Not As Detailed as Others in The Series
596568
Reason for Reading:  I've enjoyed other books in this series.

An introductory book on the history and building of the Great Pyramids of Giza.  A story approach is taken as Isabel travels back in time and gets first hand information from on-the-spot witnesses.  She travels back in time to the building of each of the three pyramids and we learn the history of each while learning how the building progressed from the step pyramid to the smooth-sided pyramid.  I did find it a bit unbelievable as Isabel popped up in her jeans and jacket and "interviewed" the Ancient Egyptians without them batting an eyelash at this strange modern woman.  However, the Isabel Soto books are fun.  Bringing a positive role model and career choice (minus the time travel :-) along with basic information.  While these books are usually deservedly recommended for a wide age range, this particular one is too general to be of much use beyond the Grade 3/4 level.  This book is more of a starting point to see if the subject matter is of interest.
157019
Compared to the first three books in this series, this book falls short. In order to make this book able to stand alone (for readers who haven't read at least 1 of the first 3 books in this series), the author spends a lot of time explaining characters and events from the first 3 books.  So much happened in those books, that it takes up a lot of space! I feel that the story line of this book suffers because of that.  However, having read the first three books, I am definately glad that I read this one.  Loose ends are tied up and the siblings are reunited.  There is also a final twist revealed (but I think everyone already guessed this while reading the other books.)  So, if you have read at least 1 of the first three books in this series and are curious about the fate of the siblings and Simon Gault, I recommend this book.  If, however, you have not read at least one of the prior three books in this series, I don't recommend this book.  The first three are much better written.
649755
I have to say I was sadly disappointed with this book. Although the ending was good for a great series I feel that this book doesn't have the same plot complexity and development of characters as the other 5 books of this series did. I felt that the author was rushing to end this series and it is a shame cause this has been an absolutely fantastic series but I feel that this book could have had so much more. The overall story was good but to me it felt a little rushed.
4383403
Not nearly as good as the previous books in this series but since I'd read all the others, I had to read it.
664333
After reading the other previous books in the series, I was hoping for more.  It seemed a little forced.  I would have liked more details about Paul. I love the series and I just hope she takes her time with the next one.
1874921
I have been reading and enjoying this series since the beginning but this one was not one of my favorites.  I found the mystery to be pretty weak in this one.  I really enjoyed how Jill and Greg's relationship was growing in the last book and she stopped keeping so many secrets but she is back to her old ways in this one.  Once again she is lying to Greg about her sleuthing and puts herself in danger.  It was obvious who the killer was but she still confronts the killer with no backup.  The previous book in this series was published in June 2015 and this book read like it was hastily written. There were areas that would have benefited with better editing.  I would prefer to have a longer wait between books with a better book.  This series should be read in order as previous mysteries are mentioned in this one.  Sometimes more than once.  Read this one to keep up with the series.

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review
3684221
Much like the last book, this is not as action- packed and complex as the first four. I thought the ending to be somewhat anticlimactic. Overall, it is fun, and worth reading if you enjoy the others in the series. Although some development occurs in her character as well as  between Cordi and her man, I really wish this story had more plot.
451086
Like many of the other reviewers here, this book was a bit of a let down from the prior 8 in the series.  While more of the same from a plot perspective (not that it is necessarily bad), I found the "side story" introduced in the final confrontation to be boring and ended up just skipping past those pages as they drug on and on.

If you have already read the previous 8 you are going to be compelled to read this book, but be prepared to skim through it until you reach the final conclusion of this universe.
4843369
I originally read this when it first came out, then re-read the series when I got the new book (The Crystal City) for Christmas.  This one was not as good as the other books in this series.
The story started off very slow, with a lot of nonsense about Arthur Staurt and Audobon (who could have been left out of the book completely) and birds.  While this was explained somwhat at the end of the book, it was still too much and too slow.  The book does get better near the end, but by that time, there has been too much junk preceeding it to make it seem worthwhile.  The dialogue between Denmark and Gullah Joe is particularly boring and painful to read.
I give this book three stars only because of the characters, which are still great, and the ongoing story of Alvin's quest to build the Crystal City, but it wasn't a great story on its own.  If you've read the other books in the series, this one is worth reading just to continue the story, but just barely.  I hope the next book can return to the great stories from the previous books, if not, then I hope it will at least be the last in this series.
194643
It has been a while since I read the previous boooks in this series. This one didn't quite grab and hold my interest as the earlier volumes have.  There are still some interesting things going on, for example the continued evolution of the SADES.  I am looking forward to the next volume, and would recommend the series.
4882287
This is the fourth book of the series and the pace was a lot slower that the previous novels with more personal content than the previous books.
Reading it was a bit challenging at times because of the slow pace.
2050958
I skimmed it. Not as good as the others.  I would still suggest the series as a whole though!
1668118
Not as good as I was expecting and don't really like the way it left over. Still a good book however not as great as others in the series
1368273
By now, I am as familiar with the characters in this series as if I lived and worked with them  I t is just that these friend live in Venice.  The characters aren't as well developed as they could be so if you haven't read previous books in the series, you won't learn much about them here.  since I do know about them, it is good to catch up with them, but I sense the author is a little tired of them.  A pity.
2170013
I like the books in this series, as they frequently give information missing in other how-to books.  This book is the least helpful, but then, I am usually looking for specific information.
1771611
I have loved this series, and pretty much every single character in it, and so I was surprised by this book. I found it confusing. Lots of war description that didn't seem to really move the story along. The naming conventions make it very difficult to keep track of characters. It did not feature the rich details that made the previous books so compelling. Overall, this felt more like an outline for two books than one, well-drawn conclusion.
445822
Not quite as much fun as earlier books in the series, but all in all still a good read.