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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
diazona's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
The continuing adventures of Rand, Mat, Perrin, and friends (or, "friends") start to get rather complicated in this book. It's the part of the fantasy epic where the party splits up and there are multiple storylines to follow; I think at one point it switches among six different point-of-view characters, each in a different part of the world. So it's certainly not the easiest story to follow.
But I think it's worth the effort, especially for a reader who likes richly detailed worldbuilding (as I do). For all the complexity, the different storylines do all tie in to the overall plot of the series, and it's not at all hard to get swept up in the grandeur of the quest that the protagonists are on. Plus, the different plot lines do all reference the common mythology, and they converge back together by the climax of the book. As long as you have some patience, it doesn't feel like you're being led off on irrelevant tangents.
Maybe I like this book more than I "should". But what can I say, it's exactly the sort of thing that appeals to me: a richly detailed and self-consistent world (within reason, it is fantasy after all) and a compelling plot. Ultimately what matters is that I'm happy to have read it and I'm excited to get cracking on the next book!
But I think it's worth the effort, especially for a reader who likes richly detailed worldbuilding (as I do). For all the complexity, the different storylines do all tie in to the overall plot of the series, and it's not at all hard to get swept up in the grandeur of the quest that the protagonists are on. Plus, the different plot lines do all reference the common mythology, and they converge back together by the climax of the book. As long as you have some patience, it doesn't feel like you're being led off on irrelevant tangents.
Maybe I like this book more than I "should". But what can I say, it's exactly the sort of thing that appeals to me: a richly detailed and self-consistent world (within reason, it is fantasy after all) and a compelling plot. Ultimately what matters is that I'm happy to have read it and I'm excited to get cracking on the next book!
Content Warnings
Minor: Slavery, Religious bigotry, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Sexism, and Physical abuse
bluejay21's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Slavery, and Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, and Physical abuse
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
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