Reading the Wheel of Time, Episode 3: The Dragon Reborn. Or more like the Daddy Reborn.

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Well hello there fellow book nerds.

So, babes, I have to say that I love this series. Wheel of Time has me for life. This is it. I am committing to this series and I am having no regrets. I read the Dragon Reborn last month, I think, and I haven’t started the fourth book because I wanted to ensure that I had caught up with my blog post series! I am DYING TO READ THE SHADOW RISING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you haven’t read my previous two blog posts where I scream about my love for The Eye of the World and The Great Hunt, then I suggest you read those first. Obviously, these blog posts will contain some spoilers, so I am warning you! Don’t read if you want to read the series! Or watch the tv show!

JUST A QUICK LITTLE NOTE: This was supposed to go last Saturday but my anxiety was incredibly high and I just needed to do nothing and cocoon myself on the couch. So I do apologise for the delay.

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is he the dragon reborn? yes, he is the dragon reborn.

This question I think becomes more hilarious as the books go on. Rand is still lowkey not sure if he actually is the dragon reborn even though…everything points to him being the dragon reborn.

This instalment takes place a few months (?) after the events of The Great Hunt where Rand accidentally announced himself as the Dragon Reborn in the sky like an actual noob. But that scene was absolutely amazing and I talk more about it in the previous episode of this blog post series, so go check out that if you want to!

I haven’t been watching any sort of youtube WOT creators so I don’t know what the consensus is surrounding book three, but I personally think that this book has the best writing so far in the Wheel of Time. Which, you’re most likely thinking, duh that is what happens the more authors write. So it stands to reason that the third book in a series (and the third book an author has ever written) would be technically better than the first. HOWEVER. I found The Dragon Reborn to be one of the best written novels I have ever read.

Let me get into it.

First off, the characters.

Robert Jordan is a master of characterisation. Book three we see so much in terms of character development and as a result, we see the committment Robert Jordan has with organically and authentically (well, as organically and authentically characters can grow in a fantasy setting) developing his characters. What do I mean by this? Well, let’s use Mat as an example. For the first time, we actually get Mat’s perspective and as a result, we see his character in a different light. I’m going to be completely honest, I didn’t like Mat’s character at all in the first two books. I found him to be incredibly annoying, ridiculously immature, selfish and frustrating. And as he was under the effects of that godforsaken dagger, we see him at his worst – as he was literally being tainted by the evil of the dagger he stole from Shadar Logoth. So, as a reader you’re not really meant to love him. You’re meant to be ambivalent towards him.

I honestly thought Mat was going to be killed off (IF HE DOES EVENTUALLY DIE IN THIS SERIES DO NOT TELL ME PLEASE) so I was waiting for that to happen but then he was still around for book three and then he was healed of the evil?! To say I was shook would be an understatement because I thought he was going to be the first to be yeeted.

Mat from book one is so very different to Mat from book three. There is this one moment in The Dragon Reborn that is the catalyst for Mat’s character development. If you’ve read the book, you know. It’s the scene when Mat is…encouraged by Galad and Gawyn to show off his skills. Mat absolutely kicks their ass…with a quarterstaff. That entire scene was absolutely epic. EPIC. And definitely the starting point for further character development for Mat.

I think the one other major thing I desperately want to scream at you about is surrounding the Aiel people. I LOVE THEM ALL. THE AILEMEN ARE INCREDIBLE. We meet the Maidens of the Spear and I couldn’t stop reading. They were such stand out characters, but in my personal humble opinion, the Aiel are so fascinating?! But we meet Aviendha who I think is now one of my favourite characters. I cannot wait to read more in this series just so I can see how Aviendha and the Aiel play more of a role in everything.

I’m currently paging through The Dragon Reborn and one of the most consistent annotations I have is “PERRIN IS A BAD BITCH“, why am I like this?

But also, Perrin’s character?! Gosh, I just love him. We are really privy to his deep introspection and almost constant battle within himself regarding the wolves. I just want him to accept his wolf brothers because they’re adorable and badass but I completely understand why Perrin is hesistant to do so. Almost always, men (I don’t think it’s been mentioned if women can have this power of communicating with the wolves? Let me know??!) who have had this ability, succumb to the wolves and absoltuely lose themselves to the primal; becoming wolves in human skin. That’s freaking terrifying. Perrin’s own journey is quite similar to Rand’s – both are terrified of losing themselves to something other.

And can I just take a second to mention – how did I not know that Robert Jordan created his own multiverse of madness?! Honestly, the whole alternate timelines/dimensions aspect of the story was incredibly fascinating. Robert Jordan was an outstanding writer. How did he contruct these worlds and the intricacies of it all – HOW DID HE DO THAT?! I would love to know if he had to keep on hand a sort of document where he wrote all of the characters, prophecies, various cultures, timelines and dimensions, etc., that he could reference or did he keep everything in his head? It absolutely blows me away.

I am aware that I haven’t actually told you the plot of this instalment but I am not going to. I feel like majority of those of you who are reading this have already read the Wheel of Time (at least, up to book 3) or else you will be spoiled. So because of this, these blog posts are mostly going to be me gushing about random aspects of these novels and why I love them. Hope that’s okay.

Anyway, back to the book in question.

Who is actually the Dark One? Am I going stupid or did Moiraine say towards the end of the novel, that Ba’alzamon is not actually the Dark One? Just a puppet or a disciple or whoever? Is Ishmael the Dark One? Legitimately, what is actually going on. I am loving the drama. Right when you think you understand what’s going on, or try and predict a plot twist, Robert Jordan is like haha you thought, bitch.

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I think that’s enough incoherent rambling for today. I am so exhausted!!!!

If this doesn’t make sense, I apologise. My fingers type quicker than my brain.

I really hope to pick up the fourth book in the next two weeks! I cannot freaking wait. But I’m also terrified. Have I mentioned that I am literally waiting for someone to die and as a result, am too scared to read?

I hope you are all having wonderful week! What are you reading?! Let me know!

Until next time, happy reading!

All the love,

allie

xx

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𝓽𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓻

𝓲𝓷𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓰𝓻𝓪𝓶

𝓰𝓸𝓸𝓭𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓼

𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂𝓰𝓻𝓪𝓹𝓱

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