This was fine. There's some really great moments in this book, but the story also drags for longer than necessary. There's some story beats and plotlines that I wish were fleshed out more or had increased page time. 

I thought there wasn't enough Rand POV chapters. I really couldn't grasp his development and internal monologue very much. I had a difficult time understanding his motivations and what exactly he was supposed to do. I felt like Rand himself was confused a lot too. But on the flip side, the other primary characters with more POV chapters were great. Especially Perrin. This book solidified him as my favorite character so far. Mostly everything with Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne was very enjoyable too. 

One final note: the lack of description with sword duels so far throughout the series is really bothering me. Jordan chooses to list off random dueling forms which the reader has no clue what he's trying to depict. I can guess sometimes, but otherwise it just pulls me out of moments that should be engaging and thrilling. It's really frustrating.

Overall, a solid entry to The Wheel of Time.