It is just up until that point, any form of danger or any combat was a real threat. To any character. Nobody was really / obviously plot protected at that point which created a lot of the tension and engagement for me. That all was lost once ppl. were no-longer permanently dead. Any danger thereafter would never feel the same. It got worse once it was super clear who is the main character.

Side note: Didn’t the author criticise LotR for bringing Gandalf back? The audacity ಠ_ಠ