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Hello, you gorgeous people!

Back again with another blog post for my 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 blog series! I just want to say a huge thank you for the love and support on the first episode of this blog series! I was blown away! I love being able to rant incoherently about what is becoming one of my favourite fantasy series of all time.

So today is episode two, which will talk about book two in the 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 series, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝑯𝒖𝒏𝒕 by 𝑹𝒐𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒕 𝑱𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒂𝒏. At this stage, I’ve only read three books of this series and 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝑯𝒖𝒏𝒕 is my favourite. This goddamn book nearly killed me! I was so stressed! On the edge of my seat for 669 pages!

This post will have spoilers so BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!! You can leave now with no hard feelings (maybe just give the post a like though? haha)

Also, I have created a new instagram so if you want, follow me here!

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𝕤𝕠…𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕙𝕦𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘?

My editions of these books have next to no blurb so I go in to each book knowing exactly nothing about what could possibly happen next. You think you might have an idea by the title??? That’s a big no. I feel like 𝑹𝒐𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒕 𝑱𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒂𝒏 was maniacally laughing as he wrote most of this series, because they are so freaking unpredictable! You think you know what’s going to happen to a character because there’s been foreshadowing? JOKES, YOU THOUGHT BITCH. Nothing is predictable and everything is chaotic and it is such a wild ride and I am obsessed.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝑯𝒖𝒏𝒕 begins immediately after the events at the conclusion of 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑬𝒚𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 (I believe). Following the prologue, we are in the perspective of Rand who is being trained by Lan in the art of sword-fighting. Lan is one of my favourite characters and I love him to pieces but goddamn does he need to learn to talk about his feelings. Anway!

Rand is bitter because his life is changing, the people he has grown up with are changing, and he just wants everything to stop for a second. Which is valid. I think I mentioned in my previous post that this series is in some ways, a coming of age fantasy as the main characters are all still young and trying their hardest to navigate a world that is literally out to get them. So, of course they’re going to make mistakes, or be entirely too stubborn or make dumb decisions. That’s normal!

For Rand and even Nynaeve, for instance, they’re hung up on this idea that Moiraine is to be blamed for literally everything that has happened since book one. It does make me want to slap them on their hard little heads but for them, it’s a way to try and lay blame or find some sort of reason as to why their lives have…gone up the shit, slightly. I mean, come one, I would be pissed if I was in their shoes. I would constantly be longing for home, to sleep in an actual bed and, I don’t know, not have to worry that a demon-esque lord of the dark is out to kill me.

It’s the little things that count in life.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝑯𝒖𝒏𝒕 has quite a lot of walking and journeying to places which I loved. 𝑹𝒐𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒕 𝑱𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒂𝒏 writes atmosphere so well and he created this level of suspence as around each corner, something would happen and we, as the readers, would be left gasping for air. The actual ‘Great Hunt’, the title of this book, is in reference to an epic told by gleeman of those heroes from the Third Age who searched for the Horn of Valere. This Hunt only begins when Illian calls for it. Why do they call for it, you ask? The Horn of Valere is only meant to be sounded when there is great need, to fight in the ‘last battle’ against the Dark One, and it summons all of the great heroes of the Pattern (so, of their history, so to speak, those that made an impact). From my understanding, this can also be interpreted as slightly apocalyptic, as heralding a period of either great horror or greatness. I think it ties into the Dragon Reborn and the Breaking of the World, again. So the

Essentially, Rand is stressed throughout most of this book. He is hoping that he actually isn’t the Dragon Reborn but it’s a sort of denial where we know as readers that Rand is just trying to pretend in order to help keep his sanity. He is worried that he will lose his mind from the contamination in the One Power and kill everyone he loves. We actually see that with Perrin also, but to not as great as an extent as Rand.

Perrin is one of my favourite characters and I think he needs to be protected at all costs because he is precious. Perrin’s abilities, we find out in this book, are those that predate what is known about Aes Sedai and the One Power. It is something other that belongs to something that was lost. But Perrin, who met another man like him in book one named Elyas, is terrified of what may happen if he accepts the wolves that are his brothers and give in to those aspects of himself. Similar to Rand, he doesn’t want to lose himself and then hurt the people he loves. In some ways I find Perrin’s arc to be so much more fascinating than Rand! I’m so looking forward to Perrin’s character arc and what’s in store for him.

Mat…well, I have no thoughts about him in this book. He annoyed me. But also! He didn’t have his own perspective as he was still dealing with the whole…being possessed by a dagger thing from Shadar Logoth. Idiot. (But my thoughts change about Mat – book three was AMAZING for overall character development).

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𝕓𝕦𝕥 𝕚’𝕞 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕘𝕚𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕖𝕤

But I want to talk about the girlies. Nynaeve, Egwene and Elayne. Elayne is the daughter-heir of Queen Morgase of Andor and she is sent to Tar Valon for her education concerning Aes Sedai and the One Power. It’s some sort of arrangement that the Queen has with Tar Valon. We first meet her when Rand literally falls into the royal garden when attempting to see the Fake Dragon Reborn in Andor and Elayne becomes close friends with Nynaeve and Egwene and these three are so wonderful. There growing bond and sisterhood is awesome to read, and I love how quickly they come to support and have each other’s backs.

But then LIANDRIN HAPPENS. So, I have always had a bad feeling about Liandrin. I feel like most readers would. Her vibes are completely off AND I WAS RIGHT. She had the audacity to lie to the girlies and essentially kidnap them and hand them off to the enemy. We are introduced to the Seanchan in book two, and it is still unclear as to who they actually are but they hate the Aes Sedai and anyone who can channel and are violent tyrants. I hope we find out more about them, to be honest, because I want to know more about who they are and who they serve and their motives! For some reason that I’ve forgotten (if you remember, let me know!), Liandrin intended to hand Egwene, Nynaeve and Elayne to the Seanchan – possibly for them to get out of her way? In the moment, Egwene gets captured, but Elayne and Nynaeve were able to get away.

What happens to Egwene is horrifying. And when I was reading it, it actually made me feel so sick and anxious. Egwene is enslaved to the Seanchan. She is placed on a leash and collar, unable to channel and given to a woman who essentially acts as her ‘master’ – Egwene has to do everything this woman says. Egwene’s period of enslavement was torturous and you see her trying to survive in the face of horrendous trauma. As a result of this, Egwene has PTSD and this becomes especially clear in book three. The entire scene of Egwene trying to escape and then Nynaeve and Elayne coming to her rescue and the ensuing battle?! INCREDIBLE. Egwene finds out that her powers are…different. Hidden away and forgotten by the Aes Sedai. Seriously, incredible.

Nynaeve, Egwene and Elyane are bad bitches and I can’t wait to see what happens to their character arcs!!!! Hopefully they continue being epic.

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The conclusion of 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝑯𝒖𝒏𝒕 was truly tremendous. The sounding of the Horn, the heros of ages coming back, the battle with the Seanchan, Rand’s battle with the Dark One on a different plane/in the sky – one of the best action scenes I have read in fantasy. 𝑹𝒐𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒕 𝑱𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒂𝒏 was a master artist and his writing is beyond anything that I have read in fantasy – the way he writes action, atmosphere and suspence is magnificent! I was on the edge of my seat for most of this book. There was something hidden around every corner! The amount of times I had to physically put the book down because of my nerves haha.

Truly, this series is taking over my life and I am so happy. I will be starting book four in the next month, which I’m looking forward to! My blog post regarding book three of the Wheel of Time should be coming also in the next month! So look forward to that! I know I am!

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I really hope you enjoyed my gushing! What are you reading over this weekend?

Until next time, happy reading!

All the love,

allie

xx

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𝓽𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓻

𝓲𝓷𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓰𝓻𝓪𝓶

𝓰𝓸𝓸𝓭𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓼

𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂𝓰𝓻𝓪𝓹𝓱