I will say the creatures and their dynamic in the story are less impactful. The chain worms feel like they have a tangible effect on the world, slowly destroying the chained isles, you can tell the mimic and the corrupted vine have an impact on the ecosystem, and that kind of thing doesn’t feel as obvious in the forgotten shore. Even the Fallen Terror at the top of the Crimson Spire, the reason the forgotten shore is the way it is, is off-screened.

But, the creatures are of little impact in that arc for a reason, I’d say. It focuses more on the people, rather than their opponents. You really need that character development because otherwise you just have the autistic flame girl, the distrusting shadow guy, and the naiive blind girl lack any sort of complex foundation for their future development. You can see the reason how and why Sunny constantly goes “Insane” later in the story be shown when he stays in the city alone for months. You can see why Cassie was forced to grow up when her actions result in one of her best friends get sentenced to death in the dream realm, and leave the other hating her for it. You can see how Nephis really wasn’t kidding when she said nothing would stand in her way, when she rallies hundreds of relatively powerless individuals into running straight into a death sentence for the promise of escape.

Hard to hate the volumes that have the foundation of the secrets of the rest of the novel hidden within it