The War

Yeah, with the battles I didn't think they were handled particularly well. Like - and I can't help compare with RJ - compared to the Aiel fight outside Cairhien, or Dumai's Well, they're told in completely different styles. RJ tended to tell things from a very character-focused perspective, where-as Sanderson takes more of a birds-eye view of things.

I also think that RJ would have done all the battle scenes in less time, actually. And completely agreed with the PoV's - it was edited fairly well, but it still messed around with me.

I'm not sure about Mat, though. He still felt a bit off to me, still had a little bit of Brandon's oh-I'm-so-funny-and-suddenly-exasperated-about-everything-female take on him as a character. I don't think he ever really "got" Mat. And I don't think Sanderson ever really figured out the WoT gender roles thing. At least he hadn't in the first two books, and there wasn't much of an opportunity for it in AMoL.

I think I didn't really get drawn in to Androl/Pevara because it WAS so blatantly a Sanderson thing. I mean, you could just as easily have substituted in any other romantic couple Sanderson has ever written. One of the couple has to be mysterious, of course - one of them has got to be wondering about the other - then you've got the guy who's pathologically nice until baddies, and the woman who's got attitude but is also deeply considerate and caring. They both complement each other perfectly, of course, and have all sorts of sweet "awww" moments.

Anyway. It worked well structurally, but I think it took way too much time, which is another problem I have with Sanderson's writing. I read an interview he did, and he said that he was given free reign to write his style, and a part of that writing the story in the way he thought was best; he then went on to mention a scene of Egwene's in TGS - the meeting with Elaida - that he split into two because he felt that it was more tense, and that the drama played out better. Which is why we have like a billion fucking Gawyn chapters.


The Sacrifice

Pretty much agree with everything you've said here. There's the exception of Faile, of course, WHO I LOVE AND THAT WHOLE SEQUENCE OF PERRIN TRYING TO FIND HER IS HEARTBREAKING AND IF YOU DON'T AGREE YOU'RE A BAD PERSON, but that turned out alright in the end.

I've gotta say, the Egwene/Gawyn thing didn't really hit me that hard. Gawyn in particular, I didn't really care about. Egwene I did, but I became a bit more disenfranchised from her over the last couple of books. (Sanderson's ones.) I don't think he really got her character right either, and I couldn't shake that feeling. Gawyn I kind of cared about before Sanderson picked it up. I really, really wish RJ had written their storyline himself, because I'd enjoyed their relationship up until that point.

Anyway, Egwene's death surprised me, although from discovering the Flame of Tar Valon to her battle with Taim and then death was really quick, which I think is what made me feel the same way about it being cheesy. Although I know that it was foreshadowed, in The Great Hunt I think, in one of Egwene's dreams. It was really early in the series in any case, which has soothed me about it.

And Bela was the Dark One, that was totally metaphorical for the fall of the Dark One!

The Ending

Again, agreed with a lot of this. It's odd. I can understand him wanting to get away from everyone, but, c'mon. His lovers? Nynaeve at least deserved to know, and so did Tam. (Btw, that lighting of the pyre scene is heartbreaking.) I don't mind the fact that he got away from it all, just the way he did it.

Totally agreed with the what-happens-next. I hate it when books end with the plot; I read mostly for the characters, so I want to know what happens to them after. (Incidentally, George Martin says that he's going to do something like this in ASoIaF.) So for me it's incredibly disappointing, especially given the character-focused nature of the WoT. But then again, that would've taken up alot more space and time, perhaps more books even. I think RJ did just enough with the epilogue to make me kind of disappointed instead of raging.

What if Nynaeve became the Amyrlin?!?!?

Other comments

And agreed with most of your moments. I'll have to dig out AMoL later to browse through and have a look at my own moments. I remember Rand visting Elayne before/during the battle, when he first kind of realises he's going to be a father and touches her stomach. There was also Tam lighting the pyre, which was heart-breaking. And then there was a part during Rand's battle with the Dark One - pp 811 in my copy of the book - where he realises the Dark One wants to break them, and then lists all of the different characters by their traits.

Birgitte getting beheaded - that was awful and sad - then coming back and killing the fucker Mellar anyway. And Elayne realising how deep in the shit she is.

Perrin's fight with Slayer, although that was a bit too much of a Sanderson action sequence for my taste.

The Sharans - wtf!?!? About time, but man, they could've used a bit more detail.

The Ogier - awesome

Rand's battle with the Dark One I liked, especially the philosophical nature of it, but I thought it could've done with more depth and subtlety.

The Dragon's Peace was cool, but Moiraine coming in and blowing everyone away was so blatantly a Sanderson moment. It was way too easy for her to smackdown, and she felt written in that smug, condescending way Sanderson does when he's got a character proving a point.

Min - seriously, what a badass.

And who can't love Aviendha?