Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson

Synopsis From Dust Jacket:

The Last Battle has started.  The seals to the Dark One's prison are crumbling  The Pattern itself is unraveling, and the armies of the Shadow have begun to boil out of the Blight.

The sun has begun to set upon the Third Age.

Perrin Aybara is now hunted by the specters from his past: Whitecloaks, a slayer of the wolves, and the responsibilities of leadership.  All the while, an unseen foes is slowly pulling a noose tight around his neck  To prevail, he must seek answers in the wolf dream and find a way - at long last - to master the wolf within him or lost himself to it forever.

Meanwhile, Matrim Cauthon prepares for the most difficult challenge of is life.  The creatures beyond the stone gateways - the Aelfinn and the Eelfinn - have confused him, taunted him, and left him hanged, his memory stuffed with bits and pieces of other men's lives.  He had hoped that his last confrontation with them would be the end of it, but the Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills. The time is coming when he will again have to dance with the Snakes and the Foxes, playing a game that cannot be won.  The Tower of Ghenjei awaits, and its secrets will reveal the fat of a friend long lost.

So I'm still not sure how I feel about Perrin after this book.  He tends to get a little too dark for my taste, but it's those around him that keep him grounded.  Faile isn't so bad anymore, though I never grow to love her.  Berelain is around and quickly gets with Galad, who I'm actually starting to like for the first time.  As with Faile, I never grow to love him, but I like him a bit more.  My biggest heartbreak is what happens to Hopper in this one, I hope Isam is condemned to something really, really horrible.

Egwene is running away from Gawyn, who not only wants to be bonded, but to be married as well.  I love them together, but since I've already read the last book, I'm heartbroken as well.  I like her strength, Sanderson has done a marvelous job turning her into a unique character, one not to be taken lightly.

Mat, what can I say about a man who is willing to help Thom and Jain rescue a character that should never have been taken off the board.  He has grown up so much over this serious, it's so fun to watch.

Rand isn't a huge focus of this book, other than his mind is finally set right and he is intent on what he needs to do.  He comes back to the world and starts to right some of what the Dark has been able to do.  Min is around, and at this point in time, I simply could care less about her either way.  I do like Rodel though I know it's not wise to get attached to any character this late in the series.

And the battle between Logain and Mazrim is heating up.  Can I say I would love to be in the middle of those two, but that's neither here nor there.  Mazrim is the bad guy I would love to have around, but Logain is the reformed bad guy your mother always wanted around.

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
Crossroads of Twilight
Knife of Dreams
The Gathering Storm