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mardana's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Again, keeping the readers on edge. I enjoyed it, even though many passages where a bit hard to bear.
I would have liked some more Moiraine chapters.
Not a huge fan of the „the main character has all the pretty women swooning over him“-trope. It is more of a thing I would expect in a harem manga…
Also, why is Matt always so dense? It feels like is main roll is to be underestimated until he deus ex machina swoops in and saves the day and suddenly everyone is happy they kept him along, despite his annoying persona.
I liked the whole sul‘dam/damane lore and the twist it had.
Not a huge fan of the „the main character has all the pretty women swooning over him“-trope. It is more of a thing I would expect in a harem manga…
Also, why is Matt always so dense? It feels like is main roll is to be underestimated until he deus ex machina swoops in and saves the day and suddenly everyone is happy they kept him along, despite his annoying persona.
I liked the whole sul‘dam/damane lore and the twist it had.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Physical abuse, and Slavery
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, War, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
bookscattracks's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
Hello! I haven't finished a book in over a month! But it was real long and I had fun, so that's all that matters.
First thing that struck me was how different it was from the show. I knew people had said, but yeah, wow a lot of choices were made! I think most ended up being for the better, and some I'll hold judgement on as the series, both book and show, move forward.
Anyway! Here are some rambled yay and nays.
CONTAINS SPOILERS.
Yay:
Women! Honestly, it turns out I am very easy to please. Just put a group of women together doing pretty much anything and I will be happy. All of the scenes in the white tower, seeing Moiraine interact with other Aes Sedai, her very brief but much appreciated scene with Siuan, my best girls Egwene, Elayne, Nynaeve and Min going on their little adventure, which okay didn't end great but still! I did love everything that came after too, as horrible as it was. I just loved the women in this book. Thank you women.
Moirrane and Lan. I think they had all of two, maybe three scenes in this book, so it might be weird to mention them, but they were some of my favourites. Any interaction of theirs is just so enticing, it feels like there's a hidden meaning behind every word, yes, give me more!
Elayne worrying they'd run out of money in a week and Nynaeve saying it'd last them a month, I love you both. Elayne then using her powers and risking certain death to steal an apple because she was worried about starving <3
'Men often mistake killing and revenge for justice. They seldom have the stomach for justice.' I support women's wrongs - in fiction - but I still loved this line from Nynaeve. It was a big change to the show, but it makes me wonder if we'll see a scene like this with Egwene later on in the book series... I DID gasp when I read another line that was word for word in the show from Nynaeve - 'I'll make you curse the first kiss your mother gave your father' - good to know it was a book original. Honestly, the parallels and contrasts between Egwene and Nynaeve are just so fascinating to me. I know people classify Nynaeve as the one with anger and control issues, but I have a feeling Egwene will be the one to keep an eye on moving forward....
The world in general just seemed more expansive, and the Seanchan were such a different and intriguing, albeit terrifying, addition. I'm excited to see what's still to come! I have heard tale of Sea Folk.....
Nay:
I loved Selene so much more in the show, which I think is a pretty universal opinion. It was just SO obvious she was sketchy, and I know Rand is meant to be a dumb boy but really, it was kind of patronising to the reader to keep that up for so long.
Jumping off of that, Rand is the only man for any of these ladies ???? They even got Min too ???? This espeically, at the very end, when she had had no interest in him before, had me perplexed. Was it just that she knew they'd end up together in the future? So was kind of resigned to it? Also Elayne straight up telling Egwene she liked him, and continuing to mention him at any opportunity. Big Sigh. I knew this was coming before I'd read, so I shouldn't be surpirsed, but it's still sad to see. I'm VERY interested to see where the show takes it, considering how they dealt with Moiraine and Siuan. Come on Rafe, I know you can make this right.
The men. I'm sorry, but it's no surprise that in general I just found the chapters following them lackluster compared to the women. The search for the horn and travelling through villages got repetitive, much like the first book. That's just something I'm resigned to with this series now.
Anyway! That was lot. Better than the first one, disappointed by some things, but pleasantly surprised by others, and excited to keep going!
First thing that struck me was how different it was from the show. I knew people had said, but yeah, wow a lot of choices were made! I think most ended up being for the better, and some I'll hold judgement on as the series, both book and show, move forward.
Anyway! Here are some rambled yay and nays.
CONTAINS SPOILERS.
Yay:
Women! Honestly, it turns out I am very easy to please. Just put a group of women together doing pretty much anything and I will be happy. All of the scenes in the white tower, seeing Moiraine interact with other Aes Sedai, her very brief but much appreciated scene with Siuan, my best girls Egwene, Elayne, Nynaeve and Min going on their little adventure, which okay didn't end great but still! I did love everything that came after too, as horrible as it was. I just loved the women in this book. Thank you women.
Moirrane and Lan. I think they had all of two, maybe three scenes in this book, so it might be weird to mention them, but they were some of my favourites. Any interaction of theirs is just so enticing, it feels like there's a hidden meaning behind every word, yes, give me more!
Elayne worrying they'd run out of money in a week and Nynaeve saying it'd last them a month, I love you both. Elayne then using her powers and risking certain death to steal an apple because she was worried about starving <3
'Men often mistake killing and revenge for justice. They seldom have the stomach for justice.' I support women's wrongs - in fiction - but I still loved this line from Nynaeve. It was a big change to the show, but it makes me wonder if we'll see a scene like this with Egwene later on in the book series... I DID gasp when I read another line that was word for word in the show from Nynaeve - 'I'll make you curse the first kiss your mother gave your father' - good to know it was a book original. Honestly, the parallels and contrasts between Egwene and Nynaeve are just so fascinating to me. I know people classify Nynaeve as the one with anger and control issues, but I have a feeling Egwene will be the one to keep an eye on moving forward....
The world in general just seemed more expansive, and the Seanchan were such a different and intriguing, albeit terrifying, addition. I'm excited to see what's still to come! I have heard tale of Sea Folk.....
Nay:
I loved Selene so much more in the show, which I think is a pretty universal opinion. It was just SO obvious she was sketchy, and I know Rand is meant to be a dumb boy but really, it was kind of patronising to the reader to keep that up for so long.
Jumping off of that, Rand is the only man for any of these ladies ???? They even got Min too ???? This espeically, at the very end, when she had had no interest in him before, had me perplexed. Was it just that she knew they'd end up together in the future? So was kind of resigned to it? Also Elayne straight up telling Egwene she liked him, and continuing to mention him at any opportunity. Big Sigh. I knew this was coming before I'd read, so I shouldn't be surpirsed, but it's still sad to see. I'm VERY interested to see where the show takes it, considering how they dealt with Moiraine and Siuan. Come on Rafe, I know you can make this right.
The men. I'm sorry, but it's no surprise that in general I just found the chapters following them lackluster compared to the women. The search for the horn and travelling through villages got repetitive, much like the first book. That's just something I'm resigned to with this series now.
Anyway! That was lot. Better than the first one, disappointed by some things, but pleasantly surprised by others, and excited to keep going!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Slavery
rexpostfacto's review against another edition
5.0
Girl power okay girly pop go off!!!
The men are fine too I guess
Liandrin turn on your location
The men are fine too I guess
Liandrin turn on your location
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Xenophobia, and War
dani_reis's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Torture, War, and Injury/Injury detail
mattiedancer's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Writing: 3.5⭐️/5
Jordan has a vision for this novel, but this vision feels like it’s a bit surrounded by repetitive phrases and scenes. The writing itself is serviceable. It gets the job done, and is easy to read when it needs to be. But the overall impression of the writing is a bit unsubstantial. Apart from a few moments of truly good writing, the novel doesn’t shine in its prose. That being said, it also isn’t held back by its prose. It’s served by its prose: nothing more, nothing less.
Characters: 3.25⭐️/5
*Some Spoilers*
Where the first book truly drew me into the characters, this book offered a number of reasons to question their characterization. Min, for one, has a moment that seems completely out of character for her. Not to mention a lack of any growth towards many of the characters we grew to love in the first book. Plus, and I can’t emphasize this enough, we have the fridging of a minor character solely for the purpose of advancing Thom’s plot, which I must (and truly do) consider a cardinal writing sin. If I’m being honest, the only character who retained growth from my perspective was Nynaeve.
Plot: 3.25⭐️/5
I feel the plot of this book will be entirely necessary to the plot of the series. And yet, it left me with the same taste in my mouth as a filler episode of a sitcom. Much of the plot felt pulled at – lengthened where it wasn’t necessary – and padded with fluff. The truly adventurous or intriguing parts of the plot were quickly (and sometimes far too easily) resolved in order to advance the next section. Of course, all that being said, it’s not an unenjoyable read at all and did keep my interest, whether deserved or not.
Who Should Read This Book?
- Those who read book one of The Wheel of Time (The Eye of the World)
Content Warnings?
- Slavery, confinement, kidnapping, toxic relationships, toxic friendships, blood, gore, torture, abuse, child death, war, misogyny, sexism, death, murder, injury, injury detail, fire, emotional abuse, gaslighting,
Post-Reading Rating: 4.5⭐️/5
As much as parts of this book IRRITATED ME (hi, Rand), I am very excited to start the third one.
Final Rating: 3.25⭐️/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Physical abuse, Sexism, Body horror, Gore, Toxic friendship, Grief, Animal death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Trafficking, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Slavery, and War
Minor: Addiction, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Self harm, and Racism
cmklaft's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
I'm impressed I could even get through this. Robert Jordan has an amazing ability to draw out a story that could 100 pages 650 pages.
Content Warnings
Moderate: War
Minor: Blood, Violence, and Slavery
wogslandwriter's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
4.0
I love Matt Cauthon so much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Torture, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Violence, War, Death, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Gore and Blood
Minor: Alcohol
nadiaherondale's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Certainly an improvement in pace and interest for me. I'm glad things are picking up as I can actually enjoy what is a well written and thought world (that was obvious on the first one but all the introduction and the slow pace made it way too hard for me to enjoy it). Although I still feel like the climax of both the first and second books led to rushed endings
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, War, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Torture, Blood, and Religious bigotry
annick's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Rosamund pike is an excellent narrator. But the book is such a mess. Systemic misogyny by the authors writing and characterisation. And such reductive statements that can’t just be down to the immaturity of the main characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Misogyny, Violence, and War
ednapellen's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
My relationship with The Wheel of Time books is complicated. I enjoy and appreciate it well enough but I'm not necessarily a fan of it as it and I, unfortunately, just haven't clicked.
As far as quality is concerned, this should be at least a 4/5 or 7/10.
The star rating given, 3.75/5 or 6/10, is to refer to my personal enjoyment rather than the quality.
There were several moments - and even entire sections - throughout this book that I really genuinely enjoyed and found impactful, as well as tons of worldbuilding that I greatly liked, but overall I'd say I was fairly indifferent to this book.
While there were those things I genuinely really liked, there was an equal amount of things that I just didn't care for one way or the other. I found parts of the story almost exhausting, though I think that's appropriate given the contexts of those moments.
I will say I greatly liked the majority of characters, though many of my favorites were set on the back burner.
I've heard Rand described as bland before, but I don't find that to be the case. I quite like his attitude and approach to his circumstances, including his faults. Not because said faults are likable, but because they make him more believable. I continue to enjoy the execution of the "reluctant hero" trope and look forward to seeing where Rand develops from here.
All in all I appreciated and generally enjoyed this book and don't really have a direct issue with it, but something unknown prevents me from confidently saying I liked it. I'm carrying on to book three in hopes that it enables me to really truly like, if not love, this franchise.
As far as quality is concerned, this should be at least a 4/5 or 7/10.
The star rating given, 3.75/5 or 6/10, is to refer to my personal enjoyment rather than the quality.
There were several moments - and even entire sections - throughout this book that I really genuinely enjoyed and found impactful, as well as tons of worldbuilding that I greatly liked, but overall I'd say I was fairly indifferent to this book.
While there were those things I genuinely really liked, there was an equal amount of things that I just didn't care for one way or the other. I found parts of the story almost exhausting, though I think that's appropriate given the contexts of those moments.
I will say I greatly liked the majority of characters, though many of my favorites were set on the back burner.
I've heard Rand described as bland before, but I don't find that to be the case. I quite like his attitude and approach to his circumstances, including his faults. Not because said faults are likable, but because they make him more believable. I continue to enjoy the execution of the "reluctant hero" trope and look forward to seeing where Rand develops from here.
All in all I appreciated and generally enjoyed this book and don't really have a direct issue with it, but something unknown prevents me from confidently saying I liked it. I'm carrying on to book three in hopes that it enables me to really truly like, if not love, this franchise.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual content
Very minor innuendoes and references for the most part. In one case a woman is naked among other women, but it is not in a sexual context and her body is not described at all.