I certainly hope she doesn't die anytime soon. Carol has grown into a character that I am
very invested in. Behind Rick and Daryl, Carol has probably come the furthest, development-wise. Remember what a meager, sad, abused wife she was in the beginning--too weak to do anything more than wash all the men's laundry--too scared to stand up for herself for laughing? But smart enough to secretly hold onto a grenade and know when to use it.
In the most recent episode, "I Ain't A Judas," Carol conceives the plan of Andrea sleeping with the Governor and stabbing him in his sleep. In the episode prior, "Home," she tells Beth that she now imagines herself as strong enough to stand up to Ed and tell him off for his abusive ways. That's something Season 1-Carol wouldn't have even dared muse aloud. We saw how scared she was. She allowed to Ed to abuse her, hit her innocent friends and it was alluded to that she was aware of Ed sexually abusing Sophia. A pathetic women. We saw how eager she was to pick-axe his head after he'd been bit. There's also the responsibility there. She saw Ed's death as her chance to grow into a women who could defend herself and her daughter. Almost immediately, we saw her bonding with Rick and Lori and smiling and laughing with them--making friends and making plans for the future. Carol and Sophia ask the Grimes if they could all travel to the Grand Canyon one day. It's an emotionally tearing scene for me now that all that tragedy has happened.
If Lori hadn't held Carol back during the Herd attack in Season 2, Carol would've done want a weaponless mother could've done to protect her under-attack daughter. No one allows Carol to search for Sophia because of how obviously broken she was and the fact that she couldn't yet fight off Walkers. After the reveal of Sophia and Rick putting her down, Carol righteously stands up for her beliefs in Heaven against Carl and shows angst toward Rick.
When we re-visit Carol in Season 3, we almost instantly see that she's now sexually confident with Daryl, has found as much happiness as possible in her situation and can hold her ground against Walkers. Rick mentions that Carol's become a good shot with a rifle and we see her atop a guard tower during the clear-out, picking off Walkers. She's not yet a perfect shot, as she almost shots Rick, but she calmly reacts to the situation. pre-Winter Carol would've had a breakdown over her accident. Now she knows how to deal with these things. We also learn that she's had Hershel train her i first-aid and teach her about performing a C-Section. We see Carol approach Walkers on her own and further practice as to guarantee Lori's safety.
I believe she also uses a handgun to take out a number of Walkers as she and T-Dog try to seal off the breached sections of the prison and meet back up with the rest of the group. She gets attacked and is out of ammo. She uses a make-shift hatchet to take on a bunch of Walkers on her own and when it gets stuck in one's head, she manages to hide in a safe room until Daryl rescues her.
I personally find Carol amazing. She was tedious in Season 2, but now that we've seen where her arc is supposed to go, I find her to be an inspiration to women who are victims of domestic-abuse. I also find her to be an intriguing character to watch develop. Like I said, she's come a long way and to see how strong she is now--it's a testament to how hard she is. And yet, she treats everyone fairly and equally. She cares so much for her new "family."
I love her stories of personal growth. I always love anyone who can acknowledge how much they've changed over a period of time. I love her quirky and digestible relationship with Daryl. I love the way she tried to help Axel find his niche in the group, despite his perviness. I love she way she stands up for Beth and tries to prepare the girl to not be a victim. I love the way she uses such quick intellect in situations that would otherwise end her life.
And I absolutely love the way that Melissa McBride portrays the character. If she had more time to display what she's capable of with the character, I'd say she's probably worth an award

Carol is one of the best characters on the show, in my opinion. While she's around, I'll love the character. I hope we see more of Carol becoming a physically and emotionally strong and independent women who can both protect and provide for her friends. I do think she needs to die eventually, but I don't think that time has come quite yet.
Why should Carol not "cling" to the group? That's what you do in these situations...You hook up with capable, good people and work well together to both survive and maintain what makes you good people. The people who go off on their own--they long for good people to talk to. Carol should never be the person that Michonne is. Carol isn't a recluse. She's a women growing her wings and opening up to trust-worthy people.
Carol has much more depth than a good chunk of characters who are actually a part of the main cast. Merle, Michonne, Governor...
Her relationship with Daryl seems totally believable as a women who spent years being beat by a man of similar roots and allowing him to torment their daughter. And Daryl as another victim of many abuses who's never once shown any sexual desires. He definitely seems to care a lot about her. My impression is that Daryl views Carol as someone who just needs a temporary helping hand. I think he sees an iteration of himself in her.
Can you explain in better depth why you don't like her?