Winter's Heart
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- Create Date：2021-05-09 11:56:53
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Robert Jordan
- ISBN：0356503909
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Summary
Rand al'Thor， the Dragon Reborn， is slowly succumbing to the taint that the Dark One has placed upon the saidin - the male half of the True Source。 His Asha'man followers are also showing signs of the insanity that once devastated the world and brought the Age of Legends to an end。
And as Rand falters， the Shadow falls across a stricken land。 In the city of Ebou Dar the Seanchan， blind to the folly of their cause， marshal their forces and continue their relentless assault。 In Shayol Ghul the Forsaken join together to destroy the Dragon。
Rand's only chance is to hazard the impossible and remove the taint from the saidin。 But to do so he must master a power from the Age of Legends that none have ever dared to risk - a power that can annihilate Creation and bring an end to Time itself。
And as Rand falters， the Shadow falls across a stricken land。 In the city of Ebou Dar the Seanchan， blind to the folly of their cause， marshal their forces and continue their relentless assault。 In Shayol Ghul the Forsaken join together to destroy the Dragon。
Rand's only chance is to hazard the impossible and remove the taint from the saidin。 But to do so he must master a power from the Age of Legends that none have ever dared to risk - a power that can annihilate Creation and bring an end to Time itself。
Reviews
Brendan Walsh
，
8/10 - return to form for the series。 Mat is back after a hiatus and is great craic as always。 Lot's of interesting， cool new stuff with bonds and the like。 Far Madding is a great new setting and an absolute blockbuster of a finale。 8/10 - return to form for the series。 Mat is back after a hiatus and is great craic as always。 Lot's of interesting， cool new stuff with bonds and the like。 Far Madding is a great new setting and an absolute blockbuster of a finale。 。。。more
Amber Wall
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These books never disappoint！
Jay Panesar
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The slog is real， a lot of plodding plots with different groups of people talking about doing something but not actually doing anything。 Last 50ish pages saved this book。
Wesley Wilson
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This review will be much shorter than my previous ones。 It will just make a note of a few things I liked/disliked in this novel。 I was a little rusty on the main storyline because I decided to read the prequel before this one。 One note I made in that review was that Moiraine was suspicious of Cadsuane being Black Ajah。 Since that seed was planted， I have been so curious。 I'm happy Rand made her his advisor。 She is a character I like because she is one of the few women who stand up to Rand。 If sh This review will be much shorter than my previous ones。 It will just make a note of a few things I liked/disliked in this novel。 I was a little rusty on the main storyline because I decided to read the prequel before this one。 One note I made in that review was that Moiraine was suspicious of Cadsuane being Black Ajah。 Since that seed was planted， I have been so curious。 I'm happy Rand made her his advisor。 She is a character I like because she is one of the few women who stand up to Rand。 If she turns out to be Black Ajah， it will be such a good twist！ I find the main female characters are becoming more substantial and unique as the series goes on， which has been lovely。 I'm not a fan of Min， and I thought Elayne becoming pregnant was an obvious plot direction。 It will be interesting to see how it plays out。 Nynaeve seems to be more confident in herself and her abilities， which is refreshing from her past ways。 Egwene appears to be the one who has changed the most， and she has become such a fascinating character who reminds me a lot of Morraine。 I'm still not a fan of Faile， and I know something wrong will happen with her and Perrin because of Min's vision several books ago。 I was uncomfortable reading the part where she is captive。 She continues to comment on the enjoyment of her punishment by spanking。 It was a strange section that was left open-ended。 I would much rather read these stories happening one chapter after the other， rather than the first half being Perrin's story， the middle bit being Mat and the end being Rand。 By the time I start the next book， I've forgotten many details about the previous storylines。 The Mat section dragged on long。 Some of the plot points were interesting， but overall， I feel it could have been shortened a lot。 I'm excited that we've finally met his womanly suitor， though。 Overall， I felt this book was an improvement on the 8th。 There were some exciting moments， and it didn't drag on quite as severely。 It also started introducing twists such as the man working for Elayne being tied to the forsaken。 On to book 10！ 。。。more
John Reinert
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Definitely the worst book so far。
Angela
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I debated myself so much wether to give this 3 or 4 stars since its firmly on the 3。5 mark for me。 For half of it I was bored out of my mind but then I couldn't stop reading and at the end it made me want to come back to Wheel of Time full force so I really don't know。 Also I finished this a week ago， I am already in the middle of the next one， I just didn't really have time to write the review。 Usual disclamer， these are my messy notes taken while reading， not a structured review。 The names are I debated myself so much wether to give this 3 or 4 stars since its firmly on the 3。5 mark for me。 For half of it I was bored out of my mind but then I couldn't stop reading and at the end it made me want to come back to Wheel of Time full force so I really don't know。 Also I finished this a week ago， I am already in the middle of the next one， I just didn't really have time to write the review。 Usual disclamer， these are my messy notes taken while reading， not a structured review。 The names are probably written wrong， no I will not google the correct way to write them。 I am afraid of spoilers and I only listen via audio for this series。 Here are the notes in chronological order: • I am enjoying this more than the previous book so far。• I can't believe the prologue was like 10% of the book。• I find the concept of "the wheel of time" as in things having a cyclical nature especially since they mentioned people finding things from other ages and trying inventions like a steam engine an others like it and other people not understanding it very intriguing。 I hope this comes into play at some point。• So tired of women being naked。 • I have been watching The Falcon and The Winter Soldier so much that every time they talk about a falcon I really do not think of Faile first。• I am really not into this Faile/Perrin drama Barelain too side note every time i write Faile in my phone notes app it autocorrects it to fail and honestly fair • Whatever happened with Loial？• And Mat too？• It's interesting，they are finally somewhat going somewhere with Elayne's character。• Ok Nyneve and Lan's romance can stay it's not as bad as the other romances here。• Again with the women/men bullshit， god we are on book metherfucking nine please fucking communicate for the love of god。 Robert Jordans continued insistance that women and mena different fucking species id starting to really get on my nerves。• Yeah still not aboard the love train despite this culmination of it。 But sure I guess。• A character named Shallan？ Something Brandon Sanderson will in the future give a nod to in Stormlight archive perhaps？ Shalon it is I checked the physical version， but it does shoud like Shallan • I really cannot keep up with all the Aes Sedai/Kin/Seanchen and all the other women and their names and which has what motivations， they are too many， i barely know who has waht agenda anymore。• （view spoiler）[ Ch 14 important daughter of the 9 moons！！！ Finalyyy I have been waiting for this since like book three I believe （hide spoiler）]• Good transition from that into Mat I love ittt！ Finally ！！（view spoiler）[• I really fucking hate Mat and Tylin or however the name of that bitch is。• Why is he still in Abu Dar， I thought he left get him away from that abusive rapist bitch。• Can we get my boy Mat away from his abuser asap and like， can't the Seasnchen just kill her already。• Oh so Mats gonna go from a rapist to a child fucking lovely// ok so I reread physically the chapter that introduces Tuon and she's 20 lmao she ain't no child she's just short and tiny， so I'll allow it （hide spoiler）]• Mat: Who wants to bed a woman on a leash the fuck？ （I'm parapharing） and this ladies and gentleman is why we stan Mat Cauthon in this house。• Way better than the last book。• Who the fuck was Luke？ From like like 3rd book？• Fuck Alana（view spoiler）[• Ch 26 who is pregnant the fuck ughhh• Eh it's Elayne ewww I do not enjoy this （hide spoiler）]• Tylin makes me sick。• I am hating Mats story line， I just wish it's main point wasn't him trying to （view spoiler）[ get away from his rapist without actually painting her as a rapist （hide spoiler）]• Oh fuck the bitch is back。• （view spoiler）[ Just Mat wanting that bitch with him shows how bad his storyline is handled， I know this was written over 20 years ago but I am still angry。 And I also went back to when she first raped him like two books ago and yes the scene was just as bad as I remembered my god， its text book rape， he wanted to cry and still no one is aknowledging the was he is being abused I am so angry my baby Mat doesn't deserve this。• Min and Aviendha sleep with Rand but like only Elayne's pregnant after one time really？• Don't ya have potions and shit going up to the last battle is hardly a time for a child （hide spoiler）]• I feel like the ending was rushed I needed more there at the end。• （view spoiler）[ Important what happened at the end with the clearing of the taint on the power but I wish we spent more time on it， it felt rushed and I liek not enough time was spent on it （hide spoiler）]I finished this book like a week ago and like I can't stop thinking about it， I really want to continue if only for Mat s story to finally progress further than （view spoiler）[ being repetedly raped by Tylin （hide spoiler）] I am already in the middle of the next one which I heard being explained as journal entries of the charaters on what they were doing when the finale of this happened and my god this is absolutely accurate。 Ultimately this was much better that Path of Daggers which was the worst so far。 A lot of important things that we have been waiting for a long time happened in this book and it brought me back to wanting to read on， which I was kinda not into in the past month。 I wish if we ever get this far into the TV show they show Mat's storyline the way it should be perseived。Anyway， on to the next one， I am almost done with the so called "slog"。 。。。more
J F
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It took me awhile to get back to this book， which might say something about it。 Once I started reading again， I got back into it。 However， there is a lot of problems with this book。The main thing is it takes so long for much of anything to happen。 Elayne's plot line was not very fun to read。 Most of it consisted of her listening to various reports from her flunkies。 There is likely a way to write the underpinnings of bureaucracy in a compelling way， but I wasn't for this as it seemed largely dir It took me awhile to get back to this book， which might say something about it。 Once I started reading again， I got back into it。 However， there is a lot of problems with this book。The main thing is it takes so long for much of anything to happen。 Elayne's plot line was not very fun to read。 Most of it consisted of her listening to various reports from her flunkies。 There is likely a way to write the underpinnings of bureaucracy in a compelling way， but I wasn't for this as it seemed largely directionless。 I guess it was to demonstrate that running a kingdom involves a lot of busy work。。。 but I don't mind skipping busy work in a story- just as the same as I don't need to read about every breakfast and bathroom break。 At the very end Elayne got to do some negotiating for which I was grateful， but goodness it took a long time to get there。No Perrin- but I was rather dreading his long side quest， and so that was a plus？Edit。I was wrong。 There is some Perrin at the very beginning which I read back in October， so I forgot。 This book begins the dreaded plot line of doom， aka PLOD。Mat by far had the most interesting potential of a story line with cloak and dagger sneaking away。。。 but we never really arrive at the point in this book。 （Don't really care for his time with Tylin though。 Jordan really dragged Matt's character through the mud。 Rough go。）Rand spent most of his time lurking in a city with no magic and then had a very epic fight at the end。 Jordan is very good at his thunderous endings。。。 it's just the journey to get there was particularly onerous in this book。 Egwene's push towards the White Tower is entirely put on pause in this book， which is disappointing even in the re read。 At least I can read straight into the next one。 It must have been rough having to wait three years to get an update on near half of the main plot lines。I think the main problem is that Jordan has introduced so many plot lines that to keep them all concurrent， it makes the books longer and longer （or in this case， split the plot lines between two books。） It doesn't help that the story is progressing at a glacial pace。 There are a lot of characters- I say this as someone who keeps the characters of the Silmarillion pretty well straight in my head。 There's a bit with Domon Bayle who I remembered， and Ean-something or other Seanchin， who I assumed we had met in some other book， but I could not remember the context。 And I couldn't be bothered to look it up until I completed the book。 It's just a lot keep straight and I prefer to keep trucking along， even if I have only a foggy notion of who some of these characters are。The good in this book is still very good。 There's just a lot of book to get there （which as a random aside is kind of my feeling on Atlas Shrugged- well that's not entirely true。 The characterization in Atlas is terrible and the plot runs out of steam after the first third， but it's an interesting premise with far too much book for its story。） 。。。more
Rob
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I was mostly interested most of the way through， then kinda checked out a bit towards the end。 With a series like this， I'm really looking for a little more excitement than this installation was able to deliver。 There were some tantalizing setups for future installments （though they were oddly delivered; serious lack of urgency or perceived risk）， so I'm still interested in seeing where this all goes， but this wasn't the best of the series。 I was mostly interested most of the way through， then kinda checked out a bit towards the end。 With a series like this， I'm really looking for a little more excitement than this installation was able to deliver。 There were some tantalizing setups for future installments （though they were oddly delivered; serious lack of urgency or perceived risk）， so I'm still interested in seeing where this all goes， but this wasn't the best of the series。 。。。more
Jimmy Cheshire
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Despite its trademark glacial pace， this is probably the most important book in the series so far as it starts to tackle the core theme of its world， characters and story - the ruined relationship between men and women。 Unfortunately it also goes in the complete wrong direction when it comes to Rand’s harem。Min’s denigration is complete as she loses her agency， her spine and her uniqueness just to become a wet blanket and sexual play thing for Rand， who lives out some writer’s fantasy of being a Despite its trademark glacial pace， this is probably the most important book in the series so far as it starts to tackle the core theme of its world， characters and story - the ruined relationship between men and women。 Unfortunately it also goes in the complete wrong direction when it comes to Rand’s harem。Min’s denigration is complete as she loses her agency， her spine and her uniqueness just to become a wet blanket and sexual play thing for Rand， who lives out some writer’s fantasy of being able to love three women and be connected heart and soul to them all - constantly aware of how much they are completely loyal to him。 He had already communicated his commitment to her without mention of his feelings for the others， and sealed the deal by turning it into a physically and emotionally intimate relationship。 Then he got Elaine pregnant。 。。。more
Akshay Shahare
，
Now this is how you end a book！ Better than a cliffhanger is a good resolution :）
Empyrean Sky
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3。5 most likely
Brianna Osness
，
AHHHH OH MY WORD THIS BOOK！！！ This WHOLE SERIES！！！ Light burn me man， I just want all of my faves to be okay but everyday that dream feels more and more distant。 The wheel weaves as the wheel wills but damn if Robert Jordan doesn’t have me shook！！
Greg Clayton
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This one took me a but longer to complete， but still enjoying the series。 On to book 10
mykittyquest17
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4。25 stars A very entertaining ninth book in the wheel of time。 I especially liked reading about Rand trying to cleanse the one power of the dark ones taint。 I’m very exited to see how this series will turn out。
Brad Hough
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2。5 // I mean I just don’t have anything new to say。 The last few chapters were fun to read， but that only served to highlight the fact that the rest of the book dragged。 There is just no need for these books to be so long， in my opinion。 Jordan’s passion is clearly world building， and he excels in this。 But my goodness， there was so much that felt completely unnecessary。 I’m sure it doesn’t help that I had to stop reading/listening halfway through as I waited for the library copy to be availabl 2。5 // I mean I just don’t have anything new to say。 The last few chapters were fun to read， but that only served to highlight the fact that the rest of the book dragged。 There is just no need for these books to be so long， in my opinion。 Jordan’s passion is clearly world building， and he excels in this。 But my goodness， there was so much that felt completely unnecessary。 I’m sure it doesn’t help that I had to stop reading/listening halfway through as I waited for the library copy to be available again。Several times I had to stop and wonder whether a character I was reading about was totally new to the series or if it was someone I should have known from the last couple of books。 At first I saw this primarily as the result of stopping and starting twice， but then realized that it wouldn’t have changed anything; there were times I could tune out and I wasn’t worried because I knew there was a low chance of anything significant happening。 There is so much in this book that is irrelevant to the plot。 。。。more
Jessa
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"The day dawned cold， with gray clouds that obscured the rising sun and winds off the Sea of Storms that rattled loose panes of glass in the window casements。 In stories， not the sort of day for grand rescues and escapes。 It was a day for murders。"There's something about Robert Jordan's writing where I can easily imagine every detail told - the coldness of the weather， the rattling of the glass panes， and the kind of day it is compared on what it should be。I definitely enjoyed this book than The "The day dawned cold， with gray clouds that obscured the rising sun and winds off the Sea of Storms that rattled loose panes of glass in the window casements。 In stories， not the sort of day for grand rescues and escapes。 It was a day for murders。"There's something about Robert Jordan's writing where I can easily imagine every detail told - the coldness of the weather， the rattling of the glass panes， and the kind of day it is compared on what it should be。I definitely enjoyed this book than The Path of Daggers all because of Mat's POV。 He finally meets the person he's dreading and at the same time dying to meet。 When I read that part， I got excited and just can't stop grinning。 I look forward to how their relationship will develop。But let's not forget about the ending。 That ending！ This book has one of the major turning points in the story and has one of my favorite action packed-endings。 It gave me goosebumps。It still never ceases to amaze me that even though this is already the 9th book in the series， I'd still be surprised every time the story unfolds to something new - new perspectives， new places， new plans， new developments， etc。 The characters have come a long way and I'm still little over halfway their story。 And because I was given that kind of ending， now I need to immediately pick up the next book。 。。。more
Quinn G
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[4。1]"You can never know everything， and part of what you know is always wrong。 Perhaps even the most important part。 A portion of wisdom lies in knowing that。 A portion of courage lies in going on anyway" [4。1]"You can never know everything， and part of what you know is always wrong。 Perhaps even the most important part。 A portion of wisdom lies in knowing that。 A portion of courage lies in going on anyway" 。。。more
Bruce Screws jr。
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85% Filler。 15% amazing exciting writing。
Books with Brittany
，
Well， that was better than PoD
Chris Chester
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I pretty good entrant in the series。 Things happen， and of consequence， which is the unfortunate standard sometimes for Robert Jordan。It's helped quite a bit by the fact that things focus so much on Mat and Rand -- the former in Ebou Dar and the latter spending a lot of time in a convenient-for-the-plot location that surprisingly doesn't wind up bearing any fruit？The finish of the book is A Big Deal though and makes the next entrant an intriguing process。 I pretty good entrant in the series。 Things happen， and of consequence， which is the unfortunate standard sometimes for Robert Jordan。It's helped quite a bit by the fact that things focus so much on Mat and Rand -- the former in Ebou Dar and the latter spending a lot of time in a convenient-for-the-plot location that surprisingly doesn't wind up bearing any fruit？The finish of the book is A Big Deal though and makes the next entrant an intriguing process。 。。。more
Nick Tankard
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4/10
Ovidiu Oltean
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Stilul clasic Robert Jordan。Actiunea si conflictele sunt mai putine， dar sunt mai intense。Scena de final in care Rand intentioneaza sa curete saidinul e memorabila。
Brian Kent
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Amazing。 One of the most balanced books in the series。 Wow。 I've read to many "rankings" of the books talking about the best in the series and those people favor less。 This books tends to always be in the middle grouping of peoples favorite books。 If this book is considered good but not one of the best， I am very excited for what is to come。 Amazing。 One of the most balanced books in the series。 Wow。 I've read to many "rankings" of the books talking about the best in the series and those people favor less。 This books tends to always be in the middle grouping of peoples favorite books。 If this book is considered good but not one of the best， I am very excited for what is to come。 。。。more
Kadin
，
Conclusion was very well done。
David Octavian
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4/5One of the stronger books of the series， I was pleasantly surprised with this one， especially having low expectations and knowing it （as well as the next） is considered part of the slump。 Granted， we still have the slow pacing but slow pacing is mitigated and works best with high-level lyrical prose and/or strong character development。 Since the former was never the case for Robert Jordan， the book abounds in the latter。As always， Nynaeve， Elayne， Egwene and Min's perspectives and side of the 4/5One of the stronger books of the series， I was pleasantly surprised with this one， especially having low expectations and knowing it （as well as the next） is considered part of the slump。 Granted， we still have the slow pacing but slow pacing is mitigated and works best with high-level lyrical prose and/or strong character development。 Since the former was never the case for Robert Jordan， the book abounds in the latter。As always， Nynaeve， Elayne， Egwene and Min's perspectives and side of the plot are always drawing my attention and I live to follow these characters; this is where we are reminded of Robert Jordan's interest in giving full depth and development to the feminine characters of the story; though sadly， men are merely used to better contour the women and they are given half the development。 Thankfully， Rand is the exception。 I'm starting to get used to Robert Jordan's hatred for men and divinization for women anyways。Though moving really slowly， plot is also becoming more interesting and we are getting some really neat action moments to follow， which sadly are hindered by Robert Jordan's endless description。The reason why I'm not giving this 5 stars is literally the middle of the book， from which I almost had a nervous breakdown and nearly made me DNF it， though I'm glad I did not。 There are around 90 pages in this book that should be ripped out。 。。。more
Jacob Kuykendoll
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Surprisingly I think this doesn't belong in the "slump"。 Mandy the length or the ending。 Surprisingly I think this doesn't belong in the "slump"。 Mandy the length or the ending。 。。。more
Anthony
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I really enjoyed this book of the series。 Things start to piece together。 And Nynaeve isn't a bitch finally。 Also， love that Matt is finally back again， and a good portion of the book as well。 The ending was kinda confusing， and I felt like we needed more of Perrin and Faile。， that storyline They only mentioned in the beginning of the book and dropped off felt odd。 I really enjoyed this book of the series。 Things start to piece together。 And Nynaeve isn't a bitch finally。 Also， love that Matt is finally back again， and a good portion of the book as well。 The ending was kinda confusing， and I felt like we needed more of Perrin and Faile。， that storyline They only mentioned in the beginning of the book and dropped off felt odd。 。。。more
Timmy Loehrlein
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Overall， I would give this book a 3。5 out of 5。 Pros:-The plot actually moves forward！！！ The past few books seem to focus more on the emotions of the characters and it never moved anywhere。-Robert Jordan explains more about the history and the cultures of this world。 For example， we learn more about the Seanchan。-The main cast of characters are beginning to grow and become understanding of others。 It’s small， but I will take it！ One of the biggest issues I have with the series is how quickly the Overall， I would give this book a 3。5 out of 5。 Pros:-The plot actually moves forward！！！ The past few books seem to focus more on the emotions of the characters and it never moved anywhere。-Robert Jordan explains more about the history and the cultures of this world。 For example， we learn more about the Seanchan。-The main cast of characters are beginning to grow and become understanding of others。 It’s small， but I will take it！ One of the biggest issues I have with the series is how quickly the main cast of characters cannot broaden their view on the other sex or cultures。 I understand it is hard to overcome our biases and relearn how we view the world。 But the main cast are on like steroids and will not budge from those viewpoints。 This leads to no character growth which can be frustrating when there is a good amount of characters in the main cast。Cons-There were parts that seemed rushed and needed more explanation。 Without giving spoilers， the ending was a blitz of a read that needed more backstory on why Rand thought what he was doing would work and how he thought it would work。 This is a good scene that really pushes the story but I thought needed more explanation to help a reader。-The beginning part with Perrin does not seem to play a role at all in the overall plot of the story。 I’m assuming it will be important but it could have been saved for the next book。 。。。more
Adri
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These books just keep getting better and better！ Totally recommended！
Ashley
，
did not like this one as much as path of daggers， but it still wasnt as bad as i was expecting from the so called slog， although ive been told the next one is the worst。really liked the ending to this one， but the battle was surprisingly short。 i suppose its more of a mental battle for rand and nynaeve， but i still expected it to be longer coming from jordan。my big complaint with this volume is that i really didnt enjoy mats plot and i dont really like where its heading。 i did not care for mats did not like this one as much as path of daggers， but it still wasnt as bad as i was expecting from the so called slog， although ive been told the next one is the worst。really liked the ending to this one， but the battle was surprisingly short。 i suppose its more of a mental battle for rand and nynaeve， but i still expected it to be longer coming from jordan。my big complaint with this volume is that i really didnt enjoy mats plot and i dont really like where its heading。 i did not care for mats relationship with tylin， i dont like tuon， i overall just dislike the way mat is written and dont really find a lot of the humor i can tell jordan is trying to put in。i wished we had seen more of perrin！ i really enjoy his relationship with faile and was disappointed when they were basically absent after the beginning of the book。 i would rather have read about them than mat， although i acknowledge that mat's perspective gave necessary information on the seanchan。enjoyed elayne's chapters， even if some of the politics were so nitty gritty i couldnt really keep up。my hopes for the next book， which never come true， is to see more of perrin and egwene since they weren't around much in this one。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Winter's Heart
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Winter's Heart&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Winter's Heart&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0