I'd say this is suffering from middle book syndrome, except I just found out there are four books in this series, fourth scheduled to come out this year, and for all I know, that isn't the last!
I do still enjoy the adventure, the fanciful world building, the clear-eyed nudging both young and adult readers towards compassion and emotional intelligence via the character-building experiences of the protagonists, rather than simple moralizing. 1/2
I think it will be easier to continue in the series now that I know the format each will take. 2/2 14mo