I'm a big fan of that series (the second one being my favorite), but I also get where you're coming from. I felt that, as books went on, they became more about the Science-Fiction concepts and less about the characters. I do hope you come back around to it though, as I thought that the second half of The Dark Forest was better than the first.
I'm reading the second Warhammer Horus Heresy book and I was expecting this and the first to be a bit poorly written and like fan fiction but they are actually excellent and elegantly written.
It's a stark difference from the meandering and waffle of the wheel of time books I've been consuming.
Slowly working through House of Leaves. I haven't read a physical book in many years so it is difficult, and not as convenient as my ereader because I can't just pull it up onmy phone when I have a few minutes to spare.
Currently reading Lolita, after I have book 3 of the Millennium series and book 3 of the expanse.
Also begrudgingly waiting for the next Crescent City and ACOTAR books, we have a mini book club at work and I've already invested too much time into these books to give up now lmao
I'm reading 4 at the moment, but the one I'm most into is American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I love his books, but struggled with this one in the past. I'm having a good time reading it now, though.
Last few books I've read I have thoroughly enjoyed, and I'm not a huge reader and very slow when I do read, but here you go:
Looking for Alaska by John Green. Picked up some books by this author because he's been in the news for his books being banned from certain schools and classrooms. Might actually agree that this book shouldn't be on the shelf for younger readers, but it's very real and gritty and definitely something I would have loved to read in high school or college, but still enjoyed it as an adult. I read Perks of Being a Wallflower in high school and haven't re-read it since, but it had a similar vibe to me.
Speaking of John Green, I saw an interview that his brother Hank Green did with Mary Robinette Kowal about her book The Spare Man. It's a murder mystery set in space on a cruise ship going from Earth/Earth's Moon to Mars. Think Hercule Poirot / Miss Marple, but in space, and with updated/modern sensibilities.
Currently reading the Tripod series by John Christopher. (Note that When the Tripods Came is a prequel, read that last.) Feels a little weird as a modern reader who's seen Star Wars / Star Trek and consumed modern sci-fi media. Maybe not weird, but certainly feels not fully fleshed out in the first book. I'm on book 2 now and it's taking a more sci-fi and even more dystopian tone. Books aren't super long, designed for younger readers to enjoy, so the plot moves quick enough without getting bogged down in too many unnecessary details. I hate books like Great Expectations by Dickens because it could have been a better story if it weren't being stretched out for periodical release. I felt like Dickens spent way too much time in his books describing things I care nothing about instead of progressing the story and explaining as necessary. The Tripod books are the opposite of that: just enough description to get you going, and a few reminders of the scenery as required, but otherwise you just fill in the blanks with your own imagination, which I think is wonderful.