Did anyone really enjoy Dune Messiah but find Children of Dune to be a disappointment? I won't say anything more to avoid spoilers but I thought Messiah was great, if not as good as Dune, and then Children just felt like a big step back.
I actually have the same opinion as you, my ranking of the 4 I’ve read so far is: Messiah, Dune, Children, God Emperor. I thought children had some cool ideas but it was much too plodding and aimless in sections.