It was a roller coaster of a series. It had a truly interesting start, a plot that was quickly laid out and acted upon. The first book introduced a potential storyline, twists, turns, and possibilities which the rest of the series didn’t act upon.
It’s possible the author just changed his mind as he was writing. As each book was released it seemed his writing was heavily influenced by critiques.
The end result is a disjoined series of side plots which culminates in the most derivative, cliche, and uninspiring end which makes the reader realize the entire series could have been an email.