The first book got me interested. The second book held my interest. The third book almost had me abandon the series but the fourth book brought me back. This, the fifth book in the series may have given me the wind to get through the rest of the series no matter how boring and long winded they may be. It is by far my favorite of the books to this point.

Unlike the previous books, fewer new characters are introduced to keep track of in this book. Also, by this point the world Jordan created is fairly completely realized which frees up a good deal of prose. This also allows for the inclusion of more story elements like millitary strategy, political intrigue, and character development. I have grown to actually care about these characters and I really want to know how they get out of the mess that they have found themselves in.

If what I've heard about the next few books, the amount of action and movement of the plot is going to go way down but I suspect the political intrigue will go way up and I can't wait.