My take
Still a trial. But one that is getting slightly easier. As I texted the cousins about half way through this one, “Do you hear that boys? That sucking noise is the sound of this series slowly starting to pull its head out of its ass!” Felt in the spirit of the book and genuinely conveyed the slow turn beginning to happen. Meaning something is starting to happen besides the boring fight win fight win fight win. It’s still not great. But I can see where it might start to actually pick up. Here’s to hoping the next book continues the upward trajectory.