The books get better as the story moves along. Though there are some pain points. Depending on if you like Game of Thrones dynasty type drama, there's some of it sprinkled in there that was a drag for me to get through. Then there's a reliance on one character in particular that becomes sort of heavy handed as the story goes on. For the most part it's at it's best when talking about the Cielcin and the other space stuff. Overall I'm loving it. 4 books in and there's no way I'm stopping. Plus it's a completed series!!