By the number of times Nynaeve tugged at her braids in this book, it's a wonder she still has hair left by the end of the book

One of my favorite scenes was Perrin in Tear when he was helping in the blacksmith shop.

I always thought Matt won the duel with the two princes was foreshadowing of his super natural luck. Since he had made a wager that he would win.

Mat vs the princes is one of the best things ever, but he didn't need to be sword trained. All the two rivers men are trained with quarterstaffs and bows

Nynaeve is only 5-ish years older than the boys (7-ish years older than Egwene), but she acts as though there is a much larger age gap because she considers herself to be one of the adults and them to be children.

I recommend going back to the part of book one where Loial explains how Ta'veren works. all those "convenient chances" are directly related. I'd say the whole Ta'veren thing is the single most brilliant part of Jordan's writing. Just about every book has those moments where you think "that's way too convenient, i don't buy it" and Jordan built the world in a way that directly explains it, and in fact turns it into a huge part of the story itself.

Oh I'm so glad you liked Rand in this book. I love how Robert Jordan went a completely different direction than what you would expect with him, especially in this book. You are right, Perrin and the Girls are going to the same place. The simple name is The World of Dreams, the complicated name is Tel'aran'rhiod Darkfriends are just normal people that have pledged themselves to the shadow, they dont have any special powers of their own. The guy that Mat overheard is a bit more than a normal darkfriend, but I wont explain more than that. Nynaeve is about 25 I believe, so grown ish.

I just finished The Dragon Reborn the I realized that I’m still at the beginning after three books in.

The ladies were not almost free. They captured the black ajah guard but had no idea how to open the door because they were still blocked from the source

I always liked Rand but this book was the want that make me love his character. He is by far the most complex character of the series.

You don’t get Mat yet. First the sparring match was all him. He did not beat them with swords but with a staff. Which is was already quite good with. And as the Warder running the spar ground said, a good staff can beat swords. And darkfriends don’t have ‘powers’ they are just evil people pledged to the shadow.

As others have pointed out, Mat was trained in the quarterstaff by his father who "always wins the quarterstaff competition at Bel Tine, except once or twice when Rand's da would win". That may not sound that impressive yet, but it will once you realize just how badass the Two Rivers people are. These people are the remnants of proud Manetheren after all. They might as well be a valley full of ancient kings in hiding. But beyond that, the quarterstaff also has a distinct advantage against the sword. It has reach, and when fighting in the open Mat can make full use of that. He's got the upper hand, and the nobles underestimate the peasant weapon. It's a theme we'll get more of as warfare becomes a bigger part of the series. And it's very realistic. After all, the greatest weapons of medieval times were probably the infantry brandishing polearms.

"having never trained with a sword" - … Mat didn't fight them with a sword though.

Remember Mat is Ta'veren, and as it says on the Fandom site...his ta'veren nature causes virtually every situation that depends on chance to work out in his favour. Darkfriends are simply humans who serve the Shadow because they have been promised rich rewards. Their abilities are no more or less than those possessed by any other person.

I'm actually reading this series for the first time, and managed to find your channel just as I finished the first book! I disagree with you a little here - I really enjoyed the chapters focusing on Nynaeve, Egwene, and Elayne. I didn't agree with how they handled things, but the way they were constantly roasting and arguing with each other felt so relatable, haha. I loved how unsure all three were when trying to find the Black Ajah. There were several characters I would have NEVER suspected until one of the three started thinking paranoid thoughts, which lead me to me thinking them as well. It was almost a relief when they departed from Tar Valon! I also really liked how Egwene has started to become much more assertive after her run-in with the Seanchan - the fact that she doesn't know how to channel her rage besides "I'M GONNA BLOW EVERYTHING THE FUCK UP!" made her feel SO real. I lived for her berserk rage moments!

"Matt, who has progressed from his dead weight status..." lol lol lol

I am reading the book along with you and I loved it. I loved how although the book is called the Dragon Reborn, Rand was gone, but even without him the book was still about him. Mat and Perin both had great storylines. Looking forward to the next one for sure.

I love watching you go through these books for the first time! So cool to see a fresh perspective on things 😆

Don’t worry, Merphy. If you are wanting the slower pace books, they are definitely coming. It might a problem then that they are too slow paced in some cases :D

Dragon Reborn is my favorite of the first 3 books because there was such a setup for Rand and Callandor at the end. It made the entire book worthwhile. But I understand how you liked the Perrin and Mat story arcs in here too.

I really liked Egwenes arc from the Great Hunt, but idk I felt like she took a step back. Also I was pissed off when they blasted Mat after HE JUST SAVED THEM! I just hate how they are just always so angry all the time, especially Nynaeve! Maybe it's just me, but they get on my nerves.

Nynaeve is 25 to 27 over the time period when the books take place. Her relative young age is actually quite important for her character. Since she's very young (and she looks even younger than her age), she's had a lot of pushback from people who felt she was too young to be Wisdom of her village. This in turn has molded her...taciturn...personality. It's going to take her a bit longer yet to come to terms with how her situation has changed and the fact that she no longer has to/can bully her way around.

Something it took me a couple of reads to grasp was how different their culture is to ours. An important part of the culture that has built after the Breaking that doesn't get plainly stated is but informs all the social interactions: Men Cannot Be Trusted With Power. That has permeated beyond simply magic down to even the local council and internal family decision making process. And if you can remember that when you read how men and women interact with each other you may not be less annoyed, but it won't seem completely out of nowhere. Why can't the ladies accept that Mat was helpful? Because Men Cannot Be Trusted With Power, accepting his assistance means giving him power, and culturally that just isn't done.

I loved how the palace guard was even like we really have to do something about that garden wall. Lmao

Mat remembered rand climbing the wall so him deciding to do this after being refused makes sense.

Darkfriends are just people, they don't have the ability to sense people. Darkfriends that can channel can detect other people only when those other people channel.

Oh, your confusion with darkfriends sensing Matt. It was mentioned, it was not Matt. It was the dagger that some darkfriends could sense. That’s most likely what threw you.

Great review Merphy. I loved Perrin too. He is such a cool man. I can't wait for more from him. I want more Lan and Morraine time. Nyneave was a bit intense this time around. I think she needs some more humbling situations to being her down a bit. I look forward to those. Xoxoxo

Darkfriends are just like everyone else, so they can be eavesdropped on just like everyone else. If I recall correctly, Mat was hiding next to a window into the Palace where this conversation took place

Just read for the first time this book too ! And for me Mat' being really lucky is the aftermath of him being a ta'veren. Moraine said that Arthur (or something like that) was very lucky when he needed to, because he was a Ta'veren.

This is great. Just found this channel through Daniel Greene. I look forward to hearing from you as you move through the series for the first time. I never finished the series, but I'm currently re-reading it.

Watching your reviews on this series have been great. It's cool to see how your views on each character shifts and realizing how mine shifted so much from book to book as well.

Mat is lucky, that is one of his main tav'earn abilities. When he relies on luck he does well, you see him starting to understand it in Tear when looking for the girls.

Yes the females other than moraine all need to grow up. And mat heard that conversation since that dark friend (idr what you called him) wasn't using the power. He thought he had everything in control so he didn't got through the power wielded traps.

You are confusing dark friends and The Forsaken. The Forsaken are all Aes Sedai from the Age of Legends.(super powerful and knowledgeable) Dark friends are people from the current era. Even the Black Ajah. They are hoping to gain power are whatever their goal.

I really appreciate how you do reviews on your channel. You're one of the few booktubers who consistently post reviews and it's great!

About the combat Matt vs the two swordsmen - Matt used quarterstaff which is much better than swords in duels and he is very skilled in quarterstaff. They practiced it constantly in the village. About Matt hearing "Gabriel" giving orders - Gabriel simply didn't notice him. He would notice if Matt had One Power but he doesn't.

ik this is years old but by favorite part in this book is on the rooftops in tear when Mat is like, “why the FUCK are there so many people on these rooftops tonight”

Hard agree. With everything. I'm so far behind you in this series, but I just finished this book today and this video is like you read my mind! Can't wait to keep watching these reviews as I work my way through the rest of the books.

I love how in The Great Hunt you said his pacing is to slow....and in this you say you wish there was more exploring the world and taking time

Be careful what you wish for... You wish for a bit more of a slow pace, and Robert Jordan hits you with Books 7 through 10. Well, 7-9 are actually quite enjoyable despite the slowness thanks to some good world building and awesome Mat chapters.

Fun review! Love this series!

Book 3 is... all right. Personally, book 4 is my favorite. ;) I think you're going to love it

I’m dying to watch this video, but hubby is home and he’s only an hour into The Dragon Reborn audiobook 😹 must hunt for headphones!

Don’t worry. Character growth occurs for everyone (especially Nynaeve). It just takes a long while. Nynaeve really seems to struggle with losing control of the other Emond’s fielders. Deep down I think she’s bossy because she feel responsible for their safety and as she loses control she feels like she can’t protect them. And don’t worry slower pace is coming. Book 3 is good but it’s no book 4 or 5. Also I totally agree with you the first two books are better than the third!

Love your reviews and channel! Subbed!

I love that whenever someone corrects you, you reply with "My mistake." The first time it seemed like just a nice little admission, but every time I see it now it feels more like "Whatever". I love it. Also, it's interesting seeing someone react to the books when you know everything that's coming up. I keep wanting to say things that would be spoilers! I probably had some of the same questions myself on my first read-through.

So about the darkfriends’ ability to track down ta’veren, that actually wasn’t what it was. In book 1 they were able to track down Mat specifically because of the taint of the dagger from Shadar Logoth. Just wanted to point that out. Don’t worry though, I totally forgot that detail until literally just a second ago lmao

You are going to love the next book for Perrin's arc

Can't wait to see how your thoughts change and grow about the series over all the reviews.

I've been re-reading WoT for the first time since jr high, and listening to your reviews as I finish each book, looks like I've caught up to you. And I definitely agree Eye of the World is the best book so far. I think the main reason is that in the great hunt and dragon reborn the main plot of the book was too clear early. We're all going to Toman Head, you've told me 50 times now. And then we're all going to Tear, I get it. I'm excited for the next book, worried about the following slog, but then I really want to actually finish it. I never got past book 11 the first time through.

Just finished today. Love it. Looking forward to book 4, I think I’ll read something in between though...

This book was the tipping point for Rand with me, too. It kinda took me by surprise because I also expected him to be the dull chosen one.

Excellent review, Merphy. I just finished this book and really enjoyed it, here are some of my thoughts (Sorry if I misspell names, I'm listening on Audible and I don't want to Google the names for fear of spoilers): 1. About Egwene and the girls, I actually really liked all three of them in this book. I thought they ended the second book strongly and they continued on that good note throughout this book as well. My favorite part was when they teamed up with the Aiel to kill those Myrdrals. I liked them UNTIL that Mat scene, I can't believe they did that to the one character whose entire arc in this book revolved around helping Elayne and the other two. To add insult to injury, they didn't do shit to the thief-catcher who ACTUALLY betrayed them. Big thumbs down to the girls after that scene. I guess it was supposed to be comedic or something but after everything Mat risked to save them it really left a sour taste in my mouth. 2. Baalsamon so far is a weak antagonist. He's like the Team Rocket of this series, every episode he shows up at the end for some reason and ends up getting defeated with ease. I really hope (and assume) he either steps up his game in the later books or that he isn't the real antagonist at all. I find Lannfear to be much more intimidating and mysterious than Baalsamon for example. The fear I had for Baalsamon in the first book is completely gone at this point. Dude is a joke. 3. This is the second book in a row where the main plot consists of getting something back that we already had in the first place which makes everything feel kinda.. pointless, like we've only managed to get back to square one. In the second book we spend the entire book trying to get the Horn of Valyr back, even though we already had it in the beginning of the book, in this book Rand has to make sure to himself that he actually is the Dragon Reborn even though we already knew that by the end of the second book. Again, we're just getting back to square one even though a lot of things are happening along the way. I hope they change up the formula in the next books with more unpredictable main plotlines. 4. Everything about Perryn and Morayne was straight up Balefire ;) Looking forward to the next book and I can't wait for the TV-show to start. I guess I started listening to this amazing series at the right time.

Yea, the wonder girls do bicker a lot in this one. I find them quite insufferable when they're talking about, or interacting with Mat in particular, but otherwise do really enjoy them. Nyneve's arc through book 4 and especially 5 is really good imo. Keep in mind that shes used to being a figure of authority, and has swatted Mattrims bottom numerous times...some not that many years ago...and her biggest challenge is coming to terms with the Emmonds Fielders no longer being children, but adults and equals. But yea, she is a bully, you're not wrong. She grows though.

Looking forward to your progression through this series ! New perspective will be great. Matt certainly gets no respect from the woman he saved !!! Books 7-9? Chug a bit but very much enjoyed them still. Love the book shelves in background ! Nothing beats holding a real book. Even though do take up space. Look forward to viewing other videos from you! The women do indeed bicker and snip alot for while...

Egwene and Elayne are 16 at the beginning of the series, the boys are 18, and Nyneave, I think, is between 22-25.

To clarify about the powers of Darkfriends: They are ranked by their results, rather than their power. Some have no power. But that's what makes them scary; they find a way to get results regardless.

I liked the focus they put on the girls and Mat/Perrin. I'm excited to see what happens to the wolf and the gambler.

Old video I know, but I just am getting to reading wheel of time now in prep for the show. Just finished book 3 and about Mat beating the two swordsman while still recovering, I think it said something about his dad being a quarterstaff champ in Edmonds field, or something like that. I still agree his luck was definitely part of him winning too, but I didn’t think he was “being handed” being good with a quarterstaff necessarily either. I can imagine mat having a stick or a staff of some sort in his hands a lot growing up, if his father was a champ with them

I really have to agree with your last point about the travelling disrupting Jordan's world building abilities. Perrin's group travels across around 3 nations to get to Illian and there's not really anything distinct about any of it, then when he gets to Illian you get a description of the mood of the city and one tavern and thats it. Mat gives you a decent look at Tar Valon outside of the tower, but there was nothing further required to describe Camelyn, and he did help flesh out Tear a bit.

To my understanding the dark friends can't just sense them I think all the past ones have just been told to look out for certain people and have been given names and they've just been recognized everytime previously.

Dont worry about mat all of that lucky and other stuff has use. He is my favorite character

I love Perrin too :)

Mat used a quarterstaff and was trained by his dad who is the best in the two rivers. Plus he is lucky AF.

I am also doing a first time read through and it is wild to see someone with literally all the exact same views as me about this book! Dragon Reborn was definitely my least favourite out of the 3 (even though I still really like it) and it really was for all the reasons you said, and I seriously cannot wait to read book 4

great series

Damn, I started book three before you started book two, your a fast reader! I’m still only halfway through book three.

Happy fourth of July!

Happy 4th of July!

Nainaeve is probably my favorite female character in the series, closely followed by Moiraine. Granted she can be quite bossy sometimes and acts like she knows what right/best , but especially early on in the series I think she usually is in the right. She is older than all the other guys and girls that came out of the village and has an overprotective mother hen instinct but she really is well intentioned. The way the 3 of them treated Mat really annoyed me too in this book (it does comes up in the future ...at least once or maybe more I can’t recall) As for the 3 guys...aside from Mat, there are chunks of the series where I was not such a huge fan of Rand and Perrin. I sometimes found some stuff tedious or slow or just a bit hard to read cause I guess I did empathize with what they were going through emotionally and it was hard to read in that sense...but it’s all purely subjective. This however never happened with Mat . Even when he was high on the dagger 🗡 I still found him interesting and now that he’s no longer possessed, he just keeps getting better and better. It’s almost always fun and kinda mood elevating for me reading his chapters. I can’t really recall too many of his chapters that were downers/depressive. I really need to have a reread of the series.

I'll be finishing up TDR tonight but as of right now I've enjoyed it, I don't know if I can say I prefer it over TGH just yet but it's been a fun read, I've enjoyed the extra time spent with Perrin as well as Mat's arc and the added depth with Rand, in regards to the female characters the only one I've really had a problem with is Nynaeve, she comes across as the instigator in most of the arguments, although that could be a result of spending a lot more time in Egwene's head than Nynaeve's, I've actually started liking Egwene more this book, one thing I will mention that isn't so much a complaint but just something weird I've noticed is that there have been several times where it seemed as though two consecutive chapters could've easily been made into one chapter, overall though I've enjoyed it and look forward to reading the ending tonight

Just started rereading the series. It’s hard to finish eye of the world. I loved this series growing up but don’t know if I like the characters anymore in particular the aes sedai

I love how the 3 came to Matt after becoming accepted and I feel like a little full of themselves and Matt is not at all impressed with them. I'm reading the shadow rising now about 200 pages in but Matt is the arc i'm most curious about with all his "I'm not a hero" talk he's always willing to sacrifice to save his friends.

watching this video the same day i finished the book, and I really like how you ordered your thoughts here. totally agree with you about it being weird Rand was barely in the book, only the fact that he became more interesting made me excited about him. I think the whole mystery surrounding him, like what is happening to him and what is he doing, did him a lot of favors. Totally agree with you about Perrin, he's the man. Mat kind of bothered me this whole book. As you said, his story all felt very convenient, and i didn't think enough was developed behind it like oh, this is a real thing rather than just something to throw at him. Im also not a huge fan of him as a character, he just seems kind of mean spirited. Probably a holdover from his possession in the first two books. I agree that the girls were super awful to him, but especially in the beginning, he wasn't too nice to them either. I do like his whole "reluctant hero thing". Also, THANK you for putting into words why the girls bugged me in this book. I feel like the premise of their mission was SO INTERESTING but it kind of just fell flat the whole time? and i think it would have been more interesting had they resolved their bickering in the book, or had it be more lighthearted. Sorry, this got so long-winded, great video!

If I recall correctly the first three books were originally plotted as a single book, but as Robert Jordan was writing it he found he had too much material for a single book and had to split it up. I feel that caused certain characters as you noted with Rand to feel absent from time to time in the first three books. Book four, by contrast, feels more tightly plotted to me which may be why it is popular opinion that this is where Robert Jordan hit his stride in the series. Similarly the last 3 books were originally going to be a single book, but with the amount of material and subplots that needed to be tied up, it was also split by Brandon Sanderson.

The reason the darkfriend in the palace never saw mat is because he overheard them through a window which was right over him. He scaled over the wall, but he had decided to reach the queen directly without encountering anyone, so he spends some time sneaking around and that's when that happened

I have loved mat since book one and him being able to knock those two prince (really good swordsmen) is actually just two rivers blood talking rn atleast. They have this competition where rand and mat's dad always win and do mat is good with a stick. Which the two prince didn't expect at all hence he won.

I'm assuming you haven't finished book 4 yet (my favorite for sure) since I don't see a review video yet, but by some of your comments I think you might be reading "too fast" at times where you're missing details that actually do kind of explain things you're asking questions about. lol But.. having said that.. I've been through these books multiple times so I might have felt the same way the first time, it's just been so long I don't actually remember. =D Can't wait to see your review for Shadow Rising though!! Edit: Just watched your latest Reading Vlog (sorry - working my way through from older to newer vids!). Sounds like you have a TON on your plate! The good thing about books is that they're not going anywhere so take your time! :)

Old video but I feel like I must defend my boy Mat here. He’s been training since he was a child with the quarter-stave and long. Everyone in the Two Rivers does. He’s dad is apparently the best at it

I love this series! is this your first time reading them? They do slow a lot through 8-10 I found and I'm currently stuck in book 8 or 9 right now in my 3 reading. There is so much foreshadowing and interesting things that you only pick up on a reread. There is a lot more to these books than you realise.

in Matt’s fight with Gawin and Gallad he never uses a sword. He uses a staff, and that he has trained in firing with a staff, and the person who trained him was considered vary skilled. Also he almost collapsed afterwards.

its time to roll the dice

Ahm, Mat was kneeling below a first floor window on the outside and the others are inside. And windows in Randland don't automatically have panes of glass or similar. If they're talking about casements, then the windows have a case fitted into them, which can have panes of glass or shutters. Hmm, I don't see how they had freed themselves. Sure they kinda gained control over the BA sitting outside, but they were still locked in and unable to channel. Mat truly freed them, they don't even have that as a saving grace. RJ adheres a lot to show don't tell. So the super girls bickering and having no effect and stuff is because they are young, and have not a lot of effect and stuff. See also the Aes Sedai, they are seen as sooo great and see themselves as even greater. But their actions are kinda stupid and inconsequential and stuff. That's because they have a totally overblown sense of their importance.

Mat has been training with a bow and quarterstaff from childhood....

About mat defeating both galad and gawyn without sword training, is not entirely unrealistic, he wasn't using a sword and he had training with the staff. The staff has longer reach so it can actually be a weapon superior to swords.

Well the DRAGON REBORN was the FIRST book of this series that I laid eyes on... I then went back and excitedly read the first and second books and then reread the dragon reborn... And everytime I had to wait the whole year for the next series to come out I started the series all over so that I could be up on the whole story when the next one came out... Love em all

Oh when book 1 start Egwene was 15-16 years old and Nynaeve is 7 years older than her so 22-23 and book 3 is a little over a year from the where book 1 started

Seraphim can also chennel it seems to probably remember why35

I'd just like to correct something. Mat is not a swordsman, he's good with a quarterstaff, which he learned to use in the Two Rivers and his father is known to be an expert with the quarterstaff, so it's no surprise Mat learned well from him. He didn't magically learn to use a sword.

mat isn't trained in the sword, he is trained in the quarterstaff. something that is normal in the two rivers. and his da is the second best in the whole of the two rivers with a quarterstaff (maybe the best, i can't remember if tam or abel was better)

Book 4 is even better. Perrins arc in it is awesome. And Mat isn’t good at swords. He used a staff.

Harry is actually one of my favorite characters in the series.

This was my 2nd favorite of the 3, after Great Hunt. It really was formulaic, and I breezed through the final fight. It didn't really matter to me, and I was disappointed seeing that this was supposed to be a huge thing. I also, it bugs me when Rand makes a big decision in a sentence and then we don't hear his thought process until the next book.

Nynaeve is in her early 20s, but she looks much younger. She essentially stopped aging when she began training as a Wisdom, so she looks like she's 16. That's why she acts like such a bully, she's struggled for years to be taken seriously in a position of authority.

Mat didn't fight with a sword. It was with a quarterstaff I believe. You have an advantage with a quarterstaff and he used that to beat the hubris of the princes.

I read books one through 8 back to back and the first three were good but seemed repetitive. All three have the main characters start out together, go their own separate ways then all end up back together by the end. It's not until book four that the characters start going their own ways and following story arcs that cover many books.

Just gonna leave the little remark that quarter staff has some clear advantages to sword in real life dueling. Matt beating Galad and Gwyn is not that much of a stretch. And this is the book, I think, he starts to grow into his power of plot armor. But is awesomely done so don't worry much about it

Omg I just finished the book and came straight here lol I’ve been wanting to watch this review for a few months but it took me for ever to finish book 2. I liked this book a lot more than the last. Egwene was such a brat in this book I couldnt believe some of the arguments she was having. Like that was your wisdom and teacher for a while there, even if you are both accepted you guys will never be on the same level smh the disrespect... but yeah I kept waiting for Perrin to decide to go seek Elias since he was so afraid of losing his humanity the whole book I was mad that he didn’t do that. My prediction of the next book is gonna be a lot about mat. I feel like even though I hate mat he will be the most interesting character with where he is going. I feel like mat is gonna be evil or ruthless or something due to his time with the dagger, there’s no way it didn’t affect him after holding it for basically 2 books. I wish I liked rand but his stubbornness annoys me, hopefully his story arc gets more interesting. I feel like he might turn into something of a Warder character in a way since he knows what he is gonna have to do in the end. The way Robert j. Does romance is so sudden to me like the whole falcon thing I was like huh?! But also ...aw.........lol he almost died for her how cute. I hope she doesn’t betray him ! Don’t know if I quite trust her yet. I was sure that moraine was gonna die this book but she didn’t? But I feel like she might have to die given how many times she says she might die.

I appreciate that Nynaeve isn't perfect but I still really like her. She and Perrin are my favourite characters.