3.5/5 - When I was at Books-A-Million buying the series, a random man walked by and informed me that "it's the greatest series ever." I'm waiting to confirm that opinion until I'm done, but BAM stranger aside I have only heard good things about it. So, I decided to take the plunge even though it's a sprawling fourteen books, between 500-900 pages each. 
 Even though he's the main character, Rand is barely in Book Three at all. He sneaks away from the group and heads to Tear to prove himself. Meanwhile, Mat is taken to Tar Valon to finally be healed of the sickness from the dagger. Once he's better, Elayne gives Mat a letter to take to her mother, Queen Morgase, and he sneaks off to travel with Thom Merrilin. 
 Nynaeve, Egwene, and Elayne are tasked by the Amyrlin Seat to hunt down the Black Ajah (all Aes Sedai are divided into Ajah's, you can guess that the Black Ajah is the bad one) and their journey takes them to Tear. More under spoilers... (view spoiler)[ They're captured in Tear but eventually rescued by Mat and a man named Juilian Sandar, he betrayed them while being influenced by Liandrin. 
 Meanwhile, Perrin travels with Moraine, Lan, and Loial to follow Rand. A girl named Faile joins them and she and Perrin immediately form a bond. She's hunting the Horn of Valere, unaware that it's already been found. They arrive in Tear in time to see that Rand is already there, too. He fights one of the Forsaken, whom Moraine destroys with balefire. Rand takes Callandor, a sword that is a powerful sa'angreal (a tool to help channel the One Power) and fights and destroys Ba'alzamon for the third time, although Moraine believes that this man wasn't a full representation of the Dark One and that he still lives. By taking the sword, Rand has fulfilled prophecy. (hide spoiler)] 
 Random thoughts...(These were on my Book 1 & 2 Goodreads reviews, I reviewed 1-3 together on my blog so pardon the similarities. The rest in the series will be reviewed separately.) 
 Perrin's abilities are my favorite, even if they're not the most powerful. I was indifferent about Rand (until the end of book three) and I strongly disliked Mat for a while but Perrin is cool. His character development is the most steady, in my opinion. 
 Not all of the female Aes Sedai have a Warder, but if I were an Aes Sedai I totally would. Who doesn't want a strong warrior man who follows you around, guards your back, and keeps you company as you spend your days as badass sorcerer? 
 These books could easily lose 100+ pages each if they'd had a more thorough editor. Seriously, it reads "Moiraine looked coldly at Rand," and then a few paragraphs later, "Rand felt Moiraine's ice-like stare" constantly throughout the book. I am not stupid. Jordan seems to think I am and that I will forget things I JUST READ. I do not need to be beaten over the head with the same phrases over and over again. I love long books and I'm not intimidated by them, but there has to be a reason for it. 
 The One Power is very Yin and Yang. It has two halves that are only reached by either male or female channelers. I like that part, the dual forces have moments throughout the book where they clash or connect and the dynamic plays out well. However, I think Jordan tried too hard to create defined male and female characteristics in this series which resulted in stereotypes. The channeling women are untrustworthy and the channeling men are dangerous. The women have tempers, the men are constantly wondering why the women are so difficult, etc...it sometimes feels like I'm reading about adults who have a high school mentality. These people are powerful and cool otherwise; I wish they would stop exclaiming "Men!" or "Women!" and sighing that they will never understand the other. 
 I like the story and characters well enough that I can overlook the stereotypes, repetition, and Nynaeve's attitude. It'll take me a while to finish because of those issues, but I'll get it done.