*Probably closer to a 2.5 than a 3 
 I am... disappointed. Maybe also a little frustrated. There is so much potential in The Wheel of Time. The plot, while somewhat predictable, is engaging. The world, in growing, has started to become more realistic (as far as fantasies go). Mat has finally become an interesting character instead of being just a whiner! 
 But there are just so many flaws. And probably the worst among them is the writing itself. The prose is simply average, at best. (I suppose I should clarify here that this is purely my opinion, and I'm certain others may feel differently). Robert Jordan seems to describe things in the same way every time, and the writing serves to just.... be. There's no other purpose to his prose than to tell you what is happening at the moment. Jordan does seem to become more creative in the dream sequences and I wish that was applied throughout the entire novel. 
 Nearly as throwing was the repetition. My god the repetition. I can't stand the repetition. It just repeats over and over and over again. 
 Ok, I may be overselling it for the sake of style, but really, how many times do I need to hear how Nynaeve can't channel unless she's angry or that Egwene will not be captured again or that Mat/Perrin/Rand are better with women than the others... It's ridiculous how often the same basic lines repeat. It's incredibly frustrating and it brings me to my last point: The characters. 
 They don't feel real. They feel like cardboard cutouts. I know it is no fair to compare authors, but I think about a character like Shallan in Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive, and I can't help but feel as though she compares favorably next to any of the female characters in Wheel of Time. She grows, she has realistic thoughts, she doesn't (incredibly minor spoiler to follow)(view spoiler)[ attack her rescuer for simply asking questions. (hide spoiler)] 
 Jordan's female characters are petulant and childish (minus Moraine, who is mysterious to the point where it is surprising whenever she speaks). His male characters are slightly more realistic, but are sometimes so slow on the uptake that I almost find myself rooting for Shai'tan. I'm not a writer, but the dialogue feels so stilted and wooden. 
 I want to like this series. I want to continue.... though I probably won't pick up the fourth book for a little while. I need a break and I need to cleanse my palette.