with her first serious boyfriend, a ghost, and had been moping around the graveyard instead of celebrating her recent graduation from Nightshade High. Rose had a research job at the local college with Dr. Franklin who was studying genetics. Poppy was working part time at a concession on the beach. Daisy was interviewing at Slim's, an old time diner and hang out for the High School crowd. She loved to cook and hoped to become a Chef once she finished High School. Her boyfriend and Samantha's, her best friend, were on the football team. Nightshade had a secret, it was a refuge for a large number of extraordinary individuals, "weres" (Daisy's boyfriend, Ryan, is a recently turned werewolf), invisible's (Slim, the owner of the diner is one), witches and the Giordano's who exhibited psychic abilities (the girls mother worked as a psychic detective and frequently assisted the Nightshade police department). Things turned strange shortly after the girls return from Italy. A pack of young werewolfs chased the girls and they narrowly escaped. Dopplegangers started appearing around town, duplicates of members of the police department, the girls missing father, the school principal and numerous others. They were evident by their lust for sugar. The girls and their boyfriends started to investigate while dealing with the angst of being teenagers in love. Their activities are entertaining and of course, the good side wins out. Not deep but, fun!

[Alden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I already have read the first three installments of Dead Is series and I have to admit that it is my newest guilty pleasure. Although the series focuses on vampires and werewolves, the romance is not too deep and desperate, and more importantly, there is no 'sparkling' vampires here, as in Twilight series.

Dead Is So Last Year is the third book in a series about a psychic family, mainly the Giordano sisters Rose, Poppy and Daisy. In this book, it seems that Doppelgangers or look-alikes of familiar friends and neighbors are running free and causing big time trouble in Nightshade City. Adding to their dilemmas are the smoking rumors that the Giordano sisters' dad could be back. The biggest problem is that they don't know if the person is their real father or just a Doppelganger who's invading the city and has evil plans of his own.

The idea of sugar-craving look-alikes wandering town gives an interesting twist to the usual paranormal stories and will surely hold your interests for the most part. But honestly, I really don't think it is recommendable especially for people who have no interest in reading paranormal-slash-chick lit-slash-young adult for girls series.

What I liked not just in this book but in the whole series (or, in the first two series that I have read) was how Marlene Perez combined just the right and exact amounts of paranormal mystery, suspense, humor and romance to create a quick read that leaves you satisfied but craving for more. Her writing style is one that is pleasant to read and she really did a good job of keeping the story moving at an interesting pace.

[Amanda Cruden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death is so Last Year
Amanda
4th hour


I wasn’t really into mysteries. But all my friends told me to read this book. I finally decided I would read this book. When I read the book I was fascinated by the words the author used. It is a love-story, and a mystery all in one. I read the other books that “Marlene Perez” wrote and I didn’t like the other ones that she has written.
Death is so Last Year takes place in Nightshade California. The two main characters are “Daisy Giordino’s,” and her father Mr. Giordino’s. Her father went missing when she was 12 years old. She is eighteen now, so the last time she saw him, was six years ago. In the story Daisy has to sisters named, “Rose, and Poppy.” She also has a boyfriend named “Ryan,” he is a werewolf. But when Daisy is heading to work she see’s her father. Daisy thought she was just seeing things, but when everyone is seeing him. She knows he’s back. So what happens when he come’s back?
Rose got an internship with this scientist named “Dr. Franken.” But they realized that the scientist is cloning people. But people didn’t notice until, they were seeing double. Also all the clones are craving Sugar. So how do they stop her from cloning everyone?
This book is a terrific book. Werewolf’s, vampires, telekinesis, and evil scientist all in one. That sounds like a crazy book, but you’re wrong. Never judge a book by its cover. I would suggest this book to my friends.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book three in the Dead is series which starts with the book Dead is the New Black. Once more, Daisy and her sisters are back using their psychic skills to solve the paranormal mysteries in the creepy little town of Nightshade. It's summer in Nightshade and Daisy and her sisters have gotten summer jobs. But strange things, stranger than usual that is, are happening. Doppelgangers of local residents are appearing all over town and the football team seems to be bulking up overnight. Trust Daisy and her sisters to get to the bottom of the town's mysteries.

I actually think this series gets better with each book. Be sure you have read the first two before tackling the this third novel or you might have some difficulty following along. I love the summer job aspect of this novel, and absolutely adore the characters. There is humor, fun, mysteries, and a lot of quirky happenings in Nightshade. I will definitely be coming back for more.

The audio is produced by Brilliance Audio and is read by Suzy Jackson who read the other two books as well. The production is very enjoyable and a great way to enjoy this series.

Overall, I love this series. These books are light, fast, reads, that are perfect for summer and will appeal to readers looking for something fun this summer with a touch of the paranormal.

Cautions for sensitive readers: Werewolf violence--actually for a paranormal series these are very mild.

[Myhotstylist · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun series!
this is the 3rd installment, and was by far the best so far. Im eagerly awaitng the 4th book.

The Giordano sisters are on summer break and very busy. Rose is working for a scientist at the college, Poppy is working the snack bar stand at the beach, and Daisy landed a job at Slims Diner, working with Flo and an invisible boss.

But things start taking a turn for the worse. New werewolves are appearing in town, and Daisys dad has been spotted after being missing for 6 years. People around town are acting strange eating massive amounts of sugar and dumpster diving.

Is it really her dad or a walking clone? Whos making all these new Weres? Its all part of the fun that you will have to read about in Dead is So Last year. Id reccomend this series to teens and adults. Best to read the series from the beginning to understand the relationship dymanics.

[Abi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this one was the wort one in the series so far for me. Even though it was only short, it started to drag quite badly for me, and I spent a fair bit of it feeling quite bored.

Overall, Worst one in the series so far.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the plotline with the doppelgängers in this one. It’s so interesting, and you want it to really be their dad. I think the emotions of the characters come through well, and it’s got lots of sweet, fun, and exciting moments throughout.

[adriiii · Rating 3 out of 5]

The final ending had me a bit surprised although the book was very predictable, things happen too fast without much explanation.

[Hannah Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read an independent reading book for my English class and the book that I chose was Dead Is So Last Year by Marlene Perez. This book is suspenseful and mysterious. There are secrets hidden in the town of Nightshade that will be discovered. People, and who they really are will be revealed.
At first, I wasn’t sure if I liked this book. I’m not really someone who is into reading about fantasy and fake like werewolves and vampires and those are things that are apart of this book. After reading a little bit of my book I learned that it had an interesting plot and conflict so, I decided to continue reading it. I am glad that I gave it a chance because I was very intrigued by it and wanted to continue reading after I had discovered conflicts. When I finished reading this book I really enjoyed it and was glad that I finished it.
I would recommend this book to others. If you’re like me and are trying to make reading a habit but, just getting started this is a good starting book. The book isn’t too hard so, this wouldn’t be a good book for more mature readers. An age group that I think this book would be good for is middle to high school students. If you’re someone who likes more advanced books this book wouldn’t be for you. I understood it well and I am a sophomore in high school. I would say that it was on the easier side for something I would usually read and I am about average if not above average for my reading level.
Others will enjoy this book. I ended up enjoying it and I didn’t even like it at first so, you always have to give books a chance. This book will drive you crazy with all the mysteries and you won’t want to stop reading until you find out what ends up happening. I love books like that and if you do too then, this would be the right book for you. It was the right book for me so others should definitely give it a chance
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I recommend this book to others, it was great and left me wanting to read more and find out what happens. It left me hooked with all the suspense and mysteries. I want to start reading the next book in the series now and find out other mysteries that happen. If you’re not sure about a book in the beginning continue reading and you may end up loving it!

[Jackson Campbell]

Marlene Perez’s “Dead Is So Last Year” is a teen mystery/romance novel that takes the reader into the lives of the Giordano sisters, Daisy, Poppy, and Rose, who all reside in “Nightshade” and go to Nightshade high school. The book starts off with some background information and sets a good foundation for the reader to understand the rest of the book. There were some parts of the book that I did not enjoy like the weirdness with the doppelgangers and why they were so obsessed with sugar. I also did not realize that the Giordano sisters were psychic until around thirty pages into the book. However, I did enjoy the simplicity and easy comprehension level of the book and I also liked the storyline with the Giordano sisters missing father who mysteriously showed back up in town but was found to be a doppelganger. Marlene Perez did a great job of developing the characters and adding details about them for the reader to build a picture of the character in their head. The plot of the story was very minimal and easy to pick up on but it was still interesting for the reader even though it's a very predictable book. You can read the first 30-40 pages of the book and make a lot of assumptions about what the ending will look like because almost all of the key plot lines are introduced early. The theme, however, is what took me the longest time to pick up on. This book did not have a clear and concise theme but what I interpreted from the novel and the relationships within is that you cannot fully trust anyone because people hide things to themselves more than you would know. With this being said, I do not think that the entire book is subject to that theme. However, from the relationships in the book, I was able to interpret that as the theme. Overall, I think Dead Is So Last Year is a great book to read especially if you are interested in teenage/high-school relationship stories and mystery. I give this book a 3.5/5 star rating because it was able to keep me interested for the entire book however, it was very predictable, and easy to tell what was going to come next.

[Brooke ♥booklife4life♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Find this review, plus more, on my blog: Booklikes OR Blogger

Basic Info

Format: Paperback
Pages/Length: 208pgs
Genre: Young Adult; Paranormal
Reason For Reading: Continue series

At A Glance

Love Triangle/Insta Love/Obsession?: No
Cliff Hanger: No
Triggers: n/a
Rating: 2.5 stars

Score Sheet
All out of ten

Cover: 6
Plot: 6
Characters: 5
World Building: 6
Flow: 6
Series Congruity: 8
Writing: 7
Ending: 6

Total: 6

In Depth

Best Part: Slim!
Worst Part: Too fast of an ending
Thoughts Had: Wait, who did it?!

Conclusion

Continuing the Series: Yes
Recommending: Sure

Short Review: The MC is growing up! Well kinda, she gets a job! But she still spends too much time hung up on her boyfriend Ryan, who for some weird reason had to bulk up in this book, which set the MC off, too much sexual tension there. Poppy was still "dealing" with her break up. Rose starting working with a teacher whose name is very near Frankenstein. Their mom spent all this book in Italy, and we have some weirdness going on with another family member. The answer behind the doubles was too fast and not very well explained at all. It's a short book, but still, really could've cut out some stuff (like Ryan's football practices) and explained things better.

Misc.

Book Boyfriend: Ryan!
Best Friend Material: Flor!

Review in GIF Form:

[Chioma · Rating 4 out of 5]

What else could happen in a city where werewolves roam free and invisible boyfriends (of the unimagined kind) are the norm; dopplegangers! Oh yes, it is said that everyone on earth has a exact body double somewhere out there, but in the city of Nightshade, dopplegangers seem to be popping up everywhere. Not the fun switch places in class kind of body-doubles. The, kind were one look and you kind of explode kind, nothing unusual for Poppy and her psychic family.

Could the concept of this book have been any more intriguing; Dopplegangers. Poppy and the rest of her family are still dealing with the paranormal blunders of the last book. Now they are seeing double. And to top it all off the Giordano's father has shown up back in town. But is it really their father, or another Doppleganger. This was the fun part of the book. Trying to figure out for myself whether I thought their "father" was the real thing or not. There's so much pulling in either direction. I felt so bad for the girls while they were going through this, but in the end...

The relationships in the series stayed strong, which is something I am definitely happy to see. The things that make these books different when it comes to the relationships is that they showcase how teenage relationships should go. (Not that I am against the love triangles, or the death will keep up apart plots now-a-days; those are great for fun, but when looking for realistic relationship examples this series is great). Relationships that help you out instead of add another checkpoint on the stress-o-meter!

This series is getting better and better in my opinion. I really didn't think that it would have such great plots in each of the book and still flow so well together. I really love the series and can't wait until the next book. I mean I really can't since this book decided to end in somewhat of a cliffhanger!

[Nolen]

The mysterious book titled Dead Is So Last Year by Marlene Perez is taken place in Nightshade, California. Daisy who works at one of her favorite restaurants, Poppy who works at a snack stand, and Rose who is a researcher for Dr. Franken, are all sisters. The three sisters take a trip with their grandma to Italy, while their mom stayed back. After their three-week vacation, Ryan, who is Daisy’s boyfriends, and the rest of the football team, have gotten extremely huge. Their necks have gotten bigger, muscles bigger, muscular chest, it’s starting to look like they are all on steroids with how big they have gotten in just a three-week span. Daisy feels like things are starting to get odd in the tiny town of Nightshade as doppelgängers are being seen and how the whole football team got jacked suddenly. The three sisters lost their dad, and not in a deathly way. Their dad disappeared years ago, and their mom hasn’t been the same since. Many rumors have been spreading that their dad has been seen in the town of Nightshade.
I feel like the book Dead Is So Last Year has an amazing storyline, which I would definitely recommend to people who are into mysterious books. Many characters are likable, but I don’t find Daisy so likeable because of how insecure she is. Dead Is So Last Year is one of the most entertaining, mysterious book I’ve read because of how it always has you wondering.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a girl named Daisy Giordano who enters a weird and strange world of doppelgangers. It all began in the summer where Daisy and her sisters get a job at their favorite diner. In this book, the Giordano girls get odd news about their missing father being spotted in town. They decide to get to the bottom of this mystery. Daisy is also wary of Ryan who has grown a lot over a short period of time.

The book is a part of a good series. The intended audience would be for students 14 and older because of the types of situations and events that occur throughout the book. As a kid, I used to love these kinds of books because I was obsessed with supernatural and mystery books. However, now reading it again as an adult I don't find them as fun to read, it was actually horrible for me to read. So, I have noticed that my reading tastes have changed over time as I grow older, though I still like mystery books.

[Amber Hathaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dead is So Last Year by Marlene Perez is the spooky fun third installment in the Dead is series.

I really enjoyed this one. Nightshade is its usual quirky self, complete with many of the same characters as in the previous books. The doppelganger mystery was intriguing and put a unique spin on doppelganger mythology.

The issues that had irked me with the second book were largely resolved. Daisy and Ryan have a much more solid and less dramatic relationship, which I appreciated. There were still two different, unrelated mysteries going on, but the story felt more cohesive overall than the previous book.

Honestly, there’s not a lot to complain about here. Sure, there was a little much drama for my liking at points, but on the whole, it was an entertaining and enjoyable story.

cw: death, murder, missing parent

[Aj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Giving it three stars because it was my least favorite of the books. Plot wise I loved it, but I felt like Daisy’s character was lacking.

Maybe it’s because I’m reading these “for kids” books as an adult and this was the third one back to back but I found myself occasionally getting frustrated with Daisy’s inability to recognize social cues or “clues”.
Usually when something becomes obvious to the reader long before its main character I appreciate it as laying the foundation work. It typically feels more like a wink the reader when all the clues come into place later. Yet in this book Daisy seems to have regressed, her abilities as an amateur detective practically nonexistent. I think this is all the more prevalent because I did see the next book as a step-up.

[TurboB23 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This storyline was very anticlimactic. There were 2 different problems happening to the town and in the end didn’t really lead anywhere. They just stopped and it was over.
I really wish this series would go into more depth but the writer is only scratching the surface and leaving so many holes.
Also I am not a fan of the constant re-explaining of every character. After this far in the series, we know who everyone is. I get that it might be there to help a reader who just picked up this book and not the rest but the writer chooses what to explain and what not. It’s frustrating to the readers who have been with the series and are reading in order.