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sidarous's review against another edition
5.0
It ended well; Brandon Sanderson did justice to the hundreds of hours I spent in Jordan's world. We laughed, we cried, we sent the Dark One home with his tail between his legs.
sujaycs's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
r4hand's review against another edition
5.0
Is this book perfect? No.
Was Brandon Sanderson tasked with the impossible? Yes he was.
I have this book 5* for the fact that he cut to the chase, and actually wrapped up this series in a credible way.
Yes, it does feel rushed in parts, but at 912 pages, AMOL is the biggest of all 14 novels that encapsulate the series. It shows just how much work it was to see to a proper ending for the massive world Robert Jordan built.
11,898 pages read over six months …The Last Battle indeed.
Was Brandon Sanderson tasked with the impossible? Yes he was.
I have this book 5* for the fact that he cut to the chase, and actually wrapped up this series in a credible way.
Yes, it does feel rushed in parts, but at 912 pages, AMOL is the biggest of all 14 novels that encapsulate the series. It shows just how much work it was to see to a proper ending for the massive world Robert Jordan built.
11,898 pages read over six months …The Last Battle indeed.
aldora's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Well, that was a journey.
I'll start off with a review for <i>A Memory of Light</i> specifically, before moving into my opinions on the series overall.
Fair to say I really liked this one. It was pretty much action from beginning to end, but there were enough levels to it that I wasn't burned out at any point. I'm quite happy with how events played out. There were parts I had predicted, and parts that I did not see coming at all. Battles can be hard to follow in books, but I found there was generally just the right amount of detail put into them so that could be followed without being too messy. I enjoyed the writing overall. The quiet moments felt quiet, and the epic moments felt epic.
Spoilers for A Memory of Light:
My favourite moments include: Egwene's entire arc for the last few books, as she really came into her own and showed what she could do, with an absolutely epic send-off at the end, and similarly, the return of Moiraine to the group, she was much missed. My absolutely favourite sections though, surprisingly to me, came in the form of the POVs from Androl and Pevara. Those two, and their little group, with special shout out to Emarin for my little piece of representation. Their story arc in this book especially was amazing, and I did not expect to be so captured by it. If there could be a book of just that group, I would read it in an instant. They all quickly rose to instantly become some of my favourite characters.
Overall, definitely one of my top books for the series, but that isn't an usual outcome, considering it if the final one.
Review for The Wheel of Time:
I went into this series of books after a I watched the first season of the show with a friend who had grown up reading these books. I absolutely loved the show, and wanted more, so instead of waiting for the second season to come out, I started reading the books. I was surprised at first, and a little put off, by how stretched out everything was, but I pushed through. The third book, The Dragon Reborn, was where the series really grabbed me, and it was my favourite for a long time. I did admittedly struggle through "the slog" as some people put it, especially books 7, 9, and 10. Book 7 I had issue with mainly because of the storyline involving Mat, which made me particularly uncomfortable. The others I just found a little too slow, or didn't have quite enough action for balance out all the conversation, especially when it wasn't advancing the plot at all. Once I hit book 11 though I saw a big improvement. Book 12, The Gathering Storm, really got me back on track though, and I struggled to put the series down after that point.
I think my complaints for the series are probably similar to ones most people have. Mainly that the constant 'Men vs. Women' attitude was extremely tiring, and it led to some characters being entirely unlikeable and/or near-unreadable for entire arcs. Other than that, I would have just wished for there to have been more focus on advancing the plot. My least favourite book, Crossroads of Twilight, is my least favourite because in my opinion, nothing happened. It is entirely skippable.
Spoilers for The Wheel of Time:
Okay, I have to give a special shout out to Verin, because she was a stand-out character in the series, despite being relatively minor for a lot of it. If I ever read this again, I will have an eye on everything she says and does. Whilst I wasn't sure how to feel about Moiraine at first, she is definitely a top five character for me now. Nynaeve, I like her as a character, and I like her with Lan. Her storyline I found interesting, but there were points I wish she was given more to do. She is one of the most powerful female channelers in existence, yet her two biggest moments were basically as a battery for Rand. She does not get enough credit for all the new healing weaves she discovered. Perrin and Mat I struggled with at times. Mat's storyline with Tylin was sickening, and I hate how he ended up missing her. Perrin was insufferable at times, and I did not like Faile. Rand... was a challenge, but that felt purposeful... mostly. Always been unsure how to feel about the whole "three wives" thing. Egwene, I went up and down on, but ended up really liking her. Ultimately though, another shoutout for Androl, Pevara, Emarin et al. They were the sleeper hit of the last few books.
Whilst I had mixed feelings for the series as a whole, with my ratings ranging all the way from 1 to 5 stars, I did enjoy my time reading. It is by far the longest series I have read, and maybe will ever read, and there is a sense of accomplishment just from finishing it. I don't think this is a series for everyone, by any means. It does feel a bit of a product of its time in places, especially from an older, white male author. Once I got to the books by Brandon Sanderson, I did think it picked up in quality a little, possibly because he had been a fan of the series himself, and therefore knew some of what worked and what didn't for readers. It is also possible he had just has a more modern style.
It can definitely be a daunting series to tackle, considering its length, and the mixed opinions, but I'd encourage most to at least give it a go if the story sounds interesting to them. Personally, I could not have made it through with any speed (and it still took almost two years) without use of the audiobooks, so shout out to Michael Kramer and Kate Reading for their brilliant narration work. I'd recommend the audiobooks to anyone struggling.
It will be years before I think about reading this again, but I will look back on my time in this world and story with mostly fond memories, and will miss large parts of it.
My overall rankings for the series are:
1) The Gathering Storm
2) A Memory of Light
3) The Dragon Reborn
4) Lord of Chaos
5) New Spring
6) Knife of Dreams
7) Towers of Midnight
8) The Shadow Rising
9) The Great Hunt
10) The Fires of Heaven
11) The Path of Daggers
12) The Eye of the World
13) A Crown of Swords
14) Winter's Heart
15) Crossroads of Twilight
I'll start off with a review for <i>A Memory of Light</i> specifically, before moving into my opinions on the series overall.
Fair to say I really liked this one. It was pretty much action from beginning to end, but there were enough levels to it that I wasn't burned out at any point. I'm quite happy with how events played out. There were parts I had predicted, and parts that I did not see coming at all. Battles can be hard to follow in books, but I found there was generally just the right amount of detail put into them so that could be followed without being too messy. I enjoyed the writing overall. The quiet moments felt quiet, and the epic moments felt epic.
Spoilers for A Memory of Light:
Overall, definitely one of my top books for the series, but that isn't an usual outcome, considering it if the final one.
Review for The Wheel of Time:
I went into this series of books after a I watched the first season of the show with a friend who had grown up reading these books. I absolutely loved the show, and wanted more, so instead of waiting for the second season to come out, I started reading the books. I was surprised at first, and a little put off, by how stretched out everything was, but I pushed through. The third book, The Dragon Reborn, was where the series really grabbed me, and it was my favourite for a long time. I did admittedly struggle through "the slog" as some people put it, especially books 7, 9, and 10. Book 7 I had issue with mainly because of the storyline involving Mat, which made me particularly uncomfortable. The others I just found a little too slow, or didn't have quite enough action for balance out all the conversation, especially when it wasn't advancing the plot at all. Once I hit book 11 though I saw a big improvement. Book 12, The Gathering Storm, really got me back on track though, and I struggled to put the series down after that point.
I think my complaints for the series are probably similar to ones most people have. Mainly that the constant 'Men vs. Women' attitude was extremely tiring, and it led to some characters being entirely unlikeable and/or near-unreadable for entire arcs. Other than that, I would have just wished for there to have been more focus on advancing the plot. My least favourite book, Crossroads of Twilight, is my least favourite because in my opinion, nothing happened. It is entirely skippable.
Spoilers for The Wheel of Time:
Whilst I had mixed feelings for the series as a whole, with my ratings ranging all the way from 1 to 5 stars, I did enjoy my time reading. It is by far the longest series I have read, and maybe will ever read, and there is a sense of accomplishment just from finishing it. I don't think this is a series for everyone, by any means. It does feel a bit of a product of its time in places, especially from an older, white male author. Once I got to the books by Brandon Sanderson, I did think it picked up in quality a little, possibly because he had been a fan of the series himself, and therefore knew some of what worked and what didn't for readers. It is also possible he had just has a more modern style.
It can definitely be a daunting series to tackle, considering its length, and the mixed opinions, but I'd encourage most to at least give it a go if the story sounds interesting to them. Personally, I could not have made it through with any speed (and it still took almost two years) without use of the audiobooks, so shout out to Michael Kramer and Kate Reading for their brilliant narration work. I'd recommend the audiobooks to anyone struggling.
It will be years before I think about reading this again, but I will look back on my time in this world and story with mostly fond memories, and will miss large parts of it.
My overall rankings for the series are:
1) The Gathering Storm
2) A Memory of Light
3) The Dragon Reborn
4) Lord of Chaos
5) New Spring
6) Knife of Dreams
7) Towers of Midnight
8) The Shadow Rising
9) The Great Hunt
10) The Fires of Heaven
11) The Path of Daggers
12) The Eye of the World
13) A Crown of Swords
14) Winter's Heart
15) Crossroads of Twilight
voldemin's review against another edition
3.0
3 whole years of reading and the journey is over. And what a journey it's been. By book 9 and 10 I even wanted to dnf the whole series but my buddy read and I powered through and now I'm glad we did.
So this series finale was ... rough. I had a lot of complaints about it. For example: we get a 200 pages chapter (!) which contains the last Battle and then...the last Battle doesn't end with the 200 pages chapter. I don't understand why this couldn't have been normal chapters instead. We had a lot of deaths of important characters and a few of them felt really pointless and I was disappointed by that. What I liked was the answer to Rands fight because I really had no clue how his story could end.
BUT it's overall criminal to have a 14-book series and we don't get to see what happens after the last Battle ☠️ not even a one year later epilogue. What happens with the different nations? The Seanchans? The consequences of war? With the Two Rivers? The hundreds of side characters this series established? With the couples we've established? So many questions unanswered and I absolutely hated how it abruptly ended. It felt really dissatisfying. The whole 1000 pages we spent were all about war and nothing else. It's refreshing to have more action in Sanderson's take than Jordan could've ever managed but here it was too much war and fight. They could've cut out 100-200 pages of the fighting and spent the remaining pages with answering my questions.
This series is overall good but honestly, I would never recommend it. This series proves that long series aren't sometimes worth it, just to prove to have a longwinded and complex series.
So this series finale was ... rough. I had a lot of complaints about it. For example: we get a 200 pages chapter (!) which contains the last Battle and then...the last Battle doesn't end with the 200 pages chapter. I don't understand why this couldn't have been normal chapters instead. We had a lot of deaths of important characters and a few of them felt really pointless and I was disappointed by that. What I liked was the answer to Rands fight because I really had no clue how his story could end.
BUT it's overall criminal to have a 14-book series and we don't get to see what happens after the last Battle ☠️ not even a one year later epilogue. What happens with the different nations? The Seanchans? The consequences of war? With the Two Rivers? The hundreds of side characters this series established? With the couples we've established? So many questions unanswered and I absolutely hated how it abruptly ended. It felt really dissatisfying. The whole 1000 pages we spent were all about war and nothing else. It's refreshing to have more action in Sanderson's take than Jordan could've ever managed but here it was too much war and fight. They could've cut out 100-200 pages of the fighting and spent the remaining pages with answering my questions.
This series is overall good but honestly, I would never recommend it. This series proves that long series aren't sometimes worth it, just to prove to have a longwinded and complex series.
zfool's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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
3.5
loannie's review against another edition
5.0
What a finale. Ties up a lot of loose ends (but not all). Very satisfactory ending overall.
stoneseraph's review against another edition
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
kimberlyroses's review
3.0
😭😭😭
Yes, this series has many issues. No, I do not care. I would read the word "bosomy" another 50 times to experience reading this series for the first time again. Robert Jordan has some weird thoughts on gender, but the Aes Sedai are some of the most complex, dynamic female characters I've ever read.
My Favorite Things:
• I love Nynaeve, Moiraine, and Siuan so much. These 3 are some of my top characters of all time. I love women with flaws, but Nynaeve can do no wrong. I will never forgive Moiraine (and neither should he) for what she did to Lan, but I still love her. Siuan's pre-Sanderson journey is the best in the series. Honorable mentions for Verin!!! and Elayne. Can't wait to reread Verin's everything. Stick Elayne with anyone and I will not be able to put the book down. Even her useless brother.
•The exploration of perspective and culture differences in this series is unmatched. I could not stand the Aiel in the beginning of Shadow Rising, but I started crying when the wise ones came back in Gathering Storm. I know people hated the Perrin/Faile storylin,e but I will take the same cultural differences/I don't understand why you're mad at me fight and be confused for 300 pages every time Robert Jordan gives it to us.
•I don't know how I ended up loving Rand and Mat? They were my least favorites of the squad but by the end Mat is one of my favorites?? How did Mat become charming? Genuinely don't know where my opinion of him flipped, it's so subtle. And Rand, the chosen one, the character I have never liked in any book, is so sweet and innocent? I even liked loyal, honorable Perrin, typically my least favorite archetype.
•The secondary characters in this series are all so fleshed out. Every single named character could have gotten their own 700 page book and it would not have been out of place.
•I love Robert Jordan's long descriptions. This series could have been 20 books and the world still would have felt vast with unanswered questions and unexplored peoples. The slog is a lie. I will read any and all Aes Sedai scheming, no matter how mundane. Verin's big scene would have lost something if we were not skimming and half listening to descriptions of clothing like Egwene.
•I love that all the characters ended up paired up. Why wouldn't they? They've all been traveling with ta'veren (yes, even Thom and Moiraine). Top ships: Lan/Nynaeve, Moiraine/Siuan, Elayne/Aviendha, Mat/Tuon, Galad/Berelain.
•I have spent my entire life begging for *real* enemies to lovers where the villain is truly evil. I've also always wanted the enemy to be a woman. Robert Jordan delivered and I still don't know how to feel about it. The way I was charmed by their games to have Tuon remind us who she is. Absolutely brilliant writing; the Seanchan scared the shit out of me. Had to remove my blue nail polish in the early Seanchan chapters because I felt so icky. Outriggers would've been fantastic.
Best Parts of the Series:
•Moiraine and Siuan as accepted
•Nynaeve goes through the 3 arches
•Valan Luca's Grand Traveling Show and Magnificent Display of Marvelous Wonders
•Moiraine in Fires of Heaven
•Siuan's stilling & healing
•Avienda and Brigitte force Nynaeve and Elayne to thank Mat
•A Visit From Verin Sedai
•Mat/Thom/Noal save Moiraine
•The Golden Crane flies for Tarmon Gai'don!
As for this book, finishing up such a well-loved and complicated series is difficult. I think Sanderson did the best that could have been done. Some parts of the books I loved, but unfortunately Sanderson's writing strengths are very different than Jordan's so it was clear where partials were used and where Sanderson was filling in. Some of my favorite characters were lost to characters whose stories needed to be wrapped up quickly or to the fighting characters needed for the last battle. The technicalities of the last battle were fantastic, but the thing I always loved about this series is how battle scenes weren't glorified (Brigitte beheaded?! Why are we threatening to cut out Elayne's children?!). In previous battle scenes I came out feeling confused and exhausted and felt the characters trauma. If Robert Jordan had written these we would've had an entire book of Lan realizing they weren't going to be able to hold the gap.
Sanderson prefers fun, fast-paced battles and prioritized that over some of the human moments (like a Rand/Elayne/Aviendha/Min moment, Lan and Moiraine fight, Emonds Fielders reunion, or a Mat and his father reunion). I love this series, but I don't think I'll ever be able to move past Mat just rolling over and letting Tuon keep the damane captive after he rescued the Aes Sedai and Seafolk in Altara. Similarly, Siuan's death felt like a checklist item. With so many perspectives in this series, we needed to see more people's fates (i.e. Leane, Myrelle, Caraline). We needed more of the Seafolk and the Kin in general at the end. 200 pages in Path of Daggers was spend finding the bowl for it to be used as a big player once? No male channelers involved?
Sanderson did a great job with Perrin; I loved Faile's story line wrapping up with the horn (but did not love her getting sidelined in battle, she's a borderlander!). Egwene was great in the last few books, but it did ultimately feel like she was missing something. Gwayne is annoying, but I love to see him and Galad failing where Lan succeeded. We really see why Moirainne would not let him go, truly the best warder. Lan's battle prowess in this book was fantastic, love *the moment* we've been waiting for with him since his advice to Rand in Great Hunt. Don't understand why he flipped so quickly on holding the gap after we spent 12 books (and a prequel!) watching him stay consistent, but things needed to be wrapped up.
•The exploration of perspective and culture differences in this series is unmatched. I could not stand the Aiel in the beginning of Shadow Rising, but I started crying when the wise ones came back in Gathering Storm. I know people hated the Perrin/Faile storylin,e but I will take the same cultural differences/I don't understand why you're mad at me fight and be confused for 300 pages every time Robert Jordan gives it to us.
•I don't know how I ended up loving Rand and Mat? They were my least favorites of the squad but by the end Mat is one of my favorites?? How did Mat become charming? Genuinely don't know where my opinion of him flipped, it's so subtle. And Rand, the chosen one, the character I have never liked in any book, is so sweet and innocent? I even liked loyal, honorable Perrin, typically my least favorite archetype.
•The secondary characters in this series are all so fleshed out. Every single named character could have gotten their own 700 page book and it would not have been out of place.
•I love Robert Jordan's long descriptions. This series could have been 20 books and the world still would have felt vast with unanswered questions and unexplored peoples. The slog is a lie. I will read any and all Aes Sedai scheming, no matter how mundane. Verin's big scene would have lost something if we were not skimming and half listening to descriptions of clothing like Egwene.
•I love that all the characters ended up paired up. Why wouldn't they? They've all been traveling with ta'veren (yes, even Thom and Moiraine). Top ships: Lan/Nynaeve, Moiraine/Siuan, Elayne/Aviendha, Mat/Tuon, Galad/Berelain.
•I have spent my entire life begging for *real* enemies to lovers where the villain is truly evil. I've also always wanted the enemy to be a woman. Robert Jordan delivered and I still don't know how to feel about it. The way I was charmed by their games to have Tuon remind us who she is. Absolutely brilliant writing; the Seanchan scared the shit out of me. Had to remove my blue nail polish in the early Seanchan chapters because I felt so icky. Outriggers would've been fantastic.
Best Parts of the Series:
•Moiraine and Siuan as accepted
•Nynaeve goes through the 3 arches
•Valan Luca's Grand Traveling Show and Magnificent Display of Marvelous Wonders
•Moiraine in Fires of Heaven
•Siuan's stilling & healing
•Avienda and Brigitte force Nynaeve and Elayne to thank Mat
•A Visit From Verin Sedai
•Mat/Thom/Noal save Moiraine
•The Golden Crane flies for Tarmon Gai'don!
As for this book, finishing up such a well-loved and complicated series is difficult. I think Sanderson did the best that could have been done. Some parts of the books I loved, but unfortunately Sanderson's writing strengths are very different than Jordan's so it was clear where partials were used and where Sanderson was filling in. Some of my favorite characters were lost to characters whose stories needed to be wrapped up quickly or to the fighting characters needed for the last battle. The technicalities of the last battle were fantastic, but the thing I always loved about this series is how battle scenes weren't glorified (Brigitte beheaded?! Why are we threatening to cut out Elayne's children?!). In previous battle scenes I came out feeling confused and exhausted and felt the characters trauma. If Robert Jordan had written these we would've had an entire book of Lan realizing they weren't going to be able to hold the gap.
Sanderson prefers fun, fast-paced battles and prioritized that over some of the human moments (like a Rand/Elayne/Aviendha/Min moment, Lan and Moiraine fight, Emonds Fielders reunion, or a Mat and his father reunion). I love this series, but I don't think I'll ever be able to move past Mat just rolling over and letting Tuon keep the damane captive after he rescued the Aes Sedai and Seafolk in Altara. Similarly, Siuan's death felt like a checklist item. With so many perspectives in this series, we needed to see more people's fates (i.e. Leane, Myrelle, Caraline). We needed more of the Seafolk and the Kin in general at the end. 200 pages in Path of Daggers was spend finding the bowl for it to be used as a big player once? No male channelers involved?
Sanderson did a great job with Perrin; I loved Faile's story line wrapping up with the horn (but did not love her getting sidelined in battle, she's a borderlander!). Egwene was great in the last few books, but it did ultimately feel like she was missing something. Gwayne is annoying, but I love to see him and Galad failing where Lan succeeded. We really see why Moirainne would not let him go, truly the best warder. Lan's battle prowess in this book was fantastic, love *the moment* we've been waiting for with him since his advice to Rand in Great Hunt. Don't understand why he flipped so quickly on holding the gap after we spent 12 books (and a prequel!) watching him stay consistent, but things needed to be wrapped up.
Can't wait to reread my favorite parts a million times. I can feel this series become my adult Twilight. The wheel turns and ages come and pass :(
Final Ranking of the series (will probably change upon reread):
1. The Fires of Heaven
2. The Shadow Rising
3. The Dragon Reborn
4. A Crown of Swords
5. The Eye of the World
6. New Spring
7. The Great Hunt
8. Knife of Dreams
9. Winter's Heart
10. Lord of Chaos
11. The Gathering Storm
12. Crossroads of Twilight
13. Path of Daggers
14. Towers of Midnight
15. A Memory of Light
Final Ranking of the series (will probably change upon reread):
1. The Fires of Heaven
2. The Shadow Rising
3. The Dragon Reborn
4. A Crown of Swords
5. The Eye of the World
6. New Spring
7. The Great Hunt
8. Knife of Dreams
9. Winter's Heart
10. Lord of Chaos
11. The Gathering Storm
12. Crossroads of Twilight
13. Path of Daggers
14. Towers of Midnight
15. A Memory of Light