****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
The Dragon Reborn is my favorite book in this series so far. A few reasons for that are I’m pretty comfortable in this world now and can focus on the story more than all the parts, places and lore. The other reason is the character are becoming more developed and while at time I want to box their ears for fighting against their destiny/power/specialness so much instead of embracing it and just going with it.Shorter review for me than normal since there are a bazillion reviews on this series. But the run down is…..Rand - Still trying to save those around him and a little lost as to what to do with himself. Also he is struggling a bit with the madness. Is he mad or is the dark one just taunting him and making him think he is starting to go mad….idk the jury is still out on that. He is on a quest to retrieve a sword that is not a sword and so even though most of his journey is shone third person a quest for a magical sword is rarely dull.Perrin - Stubborn two rivers folk. He is a wolf brother but fighting against it. (see totally want to box his ears because it is so cool and I want him to explore it) But we find out why it might be dangerous as well. Perrin meet a girl and damn if she doesn’t have him on his toes not knowing what to think. Let the games begin :P “No questions, remember? And my name is Perrin, Zarine. Not ‘big man,’ or ‘blacksmith,’ or anything else. Perrin. Perrin Aybara.” “And mine is Faile, shaggy-hair.” With something close to a snarl, he booted Stepper after the others. Zarine had to throw her arms around his waist to keep from being tossed over the dun’s crupper. He thought she was laughing.Mat - Well Mat has been my least favorite in prior books but he has grown a bit on me in this one. Now that he isn’t slightly crazy and paranoid he is a more likeable fellow even if he is totally oblivious to the danger surrounding him and figuring out why it is there. The Wool Headed Ox has no idea that all the trouble he has been getting into might have something to do with the Dark One or some of the forsaken. Ignorance is bliss I guess. Still he has some really interesting things going on with his new found luck and is he perhaps channeling a little bit of a king from the past…..hmmm time will tell. He is definitely a lot more interesting now.Mat also gets the best fight scene in this book and I totally loved how he was able to take down Elayne’s brothers with a quarterstaff. Mat is a man not to be underestimated anymore. “During his lifetime, Jearom fought over ten thousand times, in battle and single combat. He was defeated once. By a farmer with a quarterstaff! Remember that. Remember what you just saw.” He lowered his eyes to Galad, and lowered his voice as well. “If you cannot get up by now, lad, it is finished.”Nynaeve, Egwene and Elayne - These three did practically everything together in this so it is hard to separate them. Even though I got a little tired of Egwene always fighting stubbornly with Nynaeve over EVERYTHING the rest of their story arc is really interesting. Egwene’s accepted test was almost as harsh as Nynaeve’s. Also I enjoyed it as they learn more about what they can do with the one power and go on a quest to find the Black Ajah. What is revealed about the Black Ajah in this book is scary to say the least.Best New Culture - The Aiel…yes yes I know that we got a glimpse of them in the last book. But, in this one we get a better understanding of them as their culture is fleshed out. It also seems they have some prophecies of their own about the Dragon Reborn and those were some of the most interesting by far. Plus they are badass fighters. As if he had all the time in the world, Gaul calmly lifted a dark cloth from his shoulders and wrapped it around his head, finishing with a thick black veil that hid his face except for his eyes. “Do you like to dance, Perrin Aybara?” he asked. With that, he darted away from the cage. Straight at the oncoming Whitecloaks.And he totally kicked ass. But the thing I love about the Aiel is not just that the men are great fighters but also the women. They are all like ninja’s sneaking around and rarely being seen. They are masters of fighting, camouflage and stealth. Plus it seems like they might be Rand’s people and learning more about his true origins was one of the best highlights of this book for me.Everything Else - There really is a lot going on with:- some forsaken on the lose- the Black Ajah plotting- Rand’s dreams permeating those around him and the weird side effects it is causing- Loial stepping into the role of a fighter as well as an Ogier of just knowledge- Min and some of her predictions- Moraine trying to control the situation and kinda failing at it- Another prophecy coming to completion- And FINALLY maybe FINALLY Rand will accept that he IS the Dragon Reborn and not try to deny his fate or destiny any longer.There is definitely a lot to enjoy in this installment even if again it takes a little time to get really rolling. But overall this world and the overall plot arc is growing on me.
