Dreamer and Daydreamer

I finished this book a few days ago and it took me a while to collect my thoughts. This book was huge, it took me a month to read even on my iPad’s Kindle app. Even with Whispersync, it still took me a month due to my busy schedule and breaks here and there. Despite all of that, I loved it. I love this book despite the slow parts and maybe even the slower parts, if only because of the character building and exposition. I liked the characters; all of them felt real to me, with relatable struggles and sometimes, they’re even funny.

I’ve never read LOTR but I’ve read Middle-Grade and YA fantasy with travelling bands of heroes but The Eye of the World still managed to be its own thing. Sometimes, it even reminds me of video games I like such as Baldur’s Gate and Dragon Age: Origins. I knew then that even if I was getting into a 14-book journey, I wouldn’t mind. I might take breaks but I knew this is going to be a series I can get invested in.

The story seems pretty cliche. Farmboys get chosen by a mysterious magical figure (in this case, the Aes Sedai Moraine) and go on an adventure. Yet, as the story unfolds, we discover many more things about this world. We discover the history of the land, the various cultures, and social norms (female rulers! female magic users!) which I admit, got me excited. While it felt like a beginning, it felt like a beginning to a world that’s just opening up.

The ending was also worth it. Even when I started this book knowing about the main character’s identity, I have to admit I started reading faster in breathless excitement as I read about that battle. It was incredible, especially since one of the things I love most about fantasy novels are epic displays of power.