A review by willowbiblio
The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan

5.0

"Life is uncertainty and struggle, choice and change; one who knew how her life was woven into the Pattern as well as she knew how a thread was laid into a carpet would have the life of an animal. If she did not go mad. Humankind is made for uncertainty, struggle, choice, and change."
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I debated giving this 4 stars instead of 5, because many of the characters are absolutely insufferable, and not in a realistic way. They make choices and communicate with one another in ways that don't make sense. Many of the decades-old adults act like impetuous teenagers. The reason I did give it 5 stars was because the world-building continued to be fantastically in-depth.

The doorways leading to bends in reality and other species were totally unexpected. The history of the Aiel as shown to Rand in Rhuidean through the eyes of his ancestors absolutely blew me away. That a race known best for how they kill is descended from those who followed The Way of The Leaf is incredibly significant.

Perrin's story and journey back to the Two Rivers was equally engaging. I found Nynaeve and Elayne's portion a bit oveerdone, and Nynaeve is just a really hard character to read. I loathe her, if that's possible. Loved the re-education of Egeanin and excited to see where that story goes. Overall a strong continuation of the series and looking forward to the next book.