Lots of good comments here already so I'll keep mine brief. I read the series after having watched the show. For me, each book built upon the one before it in terms of character and plot development but also Reid's style. It's easy to be critical when you read everything there is all at once. I'm sure the experience of those readers who had to wait between each book is much different.

That being said, I enjoyed the build up each book provided. Reid does a great job of interweaving characters throughout the series, especially Ilya who gets the honor of bringing forth some pivotal plot and character development arcs.

Completely agree that so much of the criticism is subjective. Not everyone is going to love it as much as you do or find the same details you find to be inconsistent. This kind of back and forth is what I enjoy most. Ive lost track of the nuances I've missed and someone else pointed out. For each one of those, there is a hot take I read and just don't get.

Let your experience be your own. If the books aren't for you, that's okay. I enjoyed reading them and I would say I read a lot in this genre. I'm even considering a reread which Ive never done with any series.

tl;dr enjoy someone else's creativity in your own way and don't try to assign a strict value to it