The Dragon Reborn

The author does something interesting with Rand, as we as readers don't follow his perspective for 95% of the book but instead we see how the world reacts towards Rand and the ramifications that it entails. It's a pretty bold decision by the author, but he superbly pulled it off.

It's my favorite of the series so far because it handles the different perspectives and interwoven narratives so well that it allows you to have a clear picture of everything that goes on in the story; our protagonists are once again separated, but they inevitably converge once again by the climax of the story (following the established formula), yet I find it way more compelling this time around due to how the author manages to balance the perspective of each character and how it plays out in the world. For instance, we can have one of our parties encounter something that halts their journey, while another party encounters that same thing along the way, but they go about it differently; it allows each “cause & effect” (a recurring theme) to make the world seem more “alive”.

Mat became my favorite character and I can't wait to see more of him as well as the disadventures he may end up in; He brings something completely different to the table, as he doesn't necessarily aspire to be a hero, accomplish something grandiose or help save the world, but rather acts through self-interest and whether there is money involved...or does he? He might appear to act selfishly, but we learn throughout his journey that he truly has a heart of gold. Also, he not only brought us the best fight of the series so far but also almost every moment/interaction/dialogue coming from him is either hilarious, cool, or charming. To bad that almost everyone doesn't give him the time of day (and most often than not, it works for his advantage).

I really liked the ending, not because of the sheer epicness of it all, but because it served as the “closure” to the lingering feelings of the previous book, while also allowing Rand to overcome his fear and truly accept his destiny without being pushed to do so.