A Memory of Light

**Links: Prequel * Book 1 * Book 2 * Book 3 * Book 4 * Book 5 * Book 6 * Book 7 * Book 8 * Book 9 * Book 10 * Book 11 * Book 12 * Book 13**

Book 14. The last book. The end of the epic fantasy that I found myself sucked into several years ago. I could easily argue that this is the best, but since it is up to each person to judge that for themselves, I'll stick with it being my favorite book.

This book literally covers the Last Battle. It begins on four separate battlefronts, with each of the four great generals of the time leading a fight. Rand is doing his best to defeat the Dark One, his battle the biggest while also just being a man fighting for the lives of everyone he knows.

Lives are lost. Certain characters that you grow to know and love are never seen again. Some characters finally meet their destinies. But, let's face it: this book will have you wondering until the last page. Even during those last pages, there are some worries and fears. But the end of the book is amazing!

Now I just need to figure out what I'm going to read next.

Towers of Midnight

**Links: Prequel * Book 1 * Book 2 * Book 3 * Book 4 * Book 5 * Book 6 * Book 7 * Book 8 * Book 9 * Book 10 * Book 11 * Book 12**

Wow. I must say, I'm really enjoying these last books. The whole convoluted story lines are finally coming together and resolving. Unanswered questions are being answered.

Perrin spends this book making peace with his wolf side. He learns how to control it and not allow it to control him. He takes leadership of an entire army and accepts that this is who he is becoming.

Mat and Thom plan to save Moiraine, who hasn't been seen for several books. She was assumed dead, but the discovery of where she is and what has happened to her is interesting.

Elayne is dealing with her pregnancy (twins from Rand) as well as she can be. Her radical mood swings are finally settling and now she's just having to deal with her family's reaction to not only the pregnancy, but the father.

Aviendha learns something very troubling about her future line (also, it was probably the hardest two chapters of the book for me to read).

Egwene is finally fully Amyrlin of the White Tower. But, she's trying to discover a Forsaken in her midst which causes a whole bunch of issues for her. She also has to deal with some difficulty from Gawyn, who she loves and who loves her.

Rand, oh Rand. He has probably the biggest change in this book. He connects with Lews Therin and fully becomes who he is meant to be. He embraces his past self and becomes the Dragon. Not just the Dragon Reborn, but the Dragon himself. But he angers many people by proclaiming that he will break the remaining seals on the Dark One's prison (which I agree with him on).

I so loved this book. And I'm really excited to get to start reading the finally book in this series. Although, I am also sort of sad that it's almost over.

The Gathering Storm

**Links: Prequel * Book 1 * Book 2 * Book 3 * Book 4 * Book 5 * Book 6 * Book 7 * Book 8 * Book 9 * Book 10 * Book 11**

This book, book 12 of 14, is the first of the series not completely written by Robert Jordan. In 2007, Robert Jordan passed away, and Brandon Sanderson was eventually chosen to continue and complete this epic series. I'm not going to lie, I actually really enjoyed Sanderson's writing of Robert Jordan's work. You can tell it's different, but it still has most of the feel of Robert Jordan in there.

That being said...

Perrin and Faile don't have a huge part in this book. They're getting used to each other again after her rescue from the Shaido Aiel.

Egwene remains in the captivity of the White Tower and Elaida, but she refuses to denounce her claim as Amyrlin, in fact secretly working to get the Tower Aes Sedai to accept her as such.

Mat, ah, sweet Mat. He just wants to get to Camelyn to help Thom with a mission from Moiraine (yeah, she died several books ago, but there's a mission). I'm really looking forward to seeing how that goes in the next book.

Rand, well, he's the tough one to really get a handle on. He's broken in a sense. He's totally different from the Rand you meet way back in Eye of the World. That Rand was kind, considerate, hell, even a little shy at times. This Rand? He's hard, cruel, uncaring. But there's this part of you, when you can actually get inside that head of his, that feels for the poor guy. I mean, the Last Battle is coming, fast. The prophecies say, essentially, that Rand is going to die. He's going to break the world to help save it. All sorts of just horrible stuff that he still has to face. He's trying to keep himself emotionless to keep from feeling guilt over the people he needs to kill, to keep from feeling sad that he will be leaving the three women he loves. It's got to be hard.

I liked a few lesser character story lines in this book too. Suian, the former Amyrlin, has finally admitted she loves Gareth Bryne, the general of the rebel Aes Sedai army. Gawyn has changed his allegiance from Elaida to Egwene. But you just know he's only doing that because he's in love with the girl. I'm really hoping that they can patch this little issue they have at the end of this book, because I'm so wanting to see Egwene bond Gawyn as her Warder.

Huge fan of this book. Now I just have two more to finish and I'll have to move on to a new series.

Knife of Dreams

**Links: Prequel * Book 1 * Book 2 * Book 3 * Book 4 * Book 5 * Book 6 * Book 7 * Book 8 * Book 9 * Book 10**

This book got exciting. The end is near and the world is changing.

Perrin spends a good chunk of this book (when we follow him) trying desperately to save Faile. Faile, meanwhile, is plotting ways to escape the Shaido and find her way back to Perrin. She makes deals with people who are either not trustworthy or have questionable motives.

Elayne continues her pursuit for the throne of Andor, while a woman who is challenging her lays siege on the capital city. Elayne's grasp on the Power, as well as her own emotions, is difficult to control due to the twins growing within her.

Egwene, the Amyrlin, is captured by the White Tower and begins to spread dissension among the Aes Sedai who are faithful to Elaida. She endures punishments multiple times a day for not bowing down and behaving.

Mat continues to run with Tuon, both in an attempt to get away from Seanchan (ironic considering Tuon is Seanchan) and as a way to find safe passage for his would-be bride back to her people.

As for Rand.... His ability to keep Lews Therin from taking over is often times tenuous, even resulting in him completely losing control for a span of time. Rand knows that the Last Battle is coming, and his prophesied death.

All the main characters have gone through some radical changes. Perrin has grown harder, angrier. Mat is more mature and less of the wild child. Elayne is striving towards the ruler she is meant to be. Egwene is working to restore herself as well as heal the rift in the Tower. And Rand, oh Rand. He is walking a tight rope with himself. He could fall so many ways before the end, but he won't. He is meant to fight the Last Battle, and he will.

Crossroads of Twilight

**Links: Prequel * Book 1 * Book 2 * Book 3 * Book 4 * Book 5 * Book 6 * Book 7 * Book 8 * Book 9**

I think I've made it over the hump of "I can't push through this" when it comes to this series. I really enjoyed the early books, but somewhere in the middle of the series, it gets kind of difficult to push through, and now I'm to exciting reads again.

Rand has cleansed the male half of the Source of its taint that makes men who channel go mad. But he is a very small part of this book. Most of this book is Mat, who is escaping from the Seanchan with the Daughter of the Nine Moons, the woman he is destined to marry, as well as the next in line for their throne. Perrin has a significant role in this book as he continues to hunt for his wife Faile who was captured by the Shaido Aiel. Even Egwene is significant in this book. She and the Aes Sedai who are under her have besieged Tar Valon in an attempt to take down Elaida and reunite the White Tower.

I'm really excited to see where things will go with the story lines. Will Perrin get his wife back? When will Mat marry? Is Egwene going to be ok (something exciting happens to her right at the end of this book)? What is going on with Rand and his sickness when he tries to channel? When will the three boys be back together?

Winter's Heart

**Links: Prequel * Book 1 * Book 2 * Book 3 * Book 4 * Book 5 * Book 6 * Book 7 * Book 8**

First, I want to say that my husband was so wrong when he said this was a slow book. He went on and on about how he hated it and I wouldn't like it either. But, guess what? I really enjoyed it.

Granted, there are some slower sections, but that has been the case with most of the books in this series.

I particularly LOVED the last chapter of this book.

But, let me describe a little better. The book was really split in three distinct sections: Perrin, Mat, and Rand.

The beginning of the book, you follow Perrin and Faile through some seriously tough times (which haven't been resolved). Then the middle, you get mostly Mat. Rand gets the end of the book, but occasionally appears through the beginning and middle. There's a little of Elayne and Aviendha, and very little of Egwene.

You discover characters that will make a huge betrayal, characters that find amazing strength, and even characters that you still can't quite figure out (Verin, anyone?). Rand performs an amazing feat in the last chapter (seriously, read through this book just for that). There are so many points in the book that just pull you in with excitement.

The Path of Daggers

**Links: Prequel * Book 1 * Book 2 * Book 3 * Book 4 * Book 5 * Book 6 * Book 7**

Book 8 in Robert Jordan's epic fantasy The Wheel of Time. I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Maybe because it was shorter than the last book, maybe because the story really sucked me in. I don't know. But I enjoyed reading this.

The weather has changed after Nynaeve and Elayne, along with Sea Folk Windfinders, other Aes Sedai, and a group of runaways and wilders called Kinswomen channeled into the Bowl of the Winds. Now, winter has struck across the entire world. It is a drastic change from the heat they had been suffering with.

Egwene and her army (and the rest of the rebel Aes Sedai) are traveling towards the White Tower, where they intend to bring down Elaida and gain control of the home base of the Aes Sedai.

Rand is really struggling. The entire world is against him, but he needs to live to see the end because the entire world depends on him as the Dragon Reborn. The question is, will he survive the end?

Perrin is on the tail of Masema, the Prophet of the Dragon. Masema is creating chaos wherever he goes, all in the name of the Dragon Reborn. Perrin has to handle this and bring Masema to Rand so that the killing and chaos can stop.

I'm kind of looking forward to going on and dreading the next book. Supposedly, book 9 is extremely slow, but we'll see.

A Crown of Swords

**Links: Prequel * Book 1 * Book 2 * Book 3 * Book 4 * Book 5 * Book 6**

Book seven of this epic fantasy series mostly followed two groups of characters. You follow Rand through a huge chunk of this book as he plots how to kill Sammael, one of the Forsaken. He has control over some Aes Sedai in addition to all of his followers in various countries and the Aiel.

But you also follow Elayne, Nynaeve, Mat, and various other characters in their grouping during this book. Elayne and Nynaeve have been tasked by Egwene (the Amyrlin of the rebel Aes Sedai) to find a bowl that can change the course of the weather, which, in the middle of winter, is scaldingly hot no matter where the characters are. In places where there is supposed to be snow, there is only heat.

Following the various different characters can sometimes be confusing. You have to be able to follow the different story lines, because the stories are not really the same for the different characters that you follow. But, if you are able to follow anywhere from two to half a dozen story lines, you will likely enjoy this series.

I enjoyed this one. Granted, they don't follow my favorite characters (Perrin and Faile) much, but the story was exciting, more so than some of the other books in this series.

Lord of Chaos

**Links: Prequel * Book 1 * Book 2 * Book 3 * Book 4 * Book 5**

This is book six in the epic series Wheel of Time. I'm not terribly fond of this book. I found it to be rather tedious. Maybe that's not quite the right word. It just seemed to be a lot of storytelling that wasn't terribly important. At least, not in the grand scheme of things.

You mostly follow Rand, Egwene, Mat, and Nynaeve and Elayne in this book. There are a couple of instances where you follow Perrin, but he's not super prominent until the end.

Really, I'm going to be blunt here. This book (my copy on my Nook) is nearly 1000 pages long. Granted, about 50 of those are just the glossary and other non-essentials. But still, nearly 1000 pages. While there is a lot of story, the good part doesn't start happening until the last 100 pages or so. So, you have to muddle through a lot of pseudo-important crap to get to a really exciting climax and conclusion. And you will end the book unable to trust any Aes Sedai except for Egwene, Elayne, and Nynaeve. They are the only trustworthy ones. You'll fully understand that if you read this book.

This is a book that you have to get through to get through the series though. So, if you've read the series up to this point, just keep going. That's about all you're able to do. That's all I'm able to do.

The Fires of Heaven

**Links: Prequel * Book 1 * Book 2 * Book 3 * Book 4**

Continuing on with the Wheel of Time series, I finished The Fires of Heaven, book five in a soon to be 14 book series.

This book was a little bit slower, and I definitely didn't enjoy it as much. This book follows Rand, Mat, Egwene, Aviendha, and Moiraine in a trek through Cairhein to save the world Rand knows from the Shaido Aiel, who are out to conquer the continent. We also follow Nynaeve and Elayne (with Thom) traveling all over the place hunting out Black Ajah, and eventually a gathering of Aes Sedai that have separated from the White Tower.

I think, all things considered, that this book trudged through a lot of parts that seemed less important to the grand scheme of the story line. I won't say that I hated it, because if I had hated it, this would be where my Wheel of Time reading would end. I just would have preferred if the story had been a little more enthralling.

This book is more of a transitory book. It's a just get through it book (although that are some nice battle scenes) and move on with the series. Which I've started doing.

The Shadow Rising

**Links: Prequel * Book 1 * Book 2 * Book 3**

The fourth book in the epic Wheel of Time series, The Shadow Rising is a more complex book than the first three. The characters are beginning to truly split into separate storylines, all still part of the same tale.

The Shadow Rising finds the characters in three separate groups. Rand, Mat, Egwene, and Moiraine (with Lan) are in the Three-Fold Land, the Aiel Waste. Rand is there to fulfill yet another prophecy about himself, but this one not about him being the Dragon Reborn. He is the Aiel's prophesied He Who Comes With The Dawn. He is to bind the Aiel together and rip them apart. Only time will tell what that will mean. Egwene is studying to become better at the Dream World, and her teachers are Aiel Wise Ones, women much like Aes Sedai. Mat is just blindly following, pulled by his fate as ta'veren.

Perrin, Faile, and Loial are in the Two Rivers, back to where this epic began. The Whitecloaks are ravaging the villages in the Two Rivers, hunting for Perrin because he had killed Whitecloaks in the past. Faile will not leave his side because of her love for him, and Loial was needed to guide them through the Ways, dark paths corrupted by the taint on the male half of the True Source.

Elayne and Nynaeve, with Thom, are in Tanchico, hunting the Black Ajah and whatever is in Tanchico that could be used against Rand. They are in a city in turmoil. With civil war and Whitecloaks in the city, refugees start riots regularly. How much danger could they truly be in?

I enjoyed this book, I really did. I especially loved how much focus was on Perrin and Faile (easily my favorite characters in the series). Epic fantasy fans, this should be a must read - if you're able to keep up with multiple storylines.

The Dragon Reborn

**Links: Prequel * Book 1 * Book 2**

Continuing on with my readings of the Wheel of Time series, I have just finished book 3, The Dragon Reborn. Of the books I've read thus far, this is my favorite.

We spend very little time following Rand in this book, until the very end. Throughout this book, Rand's point of view is limited to a few short passages. I actually enjoyed being able to follow the other characters more extensively.

The character that is followed most through this book is Perrin. He is my favorite character (he reminds me of my husband). He is still grappling with his connection to wolves and it is made even more difficult by the dreams he has. He goes into dreams and sees a wolf he knows is dead. This wolf acts as a guide through the dreams.

A new character is introduced, one who will be very pivotal to Perrin's character development. Zarine Bashere, or Faile as she chooses to be called, is a strong-willed girl and stubborn to the core. She is very interested in Perrin, and you can feel their relationship grow through the book. Although Perrin will not admit to liking her, he eventually comes around.

Egwene, Elayne, and Nynaeve get into trouble doing work for the Amyrlin, tracking the Black Ajah. Egwene in particular learns much about her strength in the One Power and finds a way to help them get out of the trouble they get in.

Mat and Thom (who all had previously believed to be dead) went on a rescue mission to save the girls. Mat is finding, after being healed in Tar Valon, that he is missing much of his memory. But at the same time, it is being replaced with memories that are not entirely his. He learns that he is extremely lucky...when it comes to random chance. Any pattern doesn't always go his way, but random acts always go his way.

Loial, the Ogier, continues taking notes on the three ta'varen (Mat, Perrin, and Rand) so that he can write his book. He considers returning to the stedding (where the Ogier live), but decides he can't pass up on the stories that he gets traveling with the group.

Rand, in his short blurbs, is really struggling. He is a confused man at this point and has no real control over the One Power. He finds himself in dreams, unsure of who to trust in them.

I'm looking forward to continuing on in The Shadow Rising. (I'm sure it'll take at least another month to finish this one too.)

The Great Hunt

**Links: Prequel * Book 1**

In continuing to read through Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, I just completed book two The Great Hunt.

While I do not rate this book as high as The Eye of the World, it still has a great story.

In the second installment of this epic fantasy, you really start to see Rand struggle with accepting that he is, in fact, the Dragon Reborn. He struggles with the understanding that he can channel and that this channeling will eventually drive him mad.

All of the major players begin to go through some huge changes in this book. Nynaeve and Egwene go to the White Tower to begin their training to be Aes Sedai. Perrin is accepting his ability to communicate with the wolves, and is beginning to be less ashamed of that fact. Mat's health deteriorates with the loss of the tainted dagger that holds the cure for his illness.

You also begin to question some of the characters you meet. In the first book, you were able to take characters at face value, for the way they were written. In this book, you begin to discover that there is more to each character than immediately meets the eye. The Black Ajah is introduced, and it will immediately have you questioning if this Aes Sedai or that Aes Sedai is of the Black. Only one Black sister is revealed in this book, although you begin questioning the loyalty of one more.

Moiraine and Lan are not prominent in this book. I felt that Robert Jordan was choosing to focus more on the three boys' struggles through this. They are all growing and each of them are realizing that it may be a long time, if ever, until they see their home of Emond's Field again.

By the end of the book, you will learn some important things that I believe are crucial to later books.

I highly recommend this entire series if you love fantasy.

TO BE CONTINUED IN: BOOK 3 - THE DRAGON REBORN

The Eye Of The World

*Please forgive my long absence. We moved and this was a relatively long book to get through. When I don't have much time to read, it often takes me longer than I wish to finish reading something.*

**Link: Prequel**

The Eye of the World is the first (truly the first book) in the Wheel of Time series. This is my husband's all time favorite book series and he introduced me to them when we met. I originally wasn't sure that I would like them, considering the length of each book and how many books there are (14, when the last is published).

But I was pleasantly surprised. These are a very obvious example of the fantasy genre (which is my favorite).

I really enjoyed reading this book. It sets up a lot of the series in this opener. We meet the main characters, even though more pseudo-main characters get introduced in later books, and we learn why all of them are together (at least somewhat).

I will tell you now, though, this is not the series for you if you can't follow multiple story lines. Even in this book, the characters get separated and for a couple chapters you follow one group, then another, then the third.

I think this is a great book for people who enjoy action/adventure stories, but there's definitely a subtle love story that begins to blossom.

Rand al'Thor is our MAIN character, in that the book is mostly told from his perspective, but you can tell right away that Matrim Cauthon and Perrin Aybara will be very prominent. Egwene al'Vere and Nynaeve al'Meara are somewhat lesser characters, but still play a pivotal role in the way this book unfolds. Moiraine and Lan (an Aes Sedai and Warder) are the pair that bring the group together and lead them through the struggles and fighting that are encountered throughout this book.

I can't wait to continue reading this series and sharing how I like them.

**To Be Continued with Book Two - The Great Hunt**

New Spring

This is the start of an interesting stretch of reading. This is considered a prequel to the Wheel of Time series. Robert Jordan was an amazing writer. I'm sad that he passed away before he could finish the series, but I'm glad that Brandon Sanderson has taken over the last few books.

On to my review.

This book was amazing. I love Robert Jordan's story-telling. This book covers how Moiraine (the Aes Sedai that is big in the beginning of the series) meets Lan (her Warder). It also talks about the beginning of the search for the Dragon Reborn.

There's magic, fighting, and a little hint of sex. I love how completely wrapped up in the story I can get.

Fantasy story-telling like this is something I highly recommend to fans of the genre.