@nostalgicDave lol...um.... well technically you're reading the fifth book in the series. But in this way, think of it like Starwars. Each set of 3 stands on its own. However, I would recommend you read Call of the Beachwick before reading Chain of Memories. It is the beginning of Aurelia's story. I will make several references to Thepa. Books 1-3 cover her story, but you don't need to read those to understand what's happening in Aurelia's story.