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gnodmas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
clittle11's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.25
palaeolly's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
voldemin's review against another edition
4.0
I don't know what's wrong with Jordans million of random side characters I can't keep track of but nevertheless I really enjoyed this one. We had a lot of pov changes which honestly changed the pacing for the better and I pray the rest of the series he will continue to do so. Honestly Mats pov is my favourite so far.
gridner's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
brittney_tyler's review against another edition
5.0
Star Rating: 5 stars
Date: 11/23/23 – 12/3/23
Note: This is the 7th book in the Wheel of Time series so this will not be an in-depth review.
If you’ve been following my reviews for any length of time, then you probably know that I recently discovered my favorite sub-genre, classic traditional epic science fiction and fantasy, and I have also found my all-time favorite series, Wheel of Time, of which this is the review of book 7, A Crown of Swords. I can’t give a synopsis of this book because of spoilers so I will give an overarching synopsis of this series just in case you don’t already know what it’s about because to be honest, I didn’t until I started reading it. This series tells the story of Rand Al’Thor of Two Rivers and his friends who due to a series of events have to go on an epic quest to save the world from the Dark One. After hearing that description, it is easy to see why it is a foundational series in classic traditional epic science fiction and fantasy, however, don’t worry, it has elements that differentiate it from other series in the genre, but I won’t spoil those because they are what hooked me when I came across them in the narrative, and I hope others can have a similar experience.
By now, everyone who reads my reviews knows that the exploration of themes is what attracts me to a lot of series because I love it when an author decides to do deep dives into them and make me look at them in different ways. However, I have discussed my love of the themes of this series in length over my reviews of the other installments so today; I want to discuss the world-building. When you first start reading this series, it follows a traditional framework for book 1, but then starts deviating in book 2 to become its own thing while still keeping that classic traditional feel. As you continue to read the series, Jordan continues to add elements and depth to his world in ways that you aren’t expecting until it becomes this rich interconnected tapestry that I personally can’t stop exploring and wanting to know more about. I’ve read other series in this genre who have cool worlds that aren’t utilized properly and some that are, but no one builds a world better than Jordan in my opinion, it just feels real to me, like I’m not sitting in my chair or in my bed, but I’m right there with the characters, and that’s not a feeling I get very often, and one that I will be returning to this series to feel.
All in all, I get why this series isn’t as popular with modern readers as it doesn’t have non-stop action or heart-swooning romance. However, for those readers like me who want to exist in a different world because theirs isn’t exciting or it’s too overwhelming, then this series is perfect and the others like it in its sub-genre. It comes from a time when television and movies weren’t as prevalent or as engrossing, where the best form of entertainment was a book/series that could sweep you away and make you want to run through the wilderness swinging a stick and pretending to be the heroes you’ve read about, and as a girl who grew up doing just that, they are her comfort whether they’re new to her or not and she will keep returning to this series and others like it for as long as she can. An absolute 5 stars and one I will be purchasing for my own shelves as it is my favorite series of all time.
Date: 11/23/23 – 12/3/23
Note: This is the 7th book in the Wheel of Time series so this will not be an in-depth review.
If you’ve been following my reviews for any length of time, then you probably know that I recently discovered my favorite sub-genre, classic traditional epic science fiction and fantasy, and I have also found my all-time favorite series, Wheel of Time, of which this is the review of book 7, A Crown of Swords. I can’t give a synopsis of this book because of spoilers so I will give an overarching synopsis of this series just in case you don’t already know what it’s about because to be honest, I didn’t until I started reading it. This series tells the story of Rand Al’Thor of Two Rivers and his friends who due to a series of events have to go on an epic quest to save the world from the Dark One. After hearing that description, it is easy to see why it is a foundational series in classic traditional epic science fiction and fantasy, however, don’t worry, it has elements that differentiate it from other series in the genre, but I won’t spoil those because they are what hooked me when I came across them in the narrative, and I hope others can have a similar experience.
By now, everyone who reads my reviews knows that the exploration of themes is what attracts me to a lot of series because I love it when an author decides to do deep dives into them and make me look at them in different ways. However, I have discussed my love of the themes of this series in length over my reviews of the other installments so today; I want to discuss the world-building. When you first start reading this series, it follows a traditional framework for book 1, but then starts deviating in book 2 to become its own thing while still keeping that classic traditional feel. As you continue to read the series, Jordan continues to add elements and depth to his world in ways that you aren’t expecting until it becomes this rich interconnected tapestry that I personally can’t stop exploring and wanting to know more about. I’ve read other series in this genre who have cool worlds that aren’t utilized properly and some that are, but no one builds a world better than Jordan in my opinion, it just feels real to me, like I’m not sitting in my chair or in my bed, but I’m right there with the characters, and that’s not a feeling I get very often, and one that I will be returning to this series to feel.
All in all, I get why this series isn’t as popular with modern readers as it doesn’t have non-stop action or heart-swooning romance. However, for those readers like me who want to exist in a different world because theirs isn’t exciting or it’s too overwhelming, then this series is perfect and the others like it in its sub-genre. It comes from a time when television and movies weren’t as prevalent or as engrossing, where the best form of entertainment was a book/series that could sweep you away and make you want to run through the wilderness swinging a stick and pretending to be the heroes you’ve read about, and as a girl who grew up doing just that, they are her comfort whether they’re new to her or not and she will keep returning to this series and others like it for as long as she can. An absolute 5 stars and one I will be purchasing for my own shelves as it is my favorite series of all time.
stoneseraph's review
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
patremagne's review against another edition
3.0
I thought people saying nothing happened for entire books in this series was probably blown out of proportion, but this one proves them right. The only thing that kept this book afloat was the worldbuilding, for which I’m tempted to 3.5 star it to round up to 4, but the ending was pretty unsatisfying.
januaryf's review against another edition
2.0
My least favourite so far. Not a lot happened - I feel like I could have skipped the book and not be too lost going into the next one.
7 down, 7 to go. Ugh.
7 down, 7 to go. Ugh.