Reviews with content warning for Death - A Crown of Swords

I have finally entered the infamous slog phase and it wasn't as bad as I expected, although the plot does considerably slow down quite a bit, even more than previous books. While it still has some clever entertaining moments, there's definitely a lot more unnecessary meandering as well, which made it hard to push through sometimes. There's also the introduction of various new characters and while most of them are intriguing enough, it also became a bit harder in my experience to keep track of everyone and everything, especially if you are taking it slow. After the amazing ending of Lord of Chaos, this book felt like it's a step below its predecessors overall and the climax was rather anticlimactic. However Rand still remains my favorite character so far, as I look forward to read his chapters more than anyone else's. Mat is getting better each book, and others are also growing further, with the exception of Perrin who seems to be in stasis. There's also some questionable moments that might be uncomfortable to read, like what happens between

Mat and Tylin

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katisreading's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The absolute ROLLER COASTER this book put me on…when I say there are major peaks and valleys in this installment of Wheel of Time, I mean it on multiple levels. Jordan once again postpones most of the action to right at the beginning and right at the end of the book. What else happens in the middle? Lots of discussion about clothes and cultures and architecture and squabbling. Nynaeve continues to annoy me, but we got soooo much Mat in this one, and I still love him to bits. There were some really sad and uncomfortable points in this book and I’m disappointed to hear that the fandom is split on how it’s portrayed in the books. BUT, the action, the twists, and the progression of all of the other storylines really made this an enjoyable book for me. All that to say…if a certain someone doesn’t come back after being squished by a wall, imma be mad. They deserve better than that! Also, Rand and his latest special someone made me squeal, love them together.

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finlay27's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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jenna36's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Once again Jordan's worldbuilding and character development are fantastic. I heard this was the start of "the slog" but I actually thought the pacing and the pieces of the puzzle that came together in this book really kept me invested. Pretty much the last 200 or 300 pages of the book were absolutely phenomenal.

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readandfindout's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced

3.75

On first read (2015): 4 stars

2023 reread:

Overall rating: 3.75 stars

Style/writing: 3.5 stars
Themes: 3.5 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Plot: 3 stars
Worldbuilding: 4.5 stars

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