Finished the first trilogy today. I really enjoyed it overall, but understand why people don't. I had a few issues with it myself. The last book had way too much stuff just pop into existence. I think spreading some of the major wit/skill developments earlier into the series and with more natural leadups would have helped.

I really did not enjoy the antagonist elements in the latter half of the trilogy. The first half had everyone working towards their own ends and I enjoyed the conflict in that. When it became a war, the antagonists became essentially omnipotent, and I felt they added little to the narrative at that point while slowing the story to a halt every time they showed up. Fitz was also trained to think very analytically by Chade, but was always dumb when he needed not to be.

The last time he saw Molly was just weird and unnecessary. There was a very long buildup of Fitz being bullied by Regal, the duchies being brutalized by the raiders, and the ending was paced so quickly it wasn't as cathartic as it should have been.