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4.45 AVERAGE
4.45 AVERAGE
Towers of Midnight felt a bit underwhelming after the excellent improvements in writing made in The Gathering Storm. Significant and interesting developments happen during the events of ToM, but this entry started to feel more like a Robert Jordan book than a Brandon Sanderson. What do I mean by that? There are chapter after chapter where it feels like nothing of importance was communicated. It dragged on and on. This is particularly the case with Perrin's story. We finally get to see Mat's main story come to fruition, but it feels very anticlimactic.
***Spoilers Below***
The character of Noal heroically sacrifices himself. This SHOULD have been dramatic and sad, but it feels extremely hollow because Noal wasn't explored as a character. Half the time I was expecting Noal to be revealed as a secret villain. Instead, he turns out to be a famous adventurer. But he's never developed enough for me to care that much when he saves Mat and Thom. It's a climax that feels disappointing.
Perrin's impending battle with the Whitecloaks takes almost the whole book to resolve despite returning to the scene over and over again with very little development. It just made me jaded with the storyline.
The plot line of the Boarderlanders taking a 100,000-strong army south to confront Rand just feels excessive. I can't believe these leaders would significantly reduce their strength against the Trollocs when they suspect the last battle is approaching.
Elayne taking the throne of Cairhein in a couple of chapters is laughable. We spent several books following her taking the throne of Andor. But she can accomplish the same thing in a couple of DAYS with a few simple negotiations? It feels forced to wrap up so we can move on with the story.
Finally, Lan marching to his death with 10,000 soldiers against 100,000+ enemies is so laughably dumb. He just wakes up one day and determines he needs to go kill himself to reclaim his throne when he's spent several decades as a warder doing Morain's bidding. It just seems so silly.
***Spoilers Below***
The character of Noal heroically sacrifices himself. This SHOULD have been dramatic and sad, but it feels extremely hollow because Noal wasn't explored as a character. Half the time I was expecting Noal to be revealed as a secret villain. Instead, he turns out to be a famous adventurer. But he's never developed enough for me to care that much when he saves Mat and Thom. It's a climax that feels disappointing.
Perrin's impending battle with the Whitecloaks takes almost the whole book to resolve despite returning to the scene over and over again with very little development. It just made me jaded with the storyline.
The plot line of the Boarderlanders taking a 100,000-strong army south to confront Rand just feels excessive. I can't believe these leaders would significantly reduce their strength against the Trollocs when they suspect the last battle is approaching.
Elayne taking the throne of Cairhein in a couple of chapters is laughable. We spent several books following her taking the throne of Andor. But she can accomplish the same thing in a couple of DAYS with a few simple negotiations? It feels forced to wrap up so we can move on with the story.
Finally, Lan marching to his death with 10,000 soldiers against 100,000+ enemies is so laughably dumb. He just wakes up one day and determines he needs to go kill himself to reclaim his throne when he's spent several decades as a warder doing Morain's bidding. It just seems so silly.
I continued to be frustrated by Brandon Sanderson's lack of good prose and lack of attention to detail, but it was better than the book before it. A lot happened in this book, and Sanderson managed a fast and engaging pace.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Loving these last books in the series. Perrin got to be awesome in this book, which I was delighted by. Mat going into the “snakes and foxes” tower was riveting, and rescuing Morraine was a story-changing event. Can’t wait for the last one!
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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
adventurous
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
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
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
I feel like I've known them my whole life.
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes