When compared to the first series, this begins rather slowly. Even the central character of Ram is not as interesting as Shiva. After all Ram is the steady, controlled, noble prince - the epitome of obedience and lawfulness. While Shiva was fun loving and forthright.
But when the characters get added and the plot expands, the story slowly becomes more interesting. Also, we who grew up watching Ramayana are aware of most of the story and the myths associated with Ram, while the same was not true in the Shiva Trilogy.
Also the scheming Vishwamitra and the helpful Vashishta reminds one of similar characters in the previous book series. The author also borrows the concept of Nagas from his previous book.
Overall, my take is that this book series did not start on as interesting a note as the Shiva series. But is a good storybook nevertheless.