The lead characters go through life self absorbed and without empathy. Anyone not a primary character is a thin shade, discarded without a thought, never considered again.
The author does a poor job of continuity and consistency. Clothing morphs from prison garb to street clothes.
Primary and secondary characters act in unnatural ways to provide low value plot points.
Time is also poorly tracked with multiple days of activity compressed into hours of clock time.
Lastly, the first book is concluded suddenly and without explanation, skipping over huge chunks of the story, as if the bell rang at 3 pm and it was time to turn in your paper at the end of the school day with a rushed 1 sentence conclusion instead of several chapters explanation.