This topic is one in which I think that those of us that have been reading the series for almost 20 years have an advantage.

 

On the one hand, for those that have come to the series relatively recently have the advantage of not having to wait between books, like we did. We had to wait almost 2 years between ACoS and TPoD then another 2 years for WH and another 2 years for CoT and 2 more for KoD. And some of those gaps we agonizingly long. Personally I remember the gap between WH and CoT especially well, because of the ending of WH (Rand Cleansing the OP, and the serious ownage of Forsaken that took place). So if you think you are frustrated by CoT (when you could put down one and then pick the next right up after), think about how we felt after waiting 26 months and then we get to send all that time reading about "tea drinking, bath taking, sniffing women...oh, you get the idea."

 

But at the same time, those 2 years gave us a hunger that someone who can read the series back-to-back doesn't necessarily have. I was unhappy with CoT on my first read through (because it was not giving me the info that I wanted when I wanted it), but I especially came to appreciate it while I was waiting for KoD to come out. Those two years in between books exposed me to so much really bad fantasy that I would go back and re-read the entire WoT series (including CoT) or reread one of the Eddings series, or Fiest's Riftwar. It was on those rereads that I came to appreciate CoT,

 

Because after all, bad WoT is still better than most good fantasy, and definitely better than other bad fantasy.

 

And I can say without a doubt that finishing the series will be worth it. Skip CoT if you must, but you may be a little lost in KoD if you do.

I completely agree. I have loved all of the books, simply because I was so hungry for any wot at all that it just amazed me to be able to examine the characters again.