This is where the tension between identity and expectation becomes much more interesting. Rand keeps trying to preserve the idea that he can choose a modest life, while his clothes, circumstances, and other people's assumptions push him toward a role he fears. Jordan is good at showing how a person can be changed socially before he accepts that anything has changed inside him.
Ingtar adds a welcome ambiguity to the chase, and the contrast between loyalty and appearances gives the supporting cast purpose. Egwene's story is the more unsettling thread. The book takes the loss of autonomy seriously, making power feel frightening for reasons beyond the damage it can cause in a battle.
The pursuit gives the novel a cleaner forward drive than the first book, even when the route bends through unfamiliar territory. Some mysteries are still kept deliberately opaque. But the closing convergence has a stronger sense of consequence: the world is beginning to notice these people, and being noticed is becoming its own danger.
— Cory Lane