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eesh25's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 Stars
I'm really getting into this series. I mention this because I thought it would take a lot longer if it happened at all. The way people talk about the series, they make it sound almost like a chore. But it's very interesting, and fun even. Though Rand remains whiny, which I'm hoping will change soon.
This book picks up shortly after the last. Rand is still around, even though he said he was going to leave. He has a few reasons. And before he can make a final decision, circumstances decide his next step for him. Well, circumstances and Aes Sedai. I don't know what the WoT fandom thinks of Aes Sedai, but I don't trust them. They're shady and have too many agendas. Even Moiraine, who I quite like now. She wasn't in this book as much, and I guess absence does make the heart grow fonder because whenever we did see her, all I could think was, "Finally, a rational person!"
My favourite character in the series so far is Nynaeve. I love her. She's rude to literally everyone, and I'm all for it. Egwene grew on me by the end, too, though she seriously needs to give the word woolhead a rest. I still like Perrin and Lan. Loial has become one of my favourites. Mat... I don't like him yet, but he can be entertaining.
Honestly, of the old characters, the only one I don't like is Rand. As for new ones, there are a few, but I'm undecided on them. Jordan seems to have a habit of just telling you to like characters and assuming you'll do it. I'm hoping that, like the characters from the first book, the new ones will grow on me in time too. There is one character I don't need time with, and that's Liandrin Sedai. I started referring to her as "the bitch" soon after she was introduced. If you've read the book, you know why.
Anyway, the plot. The book follows two groups, one is the girls (headed to Tar Valon), and the other is the boys (headed... somewhere else). The focus is more on the latter, but both parts of the book are equally interesting, and I was never disappointed going from one to the other.
The pace of the book is good. If you're not used to high fantasy, it might seem slow, but it's normal for the genre. We get a lot of character and world-building moments in the "slow" parts. The ending is great and has me really excited for the direction the series is headed. It's also given me hope that maybe Rand will stop being whiny. Okay, I may be being a bit harsh on Rand, he is in a difficult situation, but if I never hear the phrase "I will not be used" ever again, it'll be too soon.
Overall, this was a great sequel. The narrators of the audiobook did a fantastic job, not that you'd expect anything else from Michael Kramer and Kate Reading. And I'm excited to read the next book.
I'm really getting into this series. I mention this because I thought it would take a lot longer if it happened at all. The way people talk about the series, they make it sound almost like a chore. But it's very interesting, and fun even. Though Rand remains whiny, which I'm hoping will change soon.
This book picks up shortly after the last. Rand is still around, even though he said he was going to leave. He has a few reasons. And before he can make a final decision, circumstances decide his next step for him. Well, circumstances and Aes Sedai. I don't know what the WoT fandom thinks of Aes Sedai, but I don't trust them. They're shady and have too many agendas. Even Moiraine, who I quite like now. She wasn't in this book as much, and I guess absence does make the heart grow fonder because whenever we did see her, all I could think was, "Finally, a rational person!"
My favourite character in the series so far is Nynaeve. I love her. She's rude to literally everyone, and I'm all for it. Egwene grew on me by the end, too, though she seriously needs to give the word woolhead a rest. I still like Perrin and Lan. Loial has become one of my favourites. Mat... I don't like him yet, but he can be entertaining.
Honestly, of the old characters, the only one I don't like is Rand. As for new ones, there are a few, but I'm undecided on them. Jordan seems to have a habit of just telling you to like characters and assuming you'll do it. I'm hoping that, like the characters from the first book, the new ones will grow on me in time too. There is one character I don't need time with, and that's Liandrin Sedai. I started referring to her as "the bitch" soon after she was introduced. If you've read the book, you know why.
Anyway, the plot. The book follows two groups, one is the girls (headed to Tar Valon), and the other is the boys (headed... somewhere else). The focus is more on the latter, but both parts of the book are equally interesting, and I was never disappointed going from one to the other.
The pace of the book is good. If you're not used to high fantasy, it might seem slow, but it's normal for the genre. We get a lot of character and world-building moments in the "slow" parts. The ending is great and has me really excited for the direction the series is headed. It's also given me hope that maybe Rand will stop being whiny. Okay, I may be being a bit harsh on Rand, he is in a difficult situation, but if I never hear the phrase "I will not be used" ever again, it'll be too soon.
Overall, this was a great sequel. The narrators of the audiobook did a fantastic job, not that you'd expect anything else from Michael Kramer and Kate Reading. And I'm excited to read the next book.
bittersweet_symphony's review against another edition
4.0
While I still struggle to care that much about the characters, thankfully even poorly developed characters become interesting and familiar with time. The concepts of Black Ajah, Sul'dam and Damane added a much needed level of intrigue to Jordan's magic-world.
The addition of the character Min leaves me optimistic as a reader wanting to invest in characters. Rand remains bland. Mat continues to annoy, trapped in his immaturity. Perrin stands in second as a character with promising potential for an interesting storyline. Get those wolves more involved! Loial adds warmth to every scene he is in--even if he is just a presence.
Despite the overused fantasy ropes, Jordan gives a refreshing amount of influence to his female characters. The Aes Sedai are by far the most interesting -- with exception to Perrin and the wolves.
Much of the middle of the book languished with so much time spent traveling. Still, the ending did not disappoint. It lit up the sky and threw me through the final 60 pages.
The true motives and alliances of many characters remain veiled behind political and religious ambivalence, to Jordan's credit. I am still skeptical that this series deserves more than the dozen books it includes. I will soldier on through another several hundred page volume!
The addition of the character Min leaves me optimistic as a reader wanting to invest in characters. Rand remains bland. Mat continues to annoy, trapped in his immaturity. Perrin stands in second as a character with promising potential for an interesting storyline. Get those wolves more involved! Loial adds warmth to every scene he is in--even if he is just a presence.
Despite the overused fantasy ropes, Jordan gives a refreshing amount of influence to his female characters. The Aes Sedai are by far the most interesting -- with exception to Perrin and the wolves.
Much of the middle of the book languished with so much time spent traveling. Still, the ending did not disappoint. It lit up the sky and threw me through the final 60 pages.
The true motives and alliances of many characters remain veiled behind political and religious ambivalence, to Jordan's credit. I am still skeptical that this series deserves more than the dozen books it includes. I will soldier on through another several hundred page volume!
bananamanq's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 but yeah that was way more of a page turner than the first one. I'm starting to see where the sanderlanche comes from because this did that hard.
jrice92's review against another edition
5.0
"Life is lighter than a feather, duty heavier than a mountain."
The easiest five stars I've given in a long, long time!
I REALLY enjoyed the Eye of the World (WoT #1) and had high hopes for how the series would build, The Great Hunt improved on everything in #1 and I no longer like the series. I love it.
The character development (especially with Rand) is unlike anything I've read before, its natural and its the story perfectly, its forced when it needs to be and everything that happens is believable. I wont say more without going into spoilers but Rand is fast becoming a favourite character for me.
The world that Robert Jordan built is incredible, I've never read a world so detailed and well built. This is a series that fantasy fans need to read and fantasy writers need to take notes as its incredible. I've been toying with writing a Fantasy series for a while and this has changed everything for me, before writing the first line i'll take Robert Jordan lead and create the world.
Fantasy fans. READ THE WHEEL OF TIME!
5/5 stars
10/10
However you rate your books, this gets full marks!
The easiest five stars I've given in a long, long time!
I REALLY enjoyed the Eye of the World (WoT #1) and had high hopes for how the series would build, The Great Hunt improved on everything in #1 and I no longer like the series. I love it.
The character development (especially with Rand) is unlike anything I've read before, its natural and its the story perfectly, its forced when it needs to be and everything that happens is believable. I wont say more without going into spoilers but Rand is fast becoming a favourite character for me.
The world that Robert Jordan built is incredible, I've never read a world so detailed and well built. This is a series that fantasy fans need to read and fantasy writers need to take notes as its incredible. I've been toying with writing a Fantasy series for a while and this has changed everything for me, before writing the first line i'll take Robert Jordan lead and create the world.
Fantasy fans. READ THE WHEEL OF TIME!
5/5 stars
10/10
However you rate your books, this gets full marks!
staticmonkey's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
shay_d's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.0
matthewthe38th's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.5
northerlylynn's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0