hsquaredreads's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
naelany's review against another edition
4.0
Very good read. You learn a lot and get more insight into a lot of the players
scholarhect's review against another edition
4.0
If he hadn't insisted on describing Literally. Every. Thing. this might have been a five star review. And I get it, Jordan, your world is rich and complex. But believe me, I REMEMBER WHAT LIANDRIN LOOKS LIKE. After this, I will remember her pale honey braids and rosebud mouth until I'm dead and buried.
michaelshadowsword's review
5.0
Fantastic continuation, and development of the Aeil. Also, love the Arc with Perrin.
truthlessofcanada's review
4.75
9.3/10
An amazing display of worldbuilding, and character development. It is really the book where The Wheel of Time starts to differentiate itself, and becomes The Wheel of Time.
That being said, it doesn't pull on my heart strings the way some later WoT books do.
An amazing display of worldbuilding, and character development. It is really the book where The Wheel of Time starts to differentiate itself, and becomes The Wheel of Time.
That being said, it doesn't pull on my heart strings the way some later WoT books do.
rhganci's review against another edition
3.0
It really is as good as everybody says it is, and tSR represents the best part of the story. I’m seeing a very solid Pattern (ha ha) to the books, as each is a complete story, in and of itself. There was definitely more romance in this volume, even a wedding (Perrin and Faile), and a lingering romance between Rand and Elayne (though it never really takes off, and who knows when it will). The last four hundred were much better than the first, and perhaps the reason I liked this one so much was because I had to work through the middle of it with a bit more intensity than before. Again, as with tDR, I really don’t want to stop with the story, but I feel that I’ll enjoy it more if I do wait. With the division of the characters into four groups (with no reunion really plausible in the near future), the story should drive harder than it has in the past, with the far-off wish that everybody will all get back together again just like old times.
daytonm's review
4.0
Listened to an audiobook after first reading this maybe 15 years ago. At this point in my reread/relisten, I have a sense of the strengths and weaknesses of the series, and here the strengths may soar higher than ever while the lows may actually have gotten worse. The epic scope of this world and its mythology, the moral intuitions of its protagonists challenged as they struggle through a world harder than the one they grew up in, the riveting action and growth in our heroes’ capabilities, and the fact that the plot stays engaging even when it slows. Plus some stuff is just cool.
It’s just anytime a man and a woman have to interact about anything, my God, the writing regresses horribly. It’s funny because it’s actually full of powerful and complicated women with interesting independent stories, it smashes the Bechdel test, but they turn to children when it comes to men (and vice versa, the men are ridiculous about women). In some cases this childishness rings true, and there are even moments of genuine wisdom here, but sometimes it’s just cringe. Maybe it would bother me less in the printed book but the audiobook readers really lean into petulance sometimes.
The ending is fantastic though and provides some great moments for a romance that started out frustrating so maybe things improve. I still want to keep going because of all the things in the first paragraph; overall I really enjoyed this!
It’s just anytime a man and a woman have to interact about anything, my God, the writing regresses horribly. It’s funny because it’s actually full of powerful and complicated women with interesting independent stories, it smashes the Bechdel test, but they turn to children when it comes to men (and vice versa, the men are ridiculous about women). In some cases this childishness rings true, and there are even moments of genuine wisdom here, but sometimes it’s just cringe. Maybe it would bother me less in the printed book but the audiobook readers really lean into petulance sometimes.
The ending is fantastic though and provides some great moments for a romance that started out frustrating so maybe things improve. I still want to keep going because of all the things in the first paragraph; overall I really enjoyed this!