Tower of Dawn

Throne of Glass #6

by Sarah J. Maas

Chaol Westfall has always defined himself by his unwavering loyalty, his strength, and his position as the Captain of the Guard. But all of that has changed since the glass castle shattered, since his men were slaughtered, since the King of Adarlan spared him from a killing blow, but left his body broken.

His only shot at recovery lies with the legendary healers of the Torre Cesme in Antica-the stronghold of the southern continent's mighty empire. And with war looming over Dorian and Aelin back home, their survival might lie with Chaol and Nesryn convincing its rulers to ally with them.

But what they discover in Antica will change them both-and be more vital to saving Erilea than they could have imagined.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, New Adult, Fiction, Magic, Fae

668 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 5, 2017

About the author

Sarah J. Maas is the #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Crescent City, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and the Throne of Glass series. Her books have sold more than twelve million copies and are published in thirty-seven languages. A New York native, Sarah lives in Philadelphia with her husband, son, and dog. To find out more, visit sarahjmaas.com or follow @therealsjmaas on Instagram.

Reviews

[Emily May · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. It was all right. But it's kind of hard to tear apart the personality of a beloved character, turn them into someone whiny and bland, then try to create a whole 672-page book out of their perspective. It wasn't awful, but many parts were boring.

I overlook a lot when it comes to Maas. The poor representation of marginalized characters, the frankly creepy obsession with "manhood" and "maleness", the nauseating and repeated descriptions of characters' beauty... but here I thought the story really lacked something. You can sum Tower of Dawn up as an overlong healing process with a love story. The romance is predictable, and I'll spoiler tag it but it should come as a surprise to no one that Chaol magically recovers from the disability that put him in a wheelchair.

The events of this book occur alongside the events of Empire of Storms, filling in the blanks of Chaol's adventures on the Southern continent. Chaol goes to appeal to the rulers and healers of Antica - for the former to ally with Dorian, and the latter to heal him and help him walk again. Though the powerful healer - Yrene - seems to hate Chaol at first, we know this is a Maas book, so he can only be shirtless so long before she starts falling for him.

A subplot emerges with healers being murdered in crimes that look suspiciously like the actions of the Valg, and yet from the beginning through to the very end of this looonnnggg book, it felt like what it was: a mere distraction between the Chaol and Yrene love/hate flirtations. As the book drew to a close, it was easy to see that Tower of Dawn existed for the sole purpose of creating a new love interest for Chaol and getting him back on his feet. Literally.

Perhaps this was a case of poor timing; perhaps there was just less tension knowing the last book left us chronologically after the end of this book's events. We're reading in the past with Tower of Dawn when Empire of Storms left us on such a delicious high, wanting to know what would happen to Aelin. I think it was a bad decision to insert Chaol's 600+ page perspective here, right when Maas has us on an emotional hook. I feel like by the time the next book rolls around, excitement and tension over Aelin's predicament will have waned for me.

Maas has responded to readers, or so it seems, by creating more diverse characters in this book. Many of the secondary characters are POC, and a major side character is queer. Though she still seems genuinely clueless when handling interactions between them, putting emphasis on Yrene's shock when Chaol smiles at the female healers AND *gasp* the male guards. Oh my, gay people! How crazy! And that's not even saying anything about the way Chaol's disability is handled...

Mostly, it just wasn't that fun. Either Chaol and Yrene were predictably ogling each other, or else Chaol was concentrating on wiggling his big toe like he's the less badass version of Beatrix Kiddo. It would be more fun if we turned it into a drinking game:

Drink every time Chaol’s “manhood” is mentioned.
Drink every time Chaol’s eyes "smolder".

But, alas, I am pregnant and therefore disappointingly sober.

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[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bow down to Sarah J Maas’ storytelling. I have not liked Chaol since the second half of the Crown of Midnight. Also, with the last book finishing with Aelin ending in such a precarious position, I personally did not want to weigh an extra year to find out what happened to her.

However, SJM knows that every issue I had with Chaol was addressed in this book. Also, if this book had come out after the next final book, this story would have had the prequel curse where I would have known everything that was going to happen.

I admit I was thinking about Aelin through this book, so I was glad to see her make appearances (only as mentions throughout). This is a great story tying up threads from former books and novellas. I think the “nothing is coincidence” is featured and shown perfectly in this book.

This is a great story about redemption, character development/growth, using leftover bits from the other stories to make a great story, and characters finding their own place. Once again it the it is a great credit to SJM’s storytelling skills that she wrote such a great book essentially just the side characters, and made them shine. Especially Nesryn, who definitely deserved better than just being Chaol’s backup (in more ways than one). There is also a great description of the mental injury recovery and how much of the process is mental. Anger, frustration, and guilt can be as detrimental to a person’s recovery as the cause of the physical injury itself.

As much as I hate to admit it, these characters would not have had a chance to shine like this if Aelin was in this book. If possible, this book has increased my anticipation for the next book even more. I can’t wait for the final book of this great series. I am expecting all out WAR and one hell of a retribution beat down to all the Vargs.

[Jesse (JesseTheReader)]

*happy dance because i loved this when i thought i was gonna hate it*

[Kiki · Rating 2 out of 5]

"With you gone, my lord, I... I took the night to visit my parents."
[Chaol] tried not to cringe. A family. [Kadja] had family here, and he'd never bothered to ask--



You may as well pick up your bows and your quivers, because being shot in the vagina with a poisoned arrow would probably be less painful than reading one more page of Chaol's Boring Journey to God Knows Where with Fuck Knows Who doing Who Fucking Cares. Bonus points for the chapters, many of which I skimmed like no woman has ever skimmed before, detailing Nesryn's Boring Journey to Some Fucking Mountains with Some Dude and The Spider I Vacuumed Up Last Week.

Honest to god, guys, this book was so boring I nearly died reading it. The hell happened? I'm hardly the biggest fan of the one with Feyre and Rhysand and all of their strange chiseled friends, but at least it held my attention. I low key went into cardiac arrest trying to get through this. The kicker is this: both Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn were boring and full of fillers. The obvious solution should have been to smoosh them together into one book, but... $$$ I guess. That's just kind of sad.

The basic premise is this: Chaol goes to Antica to rally support for Aelin. Okay, so we can work with that. But what we ended up with was just loads of stuff just straight up stolen from Game of Thrones! I mean, come on - Chaol is Hand of the King! Hand of the King is a title invented by George R. R. Martin. "Hand of the King" was never a title held by any historical figure. It's literally just stolen. There's no getting away from it.

Before this book, I actually really liked Chaol. I also sympathised with him, given that everyone took him for granted, and he went so far above his pay grade it's not even funny, just to be scorned by all and sundry for running away when an actual demon was trying to shear him in half with otherworldly magic. I still don't get why everyone has this weird attitude to him but I banged on about that for long enough in my review of Queen of Shadows so I won't bore you all with it now.

After Tower of Dawn, I'm not sick of Chaol for the same reasons that most people attest to: I've heard a lot of folk saying they hate him now because of the way he treated Nesryn. Nesryn dumped him via a note - actually, nah. I bet it was really a napkin, just thrown down on his dresser. Literally just Cho, I'm sick of you, don't call me, kthxbye and that's that. That's like Ye Olde Break Up Text. Truth be told, they were barely together to begin with. But that's not even the crux of the matter: I just hate Nesryn because she's so boring. Words can't even explain how little I care about her. She could have made like me the first 637658386 times I played Minecraft and tried to dig straight down (don't do that!!!!) and ended up in a lava pit, and I wouldn't have given a tiny rat's ass. I cared even less about her than I did about that bit at the beginning of Fallout, when you have to pretend to be devastated that your wife got shot and your baby got kidnapped, when really you're just waiting with bated breath to charge into battle #mwi on chems and make sweet gay love to that hot creep Hancock (there's no wrong way to play!).

Speaking of gay... I thought Chaol was queer? Did no one else think that? See, this is another missed opportunity. There's Hasar and Renia, though Hasar is a total arsehole and Renia is this weird wet rag of a character who keeps being referred to ickily as Hasar's "lover". I was feeling it between Chaol and Shen more than I ever felt it between Chaol and Yrene, and this is the problem with SJM: she has this weird ability to unknowingly write pairings with great chemistry, most of which are non-hetero, and then blow a big dumb hole right through it with the same enemies-to-lovers straight romance that we've seen six trillion times before. I always felt that Yrene's story was the least interesting part of The Assassin's Blade, and now I've got to sit here and pretend to buy her romance with Chaol? Are you trifling with this?

So one of the biggest problems I had with this book was Yrene, and not because she's the same crap character that we've seen a thousand times before - I've come to expect that. The worst part was that she is the shittest healer ever. The most unprofessional, the most rude, the most entitled. I have a high tolerance for fuckery, especially with high fantasy, but the scene where she allowed those little bitches to tear Chaol down off his horse and then trot him out like a wooden doll, as if, as a disabled person, he's just a thing to be toyed with, turned my fucking stomach. Then, after this, the Healer on High wafts over to Chaol with a sickly wee smile on her face and says, "Welp, that's our Yrene. Don't be mean to her. She's had a hard life." Fuck that. Fuck all of them, for treating Chaol in that way. It was disgusting. And then they have a little argument about it, and it's all forgotten about. Seriously? No. I literally couldn't stop thinking about that. We keep being told that Yrene is so talented and amazing and the next heir to the Torre Cesme, and yet she is still at the stage where she's treating her patients like this? Where the hell is her bedside manner?

(I'm also pretty pissed off about Chaol being healed in the end, and the cop-out with the life bond to Yrene, but that's a given. Why we can't just have a handsome male character with a rounded story arc who is just straight up in a wheelchair, disabled, is a mystery to me. There is no reason why Chaol needed to be magically healed. I'm so sick of this cast of Olympians with their rippling muscles and their perfect swordplay, and this is another reason why it's relevant to note Game of Thrones: it has its issues with representation, absolutely, but it is notable in its portrayal of multiple well-rounded and layered disabled characters.)

The trouble is that the setting of Antica was cool...but derivative. The idea was good...but executed badly. This book was full of good ideas that went down the toilet, and I'm kind of pissed off about it, because this is the sixth book, and it certainly wasn't cheap, but it's not the money I'm bitter about. It's the fact that I've committed to this series and these characters, and SJM won't stop butchering them. Not to sound like Disgrunted 4chan Fan #67546453, but how is that fair? Don't build up fans' expectations, then then disrespect the first three (excellent) books in the series with this piece of nonsense.

FIN

[Teodora · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 ⭐

Full review on my Blog: The Dacian She-Wolf 🐺

EoS: *ended with a MASSIVE cliffhanger*

me: I NEED ANSWERS

SJM: *writing ToD*


I’m actually not complaining, I’m just a frustrated human reader. You cannot blame me for that, I’m sure you can relate.

I am, in fact, really happy and I feel super #blessed because of this beautiful book.

To be honest, this book was not a fresh gulp of air. No. At least, this isn’t how I felt about it. It was more like a warm and spicy oriental evening, filled with exotic music at every corner and strong smells of cardamom coffee.

Basically, the rest of the series is like your daily routine and this book is like a winter holiday spent in Dubai. Lush.



The great thing about the whole book is that my baby Chaol got a chance to prove himself worthy of love and affection. At the beginning of the series I used to love Chaol, then he somehow got lost in all that plot and at parts, I found him boring. But this book was created for me to fall in love with him all over again. He’s a good lad and he’s been through a lot of things. I say he deserves every single good thing that’s going to happen to him!



In this book particularly, the best thing happening to him is the cutie-pie Yrene. He searches the Southern Continent for allies in the battle against the darkness and he finds himself a badass fox-eyed girl – I think the lad has hit the jackpot at this point in his life.

I actually love their relationship and apparently, SJM really has this amazing (and annoying) talent of always finding the best matches for her characters, despite the occasional flirt here and there. She really did well with this pair too. She is the real goddess of love, fight me if I’m wrong.



I love Yrene. I really do.

She’s a very sweet girl, witty and determined and her sense of independence tangled with her need to help others transform her in a veritable human being – as veritable as the ones in real life aren’t.

“Remember all that you promised to do. To be.”

She’s selfless. She allows herself to be this way by not allowing her to be self-centred. But she’s also fearless. Strong. Independent. Determined. She spreads her knowledge. She teaches young girls to defend themselves. She’s a true warrior. I love that about her. And I love the fact that she repeats that to herself. So to remember.

Okay now. Does anyone remember Nesryn Faliq, the most badass Captain of the Guard Adarlan has ever had? (Sorry Chaol baby but I’m only speaking facts).
I do remember her. And I do love her now more than ever.

This book was the perfect chance for the world to see the real Nesryn Faliq – the woman beneath the uniform. The girl beyond the fighter.

She is truly amazing. She gives off this vibe of the girl used to giving so much but to receive so little that it doesn’t even bother her anymore. But it does. She’s used to not being good enough for anyone. And she suffers deeply about that. Nesryn is good enough. Nesryn is beyond. And the sweet, delicious shameless flirt that Prince Sartaq is, totally sees that. And lets her see that too.

“I loved you before I ever set eyes on you.”

I do feel like Nesyn and Sartaq are the endings of each other’s story and, honestly now, isn’t that so beautiful you want to cry your eyes out??



One more important aspect that I'd like to discuss is, like in all of the other books from the series, the beauty of women helping women.

“A gift from a queen who had seen another woman in hell and thought to reach back a hand.”

Every book has its own hidden motif. One important quality of humanity. In this particular book, that motif is represented by kindness.

Kindness must be there, everywhere where is or might be needed. No matter who or what you are, this could make a deadly difference in life. Thank you, Sarah J. Maas for always teaching as something!

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

#0.1) The Assassin and the Pirate Lord ★★★
#0.2) The Assassin and the Healer ★★
#0.3) The Assassin and the Desert ★★★★
#0.4) The Assassin and the Underworld ★★★★★
#0.5) The Assassin and the Empire ★★★
#1.) Throne of Glass ★★★
#2.) Crown of Midnight ★★★★
#3.) Heir of Fire ★★
#4.) Queen of Shadows ★★
#5.) Empire of Storms ★★★

“Every step, all of it, had led here. From that keep in the snow-blasted mountains where a man with a face as hard as the rock around them had thrown him into the cold; to that salt mine in Endovier, where an assassin with eyes like wildfire had smirked at him, unbroken despite a year in hell.”

Tower of Dawn is my second favorite book that Sarah J. Maas has ever written! And it is, hands down, the best installment in the Throne of Glass series, in my honest opinion. I completely and wholeheartedly loved it. This is easily one of the best books I’ve read in 2017.

The first part of this review is spoiler free for Tower of Dawn, but it does have minor spoilers for the rest of the Throne of Glass series!

Also, before I even start this review, I just want to say that I actually think Sarah has been listening to her readers and this book truly proves it. First off, we have a very predominant queer side character, who clearly states this from the beginning and is written very believably and seamlessly. Next, we have a full diverse cast of characters, besides Chaol, in this novel. And lastly, and the thing I was most concerned about going into this book, Sarah respectfully writes about Chaol’s disability, without ever making it seem like he must be "fixed" in order to have self-worth. (But please be aware that this review is coming to you from a white, able-bodied woman, so I am not the voice you should be listening to for the last two representations.)

I also think Sarah unfortunately listened to the backlash about her “young adult” books having so much sex in them, because there is totally less sex in this book than in EoS, ACOMAF, and ACOWAR. There is still amazing angst and build up to sex, and there is one actual sex scene, but nothing near as graphic or even as descriptive as her previous works. Me, being the perverted person that I am, was a little disappointed by this, especially with how much I love Chaol.

I should also preface this review by telling those of you who do not know that Chaol is my favorite character in ToG, well, besides my queen, Manon Blackbeak! I’ve never been the biggest fan of Celaena/Aelin, and I think this story (and the rating I gave it) probably really benefited from that.

The last thing I will say before I actually start this long-winded review is that I cannot stress enough how important it is to read The Assassin and the Healer novella from the novella bind up, The Assassin's Blade, before you read this book!

Tower of Dawn is a story that is running parallel with the events that took place in Empire of Storms. While Aelin, Dorian, and the rest of the gang are trying to unite empires and bring them together to fight the greater threat at hand, Chaol and Nesryn left for Antica, located in the southern continent, to convince another strong empire to join them in the battle that is inevitably coming, while also seeing if the healers at the Torre can heal Chaol’s paralysis.

Also, the southern continent is way more advanced than Erilea could ever hope to be. Magic is not only thriving here, but it’s celebrated. And healing is one of the most prized powers of all. And one of the three points of view in this book, besides Chaol and Nesryn, is a very talented and powerful healer named Yrene Towers.

I would say the point of views are definitely equal seeming between the three, but there are two big story lines going on. The first being Chaol’s healing, and how he is hurting a lot more than just physically. Chaol is struggling with his self-worth, but I believe he’s also struggling with PTSD. He feels very guilty and that he is to blame for Aelin, Dorian, his family, his guardsmen, and also his disability. This book really showcases and highlights how mental pain and disabilities are just as hard to overcome as physically pain and disabilities, and Chaol for sure learns this lesson in true Chaol fashion: the hard way.

And the second storyline is a big mixture of different ways Chaol and Nesryn are trying to sway the current khagan, Urus, to their cause. Urus has six children and when he passes on one of them will rule, because in this kingdom it is not automatically given to the first-born heir. No one knows who the ruler will be, so this can make siblings rather blood thirty for one another, and once one is chosen to rule, the others must submit or things can get really bloody. This also makes the task of winning them all over a little difficult for Chaol and Nesryn.

“Your city is the greatest I have ever laid eyes upon, your empire the standard by which all others should be measured. When Morath comes to lay waste to it, who will stand with you if we are all carrion?”

Urus' six children:
➽Arghun - oldest child and enjoys power in knowledge.
➽Sartaq - second oldest and commands the Rukhin riders.
➽Hasar - third oldest and amazingly queer.
➽Kashin - fourth oldest and most loyal.
➽Duva - fifth oldest, who is married and carrying the first grandbaby right now.
➽Tumelun - the baby, and the cause of an underlying mystery.

All of these side characters are very impactful to not only this book, but the greater arching story at hand, too. These characters also put a big emphasis on family for this story, and the amazing lengths we are willing to go for the people we love.

Tower of Dawn not only introduces a vast array of new characters, and it also helps showcase that this book feels like a love letter to being young and finding yourself. Yet also, finding what you truly want in your life. I mean, these characters are all in their early 20s, it’s not plausible that they are all going to know what path they want to take, or that they all choose to take the path that was set for them by others. I love that this book realistically depicts that your first love won’t always be your last love, and how normal and okay that truly is. Finding yourself, and what you want from this life, is a truly beautiful story in and of itself.

There is a vast amount of world building and character development within these 700 pages, and I truly believe this is such a wonderful addition to this series. Before I get into the spoiler section, I will say that there are trigger warnings for talk of suicide, grey area cheating, war themes, and violence. I will also say that the epilogue of this book will probably shatter your soul. Like, is it Fall of 2018 yet? But I loved this and it was such a wonderful and important installment in the Throne of Glass series.

The rest of my review is going to contain MAJOR SPOILERS for both ALL the books leading up to this book, and for Tower of Dawn itself! Please, do not proceed to read any further unless you have read this book and its predecessors or you wish to be spoiled!

“The heart he’d offered and had been left to drop on the wooden planks of the river docks. An assassin who had sailed away and a queen who had returned.”

Okay, so I think I’m just going to do little (and probably incoherent) paragraph gushes about things and how I felt about certain things in this book, because I just have too many emotions right now!

“No matter the oceans, or mountains, or forests in the way.”

I guess we should probably start off talking about how Sarah J. Maas does what she always does, but somehow always ends up surprising me. I honestly thought this book was going to have a romance about Chaol and Nesryn, so when she pulled the rug out from under my feet and made it really apparent that Chaol and Nesryn were going to not only not be together, but also have new budding romances with other people, I was completely shocked.

I, personally, never liked Chaol and Nesryn together. I always thought that it was terrible writing on Sarah’s part to even force them together. I thought it was so unbelievable and just another way to show how Aelin and Rowan were soulmates, and it just felt bad to me. So, I was beyond elated to see their outcome work out differently than I expected.

“Yrene pushed down on the handle. And Chaol took a step toward her.”

This quote defeated me. When Chaol finally stood up and then walked to Yrene… I was weeping. Like, tears, sniffling, heavy breathing, hell, I was ugly crying, let’s be real. This was my favorite moment in this entire book and I was a complete and utter mess.

“You looked at me without an ounce of pity. You saw me. Not the chair or the injury. You saw me. It was the first time I’d felt … seen. Felt awake, in a long time.”

I loved how Sarah handled Chaol’s disability, and how even though he is able to walk a lot of the time, he also isn’t completely healed. I was really concerned going into this book, that this was going to be a bad feeling "fix", so an able-bodied Chaol could come back into the main storyline, but instead it truly was a story about Chaol coming to terms with his disability and accepting himself and his life, wheelchair, cane, or standing on his own two feet.

“I might not have battled kings and shattered castles […] but I am the heir apparent to the Healer on High. Through my own work and suffering and sacrifice. And you’re standing right now because of that. People are alive because of that. So I may not be a warrior waving a sword about, may not be worthy of your glorious tales, but at least I save lives—not end them.”

And Yrene is such a amazing character. Seeing her refusing to ever be a victim again, while also teaching lots of young girls how to defend themselves, was one of my favorite plot lines Sarah J Maas has ever written. I loved the tie in with The Assassin and the Healer, and I am very much anticipating the reunion between her and Aelin. Also, Chaol crying over his fate and that piece of paper? Lord, help me.

“I loved you before I ever set eyes on you”

I actually really enjoyed the romance between Nesryn and Sartaq, too, I just was really disappointed that we didn’t also get to have a sex scene between them, as horrible as that sounds! Sartaq has some of the most romantic one liners I have ever read in my entire life. Like, he has me swooning from the very beginning, and I can’t wait to read more about him and the rest of the Ruk riders. Also, the whole storyline with the Ruks very much reminded me of Valyn’s storyline in the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, which is one of my favorite series of all time, and I completely loved it. Give me all the warrior birds and their warrior riders, please.

And Borte, Yeran, Houlun, and Falkan were all amazing side characters, too! And the plot twist with Falkan searching for Lysandra made my entire year. That, too, will be such an amazing reunion that I can’t wait to read about.

And Nesryn’s storyline was really important to me too. I was very happy she wasn’t overshadowed by Chaol and Yrene. I also loved that she acknowledged that she refused to be used and be a rebound to Chaol. As much as I felt bad for Chaol, because of Aelin, Nesyrn is the only true victim in this. I’m also happy that she seeked out her own happiness, even without knowing that Chaol and Yrene had feelings for each other. I hope young SJM fans read this, and realize they are all worth someone who unconditionally loves them, and an impulsive ride on a Ruk.

“We fly to war. Much is uncertain ahead. Save for this.” He brushed his mouth against hers. “Save for what I feel for you. No demon army, no dark queen or king, will change that.”

I mean, just when I thought we had all the Maeve surprises we were going to get from Empire of Storms, this book comes along and says, “hold my beer!” A Valg Queen? Talk about an amazing plot twist that I didn’t see coming from a mile away! Also, the Stygian Spiders are terrifying, and I know their gate guarding is going to come back into play in a super crucial way and they are going to give me the major heebie-jeebies all over again!

Fireheart, the epilogue ending with Aelin… be still, my heart. I honestly cannot wait for this final concluding novel. The ending of Empire of Storms was hard to read, and those two pages just brought back so many emotions.

Overall, if you couldn’t guess from this gush of a review, I completely and wholeheartedly loved this. Again, this is my second favorite thing Sarah J. Maas has created, and I have nothing but the highest of hopes for everything she creates and for what she plans to do for the conclusions on this series. Also, she has set up the option for so many spinoffs with all of these amazing side characters she introduced in Tower of Dawn, but first they all have to survive this incoming war.

“Maybe you and I will have to learn how to live—if we survive this war.”

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[Kainat 《HUFFLEPUFF & PROUD》]

Since the USA version doesn't come with a warning, here it is.

This book contains mature content.
Not suitable for younger readers.


Just took a peek at the quotes, most of them seem to be about "how great and frightening Aelin is" and how revolting & cringe-worthy Rowan's love is. Um, are they even in this book? I might be mistaken but i was led to believe this was Chaol's book?


HOLY SMOKES!
G.R.R.M, is that . . . is that you, my man?



This is going to be a full sized book now? YICKS! Is it just me or SJM is turning into Cassandra Clare? Get ready for some horribly written pages after pages of "nothing worked below his waist except the velvet-wrapped steel." Or is it his tower this time? Either way, i think I'll pass.

[jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

chaol is and always be my favourite character in this series. no one is more deserving of having such in-depth character development, redemption, and healing. i cant think of a better character for the readers to go on such an emotional journey with. it makes me so unbelievably happy to once again see him happy. <3

also, this exchange will forever give me life.

'using the chair is not a punishment. it is not a prison,' he said softly. 'i am as much of a man in that chair, or with that cane, as i am standing on my feet.'

'i wanted to heal you,' she breathed.

'you did,' he said, smiling. 'yrene, in every way that truly matters... you did.'

ughh. im not crying. you are. :')

_____________________________

okay. as someone who has made it pretty obvious how much i dislike the covers of this series, WHY on earth am i so frustrated that this one doesnt match?!??! i mean, WHO EVEN AM I???!?

identity crisis aside, this book is so good. it is so different from the rest of the series, but i love that. it is so refreshing. also, its an unpopular opinion, i know, but i always have and always will love chaol. he has been my favourite since the very beginning and i will stand by him through thick and thin, at his best and at his worst (yeah, i see you guys coming for him during ‘queen of shadows’ - not on my watch!). he is such a complex character - flawed, but also redeemable. and so its about time he got a book of his own. i missed him so much in ‘empire of storms,’ so this totally makes up for his long absence.

in true SJM fashion, this delivers on the storytelling, the writing, the plot development, and the phenomenal characters. i love how this is completely separate from the main series, but also tied in so well, giving the reader much needed information. i cant wait to see how what happens in this book will incorporate with everything else that has been going on in the series. but one thing is for sure, its about to all go down and none of us will make it out alive.

↠ 5 stars

[Warda · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this for the 3rd time, I'm thinking that this instalment in the series is severely underrated.

Chaol deserved this journey, this book. It's always a little amazing when you read about characters, people, overcoming certain obstacles, whether that's internal or external. In this case, it was both for Chaol. Even though, this book follows 3 other characters, it's Chaol's story at its core.

His emotional journey was very much needed. From pure self-loathing to healing. From having lost his purpose to finding something much better than what he originally had. From being lost to being found. You know. All that lovely human crap.

And that ending! 😭 I’m so happy he’s found himself again. And Yrene.
I’m emo.
This book was so brown, and so enjoyable to read. I love this series with my soul.

——————————

GODDAMN THIS WAS EPIC! 😭

Thanks to my babe Lena for making this reading experience extra amazing! Always going to have fond memories attached to it now! <3

I just want to curl up in a ball, stay in a cave somewhere till the last book comes out. Last page? Sadistic move! 😩

There's so much that's happening in this overall story of Aelin and her court! (I get so psyched when I say that!) So much that needs resolving and I don't know how Sarah J Maas will wrap it up. Especially with the new revelations that were brought to light.

One thing I can rely on though is that Sarah J Maas will deliver.

Chaol as a character since the beginning of this series has been one of my favourites. Before my obsession with Rowan or Aelin or Dorian even. He was the one I instantly warmed to and cared for. And his overall character arc from book one till now has been an incredible to follow. I adore him!

I can't wait to see the role each character will play in the final book.

This series safely sits alongside my Potter collection as one of my all-time favourite series.

With regards to the Valg, anyone else think they represent the Dementors and Yrene's powers as the Patronus Charm, since the way people can get healed from the Valg is attacking it with a happy memory? With a healer’s light and magic? I just loved that aspect! A lot!

[Andreea Pop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edit: Will my book slump ever go away? Maybe. Perhaps. Slow progress. But this book was a step in the right direction. Loved this with all my heart and couldn’t stop reading. Maas, again, applause for you.

(Don’t know if I’ll have a review for this one. I hate to promise and not provide and life is hectic. I just stress myself a lot about it, hope you don’t mind. But this one is highly, highly recommended!)

***

Never been on Team Chaol. My precious cinnamon roll, Dorian Havilliard, stole my heart from the beginning. But I've always wondered: HOW ON EARTH CAN ANYONE NOT LOVE CHAOL?!?! Not for his relationship with Celaena, but just for who he is. Selfless, loyal, kind, courageous. I don't know about you, but the fact that he lost his shit in QoS (which was acceptable since he went against everything he believed in his whole life), the fact that he was flawed like any other human being only brought him closer to perfection.

So, no. I'm not sad that we get his book instead of the final novel. He deserves the recognition. SJM described this book as HoF (my favorite ToG installment) but for Chaol. It's gonna be a journey of healing and revelations and finding yourself again. PLUS THE SOUTHERN CONTINENT OMG. Plus Yrene Towers!! And NESRYN. It's gonna be amazing.



SEPTEMBER CANNOT ARRIVE FAST ENOUGH.

[Hailey (Hailey in Bookland) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read, I just think it was waaaay too long and not really entirely necessary. I liked seeing a different perspective on things and being in a new setting following different characters. I loved the way the relationships ended up going, so that was a big plus. Buuut, I just wasn't really entirely wowed. I listened to the audiobook but I think I may read it physically closer to the release date for the next TOG novel, so in a very long time.

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List

I was waiting on my special copies to get here. Yes, I got two.

This is my signed edition from Barnes and Noble with some extras at the back.



The one from Target has the special art inside.





Sooooooooooooooooo, I was going to give this 4 stars but it made the 5 stars because I have a new love and that would be Sartaq =) I really wish they would have had more scenes with him and Nesryn. I want to read more about them. But there is still the war so there is that and I love their Ruks!

I wasn't a fan of Chaol after someone was killed in another book and he... well it doesn't matter. I enjoyed this book about him good enough. I'm glad I read Assassin's Blade before this because some peeps were in this book.

I loved Yrene sooooooooooooo much too. She's a healer that was asked to help Chaol. It was a rough road with that because of things....

We find out some revelations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! REVELATIONS! REVELATIONS! I love screaming that in a book. I didn't see that coming at all and now I'm worried about the last book. =( They better all live because it's going to me messed up with some wickedness.

There are some great characters in this book but it centers around Chaol, Yrene, Nesryn and Sartaq. But all of the other characters are great except for the evil ones but that is a given!

There was a happy ending and not so happy ending because of things to come. I did mention I'm worried right?

Mel ♥

[Tharindu Dissanayake · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Lead the way, Yrene Towers."

Yrene Towers... Maas is getting better and better with character development. Come to think of it, all my favorite characters in this series were introduced from the third book onwards. And the world building here is next level compared to all previous installments. There was a heavy Tolkien vibe throughout this book which I loved despite the irritatingly slower pace.

"Long ago, in another world, another lifetime, there existed a land of dark, and cold, and wind."

I don't know when the novella about Yrene was originally released, but ever since I came across her in Assassin's Blade, I was wondering how she would fit into things. It only became clear at the end of fourth book, when Chaol was dispatched to the southern continent, that we might encounter her again. But I did not expect for Maas to create such a vital, and interesting character out of her like this, who, from the looks of it, going to play a major role in the last book. The healer's plot line more or less takes over that of Chaols, and manages to control more than half of the book here, while Nesryn relating her own separate journey.

"The world needs more healers."

The obvious weakness in this book is it's relatively slower pace. Maas had been gradually increasing the pace until that last (fifth) book, and in my opinion, Tower of Dawn disturbed that flow. This might have been great for a first book in a series, where the readers would be looking for a lot of detailed world building, but not in a penultimate book. I only refrained from skimming through some of the chapters because I was worried if I miss anything vital to the last book. But to be honest, it was an tiring effort. May be this might've worked out a little better if the book was positioned before Empire of Storm. The unforgiving pace set by the fifth book made this appear completely out of place.

"I am not particularly skilled with heights."

However, the plot did put a lot of missing links in proper place at last, including some major ones. Though, I'm not fully convinced if these revelations required such a long book. But at least it was nice to have Chaol back. It's finally time to begin the ending.

"True wealth is not all glittering gold and jewels."

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fuck rereading this book HURT MY HEART

Original review:
I. Am. In. Tears.

I was originally not at all excited for this book but then I reread the entire series and I was HYPED. This book didn't let me down at all. Not one bit. I'm shook to the max by how much I utterly love this book. I was in no way ready for everything that happened in this book and I'm blown away by all of the twists and turns that occurred.

We all knew that Chaol's job was to get healed as well as raise an army. Honestly, the way Chaol's healing took place was so utterly raw and incredible. I think it was absolutely perfect where he ended up and I don't think Sarah could have done any better than this. This book is incredible perfection and I am in love.

As someone who didn't like Chaol and slowly grew to like him in my reread, I would like to say that I love Chaol. That is all.

[Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

”There are choices in my past,” he said tightly, “that I have come to regret. But I can only move on – and attempt to fix them. Fight to make sure they do not occur again.”

Where do I even start with this review?
It was different. Different than all the books that came before because the pacing wasn’t as fast as in the former books and Sarah actually took her time to support the development of her characters and the plot. I know some people might think that an entire book about Chaol would be boring or that such a slow pacing would be detrimental for the overall storyline of the series but for me it wasn’t! Quite the contrary!

I think this book was necessary and needed and if you didn’t read “Tower of Dawn” because you don’t like Chaol and think you can ignore his story, it’s your choice, but I think you’re missing out on a lot of fun and important information that is vital to understand the events in “Kingdom of Ash”. ;-)

Yes, this is a book about healing and recovering from injuries, it’s a book about guilt and redemption, it’s a story about a broken man who fights his way back into life, it’s about acknowledging the darkness that lives within all of us and about embracing it in order to learn how to move on. It’s about acceptance! Acceptance of the past, the present, the future, about recognizing your fears and faults, about making amends, but most of all it’s a story about a man who fights his inner demons and learns to love himself.

It’s one of the most beautiful stories I’ve read so far and even though the slow burns and pacing killed me I can still say that it fit the atmosphere of the book perfectly. This was a harmonious masterpiece and I can only speak for myself but from me Sarah gets all the stars and even more!!! <333

I loved this and thoroughly enjoyed it and I hope many other people will read and love it too! =))

The Characters:

You are now entering my “Spoilery Spoiler Section” and if you want to be spoiled take a seat, grab something to eat and drink and enjoy another one of my endless ToG essays. *lol* If you haven’t read this book yet and plan to dive into it soon you better leg it though. XD Consider yourself warned! ;-P

Chaol:

”Lord Chaol Westfall, Hand of the King.
He hated it. More than the sound of wheels. More than the body he now could not feel beneath his hips, the body whose stillness still surprised him, even after all these weeks later.
He was Lord of Nothing, Lord of Oath-Breakers. Lord of Liars.”

Oh Chaol!!! How much I suffered with him throughout the course of this entire book!!! He was so broken and loathed himself so much. To read his POV was more than just painful and to see how all his actions gnawed on him made me infinitely sad. He was practically flagellating himself and his self-hatred knew no boundaries. >_< This poor, poor man!!! Trapped in a broken body and left with a shattered soul. There were so many things he never worked through and if you ask me, it was about time he confronted his inner demons. (Quite literally I may add) And boy how he did it! I AM SO DAMN PROUD OF MY BOY!!! I CAN’T EVEN PUT IT INTO WORDS!!! Chaol’s journey was worth every second of my time! I finally saw the boy I liked so much in those first two books and it was so good to have him back again! To see his journey, to see how he grew in this book, how he accepted his mistakes and learned from them, how he became a stronger person! Gosh, this was everything I ever wanted and more! <3 Hands down one of the best character arcs I ever had the pleasure to read about! =)) Thank you Queen Maas!!! *bows*

”A man used to being obeyed, yes, but a man also inclined to care for others. Look after them. Driven to do it by a compulsion he couldn’t leash, couldn’t train out of him. Couldn’t have broken out of him.”

”He’d been sinking and drowning since. Long before his spine.
He wasn’t certain if he’d even tried to swim. Not since that sword had gone into the river. Not since he’d left Dorian in that room with his father and told his friend – his brother – that he loved him, and knew it was good-bye. He’d … left. In every sense of the word.”

”A body on a bed. A dagger poised above his heart. A head rolling on stone. A collar around a neck. A sword sinking to the bottom of the Avery.”

”Life. He had life to savor, to fight for.
And the breaking that had started and ended here … Yes, it belonged to him. He was allowed to break, so that this forging might begin.
So that he might begin again.”

Yrene:

”The day I reached these shores, I cast aside that girl. And I will be damned if I let her reemerge. Or let someone tell me what to do with my life, my choices again.”

Haha! Boy, was I angry at Yrene!!! That horrible behaviour!! *lol* Seriously, the way she treated Chaol at the beginning of the book was so appalling! I mean I understand why she did it and why she hated him so much, but she didn’t even know him and never even gave him the benefit of the doubt. So I was basically bristling with indignation when she treated him that bad. XD Once she started to heal him she realized how wrong she was though and to see how she started to care for Chaol, how she realized that he was a good man. Well, let’s just say it was worth all the trouble they had at the beginning. ;-P Plus I loved that Yrene was so stubborn and headstrong and that she never backed down! That woman had guts! *lol* Especially when she threw Hasar into the water because she insulted Chaol. It takes quite some courage to go to such lengths and if there is one thing Yrene has in abundance then it’s certainly bravery. XD

Nesryn:

”So she’d figured it was better to remain, to be passed over, not for mere pay, but for the fact that there were so few other guards like her, helping those who needed it most. It was for them she stayed on, kept her head down while lesser men were appointed.”

And here I go with another woman that received my anger at the beginning of the book. *lol* Once again I understand why Nesryn acted the way she did and decided to leave with Sartaq, but damn did it bother me that she didn’t even tell Chaol in person. Yes, they had to leave quickly and were pressed for time, but still. She basically left him to deal with this huge pile of crap and that poor boy was already unable to cope with anything that happened. She should have known better than that and shouldn’t have left him to his own devices. Promises or not this was a shitty move and she knew it. ;-) Despite all that I still like her though. I mean Nesryn is a woman who’s self-confident and knows her weaknesses and strengths. She’s comfortable in her own skin and goes her own way. I have to admire that even though it made me angry at the beginning. *lol*

Sartaq:

”There is beauty in my father’s lands,” the prince went on while Kadara ripped into that monstrous carcass, “but there is much lurking beneath the surface, too.”

I LOVE SARTAQ!!! Of all the new characters that were introduced in this book this man definitely was the best!!! GAH! I don’t even know where to start! I loved everything about him! I mean he’s the khagan’s son and he’s a ruk rider and he’s charming, funny, sweet, eloquent, down-to-earth and never hesitates to voice his opinion. He is so honest, honourable, compassionate, caring, courageous and attentive it’s impossible not to love him. <333 Of all the khagan’s children I liked him the most and this right from the very first page he was introduced. XD I really hope we’ll see more of him in “Kingdom of Ash” and I can’t wait to see how all the other characters are going to react to him! =))

”I am sorry – for your loss. As long ago as it was. I … As a warrior, I grew up walking hand-in-hand with Death. And yet this one … It has been harder to endure than others. And my mother’s grief perhaps even harder to face than my own.”

Hasar:

”Hasar was many things, but she was loyal. To her core. To the few, few people whom she favoured. It had always warmed something in Yrene. To have someone who actually meant what they said. Hasar would behead the killer if they were unfortunate to encounter her. She would ask no questions, either.”

I still don’t know if I should like her or if I should dislike her. *lol* On the one hand I admired her brutal honesty and ruthlessness but on the other hand I didn’t like her attitude towards Chaol and Nesryn. Well, truth be told, even towards Yrene. I mean Yrene is her best friend, yet she didn’t even hesitate to use her in order to get some information from Chaol. She didn’t care if her best friend felt threatened by her and she didn’t give a damn about Yrene’s feelings when she basically forced her on Chaol. Right after the motto: The end justifies the means. She seems to be an intriguing character but I didn’t see all too much of her so I’m still undecided. Mhmm… maybe KoA will help me to get to know her better? =)

The relationships and ships:

Yrene & Chaol:

”So you may look at me with resentment Yrene Towers, and I will not blame you for it. But believe me when I say that there is no one in Erilea who loathes me more than I do myself.”

To say those two had a bad start would be putting it more than just mildly! *LOL* They were at each other’s throat right from the moment Yrene walked into Chaol’s room, but they both had to go a long way and it was so nice to see them grow. Not just character-wise but also in the sense of growing together. I think that describes it really well. Over time their initial distrust turned into hesitant acceptance, a solid friendship and then into something more. And I LIVE for relationships like that! <333 Those two were so amazing together and there were so many moments that caused me to gasp. For instance the intense scene at the dinner party of the khagan’s children! I swear the air was burning between them! And the moment when Yrene coaxed him into walking towards her? Gosh, such a beautiful chapter and so typical for Chaol. He only started to walk because he wanted to apologize to her. *shakes head* Sweet boy! I have to admit that the ending kind of threw me though. I mean he went all this way, Yrene healed him fully and then he gave his life for her and once again was almost killed in the process. It’s just not fair that he had to suffer again, that he’ll suffer for the rest of his life now that Yrene made that deal with the goddess, but it still … idk it fits?! Their lives are connected now, not just by their love but also by the bond that was forged when Yrene saved him. And considering how deep their love is, this is kind of perfect and suitable? I mean, they probably couldn’t imagine a life without each other anyway so I guess it’s good they are tethered to each other? *lol* I’m making no sense, but I hope everyone who read this book knows what I mean! XD And I really, really, really hope they’ll both survive KoA! >_<

”Everything I thought, everything I had planned and wanted … It’s gone. All I have left is my king, and this ridiculous, slim scrap of hope that we survive this war and I can find a way to make something of it.”
“Of what?”
“Of everything that crumbled in my hands. Everything.”

”I don’t share a bed with patients. And you’re with Captain Faliq,” she added quickly. “And you’re –“
“Not in fit form to pleasure a woman?”
He was shocked he said it. But again more than a tad smug to see her eyes flare.
“No,” Yrene said, somehow going redder. “Certainly not that. But you’re… you.”
“I’m trying not to be insulted.”

Yet Yrene wrapped her arms around herself and said, “I feel safer here.”
Chaol tried not to blink at her. At the words.
With him. She felt safer here with him.

”He didn’t understand – how she could be so delicate, so small, when she had overturned his life entirely. Worked miracles with those hands and that soul, this woman who had crossed mountains and seas.”

Nesryn & Sartaq:

”After last night’s party, I had thought you would be … preoccupied.”
With Chaol. Her brows rose. “All day?”
The prince gave her a roguish smile, finishing off his long braid and picking up his spear once more. “I certainly would take all day.”

BLESS SARTAQ and his unapologetic flirting!!! *lol* I loved him so much and it was so funny to see self-confident Nesryn blush! Those two killed me! Throughout the entire book I may add! GAH! I swear I rarely came across such a slow burn (the only other example that instantly comes to mind is “The Raven Cycle”) and up until almost the last page I was like: “KISS GODDAMIT!! KISS!!! WHY WON’T YOU FINALLY KISS??!!! ADKASDLFSJAJKLMNÖ!” I swear, I was constantly complaining to Gem about them not even holding hands (Thank you for enduring my rants btw! *lol*) and I couldn’t believe that Sarah actually went for such a slow burn! XD I mean when I think about EoS… well you get the idea. Haha! Anyway, those two were so cute together, especially Sartaq, that I just wanted this ship to sail. Badly! And OMG was it a relief when they FINALLY kissed in the end! I hope they’ll have a few tender moments in KoA as well and that this isn’t all we get because ARGH I might actually die if a chaste kiss is everything they are going for. Look at me complaining about all those sexy scenes in EoS and now begging for some with Sartaq and Nesryn. *lmao* Sarah, you clearly messed me up big time… *shakes head*

”It took her another minute to stop trembling. Sartaq patiently waited, stroking her hair, fingers rippling over the ridges of Borte’s braid. She let him, leaned into the touch while she studied the gap they’d now have to jump, the stairs still beyond.”

”But even as the night moved on, as Nesryn sang in that beautiful mountain-hall, she felt Sartaq’s stare. Different from any he’d given before. And though she told herself she should, Nesryn did not look away.”

Sartaq smiled at her – gently. Sweetly. In a way she had not yet seen.
“I loved you before I even set eyes on you,” he said.
“Please,” Nesryn wept.
Sartaq’s hand tightened on hers. “I wish we’d had time.”

Nesryn left her body. Could only manage to breathe.
And when she tried to bow, Sartaq gripped her shoulders tightly. Stopped her before her head could even lower. “Never from you,” he said quietly.

Dorian & Chaol:

”Even as boys, I knew he was not his father’s son. I knew a better future lay with him, if I could make sure Dorian lived long enough. If he not only lived, but also survived – emotionally. If he had an ally, a true friend, in that court of vipers. Neither of us was old enough, strong enough to challenge his father. We saw what happened to those who whispered of rebellion. I knew that if I, if he set one foot out of line, his father would kill him, heir or no. So I craved the stability, the safety of the status quo.”

Those moments when Chaol thought about Dorian were the death of me. So much pain on both sides and Dorian never even blamed Chaol for leaving him in the castle. I can’t wait until those two are reunited again and I’m sure I’ll cry like a baby when they face each other after everything that happened. I just want them to hug and to be happy! <333 This friendship survived so much, I hope it will survive that final war too! They deserve it! *sobs* T_T

”I don’t know. He is free – he is alive. But is he fine? He suffered. Greatly. In ways I can’t begin to…” His throat tightened to the point of pain. “It should have been me. I had always planned for it to be me instead.”

Aelin & Chaol:

”Chaol?”
For wherever you need to go – and then some. The world needs more healers.
There, in her handwriting…
Chaol looked up at last, blinking away tears as he scanned his wife’s face. Every beautiful line, those golden eyes.
A gift.
A gift from a queen who had seen another woman in hell and thought to reach back a hand. With no thought of it ever being returned. A moment of kindness, a tug on a thread…

THIS MOMENT!!! I cried so freaking much when Chaol discovered that Aelin was the woman who helped Yrene all those years ago. This scene was so moving I’m having tears in my eyes just thinking about it. Precious Chaol crying. T_T Ahh, I swear there are so many different feels when I think about this revelation and they make me a crying mess, so I better stop talking about them now. XD

All told, I enjoyed this book even more than I expected and to say I loved every single second of it would probably be the understatement of the century. There was never a dull or boring moment and after reading five books (6 if you count “The Assassin’s Blade”) I was actually surprised that I’m still able to fall for newly introduced characters. Thank you, Sarah! <3

And of course special thanks also go to my precious Gem! I wouldn’t have survived this book (and the slow burns) without you and I’m so glad we’re already reading the last book together! =) I can’t believe we actually buddy read this entire series!!! *lol* What’s going to come next?! We need another long series like that! XD

[Katerina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not prepared for this book.

Tower of Dawn was everything I wanted, even though I was not aware of it before the first chapters. A Court of Mist and Fury inflicted some serious damage to my relationship with Sarah J. Maas due to severe character mistreatment, shameless manipulation and a shrine built for Saint Rhysand, but this one restored my faith in her. Before reading Tower of Dawn I was furious for the delay in Throne of Glass' conclusion. For another change of ships I knew would come. I decided to dive into it for the sake of continuing the story, as if it was an unpleasant task I had to get over with. I never expected to be this invested in the new characters. I never expected the frantic heartbeat, the way my chest exploded. And I ended up full of gratitude and a little awe in front of the miracle, the wondrous feeling of finding a little gem, a flare of magic where you least expected it.

“He was Lord of Nothing. Lord of Oath-Breakers. Lord of Liars.”

Tower of Dawn follows Chaol and Nesryn's journey to the southern continent, in order to search for potential allies against the forces of Morath and a way to heal Chaol after the events of Queen of Shadows. In a foreign land, a place thriving and actually cared for by its monarchs, Chaol was forced to face the demons within, along with the court manipulations and the political games between the viziers and the possible heirs of the khaganate. There he met Yrene Towers, an unwilling Healer hating Adarlan and everything Chaol represented with a seething passion, but for reasons unknown to him decided to help him nonetheless. Nesryn, on the other hand, was restless. Even though she finally found a place to blend in despite her mixed heritage, she craved the adventure Chaol promised her but never delivered. And so, she set off on an adventure of her own. On the back of a ruk, she battled horrendous beings and came across secrets that could alter the outcome of the war to end all wars. In the city of Antica, where the Tower of Healers blessed by the Goddess loomed, in the unforgiving mountains of the famous ruk riders, Chaol and Nesryn found answers, even to questions they never dared ask.

“For wherever you need to go - and then some. The world needs more healers. ”

Healing. That's what Chaol needed, for his broken body and his broken soul, ravaged by the guilt and self-loathing that festered inside him. And Sarah, the wonderful and terrible Sarah, gave them to him. I always thought that his relationship with Aelin was not treated smoothly, that in her desperate need to make Rowan/Aelin happen, the author decided to sacrifice him. To be honest, though, I never turned against him. I just wanted Sarah to restore this beautiful, flawed character who gave up everything, his title, his honour, his men, and ended up feeling like a total waste, a disappointment and a pathetic excuse of a human being. The portayal of his inner thoughts, the broken pieces of him, was spectacular, and so was the depiction of disability, and how the emotional trauma, the constant feeling of incompetence, can wreck more havoc than the physical wound itself. I ached for him. For his trials, for his demons, for everything. His stay in the southern continent was a much-needed journey of redemption, and in the end I felt purified. Ready to conquer the world, fight the horrors of Morath and Erawan by his side. It was invigorating.

“He had made one promise. He had not broken it yet.
To save them.
His friend, his kingdom.
He still had that.
Even here at the bottom of this dark hell, he still had that.”

But Chaol was not the only one who needed to find himself. Yrene Towers, the young healer Aelin helped a lifetime ago, came to play a vital part. At first I was so angry at her, for being blind with rage and grief and failing to see that Chaol was not the one who took everything from her, that the same nation can breed both bad and good men. But as the story progressed, and her walls started crumbling, I loved the person that emerged. Her bravery, her devotion, her compassion. I keep saying that Sarah never fails to create imperfectly perfect male characters (except Rhysand, the One-Who-Makes-Mountains-Tremble), but her female characters are fantastic as well. They're badass, truly badass, and strong despite the impediments they keep facing. Nesryn is another example, and she proved again and again how brave and brilliant she is. The way her relationship with Chaol unfolded was, thankfully, well-handled, and she shone as an independent person, without Chaol's influence.

“I wish we'd had time.”

The characters introduced for the first time in Tower of Dawn were deeply intriguing, but there was one that made the others pale compared to him. Shartaq. Let's take a moment to admire the Winged Prince, who's a soft marshmallow and a fierce warrior at the same time. New crush alert, people, new crush alert (don't worry Dorian, you're still my number one bae)



The feelings evoked while reading Tower of Dawn were all-encompassing, and I cried so many times I lost count. Tears of joy, sorrow, pain and relief stained my face, especially in the last chapters (and, to be honest, every time Chaol remembered or talked about Dorian, his brother, his king - his loyalty and love towards Dorian made my heart swell). The descriptions were vivid, and everything related to the khaganate, the history, the culture, the court intrigue, was fascinating, the new world was richly painted. I felt the freedom of riding on a ruk, and wandered in lush palaces full of spying servants and scheming nobles, grieving for a princess who was lost so young and rooting for the next heir of a prosperous kingdom. The revelations about the Valg, and the secrets contained in libraries and tombs set the road for an explosive final book. But as it's slowly sinking in how much I'll have to wait for the last instalment of the series I cherish, a series

“I will cherish always.
No matter what may befall the world.
No matter the oceans, or mountains, or forests in the way.”

I think I'm on the verge of depression.



If you have any doubts about reading Tower of Dawn, get over yourselves and read it. You won't regret it.

For this review and more visit BookNest!

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Tower of Dawn' was one of my most anticipated books of the year. I absolutely could not wait to get my hands on it. I am a goner for this series!

After the way things left off at the end of the fifth book, I was sure that this book would pick up where it had ended. I expected to dive right back into Celaena's current predicament and have a front row seat as she managed to battle her way out of captivity. That didn't happen.

This book was not the book that I thought I'd be getting. That isn't to say that it was a let down though, it wasn't. It just wasn't at all what I was expecting.

'Tower of Dawn' explores an entirely different aspect of this complex story. This book focuses on Chaol and his exploration of the Southern Continent. Not what I anticipated...but still fantastic.

Let me be upfront about the fact that I was not the biggest fan of Chaol. In fact, over the past few books I had grown to detest him. He is a character that went from being a favorite of mine to one that I loathed. I wasn't sure that there would ever be any redemption for him.

Incredibly, Sarah J. Maas has managed to work Chaol back into my good graces with this book. I wouldn't have believed it was possible, but she made it happen. This book showed a softer, more vulnerable side of Chaol. I even felt bad for him at times. Little by little, I found myself warming back up to him and understanding why he did some of the things that he did before.

Horribly wounded, Chaol and Nesryn seek out the legendary healers of Torre Cesme in Antica. If anyone can cure Chaol of his paralysis, they will be found here. However, his mission is two-fold. He hopes to also gain additional support for the campaign in the North.

Begrudgingly, Yrene is tasked with healing Chaol. It will be her greatest achievement, if she can overcome her deep-rooted hatred for Chaol and the kingdom that he represents. Yrene suffered greatly as a result of the King that Chaol fought for. She's faced with an ethical dilemma of epic proportions.

The two eventually strike up an unlikely friendship. While the memory of what Chaol represents is never far from Yrene's mind, she finds herself seeing him as more man and less monster as time passes. Their relationship grows slowly and steadily, each trying to hold back their feelings until it eventually becomes impossible.

As Chaol begins to heal, he starts questioning what he really wants. He feels remorse and shame for some of his past actions. With Yrene, he finds forgiveness and revived humanity.

Of course, it wouldn't be a 'Throne of Glass' book if there wasn't plenty of danger and action. There was no shortage of adventure and heart-stopping situations. Expect a strong dose of the supernatural. Around every turn was the possibility of destruction as this battle between good and evil continues.

My only disappointment was that I was dying to pick up where the last book left off. Unfortunately, I am still in the dark, along with a million other readers. Aside from a few very brief mentions at the very end of this book, Celaena, Rowan and Dorian are noticeably absent from this book. We'll all have to wait for the next one to get our questions answered.

Even so, I found myself completely lost in this book. It was worth every minute. I listened to the Audible edition and it was fabulous. Honestly, if I weren't so bitter about the fact that I'm still left in the dark about Celaena's fate, I'd probably say this was a 5-star read. I spent a lot of time waiting for her to make an appearance before finally realizing that it wasn't going to happen and just enjoying the beauty of this book for what it was.

Check out more of my reviews at www.bookaddicthaven.com

[emi · Rating 5 out of 5]

3.25.21 update:

It only took three almost four years but I finally ready this book, who still has the fugliest cover in existence. I just couldn't be seen in public with this cover. Who can blame me? Nobody can.

It could have been so much better. They could have put Chaol on this cover and they didn't. Imagine him in the wheelchair. It would have been so good. What did we do to anger the cover designers??? What should we have sacrificed in their names??

And nice try, SJM. I still wish Chaol and Celaena were end game. I will always wish they were end game. This book didn't change my opinion for shit.

1.6.19 update:

It's 2019 and I still haven't gotten around to reading this book

*insert shrug emoji here*

one day I'll come back to you chaol, my love.

6.28.17 update:

Apparently this book is goign to be 700 pages.

It is gonna take me so long to read this urgh

That just means more time where someone might see me with reading this hideously covered book

RIP this book is going to be the death of me. I don't wanna be associated with something so ugly.

6.20.17 update:

lol this cover is so fugly

hahhahahahhahaha

it

so

ugly

we're in 2017 not 1997 rip

i thought we as a society have progressed past ugly covers

i mean if this was a novel about that ass turd r*wan then i'd understand but it's not thank god, we already have wayyyy to much r*wan as it is

#ChaolWestfallDeservesBetter #OhChaolNo



(also who the eff is Nesryn I don't remember her at all)

(no one is answering this question properly I am still lost who the eff is Nesryn?????)

(haha I give up. I'm never gonna remember her)

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 5 out of 5]

#0.1-#0.5 The Assassin’s Blade ★★★★★
#1 Throne of Glass ★★★★★
#2 Crown of Midnight ★★★★★
#3 Heir of Fire ★★★★★
#4 Queen of Shadows ★★★★★
#5 Empire of Storms ★★★★★
#6 Tower of Dawn ★★★★★

re-read update: April 2023

I still think this book is much longer than it needs to be, but I enjoyed it.

———

original review: October 2018

Despite the fact that this series has become one of my favorite series of all time (literally, it’s now tied with two other series for my #1 favorite spot), I was extremely apprehensive about picking up this installment! Not only is it so close to the end (just one book left!), but it takes place from Chaol’s perspective in the Southern Continent, and if you’ve read my reviews of the other books in this series, you know I’m not his biggest fan.

“You must enter where you fear to tread.”

With that in mind, I’m not sure why I ever doubted Maas’ ability to entertain me, because no amount of dislike for Chaol could have kept me from still enjoying this book quite a bit. While Chaol is incredibly angsty and self-loathing through most of the book, and that aspect of his personality gets old quickly, he also grows so much as a character and comes to recognize his own flaws and mistakes in a way that makes it hard not to forgive him. He’s still not winning Character of the Year awards from me any time soon, but I definitely don’t hate him.

“Using the chair is not a punishment. It is not a prison. It never was. And I am as much of a man in that chair, or with that cane, as I am standing on my feet.”

There’s also a lot to be said for his disability rep. Chaol begins the book hating his wheelchair and himself, but he grows to accept his new disability and begins to realize that it’s going to hold him back from so much less than he thought it would. There are also a few discussions regarding how disabled individuals can feel like guinea pigs for physicians (healers), or how painful it is to be treated differently. I won’t promise this rep will work for every own-voice reader, but as someone who suffers from chronic pain and invisible disabilities, there were moments that actually made me cry because I felt so strongly understood by Chaol’s representation.

It was like waking up or being born or falling out of the sky. It was an answer and a song, and she could not think or feel fast enough.

The real shining stars in this book, though, are Nesryn and Yrene. They are both such enjoyable characters, and I especially loved watching the way Nesryn came to life when she finally got to come home. There’s a lot of talk about her feeling out of place at first, but she quickly comes to realize that she’s been welcomed into her homeland with open arms by almost everyone she meets, and it means so much to her that it’s incredibly heart-warming. They’re both strong-willed, independent women who could take on just about anything, whether it’s through Nesryn’s archery or Yrene’s healing, and I cherished them both tremendously.

“I think she was a god… I never learned her name. She only left a note with two lines. ‘For wherever you need to go—and then some. The world needs more healers.’”

We also meet quite a few new characters in this installment, as well as seeing some old faces (this would be a good time to tell you that it’s practically a requirement to read the Assassin’s Blade novellas before picking up Tower of Dawn!). I’ve mentioned this before, but I am a sucker for storylines that rally together all of the older, minor characters in the end, and Maas does that beautifully in both Empire of Storms and in this book. I especially loved watching certain puzzle pieces fall into place for characters (as in the scene with Chaol and Yrene at the end of the book that literally made me weep over how much I love Aelin).

Some swore the cats had been caught pawing through the pages of open books—reading.

One thing I want to address, though, that made this a 4.5 instead of a solid 5 for me, is the fact that it was originally intended to be a novella, and then was almost 700 pages in the end. On the one hand, I do think this book is longer than it should be—but on the other hand, a novella length wouldn’t have fit everything in, either! I think something in the 450-500 page range would have been a much better length, but it’s not a big complaint from me, as I’d always rather a book be a little too long than way too short and rushed.

This was not the end. This crack in him, this bottom, was not the end. He had one promise left.

And finally, because a lot of people have asked me in the few days since I finished reading this: is this book required reading for the series? YES. There are reveals in Tower of Dawn that are freaking HUGE for the series as a whole, plus there is so much character development that I honestly think you can’t afford to miss it. If you’re one of the series fans who simply refuses to read this, please, at least get a full-spoiler recap from someone! There’s just too much to miss.

[♛ may · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review up!

You know those books that you just look at the cover and you get this over encompassing wave of emotions that you don’t know how to deal with ???? yeah, that’s what I feel everytime I look at Tower of Dawn


me
me
me

Disclaimer: I do not promise coherency or stability in my emotions or screaming. But it WILL be spoiler free, don’t worry, I’m not a monster

A List of the Reason why I Wake up Crying
- Chaol westfall got an entire book dedicated to himself and his healing
- Can you imagine
- my son got his own book, after the haters tried to end his career, he rose over their pettiness and showed the world that he’s perfect
- and 700 pAGES too bInCh yOu tHoUghT
- so let me tell you why this book is the reason I get up in the morning
- bc chaol westfall is in pain
- and in this book
- he deals with his emotional and physical pain
- and HE GROWS SO MUCH OH MY GOD SEEING HIM GROW AND HEAL OH MY LORD WOW THIS BOOK HURT
- but nah boi don’t you go thinking this book is about chaol shedding his disability with a snap of the fingers and calling out my queen sjm for inaccurate ANYTHING bc
- THIS. BOOK. WAS. BEAUTIFUL.
- And the disability rep had ME IN TEARS
-
- But y’all be thinking
- ‘a whole book about chaol’s healing, boooooring’
- And im HERE TO TELL YOU N O
- There are sO MANY CHARACTERS
- AND SO MANY BLOODY SHIPS
- YOU’RE GOING TO BE DROWNING IN FEELS I CAN PROMISE YOU THIS
- So nesryn, this sassy, fierce beast practically gets her own entire storyline
- Like I love sjm so much for this
- Nesryn doesn’t just take a back seat while chaol is off healing
- nAH SHE’S WRECKING HER OWN HAVOC
- and man it’s incredible to read
- ALSO
- There are some revelations that wILL HAVE YOU SHOOK
- S H O O K E T H 2
- You think you KNOW PLOT TWISTS
- NOPE
- Sjm is here to undo everything you thought was the truth
- And these children of the king guy
- Wowowowowoowowwowowowo
- You expect to hate all their guts
- But no
- You only have like 2 of their guts
- The rest you grab and cuddle and integrate them into your little nest of shelter for your precious children
- There were maybe 319321 times while I was reading IN PUBLIC that I had to suPRESS the tEARS bc everyone was just stealing my heart and then when they got hurt, I got hurt with them
- YRENE TOWERS
- The love of my life
- If yrene towers doesn’t get her bloody happy ending im going to rally a herd of moose
- And put an END to everything
- NOT ONLY THAT
- But we get to HEAR from snippets of what was GOING on at the time aka EoS
- So like you’re up to date on both sides, it’s great
- And you see that ugly owl on the cover
- Yeah well I still think hes ugly and hate him for taking away from chaol’s face being on the cover
- But like I get it now
- I GET IT
- There’s so much action and adventure and pain and suffering and healing and rebirth and love in this story honestly if you don’t come out feeling like you wanna be a better person than I don’t want to talk to you
- Just
- Leave me alone with my children (and GIVE ME BOOK 7 NOW AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA)
- @ all you talented peeps
- Im waiting for that fanart yo, better hurry that up before I melt into a swamp of feels and emotions

5 million stars!!!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

i just want everyone to know that chaol westfall is the only thing good and pure left and this book needs to be burned before it DARES RUIN MY LIFE AGAIN

BLOODY HELL I CAN'T EVEN BREATHE THIS WAS PERFECTION IN EVERY SINGLE WAY

RTC when i remember how to breathe oxygen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

this is the fourth book im currently reading :') my life is totally under control :')

BUT ITS FOR CHAOL AND FOR MY BABY, I AM WILLING TO MAKE SACRIFICES

buddy read with my chaol loving tormentor

6/20/2017 update
so im trying to stay positive here but
theres an owl OR some creature
on a coin ?????????
or a shield or something
as the cover????????

EXCUSE ME BUT
I WANT CHAOL'S FACE
why must you hurt my sjm, why why why

anyways
on a positive note the background is on point, that coin on the other hand needs to flip on out of here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*screams*

it's the C h a o l n o v e l l a !
JUNE 27TH 2017 ???? WHO SAID THAT WAS OKAY???!!?? ;-;

[Zain Otoom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something resembling a review to come.
**
I don't like the cover at all. I feel so underwhelmed by it. It seems that anything including Chaol shouldn't be cared about much because like Chaol, duh.
Don't mind me, I'm just bitter about anything involving my baby.
**
WHAT COULD THE TITLE MEEEEEAAN?!! IM NOT OKAY THIS IS NOT OKAY WHAT IS THAT TITLE???
**
GUYS THIS IS NO LONGER JUST A NOVELLA!! IT'S A FULL-FLEDGED NOVEL IT'S GOING TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE 5TH OF SEPTEMBER AHHHHHHHHHH I CANT I CAN'T I'M SCREAMING I'M SHAKING SO BADLY RN!! *dies*
**
I keep opening this thinking that the release date would somehow change to, like, today?
Sigh.
**
I'M NOT CRYING I'M NOT CRYING ...
I'M CRYING I'M FUCKING CRYING T_T
Chaol my baby T_T

[Wren (fablesandwren) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is fighting for my favorite book in the series for so many reasons. Many because Sarah J Maas pulled a back-hand and showed her readers she had a plan all along for Chaol and she didn’t just toss him aside like he was a wasted character.

I loved exploring the Southern continent and how their lands work. We have a powerful royals who have spontaneous and wicked personalities who are fighting for the throne, we have a tower of women (with some men) who specialize in healing and not fighting which is so important, we have library cats because yes that is something we all didn’t know that we needed, we have giant spiders who are more deadly and animalistic than their northern sisters and absolutely something that I am terrified of yet want to know more about, and we have a huge twist that no one saw coming (and if you think you saw it coming, you’re wrong).

I want to touch on the disability part in this book.

I thought it was wonderfully done.

I went to the release party that Sarah J Maas held in Nashville, Tennessee and she voiced that she spent months and months asking people how they do certain things with disabilities and watching videos on how things were done. She went that extra mile to not assume she would know how it would be done, but to ask people and to actually learn about that group of people.



I believe her research paid off in this book. I will say that Chaol’s journey is a great one, and I am comparing this to the rest of the group’s journey’s here as well, but it isn’t all daisies and puppies at the end (which I completely prefer because anyone can be a hero, as long as they want it badly enough). She ended Chaol’s emotional journey in the absolute best way possible and I can’t say anymore because I will start crying for the fifth time.

“you must enter where you fear to tread”

She said one of the hardest things for her was to sit back and not say a word when people were bashing how she was treating Chaol. Letting people believe that his story didn’t matter to her, when she was yearning to write his story, not solely for the reason that his journey tilts the table of the war for Aelin and Company, but because she adores his character and has always had great plans for him.

“Here, with her, he was home.”

I have read some of my friend’s reviews who do deal with more crucial disabilities that I myself deal with, and I am happy to see that they feel represented, loved, appreciated, and like they too could kick the bad guy’s back-end.



Also: I like that she doesn’t shy away from the fact that Chaol is a complete and total jerk when it comes to women in this book either. But do not fright my dears, he sees the errors of his ways one way or another and comes to his senses.

There is also more representation for People of Color and the LGBT community as well!

I have read some comments from people asking if you can read this book without reading the rest of the series. Let me be perfect clear: absolutely not. This is how I believe you should read it.

01. Throne of Glass
02. Crown of Midnight
03. Heir of Fire
04. Queen of Shadows
05. The Assassin’s Blade (all five novellas)
06. Empire of Storms
07. Tower of Dawn

Again, Sarah voiced that her novellas are crucial to the story line (and that has been proven to be correct). She doesn’t write them to get more money or to advertise for her books or anything greedy like that; some stories are shorter than others, but they are still important.

For example, you have to read The Assassin and the Pirate Lord before you read Empire of Storms, and you have to read The Assassin and the Healer before you read Tower of Dawn. You miss crucial parts of the story when you don’t read a Maas novella.

The Healer is named Yrenne and she is one of three (err, four if you count the last two-so pages.. #heartbroken) point of views in this book, Nesryn and Chaol being the other two. I loved there only being three points of views for a change.

Maas has a reputation now for putting a lot of steam in her book, and I want to tell you that this one is very tame. There is one scene. That’s it. So if you didn’t like all the scenes in Empire of Storms or in her other series A Court of Thrones and Roses, this book may be right up your alley.

I don’t want to give too much away in this book, but a lot of it is about healing and forgiving yourself. We went on a journey with Aelin and now we get to see a journey not only with Chaol but also with Yrene. These characters have all been through horrible stuff, but they overcome it and are stronger because of it.

I have been going through a lot of hardships lately and reading this book has shown me that I will be alive tomorrow, I will be able to not get over it but get passed it, and I will and can be happy if I only let myself.

PS: Sorry for the novel.. but not really sorry.

--

I'm really liking this so far because there's only a few POVs and not twenty.

--

Sarah is as awkward and adorable as I wanted her to be. She loves her characters as much as we do and cries as much as we do and most importantly she is obsessed with dogs... or animals in general.

---

I get to meet Maas today and I am so pumped for it!

---

Question: is it acceptable to call in to work to read a book? Or do I just tell them I have Ebola?

Asking for a friend.

---

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL TITLE! I'm so excited!

[Isa Cantos (Crónicas de una Merodeadora) · Rating 5 out of 5]

”I will cherish it always. No matter what may befall the world. No matter the oceans, or mountains, or forests in the way”.

Incluso con el libro al que menos fe le tenía, Sarah J. Maas lo hizo de nuevo. Después de todos los ires y venires que ha tenido la historia de Throne of Glass con respecto a Chaol, pensé que Tower of Dawn se me iba a hacer insufrible. ¿Cómo me iba a aguantar un libro que se aleja de todos los personajes principales, de la guerra, y que me iba a dejar un montón de tiempo sin Aelin y Rowan? Pues, chicos, lo leí, lo amé y me trago todas mis palabras.

Después de los desastrosos sucesos que rodearon la destrucción del palacio de cristal, Chaol queda paralizado de la cintura hacia abajo y ni siquiera Rowan puede ayudarlo con su magia. Así, Chaol y Nesryn deben embarcarse hacia Antica, el hogar de la mítica Torre Cesme, donde se rumora viven las curanderas más poderosas del mundo. Chaol no sólo tendrá que concentrarse en recuperar su movilidad, sino que tendrá que intentar crear una improbable alianza con el khaganate, el imperio más poderoso del continente, pues de eso dependerá que puedan inclinar la balanza en la inminente guerra contra Morath.

Antes de empezar con los spoilers puedo decirles que este libro me hizo adorar nuevamente a Chaol. Me encantó ver todo su cambio a lo largo de las páginas y, más que eso, me gustó muchísimo su faceta vulnerable. ¿Y qué decirles de Yrene? Esa chica que conocemos en los relatos de The Assassin’s Blade, y que en su momento no me cayó bien, terminó siendo un personaje muy querido para mí. Y lo último que puedo decirles es que Sarah J. Maas hizo un trabajo increíble con la ambientación y la construcción del mundo en este libro. Adoré la vibra oriental y de arabia que me daba todo en Antica, el khaganate y las tierras de más allá.

Ahora… SPOILERS!!!

♣

♣

♣

1. Ese primer momento en el que Hafiza le dice a Yrene que su siguiente caso será curar a un poderoso Lord de Adarlan y ella queda en shock porque fueron soldados de Adarlan quienes quemaron viva a su mamá es muy fuerte. ¡De verdad pensé que se iba a negar en redondo y a dejar a mi pobrecillo Chaol a su suerte!

2. AY, MADRE, ¿qué tal cuando por fin Yrene va a examinar a Chaol y le pregunta que si su “parte favorita masculina” le funciona? CASI ME MUERO DE LA RISA Y PENA AJENA.

3. Okay, desde ese momento en el que alguien sigue a Yrene por la biblioteca y termina asesinando a otra curandera todo se vuelve muy oscuro. Está clarísimo que los Valg también están en Antica. ¡Y es hermoso ver cómo Chaol se preocupa por ella!

4. Amé MAL el momento en el que Chaol, gracias al mecanismo que crearon, puede subirse a un caballo y sentirse medianamente libre de nuevo. En serio, es que leer lo impotente que se siente al principio desde su silla me partía el corazón.

5. Los tratamientos de Yrene y Chaol para curarlo… JO-DER. Es una tortura tremenda, porque no solo es dolor físico el que está sintiendo en su columna, sino que la oscuridad dentro de él lo lleva a recordar momentos muy dolorosos. Pobrecillo mío.

6. LOS OJITOS QUE SE HACEN DESDE EL PRINCIPIO NESRYN Y SARTAQ.

7. Literal casi lloro cuando después de una de las sesiones Chaol recupera la movilidad de los dedos.

8. Un día, en una fiesta loca de las que organizan los príncipes, Chaol invita a Yrene a unos cojines para salvarla de las atenciones de Kashin. Y hay humo de opio por todas partes y eso los empieza a afectar un poco. Y TERMINAN HABLANDO MUY PEGADITOS Y ME MUERO. ¡Lo peor es que en este punto Chaol ya sabe que no quiere estar con Nesryn, pero no ha acabado las cosas con ella y por eso su sentido del honor le impide hacer nada con Yrene! Agh.

9. ¡AHHH! Y esa noche Chaol se queda hablando con Nesryn… y a la mañana siguiente llega Yrene y los ve en la cama. Y CASI LE DA ALGO. Pero en realidad no pasó nada entre ellos y Chaol sale detrás de ella para explicárselo. En este punto ya los shippeo like crazy y faltan muchas páginas para que pase algo.

10. En serio, me sentía tan feliz cada que Chaol y Yrene lograban derrotar un poquito de la oscuridad de la lesión. ¡Y luego llega el punto en el que puede mover los pies! Todo después de una sesión en la que tiene que recordar todos los abusos que sufrió gracias a su padre. Cabrón ese.

11. ¡Ahhhh! Momento emocionante en el que por fin Nesryn se va con Sartaq en Kadara, su ruk, para visitar a su pueblo. ¡ESO SIGNIFICAN TRES SEMANAS PARA CHAOL Y YRENE! ¡SOLITOS! BOOM!

12. Justo después de que Nesryn se va Chaol queda con un humor de perros porque cree que Nesryn se fue por su culpa, entonces está de mal genio y Yrene lo nota. Cuando está volviendo a donde Chaol por la tarde, siente que algo la está siguiendo y termina corriendo con todas sus fuerzas para llegar a la habitación. Allí arman una barricada y me dolió muchísimo leer cómo Chaol pensaba defenderla incluso estando en su silla, incluso sacrificándose. Pero al final el atacante escapa sin entrar a la habitación y cuando llegan los guardias y Kashin, Yrene dice que prefiere quedarse con Chaol porque allí se siente segura. AWWWWW!!!

13. Ese momento épico en el que los rukhin quieren ver la verdadera capacidad de Nesryn como arquera y ella hace un triple blanco en tres objetivos y todos quedan flipando. YAS, GIRL!

14. Adoré la escena en la que Chaol y Yrene salen a la ciudad a cenar, así en plan romántico. Ay, me derrito.

15. Me encantó ver cómo Chaol nunca se rindió, siguió entrenando solo, con los otros soldados, o incluso enseñándoles defensa personal a las chicas de la Torre con Yrene. ¡Y aquí me encanta la conexión que hay con la historia de The Assassin’s Blade! Porque cuando Celaena salvó a Yrene, le enseñó unos trucos de defensa personal y le hizo prometer que se los enseñaría a cuantas mujeres lo necesitaran. ¡Y eso es lo que ha hecho ella con las chicas de la Torre!

16. Otro día, después de una infructuosa negociación con el khagan, Chaol se porta como un idiota con Yrene durante su sesión, así que ella se para y va hacia la puerta. Pero en ese instante Chaol se da cuenta de que si no la detiene, si no va por ella, ahí va a acabar lo que no ha empezado entre ellos. Así que LOGRA DAR UN PASO… Y OTRO… Y OTRO… HASTA QUE TIENE A YRENE ACORRALADA CONTRA LA PARED… ¡Y POR FIN SE BESAN! ¡AHHHHHHH! Yo casi lloro de la emoción.

17. Y al día siguiente están paseando y esta vez es Yrene la que se lo lleva a un lugar para poder besarlo y jafkadlfadlalkdsj, SO HOT.

18. JODER. Esa escena en la que Sartaq y Nesryn caen en una de las trampas de las arañas y caen en picado desde el cielo… Y SARTAQ GIRA PARA PROTEGER A NESRYN Y QUE NO LE PASE NADA. Ay, en serio, ¿dónde se consiguen hombres como los que hay en los libros?

19. Como parte de un plan para investigar sobre los Valg, Yrene convence a la princesa Hasar de que la lleve al Oasis Aksara (privado para la realeza) a celebrar su cumpleaños. Allí, después de la fiesta, Chaol y ella se van a hablar. Yrene le pregunta si todavía ama a Aelin o a Nesryn y él le dice que no. Y luego saca un relicario con sus iniciales, montañas y océanos grabados. Le dice que es para que guarde esa nota que siempre tiene en su bolsillo y para que recuerde que ella sola pudo cruzar océanos y montañas para llegar hasta donde está. Y LUEGO SE EMPIEZAN A BESAR Y TODO ES MUY LINDO Y LUEGO LO HACEN A PESAR DE LA POBRE ESPALDA DE CHAOL, PERO, JODER, TODO ES PERFECTO.

20. Volviendo a Nesryn y Sartaq… hay un derrumbe y el pobre queda atrapado. Y allí le dice que la amó incluso antes de conocerla, tan solo escuchando las historias sobre ella. Y es todo tan triste. Y se dicen que ojalá hubieran tenido más tiempo.

21. MOMENTO WTF CUANDO LAS ARAÑAS ESAS REVELAN QUE MAEVE NO ES UNA REINA FAE SINO UNA REINA VALG. A-Y-U-D-A.

22. Llega un momento en el que Yrene decide que va a acabar con la oscuridad en Chaol, que ese es el día en el que lo va a curar, así que tienen la sesión de curación más intensa y dolorosa de la vida. ¡Pero al final lo logra y Chaol recupera toda su movilidad! Luego él se va a bañar e Yrene lo sigue y vuelven a estar juntos y muero de amor. Sobre todo porque luego se dicen que se aman y LLORO, ¿VALE?

23. Y aquí es cuando todo se va yendo al traste. Chaol y Yrene van a buscar a Hafiza, pero no la encuentran por ninguna parte, así que siguen su rastro hasta lo más profundo de la biblioteca, donde se encuentran a Duva, la hija menor del khagan, amenazando a la curandera mayor. Duva está poseída por un Valg y revela que fue ella quien mató a su hermana menor cuando empezó a sospechar de ella. Shit.Y luego empieza la pelea, Hafiza se suelta pero queda malherida e Yrene intenta curarla, todo mientras Chaol pelea con Duva, que lanza ráfagas de oscuridad. Cuando uno de esos rayos está a punto de darle a Yrene, Chaol se interpone Y EL RAYO ESE LE DA DE NUEVO EN LA ESPALDA Y PIERDE LA SENSACIÓN, JODER, JODER, JODER. Justo cuando Yrene está a punto de matar a Duva, llegan Sartaq y Nesryn con guardias y un montón de curanderas. Hafiza logra que Duva quede inconsciente…

24. PERO CHAOL ESTÁ AL BORDE DE LA MUERTE. Yrene intenta curarlo, pero no tiene suficiente fuerza, así que todas las curanderas le prestan su poder, pero están jugando en terreno peligroso. Prácticamente lo está trayendo de vuelta a la vida y eso requiere pagar un precio que Yrene acepta gustosa. Cuando POR FIN Chaol reacciona, ve que puede moverse y está vivo, pero entiende que hubo un precio. Hafiza le cuenta que Yrene tuvo que unir sus vidas, lo que implica que cuando uno muera el otro también lo hará. Pero eso no es todo, su lesión era tan complicada que no pudo curarse por completo, así que solo podrá caminar bien cuando Yrene esté con sus fuerzas al máximo y su magia actúe como un soporte para él, pero cuando ella esté débil él tendrá que usar el bastón… o la silla. Y TODO ES MUY INJUSTO, JODER. Pero Chaol lo acepta felizmente.

25. Al final llevan a Duva-Valg, aún inconsciente, ante el khagan y él le pide a Yrene que lo haga. Con dificultad ella lo logra y el hombre, tremendamente, agradecido, le dice que le pida lo que quiera y él se lo dará. ¡Así es como logran obtener el apoyo del khaganate para la guerra! Y no sólo sus fuerzas marcharán, sino también los guerreros rukhin de Sartaq, tropas de Kashin y la mismísima Hasar.

26. Awwww, y el momento en el que Sartaq busca a Nesryn, que está con su familia y Kadara, y le cuenta que ahora es el Heredero y que le dijo a su padre que iría a la guerra porque hacia allí va la mujer a la que ama. Y SE BESAN Y LOS AMO Y LOS SHIPPEO MUCHO TAMBIÉN!

27. ¿Y podemos hablar de que Chaol y Yrene SE CASARON? MI CORAZÓN FANGIRL NO PUEDE CON TANTOOOO. Y cuando van en el barco ya de regreso Yrene le muestra la nota que guarda siempre… ¡Y CHAOL RECONOCE LA LETRA DE AELIN! ¡ES QUE SARAH J. MAAS ES UNA GENIA! Y Chaol le dice que no se deshaga de la nota, que más adelante va a conocer a alguien a la que seguro le gustará verla.

28. Y OBVIO EL LIBRO TERMINA CON UNA ESCENA DE AELIN DENTRO DEL ATAÚD Y A PUNTO DE SER TORTURADA. WHYYYYYYYY, MUNDO CRUEL, WHYYYYYYYY?

[Jiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Wow. Wow. I'm actually speechless! This book was everything I needed and more and I have no clue how to write this review because I have so much to say and my thoughts are actually still all over the place. I have so much love for this book my heart's going to burst.

If you know me, you know I love Chaol Westfall to bits and pieces and he's one of my all-time favorite male characters. And here's where I get all emotional about him. I've loved him ever since ToG and still loved him through everything he went through. I would defend him to my last breath and I would fight anyone who insults him. Chaol is a pure soul. He's loyal. He's honorable. He's strong. He's brave. He's human. He's flawed. He's real. All of the things he went through from ToG to QoS changed him as a person and the way he dealt with things was completely realistic. Yes, he made his own mistakes, but again, that makes him real. Don't you always complain about needing realistic, flawed characters? Chaol Westfall is one. Chaol Westfall deserves all that's good and beautiful in this world. Thank you.

With the events of ToG till QoS, it all broke Chaol. Tower of Dawn did not only serve as a book where Chaol seeks healing and hopes to get more allies, but also it was his emotional journey. He was so broken at the beginning of the book. Filled with despair and self loathing. He learns to forgive himself. By the end of the book, he's come to terms with a lot of things and he rebuilds himself all over again. He has hope by the end of the book. He's no longer drowning in guilt and self loathing. And I was honestly in tears throughout the majority of the book because Chaol's emotional journey hit me. It was so intense and real and raw and I applaud SJM for doing it so realistically and so beautifully! I've said it a million times before and here I am saying it again, nobody does broken characters and healing like SJM does! The healing process was more of less similar to Celaena's in HoF and Feyre's in ACOMAF and personally, I think it was even more emotional. I've been waiting for Chaol to find happiness and peace since CoM and he finally did in this book and oh lord, I want to cry tears of joy all over again.

In this book, we see Yrene Towers again. For those who don't know her previously, she's a character that appeared in one of the novellas of The Assassin's Blade. Yrene is a main character in this book and while I was very neutral about her at first, I slowly loved her as the book progressed. Nesryn Faliq is also a main character in this book and she had her own plot which revealed loads of things! I was quite worried about Nesryn's character because she was introduced as a minor character within Chaol's plot. But in this book, no. Nesryn is her own character. We get to know so much about her and she has her own plot separate from Chaol's. We meet so many new side characters who are important too. My favorite side character is definitely Sartaq, one of the Khagan's children!

For those who think this book is "not important", well it is. It is super important. Loads of things happen. Loads of event the reader needs to know about happen. Information essential to the overall plot of the series was introduced in this book. So, yes. You need to read this book after EoS. So much history is revealed; history that is essential. History you need to know. So, no. This book is not a side story or a novella you can skip. It's a book you should read in order to understand whatever is coming next in ToG7.

Now... the ships. Oh dear God, the ships!! I'm not going to go into details because spoilers. But what I'll tell you is those ships will end you! It took me some time to accept some ships, but once I did, oooooh boy, the angst! I was swooning, I was screaming, I was also crying. Oh dear. Again, SJM's ships are always so beautiful!!!

Now, the disability rep. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. The care and hard work SJM put into this was so evident. Chaol learns to deal and accept his disability. Going from one state to another is never easy and it takes a toll on a person. Coming to terms with things is a long process. It's not a day and night thing. And that's exactly what Chaol goes through. I'm stressing again on Chaol's emotional journey and how real it was because it is so incredibly important and seeing Chaol heal and forgiving himself and coming to terms with so many things just really makes me super emotional all over again. I'm super attached to him so you can understand.

Tower of Dawn takes place in Antica, which is a new setting in the ToG universe. And for that reason, SJM had to spend some page time on world-building, which I personally loved. Her creativity and her sources of inspiration were evident and despite that this world-building made the book a tad slow, it was still essential and wonderful.

I feel like I've missed out on a lot of things I wanted to say. But that's all for now I guess. A lot of my thoughts are spoiler-y and I didn't want to add those in the review for now. This review will never do the book or the characters justice. This book is perfect and beautiful and real and painful and emotional and yes, a definite favorite of 2017 and also my favorite ToG book.

Update 20/June/2017: WE HAVE A COVER... and I'm not a fan.

It doesn't match the rest of the books and I just wanted the cover to have my precious baby Chaol on it. *sighs*

19/June/2017: GUYS GUYS GUYS.

GUYS!!

GUYS!!!!

THE COVER REVEAL IS TOMORROW. I REPEAT, THE COVER REVEAL IS TOMORROW.

I can't wait to have this book in my hands! My precious baby Chaol. I'm not saying I would die for Chaol Westfall but that's exactly what I'm saying.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Chaol's character development.👏🏼

[aileen | ✾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I will cherish it always.
No matter what may befall the world.
No matter the oceans, or mountains, or forests in the way.”

I'm so glad I didn't skip this book. Chaol deserved this journey.

------------------------------------------

I will not skip this book because I'm impatient.
I will not skip this book because I'm impatient.
I will not skip this book because I'm impatient.
I will not skip this book because I'm impatient.

[~Calliope~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I will cherish it always. No matter what may befall the world. No matter the oceans, or mountains, or forests in the way.”

“Using the chair is not a punishment. It is not a prison. It never was. And I am as much of a man in that chair, or with that cane, as I am standing on my feet." He brushed away the tear that slipped down her cheek.
"I wanted to heal you," she breathed.
"You did," he said, smiling. "Yrene, in every way that truly matters . . . You did."

“What did Aelin promise you?” Hasar smiled to herself.
“A better world.”

I think I like Chaol after all!!
Maeve is a Valg????? What the hell?

[Era ➴ · Rating 5 out of 5]

my mom after finishing: I can't believe I thought Maeve was going to be nice.

[Ronda · Rating 5 out of 5]

2018

I can't believe how reading these books one after another makes all the difference. I chose to re-read the series in preparation for the final journey but I had no idea that it would be a totally different journey to the first!

Reading a book year after year is tremendous, we wait in anticipation of the next, eager and excited to re-enter a world that we missed and loved.... it's an experience in itself. But we sometimes forget and only remember vital parts or parts that touched us... over the years the books become memories and as memories do, they fade.

Re-reading this series has reminded me how stunning these books are, how alive the characters feel and how much I had indeed forgotten..... the bad bit is.... I am terrified to take my final journey.....

2017

So.... Chaol...

It was a little strange to be reading mostly about Chaol and there were times when I wanted to read about Aelin and Mannon as well as the rest of our favourite characters but reading about Chaol's story was unwavering and extremely enjoyable.

What I loved the most about this book was the way it has pulled our next book into place, the way it has joined it's predecessor and our desparate wait for the next episode, the war and how the forces have come together.

Chaol and Yrene have an amazing story and I have to admit, towards the end I cried... the emotions tore through me.... but those last few pages? OH. MY. GOD!!!

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

March 29, 2018
R.I.P
Jeff
Beloved fangirl
Daughter
Friend
Sister


I have no words for this book except the fact that Sarah J Maas has done the impossible.

There’s this whole story she’s woven, since the first page of Throne of Glass. Moments throughout the book, I just wondered exactly how anyone has the patience and just the ability to write that.
IT TAKES PLANNING.
Hell, it takes a lot of brain power to create a story that can kill a reader. Hahahahah...ha...
(And here I am, complaining about math hw giving me migraines)

Not only has this planning shown through in the plot, it has shown through in the characters, so special thanks to:
Chaol, my cinnamon bun
Yrene, my extra sweet cinnamon bun
Nesryn, my classic Hershey’s chocolate
Sartaq, the extra hot sauce

...That’s only a few of the precious baes I have acquired from this book


Straight up, ever since Throne of Glass, I thought Chaol was just a lump on a log.
In this book, HE IS THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE.
This guy’s got humor.
(Yup, that’s right, now ALLLL the ladies want him)
This guy’s got guts, to not only break his spine once, but twice.
This guy’s got muscles.
Seriously.
HOT SWEATY DAMN MUSCLES.

*warning* if you are a new born babe who hasn’t experienced TOG or ACOTAR content, then I suggest you leave my review, because I will scar you for life.

Moving on!

YRENE:...dudes, this gurl is flipping Silba herself.
She is too adorable.
Chaol must be a very very happy man.

(Btw, the locket scene? *cries* what have you done to me SJM, all I asked for was a decent book, and you have given me a phenomenon)

There’s just so much development between these two characters. And I’m telling you, THEY HAVE STRUCK THE CORE.
I wish Yrene and Chaol a happily ever after cause they fucking deserve it.

Nowww...say hello to Sartaq and Nesryn..AND KADARA.

If I had to choose, Kadara would be my fav character out of those three.
(Just half kidding this time)

But seriously, riding a ruk for the first time and Nesryn actually manages to make it through??!
Congrats gurl...I’d be throwing up and the poor humans below me would be wondering why it was raining bile.

:)

But besides that point....THEY OUGHT TO MARRY EACH OTHER RIGHT FREAKING NOW.
THEY’D HAVE ADORABLE KIDS.
CUTEST CHILDREN OUT OF THE WORLD.
AND I COULD BE THEIR PROUD AUNTIE JEFF.

Yes...I can see the future now...
*dramatic pause*

Now to that little _ _ _ _ _, Hasar....(you can fill in the blank, my dear princess)


I actually ended up liking you.
Don’t ruin this moment.


(Bet y’all readers thought the word was b*itch, but noooo no no no, haha, i would never do that, the word is ‘sweet.’

The. Sweet. Little. Hasar.

:)

And that concludes my very very long review that probably doesn’t make a single flipping sense and only sums up about a quarter of my thoughts.

Last but definitely not least.
I HATE THE VALG. (yeah no shit)
I WILL HUNT YOU.
I WILL FIND YOU.
HURT AELIN OR ANY OF THE OTHERS, I WILL SKIN YOU ALIVE.
MARK.
MY.
WORDS.





good day.