Don’t be intimidated lol. Book 1 isn’t as good as the rest. I don’t like book 3 at all either. The other books are great! Just buy the first couple of books and if you don’t like it after book 2 then don’t continue, maybe? Book 3 wasn’t for me, as I said but mainly because the romance just wasn’t in there as much. With Maas I’m used to heavy romance subplots.
My April Tbr is Powerless, The Serpent and the Wings of Night, The Final Empire, Keeper of the Lost Cities #5, Amari and the Great Game, The Dead Romantics, The City of Brass, and debating if I want to read The Do-Over that I from the library.
That is a great TBR! Powerless was honestly a really fun read once I understood the magical elements of the world. Also, it is great to see another person reading Keeper of the Lost Cities here! I'm in the middle of Lodestar, but I'm listening to the audiobook. Are you team Keefe, Fitz, or Dex?