I never even read Forest Mage after finishing the first book. There just wasn’t enough there to make me read on. I agree the Liveship Traders is a fantastic trilogy, one of the best out there. This trilogy, not so good.
The fantasy genre for me has now devolved into one long wait for George RR Martin’s next book. Thankfully thtere’s plenty of good SF, spec fic, cyperpunk and non-fiction out there to tide me over.