Welp, I liked it better than the previous book, so I would rate it at 3.5, rounded up. I probably enjoyed it more because I did not have to read about Perrin and Faile, probably the worst relationship ever in my book. I ship Rand with Aviendha, so on that front the book delivered. The bad stuff is still bad. Like seriously, honest to god, why are all women awful to each other, why does every male character generalize women, and vice versa? It's just so freaking tiresome.

The good stuff however was good enough to keep me glued to this massive book, so there's that. The political machinations of the Forsaken, Nynaeve actually having some (minor) character growth instead of being a non-stop bitch face, and Birgitte is actually a cool character. Plus the stuff around Rand, as I mentioned before, I actually enjoy that.

Of course, at the end of this book, Faile's father showed up, so I will have to deal with that character again, and I don't know if I want that, QQ. Time to cleanse my palate with some lighter fare before I head on to The Lord of Chaos.