“How do you know when a woman wants to kill you?” Rand mused.

“When she knows your name?” Dobraine did not sound as if he were joking.

For all the time it took them to find the Bowl of the Winds in A Crown of Swords , they certainly get to using it quickly enough in The Path of Daggers . It’s the first of a series of truly epic uses of the One Power in the series, magic use that actually feels epic on a scale I’ve only rarely seen in other series.

Unfortunately after that, a lion’s share of the book is taken up by Perrin going to Ghealdan to stop the Prophet of the Dragon. Along the way he collects a couple queens (and somehow no one notices the one?) and right at the end Faile is kidnapped by the Shaido--I did mention we weren't done with them... . Both are interesting enough plotlines, but already take too long just in this book, let alone what I know is coming ahead. Sure, it’s not entirely fair judging this book on ones yet to come… ¯\(ツ)/¯

On the other hand, Egwene’s plotline in this book is actually pretty cool. I generally enjoy scenes of an underdog leveraging little known rules to gain the upper hand. And now she’s actually on equal enough footing to make the conflicts with the rebel Hall interesting. I expect good things from that plotline.

And then finally, there’s the final battle. Rand and the Asha’man, once again attempting to drive the Seanchan back, this time using the sa’angreal Callandor , the Sword That is Not a Sword. Unfortunately, it has something of a flaw and Rand manage to kill many of his own men . It’s certainly an intense scene. Oy.

And then to add insult to injury, on Rand’s return to Cairhien, rogue Asha'man led by Dashiva tear apart the palace in an attempt to kill him . Oy oy.

Overall, a solid beginning and end, but a slog in the middle. There’s probably a comparison to the Wheel of Time / the Pattern here.