The Book of Life

I had some problems with the first two books, but it seemed like there was a serious drop-off in quality with this one. There were so many undeveloped or underdeveloped characters on the periphery that I had trouble keeping straight – and I'm a George R.R. Martin fan, so I don't have a problem with huge casts of characters if they're done well. My biggest issue with the book really was the relationship between the two main characters. Did I not notice the disturbing level of possessiveness in the first two books, or did it increase in this one? The entire book, I kept thinking, this is an abusive relationship, am I supposed to find this romantic? Ordinarily I wouldn't waste my time finishing, but I felt the need to finish the trilogy. Just disappointing.