I had to read more about Taun after falling in love with his character in the 1st book (Taun). And I can attest to the series being related & building on one another without spoiling an accidental out-of-order reading. (I read Taun, then the Scarlet Trefoil, & then Return to Alastair.) I was so impressed with the author's ability to write such a fantastic story line; yet somehow those characters' traits (in another place and another time) continue to inspire me at odd moments on my own journey. So glad L. A. Kelly embraced her gift as a writer.