(Yes, this is your final warning)
This post contains full spoilers for The Wheel of Time, Book 5.
If you haven’t read the book yet, this is your cue to leave now.
There will be major plot points, character deaths, and endings discussed.
You’ve been warned. Proceed at your own risk.
I finished Book 5 and just sat there for a moment, staring into space, trying to process everything I’d just read. The last few chapters are intense in a way that leaves you emotionally wrung out. It ends on such a cliffhanger that my brain simply refused to move on. My thoughts kept circling back to the same questions. Who killed Asmodean? Is Moiraine really gone? What just happened?
Moiraine’s sacrifice hit me the hardest. I had to reread that entire sequence several times just to understand what actually happened to her. Where did she go? What did she know? And then it really sank in. She knew. She knew this moment was coming. And yet, she still dedicated herself fully to teaching, guiding, and protecting Rand. That quiet goodbye, telling him “you’ll do well”, absolutely broke me. There was something devastating and beautiful about her certainty. I’m still not convinced she’s truly gone, but if she is, that loss left a mark.
Then there’s Rand. Seeing Aviendha “dead” and the way that loss immediately triggers his raw, terrifying power was one of the most shocking moments in the book. When it said she lay there with her eyes open, I genuinely thought that was it. I remember thinking no, not her, not like this. And then Rand unleashes balefire. That scene left me open-mouthed. It took a moment for everything to click, for the time implications to make sense, and when it did, I was fully in awe. That was the moment Rand truly stepped into his power for me.
And then, just when you think you’ve had enough emotional whiplash, Asmodean is killed off-page. Just like that. No answers. No closure. Just confusion and frustration. Who did it? Why? That mystery is still living rent-free in my head, and the book has the audacity to just end. I need answers.
Morgase under Rahvin’s influence was deeply uncomfortable to read. Watching her dress and behave the way she did, stripped of agency and controlled so completely, was disturbing in the worst way. It was meant to be, and it worked. Those scenes made my skin crawl.
On a more satisfying note, Egwene finally overpowering Nynaeve in Tel’aran’rhiod was incredibly gratifying. Nynaeve was getting increasingly frustrating in this book, constantly blocking herself, refusing to grow, crying, panicking, and trying to boss everyone around while barely holding herself together. Watching Egwene flip that power dynamic and force her to confront the truth felt earned. Honestly, Nynaeve needs to take a breath and calm down. Channeling only when angry is not the flex she thinks it is.
That said, Nynaeve wasn’t my only frustration. Rand’s refusal to fully accept help drove me mad, especially knowing what ultimately happens to Moiraine. He could have learned so much from her. Been kinder. Listened more. The Aes Sedai politics also continue to feel unnecessarily slow and counterproductive, making everything worse rather than better. And of course, everyone keeping secrets for no real reason remains one of the most exhausting aspects of this series.
The pacing didn’t always help. This book is long, and there are chapters that absolutely could have been half their length. There were moments where I genuinely wondered if a scene was about to end, only to realise there were still pages to go. It tested my patience more than once.
The gender dynamics also feel very much of their time. Men are written as stubborn and emotionally clueless. Women as perpetually frustrated or domineering. The endless loops of “men don’t understand women and women don’t understand men” grow tiring quickly, and the romantic misunderstandings drag on longer than they need to. This is where the TV show, in my opinion, handled certain storylines with more nuance.
World-building wise, I’m both impressed and confused. Five books in, I’m fully immersed in the world, but I still crave more clarity. I want deeper exploration of Lews Therin’s time and the Age of Legends. I want to understand how the world truly broke. I want the Forsaken to feel more like people and less like abstract villains. And I’d love clearer rules around the One Power. The curiosity is there, even if the answers aren’t yet.
So where does Book 5 land for me overall? Somewhere in the middle of the pack. It has incredibly high highs and some very frustrating lows. It pushed the story forward in meaningful ways, deepened key characters, and delivered some unforgettable moments, even if it sometimes took the long way around to get there.
I’m definitely excited to pick up Book 6. At the same time, I feel like I need a short break from the series. This kind of long, slow fantasy is best savoured, and I want to come back to it refreshed. Reading The Wheel of Time has already given me something important though. It pulled me back into reading after years away, offering the perfect escape from reality, and reminding me why I’ve always loved fiction.
For now, I’ll sit with these questions. And yes, I’m still thinking about who killed Asmodean.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
If you’re curious to start or continue the series, you can find The Wheel of Time, Book 5 here*.
— Raulito
* As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Rolly Time 
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