Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan

Synopsis From Dust Jacket:

Fleeing from Ebou Dar with the kidnapped Daughter of the Nine Moons, whom he is fated to marry, Mat Cauthon learns that he can neither keep her nor let her go, not in safety for either of them, for both the Shadow and the might of the Seanchan Empire are in deadly pursuit.

Perrin Aybara seeks to free his wife, Faile, a captive of the Shaido, but his only hope may be an alliance with the enemy.  Can he remain true to his friend Rand and to himself?  For his love of Faile, Perrin is willing to sell his soul.

At Tar Valon, Egwene al'Vere, the young Amyrlin of the rebel Aes Sedai, lays siege to the hear of Aes Sedai power, but she must win quickly, with as little bloodshed as possible, for unless the Aes Sedai are reunited, only the male Asha'man will remain to defend the world against the Dark One, and nothing can hold the Asha'man themselves back from total power except the Aes Sedai and a united White Tower.

In Andor, Elaye Trakand fights for the Lion Throne that is hers by right, but enemies and Darkfriends surround her, plotting her destruction.  If she fails, Andor may fall to the Shadow, and the Dragon Reborn with it.

Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn himself, has cleansed the Dark One's taint from the male half of the True Source, and everything has changed.  Yet nothing has, for only men who can channel believe that saidin is clean again, and a man who can channel are still hated and feared - even one prophesied to save the world.  Now, Rand must gamble again, with himself at stake, and he cannot be sure which of his allies are really enemies.

One of the longer books, thought they are all long, and they only get longer as the series progresses.  It's one that is filled with so many side stories and plots that don't have solutions for a few more books yet, that it's hard to remember everything that is going on.  The synopsis from the dust jacket pretty much summarizes the main points, but there are a few others worth mentioning.

I hate Tuon, can't stand her or her entire race, but she is the most interesting Seanchan there is, and her reaction to discovering that you can be taught to channel is believable of her.  Though how it doesn't change her mind as to what should be done with those that can channel is beyond me.  Maybe we could just drop a nuclear bomb on them and just do away with them all.

Elayne and her relationship with Birgitte is just working my nerves right now.  How two interesting characters were able to be turned into one note, sideshows is beyond me.  I still love Elayne, but I really could care less about Birgitte anymore.  One quick side note, I really could have done without the pregnancy.  I get for what it means after the series is over, but other than that, it's dumb.

I like this Perrin.  He's a little edgier and darker, but he still remains who he is at the core.

Rand, Cadsuane, and all the rest around them, I really am not paying all that much attention to them at this point in time.  They are doing important things, but it's all blah to me.  I still love them, but Perrin steals this book for me.

Other Books In The Series:

The Eye of the World
The Great Hunt
The Dragon Reborn
The Shadow Rising
The Fires of Heaven 
Lord of  Chaos
A Crown of Swords
The Path of Daggers
Winter's Heart