I don't know about you but having a story where the characters don't have more plot armor than Russia in winter sounds pretty good to me.
And yes deaths are wasteful that's what makes them good.
A creature roughly in the shape of a man holds a woman in the air.
freeee! It's thoughts filled the air, the gates have fallen now I eat. It but the woman in half, its skin turning from grey to dull red
killing a character at the very end is the easiest way to do it, the safe out, I want some middle to beginning deaths, that's what I'm going for and quite honestly Brandon just isn't the kind of author to do it.