Rating: 
Summary: Better by bounds, worse by bits
Review: After the irritatingly subpar Path of Daggers, I was looking for something with more "meat and potatoes." I was not disappointed. Several theories and speculations have been put to rest, with less of those Jordanesqe subplots materializing from nowhere. These were fine in the development of the storyline, but have become more grating than tantalizing of late. We get plenty of Mat Cauthon and his Daughter of the Nine Moons plotline, which should make up for the short shrift it received in the previous book. And, the ending is almost on par with the stunning conclusion of Lord of Chaos. This will please those who found the ending of Path of Daggers to be like swallowing a tablespoon of castor oil. The pacing is better, more is accomplished, and altogether a much more satisfying read.Now for the minor problems. We have all noticed that Jordan's pacing has been less than stellar in that last several books. And, while he has definitely improved in Winter's Heart, he has sacrificed continuity. It almost seems somewhat disjointed at times and even a bit confused. Just a bit. As well, while there are resolutions to some mysteries, Jordan failed to flesh these out and add the backstory to make these resolutions more, well, resolute. This has previously been a strong point for him, and why this has changed is puzzling. Lastly, the first quarter of the book or so, where we are fed a plate full of Perrin, I was reminded of the dreadful time-wasting that plagued Path of Daggers. Fortunately it was much better from there on out. All in all, very good. If you are looking to purchase this volume, then you are probably a Wheel of Time addict anyway, and nothing I could say would pursuade or disuade your decision. Buy it, read it. It brings much of the sparkle back to a series many thought was floundering. Then seek therapy to get yourself through the long wait for volume X.
Rating:
Summary: How many books are there going to be?
Review: As a fan of the whole Wheel of Time series, I can't help but like this book. Although not quite as good as the first 3 in the series (Eye of the World, Hunt for the Horn, Dragon Reborn), it is a definite improvement over the prior one (Path of Daggers). The prologue to the book is very good and so is the ending. The chapters about Rand are also very good, but the chapters about Mat are a bit drawn out. I am guessing here, but I think the main story is moving along and we're all getting closer to the "Last Battle". However, I can't help wondering how many books it's going to take to get there gracefully with all of the unresolved threads to the story. With every sub-plot and dangling thread from the previous books that get resolved, there seems to be two or three new ones that replace it. Oh wells, I guess I can't complain about more books to the series since I've liked them all (this one more than some of the others). I just hope he's able to get them all written and published before I am too old and senile to enjoy them :)
Rating: 
Summary: still too slow
Review: OK, we know Robert Jordan is arguably the best fantasy writer since Tolkien (or was till George RR Martin started his series), but he's now lost the plot. Literally. From a gripping first three books, to a mediocre second three through to a far too slow and intricate third three that add almost nothing to the overall plot and don't take it very much further. And Winter's Heart is no real exception -- still far too much braid pulling and blushing by the female characters and not enough dialogue or action or historical reference points. I'm very pleased Mr Jordan is now making lots more money than if he had kept this the tighter 5-6 book series he clearly originally planned, but he has now completely wasted his historic opportunity to create something of lasting merit and now is merely doing something good. Still a clear cut above the rest of the field, but well below what we know he is himself capable of. A great pity.
Rating:
Summary: getting better
Review: Well, its been close to two years and was it worth the wait? Definitely!! The book brings back a significant number of characters from previous books (minor to major) and also has a halfway satisfying ending unlike the previous two books. Also most of the plotlines (save one major one but its forgivable considering all that happens in the book) are moved forward and you can start to get a sense of the end approaching though Jordan has said he will need at least 3 more books to finish it. Just one comment though...this book and book 8 could probably have been consolidated into one book if Jordan had not taken on 2 or 3 other WOT projects while writing book 8 but oh well...can't have everything.
Rating: 
Summary: Better, but still lacking earlier strengths
Review: While Winter's Heart is an improvement on the previous three books in the Wheel of Time series, it still needs a lot of work. The power of the first four books were that they all finished with a climactic battle involving all the main characters. Since then, however, each new book seems to isolate on one or two characters and ignore the rest. I had hope, however, with the cliffhanger ending of Path of Daggers, that Winter's Heart would go back to that previous tried and true method, but found myself let down. While Mat is back, which is always a bonus as he is one of the most intriguing characters in the series, Egwene and her rebel Aes Sedai are barely mentioned. Perrin, while at the beginning appearing to be one of the focuses of the novel (he even is on the cover) is dropped a quarter of the way through. Loial is not even in the book. Faile, like Perrin, isn't mentioned for most of the book. Taim doesn't appear at all in the book, and Slayer, though possibly mentioned once late in the novel (he's never referred to as Slayer), suffers the same fate as Taim and Loial. While there is a lot of plot progression in this novel, a reasonably satisfying climax, and the book on a whole is far more satisfying than recent efforts, this book still lacks the magic of the first 4. This doesn't mean I'm ever going to stop reading the series; Jordan has me, and many like me hooked. I can only hope for better in another couple years.
Rating:
Summary: Better than its predecessors, reaching for a conclusion
Review: I must say that after the disappointment of the past three installments (Lord of Chaos, Crown of Swords, and Path of Daggers), I was truly hoping that something would actually _happen_ this time, as opposed to the merely continuing plotlines of previous books. Well, I wasn't disappointed. The prologue begins right away by addressing several key issues and this sets the pace for the book. We catch up with Perrin, Rand and Min, Elayne in Caemlyn, Mat in Ebou Dar, Nynaeve and Lan, and we get some new info on the remaining Forsaken. We see some new, long-awaited characters such as the Daughter of the Nine Moons, and lots of Seanchan plotline, in addition to the single largest event to happen thus far in the series, which leads me to believe that Robert Jordan may be nearing the beginning of the end. The only disappointing thing was the inclusion of some ambiguous information regarding Taim (because personally, I'd like to know what his game is already) and the Black Tower, but there were indications again that point towards the nearing of completion for the series. All in all, if you've read the other Robert Jordan books, you can't help but like this one, but to disagree with the mixed reviews thus far put forward, you're not merely going to like it but seriously enjoy it.
Rating: 
Summary: Normal to Unbelivable
Review: The opening of the book was traditional Robert Jordan and it took quite a while for the various plots to develop but develop they did. The final sceen with Rand and the women is absolutely fantastic. Tramendious use of words and an incredible build up. I was a little disapointed he didn't dive further into the Elaine plot but all in all the book was much more then 'OK'.
Rating:
Summary: The book you have been waiting for
Review: Through books three through eight, Robert Jordan has been building up plot for the wheel of time. Now, however, the actual story is starting to take place! Mat meets the daughter of the nine moons in Ebou Dar. Elayne struggles for control in Cairhien. All the while Rand is hunting Asha'man, and planning something even greater! I'm not going to spool it for you, but I had to read the last chapters a couple of times. The best book written by Jordan in a long time.
Rating:
Summary: Molasses Up Hill
Review: I am now on page 183 of this strong competitor for slow torture and absolutely NOTHING has happened. A majority of the main characters haven't even made an appearance as of yet. The entire 183 pages could be condensed into twenty without ANY loss in plot line. So does the other two-thirds of the book get any better? It does appear that criticisms of "hair tugging" seem to have taken effect, only to be replaced repeatedly with "breath cold enough to see" comments for every character thus far. Imperfect behavior modification? The series has come to standstill after the battle of Dumai Wells. Unfortunately, too much time and money have been invested not to see this through to the end.
Rating:
Summary: Slightly Disappointed
Review: I enjoyed the book but feel to much time is given to insignificant characters. Similiar to the two previous novels a lot of descriptions upon descriptions and not enough action. The last hundred pages or so is outstanding. And the last couple of pages dealing with Mat were good but that was it for the action. On inner cover talks about Mazraim Taim but he is barely mentioned. It was a good read but it looks like I'll have to wait for book 10, 11, 12 ...... to get answers and action.
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