Books 8 to 10 didn't leave a great impression for me. Besides the cleansing of Saidin, no major plot loop was closed. The cleansing is recapitulated to the point of insanity, and basically book 10 is just, "Where were you during the cleansing of Saidin." Yet, the cleansing, the most monumental event so far, still doesn't change anything meaningfully. The Seanchan finally came back and started their invasion in earnest, which spiralled the remaining cast in Ebou Dar with new additions. The Aes Sedai are fractured more than any faction would like to guess between the Tower, the Rebels, Rand's oath sworn, and the Black Ajah. The Aes Sedai might soon learn the price of the oath rod. Traveling goes mainstream. Perrin doesn't add much to the story again.
All through this, Rand remains arrogant. However, the story seems to be softening him for the future. Rand is a broken person that is growing cold as the temperature changes. He's an individual staring down his own mortality, a soon to be tragic hero.
Fans are right to call this a slog. While these books serve as house keeping to build and transition plot points, I wonder if the story could've been simplified to make this less daunting. The Seanchan really are an extra bit in this story that don't add a lot. It humanizes Aes Sedai a bit having and equal enemy. However, it's bloat in my opinion.