u/Djfantastyka

Based on Lini's request that Perrin officiate the wedding of "Maighdin" and Tallanvor, I have a question – how do weddings even work in this world? Who officiates them? If I remember correctly, the wedding of Perrin and Faile was performed by the Women's Circle. Masema officiates, but as usurper, and Perrin clearly has the right to do so as lord. Among the Aiel, it seems the Wise Ones are responsible for this... I know there are many cultures in this world, but the topic intrigued me. Who officiates the weddings? Someone ruling a given area? Who officiates the wedding of aristocrats? Who officiates the wedding of the future royal couple? I don't remember priests in this world.

Overall, my impressions are positive so far. Not much is happening, but... I just enjoy spending time with most of these characters. Elayne's storyline was more boring for me because, apart from Nynaeve, I simply don't care about any of the characters, and Elayne... Her "royalty" irritates me. She mentally called Mat "her subject." Really? Will you call Rand that too? It's best to do it on your wedding night, because why not?

Morgase irritates me too, though to a lesser extent.

I've temporarily regained interest in Perrin, who was, well... bland in book 7. It irritates me how he clearly ignores signals that he should take care of Aram. He's your obligation, Perrin. You should make sure Aram doesn't lose his humanity...

I'm also more understanding of Faile for now, because maybe everything would be easier if Perrin didn't make a big deal out of her angry moments. Seriously, he doesn't have to try to calm her down every time.

Regarding the prologue, Moridin seems like a potential "mirror" to Rand, and honestly, with Lanfear and Asmodean missing from the plot, Rand could have benefited from a dynamic with another Forsaken. Rand and Sammael could have been interesting, but it's over... Anyway, that's all for now.

Well, I'm halfway through the series. Volume 7 is the second or third best—I'm not sure yet if I prefer this one or Lord of Chaos.

First, a few complaints. Liah came back only to die eight pages later... I'm just angry. I understand the realism, but imagine if the exact same thing happened to Moiraine and Lanfear if they returned. Sure, they're much more important, but bringing back a character presumed dead only to have them actually die... I'm just disappointed, and I'm not a fan of this.

I'm also disappointed that Sammael died just like that... I mean, did it look like he didn't even put up a fight? He just stands there, Rand uses Balefire, and Sammael is gone.

Really, an antagonist built up as the main threat among the Forsaken for two volumes, the guy who subjugated Graendal, dies like that? Not even putting up a fight in the moment of death?

It seems Sevanna and Shaido are now unsupervised. Good for Sevanna, because that's how she thought about subjugating "Caddar" and "Maisia"... She'll live a little longer now. Overall, Shaido is a wild card, though more of a nuisance. It depends on where they end up.

Overall, Rand was scarce and he's become less cautious. I still like him, but I don't adore him. I simply appreciate him. Min and he have a good dynamic, but Rand and his lovers are a storyline I simply can't bring myself to care about, especially since all three of them are ready to share Rand. It's not that I want a fight between them or Rand's squabbling, but I'm simply waiting for the plot to reach its obvious conclusion.

To put the negativity aside for a moment, I'm glad there was a lot of Mat in this volume. The chapters from his perspective are incredibly enjoyable to read, even if he focuses too much on the women's breasts, even Elayne's.

Initially, I was amused by his storyline with Tylin, but then the knife-wielding scene made me feel strange, because, well... I had the impression that the plot had forgiven Tylin because she was attractive and Mat actually liked her looks... We'll see if her character returns. I'm not sure what to think of her yet, as her behavior is justified by the Ebou Dar culture, but that doesn't erase the guilt.

Overall, Mat has really moved up in my personal ranking of favorite characters in the series because, quite simply, I feel like his storyline is a constant improvisation, and he's the least serious of the main five in the Two Rivers.

Nynaeve also shone. I kind of love the moments when she gets angry. It was simply the height of comedy. I especially enjoyed her reunion with Lan. Finally! Lan almost ruined it by mentioning Myrelle (and omitting the information that his bond was given to her against his will), but thankfully, Nynaeve forced him to marry her. She finally put an end to his nonsense about him dying and making her a widow. Make her happy, Lan! Nynaeve has finally broken the blockade and finally merged with Lan, so that only death could separate them. Lan is hers. She can use the One Power without limits. Wonderful.

Perrin... Just okay. I feel like he simply exists. It seems that in the next volume he'll have to deal with Masema, as well as the rivalry between Faile and Berelain... Why couldn't he just have two wives? Rand alone could have more than one? I feel like I'm simply losing interest in Perrin's storyline over time, I don't know why.

Egwene had about five chapters to herself and disappeared from the rest of the volume. I think my antipathy towards her is slowly fading, and neutrality is taking over.

Elayne is probably the antiheroine of this volume for me. I liked how she straightened out the rest of the Aes Sedai, making them listen to her, but overall, Elayne's personality kind of irritates me. It irritates me that she keeps presenting herself as the heir to Andor, even though she doesn't care about her own country these days, as she's having her own adventures. It irritates me how easily she arrogates herself because she was raised to be a future queen... Simply put, Elayne irritates me, and in a reversal of Egwene, I've started to feel a dislike for her instead of neutrality.

What else... Oh, in the previous post I focused on the tragedy of Amathera and Suroth, but I forgot to mention Pura... I remember her in Volume 2. It's strange that Egwene doesn't remember her, because it seemed important... Anyway, I remember Pura. I hope Suroth pay for it someday, and the Seanchan in general. It's a slave empire, so naturally, I'm rooting for its downfall.

What else... Oh, it turns out that among the characters with enormous breasts, Berelain and Sevanna have a new rival, Riselle. I wonder if there will ever be so many such characters known by name that I'll have to use the fingers of my other hand to count them.

What else... I should probably mention Cadsuane, since she'll be important... For now, she has the energy of a mean grandmother. She seems morally grey, but I naturally don't trust Aes Sedai.

Elaida's situation is rocky, even though Alviarin seemed incredibly clever. But here, with Meesana's protection, she's overconfident, practically threatening Elaida that if she doesn't listen, she'll be stripped of her Amyrlin title and subjugated. Clearly, Elaida will have a moment of victory in the future, as Alviarin simply underestimated her.

Moridin seems interesting for an antagonist, and he's probably the one who helped Rand in the last chapter... I mean, who else could it be? Moridin certainly seems more flexible than Rahvin or Sammael right now, so he might be a rival of some kind... Unless there's some complexity in Moridin's case, but this series has taught me not to have high hopes for antagonists so far.

Finally, my top 10 favorite characters right now:

1. Mat

2. Nynaeve

3. Siuan

4. Thom

5. Rand

6. Lanfear

7. Perrin

8. Leane

9. Berelain

10. Pedron Niall (RIP legend 💔)

Honorable mentions:

Merana - simply an Aes Sedai who wants to do her job in diplomacy.

Beslan - seems to stand out from Mat's other "buddies."

Mili Skane - she's my type + seems competent.

Dishonorable mention:

Elayne - I mentioned why earlier.

Generally, it's a break for now, and I will read volume 8 in about a month. Honestly, I'm glad there will be a few shorter volumes now. Volumes 4-6, although much better than 1-3, were too long in terms of pages.

Poor Amathera!

I hope her captivity is just erotic dancing... I mean, it could be called "artistic," but she's dancing in a see-through outfit, meaning she's nude/semi-nude... I hope it's not sexual captivity, although her trauma seems significant enough...

I know Morgase being raped by Eamon Valda is tragic, and I sympathize with her, but overall, I still can't like her. Too much of an "I am the queen and you all must obey me..." attitude. Humility, woman.

The Seanchan are back, and well... I didn't miss them. I can't stand slavery storylines, and the Seanchan pose the risk of some important POV character being captured in the future, which could be torture for me personally...

Overall, it seems that Morgase is forced to trust Padan Fain during her escape... I just hope he doesn't rape her. I hope Morgase becomes more likeable someday, and not just the author trying to make me feel sorry for her by constantly raping her in plot. Just let her retire.

Edit: sorry, I thought Balwer was Padan Fain in disguise. My mistake.

As a test, I've gathered some of my thoughts on the rest of the chapters.

1-,7: It's nice to see Perrin again, and also that despite everything, he sees Rand as a friend and tries to be supportive and sometimes even bring him to his senses. Perrin was going too crazy over Faile, but after all, she's his only family now. By the way, I feel like this is the second time in a row that Perrin and Faile's reconciliation has ended with off-screen sex... Good for him. And Aram... He kind of annoys me. I'm like, "Why does he even exist?" Overall, it's nice to see Rand quickly end Colavaere's rule, though... It's just that Elayne doesn't seem to want any kind of throne at all, she's just playing at being Aes Sedai, so Rand's efforts to prevent someone else from taking the thrones that are rightfully hers seem like a waste of time.

8-12: It's nice to be back with Siuan and Leane, a little less so with the other Aes Sedai, though Egwene, well... She improved a bit? But I also take into account how unsympathetic her rivals/difficult allies are. Chapter 12 definitely stood out positively, and well... Let's just say that due to the need to finish it, I went to bed a dozen or so minutes later than planned.

It's good that Lan is back. I hope he finally gets his act together, because since I'm biased towards Nynaeve, he's supposed to finally bring her happiness. She are several volumes waiting for you, you (insert any insults Nynaeve throws at men).

It's interesting that Egwene seems to be able to trust Halima, when we readers know it's a terrible idea... But then again, why not trust a beautiful woman who can massage you so you can relax?

13: Aviendha's POV is an interesting choice, though it lacks the dynamic with Rand; Aviendha isn't very interesting to me. What I enjoyed most about this chapter was the return to Nynaeve's storyline.

14: Mat! How I missed him... Probably my favorite character from the regular POVs. The female Darkfriend from the first volume is back. Nice.

15: Jaichim Carridin somehow returned... Overall, he's a constant face among the Darkfriends, and as usual, nothing works out for him. At least, unlike the rest, he has some kind of family... Or rather, he did. It's just a nice touch that he cared about anyone other than himself, because there's not enough of that among the antagonists; everyone is just selfish to the extreme. The Mydhrall raping human women is a disturbing detail...

Overall, Mila Skane/Lady Shainie is a character that immediately caught my attention, as she seems competent, attractive, and her position with her legs crossed and her foot dangling in the air... She's my type. I have to give Jaichim credit for at least humiliating her in the end and showing him to be somewhat dangerous... Although his obsession with Mat will soon lead to his death, I can feel it.

16: Mat meets Aes Sedai, and they pursue Mat until the queen summons him... Who clearly wants him in her bed. That would probably be Mat's oldest lover, right? He still can't find one his own age... Tylin clearly wants him very much, since she let him accidentally touch her breasts... It kind of amused me how much Tylin wants him. It looks like Mat will become friends with her son.

17: Mat gets attacked again... That one's lucky. The Aes Sedai perspective is fine. The Black Ahah perspective... I didn't miss them. Poor anonymous woman, tortured after being stripped naked, and then probably dumped naked in some alley... An anonymous figure, and it turns out that the barrel of dirty straw and animal excrement probably contains the corpse of a murdered woman... Although I don't know if the anonymous man wouldn't have sensed it. It seems not a coincidence, especially since he's taken an interest in Mili Skane.

18-19: It's great that Berelain is back. I missed her mind, and well... what she shows everyone around her too.

Rand has a confrontation with Cadsuane, who seems like Moiraine 2.0, only from a time before she mellowed even a little. She seems to deserve her legend, but like most Aes Sedai, she's remarkably unlikable.

I have sympathy for Merana, I have to admit. I felt sorry for her in the previous volume, because it's clear that a competent diplomat, only paid the price for having her voice of reason drowned out by those who shouted louder—namely, Bera and Kiruna. She has to explain the mistakes that resulted from others not allowing her to properly perform her task.

Colavaere hanged herself off-screen... It irritates me that Min's prophecies literally always have to come true. It's kind of funny that her reaction to death was simply a need for sex. Well, Elayne probably hasn't done it with Rand yet. She has to be late for everything.

20: Return to Sevanna. It turns out that her jealousy of Someryn's breasts and Maisi's beauty is very important... I thought she thinks always she's the most beautiful person in every room. Interesting that Sammael is scheming. I don't like him, but at least he's keeping things chaotic. Calling Sevanna "girl" makes me wonder how old she is. I think she's around 25-30, but maybe she's younger? Although if she were younger, they probably wouldn't let her lead... In any case, she's doomed to failure by collaborating with the Forsaken, but maybe at least she'll die normally... I mean, without punishment in the form of the Mydhrall, who like to rape human women. She may be evil, but she's still human.

It's interesting to see that Sammael and Graendal are working together, even if it's forced.

The Watcher, a completely new character... I mean, if it were, say, Demandred, the author wouldn't have hidden it. It seems another male Forsaken has appeared. Interesting.

21-22: Oh, poor Mat. The arrival of first Birgitte, and then Nynaeve and Elayne ruins his chances with Caira. At least he had a drink with Birgitte. She's a pal, after all.

Birgitte, along with Aviendha, force Elayne and Nynaeve to apologize to Mat. And that's great. I mean, I love Nynaeve, but not as much as Mat. He deserves some credit. Besides, despite my sympathy for Nynaeve, I love it when she gets angry. The height of comedy.

23: On the one hand, Nynaeve and Elayne could use a lesson in humility, but I just don't like how much women delight in humiliating each other in this world.

24: So it turns out Callie is the woman tortured to death, and Nynaeve and Elayne are suspected of her death... Oh 🫤

After the assassination attempt on Elayne and Nynaeve, Nynaeve cries because her hair isn't gray yet... I know Nynaeve can be mean, but I just want to hug her sometimes... That should be Lan's job 😑

25: Moghedien has suffered enough and is now under the command of Moridin, who can destroy her soul... It's probably the Watcher, because I doubt the author introduced two similarly mysterious male characters with Forsaken-level power.

Why? Why? Why...

Why did the author get rid of Pedron Niall so quickly 💔?

I knew his time would come, because there were too many death flags

- old age nagged at him

- ambitious Eamon Valda ready to replace him

- Padan Fain in disguise nearby

Nevertheless, I thought he might survive at least until volume 9 or 10, so I could still enjoy his presence... But no. The most enjoyable antagonist to read innthis series has just died 💔 I don't believe Eamon Valda will be even half as good an antagonist for me.

Unfortunately, I'll have to find a new favorite antagonist, at least until Lanfear returns.

As for Morgase... I felt a bit sad for Niall when he said, "If only I were younger." At least the old man got a few games of stones with a beautiful woman before he died.

Morgase's in trouble, and well... I don't know, I can't seem to warm up to her character. The author clearly wants me to root for her, but I just can't... Maybe I could care about her because of Galad.

I don't know if this is typical, but I simply prefer Galad to Gawyn and Elayne at this point.

Returning to Gawyn, I find it amusing that the prologue is essentially the antagonists' points of view, plus Gawyn's.

Although, in the end, he's an antagonist to Rand, even if Rand doesn't know it yet. I suspect Rand will have a confrontation with Gawyn in the future, Gawyn will try to kill him, fail, and Rand will somehow have to prevent Gawyn's death because "he's Elayne's brother after all"... Kill him. Do it, Rand. I know there's a romance between Gawyn and Egwene, but I don't care about these characters.

Elaida... I want her downfall. I love Siuan, and since Elaida has unpleasant thoughts about her, like "Why doesn't she just crawl away and die, out of sight, as decency dictates for any subjugated woman?", I want to see Elaida kneel defeated, and a satisfied Siuan stands beside the victorious Egwene.

It seems Sevanna will still be in the story. I still appreciate her large breasts and golden hair, but overall, though shallow, she seems to have a pretty interesting personality when it comes to breaking old traditions... But I might be biased here, because generally, there are some things about Aiel culture that I don't like because they're too rigid.

It's cool that she also participated in the battle and even killed a wolf. She's no coward.

I was intrigued by the part where she wants to adopt the custom of children inheriting titles. Of course, her plan to have Rand give her sons and daughters won't come to fruition, but the concept of Sevanna as a mother... I don't know, it's hard for me to imagine any antagonist as a parent in this series. Maybe Pedron Niall, since he was once married. I don't believe Sevanna will ever be a mother, but it's interesting to imagine.

It's interesting that Sevanna is blackmailing the Wise Ones with Desaine's death, though I have a feeling it will eventually bite her in the ass. The Wise Ones won't allow themselves to be blackmailed forever.

If I had to guess right now, either the Wise Ones will kill Sevanna exactly as they killed Desaine, or, as a break with tradition, the Wise Ones order her murder, for example, by smothering her with a pillow.

I have a feeling that Sevanna won't die in battle as a warrior, but rather without honor, and breaking tradition will backfire on her.

Overall, she's already more interesting than Couladin, and her tempting men with her large breasts makes sense, considering she gained power with them at the age of 16 – marrying Suladric. Twice widowed, Suladric, Couladin, and she also seduced Muradin... Whoever allows Sevanna to seduce himself is long dead. I wonder if there will be a fourth case in the future, though she'll probably be obsessed with Rand until her end. She'll probably be sitting in her tent now, thinking about what will happen when Rand is on her leash. She seemed extremely excited about this vision.

Who else is left... Alviarin. As a character, she's just okay.

I was intrigued by the fact that she had contact with the Forsakens (Lanfear mentioned ❤️), and I also had this thought "Ishamael and Be'lal... I heard something, but I don't remember." They were probably in volumes 1-3.

Mesaana is one of the two women Egwene met in the previous volume, traveling through the White Tower in a dream. I wonder who the other one is.

Overall, a good return to the series, and although the antagonists still lack complexity, I think I'm increasingly willing to accept that... Although, of course, I'm hoping that after Pedron Niall's death, another antagonist will pique my more interest... That is, besides Sevanna and her large breasts.

Generally, antagonists are always a bit of a mixed bag, and now it's time to get back to the protagonists.

I've already missed Mat, Perrin, Nynaeve, and Rand, but Elayne and Egwene... No, I just don't.

That's all 🙂

This. Putting aside our likes and dislikes, who seems to be the most complex character? I think it has to be one of the seven – Logen, Glokta, Jezal, Orso, Savine, Rikke, Leo. But who? What are your thoughts?

I think Glokta is the most complex, but I'm not sure.

...Pedron Niall is my favourite antagonist in this series at this stage?

I mean, he's the most down-to-earth, he's not cartoonishly evil, he's clever.

I'm not counting Lanfear. She must returns to the story—let's be honest, killing Moiraine and Lanfear as described in Volume 5 would be terribly anticlimactic. They'll come back someday.

Overall, she was the most interesting antagonist in Volumes 1-5.

Returning, Pedron Niall is the most interesting antagonist for me.

Of the other antagonists, Taim has potential because he's clearly competent, but he's too obvious a traitor.

Elaida is incompetent and has barely featured in the story since she became Amyrlin.

Padan Fain is just cartoonishly bad at the moment, especially after the recent rape of the female Darkfriend.

Sevanna only has her large breasts for now, but she cleverly got rid of Desaine, and I'm curious what will come of her being a schemer among the Aiel, where intrigue shouldn't have a place – after all, the Aiel consider spying on each other dishonorable. I mean, I know the Shaido are dishonorable and simply the worst, but intrigue among the Aiel is potentially interesting. And overall, I don't want to be disappointed by another antagonist leading the Shaido. Couladin was an irritating and uninteresting failure... and probably henpecked by Sevanna.

Among the Forsaken, the most interesting character in Volume 6 was Sammael and how he tricked and coerced Graendal to cooperation. He's awful, but clearly not caricatured.

Demandred, Semirhage, and Meesana seem to not much personality at the moment, and Graendal has the aura of a schemer, but so far, she hasn't done anything, just has a potentially interesting dynamic with Sammael.

Generally, I love interesting antagonists, so I hope he improves even more in that regard. The protagonists, especially Rand and Nynaeve, have improved recently.

So, well, I guess I can call myself a fan of Pedron Niall now, just to console him – mentioning in the story that he's getting older and Eamon Valda clearly wants to replace him is, unfortunately, a clear death flag.

Hey.

I wrote in my previous post that I'd finish the volume in 6-8 days... Let's just say I was extremely wrong.

It probably wasn't the best volume. I feel like the fifth one was more enjoyable, and no plot or character in it irritated me.

Nevertheless, the sixth volume is probably better than the fourth.

Overall, I liked Rand's character in this volume, although it was obvious he was pushing himself into a bind, ignoring too much of the reality around him... Although, obviously, he wanted to control everything, he must have missed a lot of things... It still irritated me. Recruiting Taim to train men sensitive to Saidin is clearly a plan that will bite him in the ass. Taim is the leader of these men, not Rand. The scene with the decorations clearly demonstrated this. It seems that the rift won't just occur with the Aes Sedai.

Taim will betray. It's obvious.

I expected Egwene to be Amyrlin, and I expected her to be chosen so she could be easily controlled. It's nice that after being among the Aiel, she's not trying to be submissive. I mean, I still don't like her, but I dislike her a bit less.

I'm glad Siuan is also a part of this. She's still my favorite female character in the series, and it's good that she still has a role.

It looks like she'll have a romantic subplot with Gareth Bryne and... This might sound silly, but I don't know if he deserves her. He's too happy, when she is his servant. He might be petty because she offended him once, but for so long?

Leane is also a plus.

I still like Nynaeve a lot. Does she get annoying? Yes, but that's a common trait for female characters in this universe. She was good at telling the Aes Sedai they were afraid, and then she healed Logain, Siuan, and Leane. Her avoidance of Mat was amusing. I like them both, but she was the one who kicked him.

I'm still indifferent to Elayne. When she irritated Mat, I was irritated too. She's just so... bland.

Overall, of Rand's three lovers, I don't like any of them at the moment. It's just that Aviendha has the most personality, even though she's Aiel, so she's automatically strange.

As for Min, she's just a girl in love. I found it funny how Rand said he didn't see her as a woman.

Mat... The scene where he briefly put Egwene, Elayne, and Nynaeve in their place was cool. Overall, I still like him, but what the author gives him is kind of... vague.

It's good that Perrin is back. Faile's jealousy scenes, though... Was that really necessary around page 1100 out of over 1200? It's good that he's loyal, and the scene with his in-laws, when they somehow accept him, was cool. It's a pleasant surprise that Faile and her mother both slapped each other across the face, because culturally, children aren't usually hit back to their parents.

What else... I have a feeling Sevanna's trademark is her large breasts. She clearly wanted Rand to see them.

What can I say... "It should have been me! Not him!"

Admittedly, I wouldn't want to be tortured like Rand, but oh well... I think, unlike him, I'd appreciate the view.

Generally, Perrin and Rand, if you don't want Berelain and Sevanna, I'll gladly take them. I'll fix them, I promise (and in reality, Berelain would get bored with me, and Sevanna would collar me to train before collaring Rand).

Sure, both Berelain and Sevanna will die someday (Min predicted to Berelain that a man devoted to white (white cloak?)) would contribute to her downfall), but as long as they're in the story, I'll enjoy their descriptions, because they're both my type.

I just hope Sevanna doesn't die offscreen like Couladin. That would be disappointing, especially after she cleverly killed Desaine.

Tylin is an interesting case because the rulers in this world seem grossly incompetent, while she seems quite reasonable.

I like Berelain and Rhuarc's father-daughter dynamic.

Finally, my top 10 favorite characters right now:

1. Thom

2. Siuan

3. Mat

4. Perrin

5. Nynaeve

6. Lanfear

7. Rand

8. Leane

9. Bayle Domon

10. Sevanna... I'm kidding, it's not like her breasts charmed me that much. Berelain... And no, not because of the breasts. She just has a more interesting personality, and I have a weakness for skillful politicians.

Honorable mention: Okay, Sevanna. She has potential, even if she's an irredeemable evil.

Besides that, I can also give Sulin some credit. She's clearly grown attached to Rand.

Edit: How could I forget him! Pedron Niall also deserves a honorable mention. In a world where most antagonists are "we're evil" a skillful politician who's simply wrong is truly refreshing.

And well, I guess that's it. Now a break for a short book, then Empire of the Dawn, then something else (maybe something from Polish fantasy, which I've been neglecting this year?), and I'll return to the series in August. At this rate, I might manage to read volumes 7-11 this year. I know there's "the slog," but oh well, since I'm not affected by the curse of the second volume in trilogies, maybe this won't hurt either.

Liah went missing im Shadar Logoth, despite Rand's explicit instructions to the Aiel to be careful. Seriously, can't they be careful for at least five minutes? (Shrek reference)

Nynaeve once healed an Aiel woman only for her to die a few pages later (I think it was in the third book).

As for the overall impression of the book, it's still good. It's a shame about the return to Egwene, because I don't care at her, but hey, you know she'll be Amyrlin soon (unless the Aes Sedai rebels pull some random Aes Sedai out of a hat, which she was barely mentioned in the text before).

Honestly, Rand works very well as the main character of the story because he's not infallible, but he's brazen enough to put down many prideful characters. Oh, and what Alanna did to him was atrocious. Thanks for alienating him from the Aes Sedai even more, Alanna. Good for you.

Oh, and it's great that Berelain is back. I have a feeling that if the plot focuses less on her desire to seduce the men around her and more on her competence and being a valuable ally as an administrator, she might be in my top 10 characters after this volume... That is, unless it turns out I won't see her for the rest of the volume.

Anyway, I can't promise I won't come back here before I finish the book. I'm only almost halfway through. I think I'll finish it in about 6-8 days.

How I enjoyed reading this lesson in humility for Aes Sedai through the nightmare with the Trollocs.

I know that, theoretically, I was enjoying the suffering of the women who were stripped and tortured there, but... Hey, it's not slavery among the Seanchan, just temporary suffering they've condemned themselves to.

And because I really like Siuan and Nynaeve, whoever treats them badly, I'm bitter towards those characters... And simply put, Aes Sedai are full of pride.

Well, that's all.

I don't know how many times I'll come back here before I finish the volume. I still have a lot of pages to go, about a thousand in the Polish edition.

P.S. On a different note, is it bad that I was rooting for Mat to get that Betse? Nice chapter 6 from the Forsaken perspective. Semirhage clearly has a torture fetish. Rand clearly shouldn't trust Taim with anything.

I don't know if I've ever read a longer prologue. I don't know how many pages it originally has, but for me, chapter 1 doesn't start until page 103. Less than 100 pages of just the prologue.

As for my impressions, so far so good.

It was nice to return to Nynaeve, Siuan, and Leane.

A little less so for Elayne—I mean, I'm losing hope that I'll ever like her. I think I'd rather like Faile.

By the way, her perspective was okay, and it's nice that Perrin is back and Faile seems more gentle.

Morgase... I really want to like her, but she's too childish at times. I feel sorry for her, but right now I don't like her.

Pedron Niall is a pretty intriguing antagonist because he doesn't seem stupid, shallow, or overly evil. He's just a spoiled politician who thinks he's doing the right thing by standing up to Rand.

Demandred... He seems to have an aura, but for now, he lacks depth, as with most antagonists in this series, unfortunately. A powerful but shallow character, he doesn't particularly attract me.

Semirhage... I'm intrigued.

Mesaana seems boring.

Arangar, it's interesting that a man has become a woman, and apparently a hot one at that. Like the popular Polish joke about a man disguised as a woman, but here he's serious.

Gawyn, it's interesting that he thinks Rand is responsible for the deaths of his loved ones. I suspect this merchant is Darkfriend, but maybe Gawyn simply doesn't need Darkfriend's manipulation to believe the rumors. Enemies to allies, anyway? Rand probably won't kill him... Because let's face it, Gawyn wouldn't stand a chance against him.

Katerine and Galina are Black Ajah... Yeah, I don't care. The concept of traitors among the Aes Sedai is interesting, but... They're just shallow.

WARNING! I HOPE IT'S CLEAR THAT THE REST OF THIS POST IS NOT COMPLETELY SERIOUS. I LIKE TO JOKE.

Sevanna is hot.

Yes, I wrote that.

It's funny that twice the plot reminded me of "you know, she has big breasts and likes to show them off."

I mean, I prefer legs on women (why does the author only have to appreciate men's "shapeful calves"?), but I appreciate breasts too.

Sevanna has big breasts, is golden-haired, and evil... She might also be shallow, but that's my type, anyway. I think it was only with Berelain that I felt a similar "yes, she's hot"...

On a more serious note, I don't know why the Shaido storyline is returning after Couladin's death, but maybe Sevanna will be more interesting than him... Even if it wouldn't be much of an achievement. For now, she's hot.

I know the author didn't mean it, but it's funny to me that he wanted to make sure I was still a straight man when he'd been pointing out women's breasts so many times since the fourth volume.

Although it's a shame that the more attractive female characters seem die in future — Sevanna because she's evil, and Berelain because she promised Faile that she would take Perrin from her, so well... It's only fitting that someone evil kills her for Faile's sake.

I accept the deaths of these characters and will enjoy the mentions of their breasts as long as they're in the plot.

Okay, I'm back to being serious.

Overall, it's nice to return to this story and these characters. It's really nice that the author hasn't forgotten about the characters beyond the main five, and characters like Gawyn, Morgase, Pedron Niall, and Forsaken get screen time.

Hey. I thought it would take me longer to finish this book, but after finding every opportunity to read more during the week, I had a day to myself today and read the last 200 pages – chapters 49-56.

The most important thing I'll take away from this book is that Rand is no longer a virgin... Seriously, no, but it's nice that I finally see it. Elayne and Min will probably have him in their beds before the series ends.

By the way, it's funny that Aviendha and Rand had that typical anime situation: "Male character accidentally sees female character while she's naked/in underwear."

Coming back, the most important thing is that I've warmed up to Nynaeve. I had a feeling that out of the trio of Egwene, Elayne, and Nynaeve, she was the one I was most likely to like, but she'd only existed until now and hadn't had much character development. In this volume, I started to warm up to her after she broke down over her defeat with Moghedien. She showed more sensitivity and less of a sharp tongue.

I also enjoyed how modest she was and how outraged she was that Elayne and Birgitte were showing too much skin.

"I wouldn't show so much skin... Unless it was to Lan."

If he ever finally gets his act together, he'll be a truly happy husband, whether he wants it or not.

Now I like Nynaeve, so he has to make her happy, or I'll go into the book and kick his ass, defying all logic.

Anyway, fear of Moghedien and Nynaeve's hatred of that fear, as well as her amusing modesty, finally won me over.

Elayne... I see what there is to like about her, but at times she's too stupid/naive for me.

Egwene... I don't feel like talking about her. I don't like her.

Thom, Juilin, Galad, Uno, and his compatriots also contributed to my enjoyment of Nynaeve's storyline.

Returning to the other storylines, I didn't mind Perrin's absence. Mat had a bit more at the end, but still not enough. It's a shame he had to kill Melindhra, but oh well, since she wasn't the woman he was destined for, she had to disappear somehow.

I felt sorry for Isendre, because her storyline is essentially suffering and death.

I didn't feel sorry for Kadere. Serves him right, the strangler.

Lanfear and Moiraine... I'm sure they didn't die. I don't believe in death until I see a body, and simply saying goodbye to both characters in that way would be anticlimactic. All this building up of Lanfear just so she can have one big jealous scene and be done with her story? I don't believe it.

Asmodean... I thought I'd like his character, but he remained neutral to me. He died in the end, and ugh... Maybe the author needed to get rid of him from the plot, but in my opinion, it was too soon. I expected more from his dynamic with Rand.

What else... It's good that Morgase didn't die, because Elayne, as heir to the throne... It seemed like a death flag for Morgase. I don't particularly like Morgase, but I just felt sorry for her because she had no way to resist Rahvin's control.

By the way, I kind of misunderstood how Rahvin died and how much of it was Rand's and how much of it was Nynaeve's.

What else... I feel sorry for that girl killed by Padan Fain while he was stealing the dagger.

Alviarin... Yes, the suspected Aes Sedai obviously had to be evil. Why confuse the clues?

Elaida thinks she has power, but she'll be a scapegoat to weaken the Aes Sedai.

It's good that Rand will protect other men who can channel. I'm hoping for his meeting with Logain.

I still love Siuan. It's great that she's still important to the plot after being tamed.

In summary, a really great volume, and in terms of pace, probably the best one yet.

Finally, my top 10 favorite characters right now:

1. Thom

2. Siuan

3. Perrin

4. Lanfear

5. Mat

6. Nynaeve

7. Rand

8. Bayle Domon

9. Leane

10. Juilin

On hiatus for now. I'll probably start the sixth volume in July. For now, the third volume of The Riyria Revelations, and then we'll see.

So far, it's a good read.

The biggest flaws I feel in this book are the absence of Perrin and the meager presence of Mat.

Really, they and Thom were the main strengths of volume 3.

Mat was annoying in volumes 1-2, was great in volume 3, became less important again in volume 4 and more of a supporting character, and now in volume 5... Well, he got a romance, but damn, volume 3 showed Mat's potential, and it irritates me how it's so far untapped.

At least Rand is okay. I have a feeling he'll lose his virginity to Aviendha. They sleep in the same tent, he dreams about her, and he even noticed her "slim, exposed leg" peeking out from under the blanket. Elayne and Min are far away, but all three of them will still love him because of Min's prophecy, so do it, Rand.

I'm glad Siuan is still important. I'm rooting for her, and I was genuinely pissed when the other Aes Sedai told her she was no longer one of them, and Gareth Bryne finally caught up with them, and now Siuan must serve him. Did Siuan deserve it? Probably, but I'll be biased. She's my favorite female character in this series, and there's no rival for her in sight.

I was amused by how Egwene thought or spoke about Rand becoming arrogant. Girl, you deceive everyone at every turn, just so they don't limit you.

What else... Oh, I feel sorry for Isendre, even though it was predictable that she would die. Still, I always feel sad when a beautiful woman/girl dies, even if she was evil. By the way, strangulation is a rather unusual way to die in this series. I don't remember another character being strangled, at least not on screen.

It turns out Kadere killed his own sister, and judging by the fact that he remembers her every time he kills a woman... Kadere is a mass murderer of women. He may have killed men too, but he still had to kill a lot of women. Poor Isendre, strangled, her body cut into pieces, after she was being shaved and beaten with nettles. Maidens showed no mercy.

Okay, that's it. I didn't want to wait with these thoughts, because I won't finish volume 5 before another 5-7 days.

Hey.

It's a good read so far. Meeting the Forsaken in the prologue, the return of Siuan in chapter 1 (the only female character I love, because Lanfear is interesting, but I wouldn't say I like her overly), chapter 6, and Rand's confrontations first with Moiraine and then with Lanfear... Oh, and Mat started a romance. Good for him. Since Perrin got married, I guess Rand is the only virgin of the three? Dreams aren't reality, after all...

Okay, back to two matters.

1. The Aiel... Is it strange that I don't like them right now? I have the impression that readers love the Aiel and I don't. Is that normal at this point in the series? They're simply too rigid and too honor-obsessed a culture for me, and the gai'shain (Cowinde) topic in chapter 5 irritated me.

2. I forgot to mention this in my post after Volume 4, but I noticed an increased amount of nudity in the plot, and honestly, I like how the author handles it in the text. I mean, I've read many books where a character's nudity, especially a female one, is a good reason to describe their attractive body parts, like breasts, stomach, buttocks, etc. In Chapter 5, Egwene and other female characters were naked most of the time, but their nudity is a fact, not something to describe. It seems so... chronicled.

Isendre was also naked, except for the necklaces in Rand's bedroom, and besides the fact of nudity, there are no details about what Isendre's naked body looks like or whether Rand finds it attractive.

That's an interesting approach, and I use a similar one when characters are naked in my plot. It's simply a fact. I think I focus more on facial beauty than physical attractiveness...

And that's where I'll end.

What do you think about these two matters?

Edit: P.S. I remembered that Padan Fain, thinking about the young girl, said that "she looked like a tasty morsel, and he liked it when such girls fluttered in his hands like little birds"... Was he referring to torture or rape? With Darkfriend, both seem to be possible sources of pleasure... I hope that girl never meets him again, for her own good.

My list

Gardens of the Moon: Ganoes Paran

Deadhouse Gates: Fiddler

Memories of Ice: Whiskeyjack

House of Chains: Karsa Orlong

Midnight Tides: Trull Sengar

The Bonehunters: Bottle

Reaper's Gale: Beak

Toll the Hounds: Nimander Golit

Dust of Dreams: Onos Toolan

The Crippled God: Torrent

Hey.

I'll admit that this volume was the most interesting in the series so far and had the most above-average moments.

Where to start... Let's start with Rand. I still can't say I love/like him, but the author is doing some interesting things with him. His secretiveness, less moral inhibitions. For now, his chosen one storyline is developing the way I'd like to see storylines developed in other fantasy series. Rand is maturing, and the series is maturing as well... But more on that in a moment.

Overall, Rand's storyline was interesting, although aside from Aviendha, the author didn't develop his dynamic with other characters... Maybe a Rand + Rhuarc pairing made interesting interactions.

As for Aviendha... There was a funny moment when she described Elayne's body to Rand, in such detail that it was definitely a memory of a naked body. Besides that, Aviendha is the typical "I hate you/despise you at first, but then I love you" storyline. I mean, she tells Rand that he belongs to Elayne, but Min predicted Rand's foursome, so I guess Rand + Min, Elayne, and Aviendha are the obvious answer, since Egwene rejected Rand definitively... Because I doubt Lanfear would be Rand's third woman.

By the way, Lanfear wasn't have much screentime, but it's always nice to see her in a series where there are few interesting antagonists at the moment – a topic for later.

Returning to Aviendha, she hasn't won me over yet, but she'll probably stay in the plot permanently; there's still plenty of time for me to change my mind.

Egwene irritated me less than in the third book, and I'm glad she was a supporting character now. I suspect there will be too much of her in the future.

I'm still not sold on Moiraine, and Lan is still neutral. The only positive thing is that he finally kissed Nynaeve, because how long could we wait?

Mat was still a plus, though he was also a supporting character. Well, you can't be important for all the books. Even Rand took a break from that during the third book.

The traders were a painfully obvious subplot. Of course, they were Darkfriends. Kadere and Isendre were so unsubtle that they probably won't survive until the end of book 5. Darkfriends are in this series to die.

Asmodean was a plus, and it was an interesting subplot, with Rand cutting him off from the Dark One. Besides, the male antagonists are so weak in this series so far that a character like that would be useful as an ally-enemy.

Couladin is one of those criticisms of the male antagonists. He was absurdly aggressive, and the interesting twist was that he declared himself the chosen one... It's obvious it wasn't his idea. Most likely Asmodean's, and perhaps Sevanna's. Strong women controlling men is standard in this series. Honestly, the only potential I see in stupid Couladin is to somehow develop his dynamic with Sevanna as an evil duo. His dynamic with Rand is based solely on Couladin being a racist and being too stupid to change his mind in the future.

I've talked a lot about Rand's storyline, but there were two other important ones.

Regarding Perrin, his relationship with Faile initially really irritated me, but after Perrin wouldn't let her continue slap him (I think he gave her a slap an her ass or two to calm her down?), things calmed down between them. I still don't like Faile, but over time, she became tolerable. Since she became Perrin's wife, well, I can live with her presence in the story. At least Perrin rode a horse with Faile on his belated wedding night in his last scene—that's my interpretation.

Gaul's presence is refreshing, knowing Perrin has a new friend and doesn't have to deal with some of Faile and her friends' nonsense alone.

The whitecloaks... I don't know how to treat them. Their threat is a joke, and Bornhald and Byar are absurdly fixated on punishing Perrin, who had every right to defend himself and kill those whitecloaks.

I thought the reluctant alliance in defense of the Two Rivers would make Bornhald respect Perrin, but Ordeith/Padan Fain would kill him and blame Perrin. Surprisingly, Bornhald is still alive.

Unfortunately, predictably, the Whitecloaks remained a joke, and Padan Fain didn't confront Perrin. He murdered Perrin's family, and so far, nothing. Maybe the author will return to this someday. There are still 10 volumes left. Padan Fain doesn't excite me because he's an absurdly awful person. A psychopath.

Nynaeve and Elayne, surprisingly, were a pleasant storyline. In the third volume, they were boring, but there, Egwene's presence, who I have the least positive feelings about of the trio, might have had a significant impact.

In any case, the Tanchico storyline was a positive one, which was obviously greatly helped by:

- Thom's return (I adore Thom and will defend him until my last breath)

- Bayle Domon's return (he was one of the more interesting characters in the second volume and I simply like him)

- "good Seanchan" Egeanin - I thought she would irritate me, especially after the story about selling Lady Leilwin to slavery, which angered me, but her dynamic with Nynaeve and Elayne was interesting in terms of the clash between her culture and reality. Egeanin is okay, but if she hurts Bayle in the future, I'll change my mind.

- Moghedien - it was good to see a subtle antagonist, although her lost fight with Nynaeve made me doubt she was as threatening as she initially seemed.

- Elayne and Nynaeve were okay, although Elayne irritated me with her naivety and clearly messed with poor Rand's head with her letters.

I'll briefly mention Siuan's plot - it's a shame she lost her position as Amyrlin, but if I remember correctly, Egwene saw that she would fight Elaida in the future, so it's clear Siuan had to lose. At least she's still alive, because she remains the only Aes Sedai I like... Even if technically she might not be an Aes Sedai anymore.

Generally, regarding the antagonists, well, this series is getting on in years, and the main plot of the series is the fight between good and evil, but it's a shame things aren't better in that regard.

- Bornhald, Couladin, and Padan Fain are boring antagonists for me.

- Lanfear, as usual, is a plus, and love does give her a bit of depth.

- Asmodean has the potential to be interesting if his dynamic with Rand is well-developed.

- Moghedien has the potential, though her loss to Nynaeve is questionable.

- Elaida might be interesting, but the awfulness of her character is a caricature.

- Suroth might be interesting, but for now, her dynamic with damane is boring and shallow.

- Sevanna... I suspect she'll emerge from Couladin's shadow, because such a fool like him clearly won't live long, but she'll probably be shallow too. It's an interesting detail that she's more likely to emphasize her breasts, but maybe that's a cultural thing. At least she could be interesting in that I enjoy seductive female characters, even if, in my experience, their mortality rate is naturally high in fantasy.

Overall, the number of seductive females in this volume has increased. In addition to Lanfear, Berelain, Isendre, and perhaps Sevanna have appeared – here I'm still not sure if she's seductive or if it's a cultural thing.

I generally have a weakness for the trope of seductive women, so I like this change because it shows the author's style is losing its innocence. He increasingly draws attention to the fact that women have breasts. Berelain, some Black Ajah, Sevanna, Elayne, according to Aviendha's colorful description.

Good, because characters can't be shy about such matters until the end of the series.

I just don't like that this mainly applies to negative female characters. Perhaps Berelain has the potential for moral grayness.

Finally, my top 10 favorite characters right now:

1. Thom

2. Perrin

3. Siuan

4. Lanfear

5. Mat

6. Bayle Domon

7. Rand

8. Gaul

9. Nynaeve

10. Berelain (why not?)

In summary, this volume is definitely the best overall, but I didn't love the series and I don't know if I ever will. The plot is a series of good chapters/scenes, followed by an above-average chapter or scene.

I will continue the series, but I won't start the fifth volume until June or July. For now, my priority is the three books by Guy Gavriel Kay I borrowed from the library.

P.S.: Thom is Elayne's father, and until the plot dictates other answer, this is my headcanon.