Book 5 (sort of like Book 4) was good but felt neither here nor there... it raised more questions than it answered (though, to be fair, it answered very few) and there was a bit too much going on. If Book 6 sees the resolution (i.e., end) of some of the plots, it would be more manageable. Considering the sheer number of characters, I'm starting to worry that the ending(s) can't possibly be completely satisfying.

Also, the quality of the writing seems to have gone down. I assume there's pressure from the publisher, etc., but it's not an excuse for some of the laziness that has crept in. First, there are far more cliched phrases (and more repetition of the ones that are used). Second, the idioms used are clear (sometimes direct) copies of modern-day ones. This is a fantasy series, so although I'm happy to suspend my disbelief vis-a-vis certain things, it somehow breaks the fourth wall when the dialogue reads like it could take place today in the "real" world. Finally, it feels like the detailed descriptions of auxiliary characters are being used to fill space. And, whereas earlier in the series, seemingly minor characters would later become important, this doesn't seem to be happening with anywhere near the same frequency.

Bottom line: If you're this far in the series, you're going to read the book no matter what. But if the writing were of this quality in the first book (or two, maybe even three), you wouldn't have made it this far.
Book 5 (sort of like Book 4) was good but felt neither here nor there... it raised more questions than it answered (though, to be fair, it answered very few) and there was a bit too much going on. If Book 6 sees the resolution (i. e., end) of some of the plots, it would be more manageable. Considering the sheer number of characters, I'm starting to worry that the ending(s) can't possibly be completely satisfying. Also, the quality of the writing seems to have gone down. I assume there's pressure from the publisher, etc. , but it's not an excuse for some of the laziness that has crept in. First, there are far more cliched phrases (and more repetition of the ones that are used). Second, the idioms used are clear (sometimes direct) copies of modern-day ones. This is a fantasy series, so although I'm happy to suspend my disbelief vis-a-vis certain things, it somehow breaks the fourth wall when the dialogue reads like it could take place today in the "real" world. Finally, it feels like the detailed descriptions of auxiliary characters are being used to fill space. And, whereas earlier in the series, seemingly minor characters would later become important, this doesn't seem to be happening with anywhere near the same frequency. Bottom line: If you're this far in the series, you're going to read the book no matter what. But if the writing were of this quality in the first book (or two, maybe even three), you wouldn't have made it this far.