Book Review: Tower of Dawn

Tower of Dawn is the sixth book of the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas.

I bought Throne of Glass about 4-5 years ago and it sat on my bookshelf unread until finally last summer I decided to pick it up and read it. I was immediately mad at myself for not reading it sooner and quickly devoured books 1-5. When Tower of Dawn came out I had heard mixed reviews so I was hesitant to start because Chaol and Nesryn are not my favorites. 

BUT with Kingdom of Ash’s arrival  I decided to finally bite the bullet and read it. And let me tell you, this did not disappoint ONE BIT. I take back everything mean I said about this book. This book felt unnecessarily needed for the plot of the series. I’m not sure what the plot would look if Sarah didn’t write this book.

The only thing that I can relate it to is Goblet of Fire where you have the Triwizard Tournament and it seems like a random plot line but then at the very end there’s all these things that come together and you’re like ohhh this is much darker than just some fun tournament — yeah, Tower of Dawn is like that. 

Tower of Dawn takes place during the same time as Empire of Storms, the fifth book in the Throne of Glass series. 

 

It’s very hard to discuss this book without giving anything away, and I don’t want to do that to any reader.

(a friend of mine spoiled who Gossip Girl was to me and I still cannot forgive them) 

So I’ll try to make this as spoiler free as possible, but I will assume everyone has read up to Empire of Storms. If you have not, then please don’t read any further until you have. 

 

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In Tower of Dawn we are in Antica, the southern most continent that has been virtually untouched by the impeding war. It is Chaol and Nesryn’s job to convince the Khagan of Antica to join Aelin and Dorian’s side in the fight against Erawan. They are also hoping that a healer from the Torre will be able to help Chaol with the injuries he sustained at the end of Queen of Shadows.

We are immediately introduced to the Khagan and his children all whom are still grieving the loss of a loved one. It’s clear that they’re not going to jump to the aid of Aelin right away — if they did, this would have been a very, very short book. 

Chaol is granted permission by the Khagan to seek the help of a healer from the Torre, which is where my new fave character comes in: Yrene Towers. I loved Yrene right from the beginning. Her journey as the book progresses was amazing to read, and I wasn’t even that mad about how her story unfolded at the end of this book, even if it seemed kind of ‘hmmm.’ I’m hoping we get to learn more about her past/history in Kingdom of Ash. 

Nesryn as a character grew on me.   In the previous books, with so much going on with the other characters, Nesryn felt like an after thought, or just another guard in the King’s army. (or Chaol’s friend with benefits) This time, we really got to know who Nesryn is. We got to meet her extended family, and experience how she felt being in her homeland for the first time. I definitely enjoyed her parts of the book more than I thought I would. I had a feeling once I got to know more about Nesryn I would like her a lot more, and I do. 

All of the Khagan’s children were all so interesting. I enjoyed learning about a new court and how it operates so differently from the ones we have read in previous books. There are five children: Sartaq, Hasir, Kashin, Duva, and Arghun. Arghun is kind of an asshole (not kind of, he is) as he serves as his one of his father’s political advisers. So he’s definitely not a fan of Chaol and Nesryn wanting them to help out in this war. Hasir comes off as a spoiled, bratty princess with ice in her veins. Kashin seems to be one of the quieter ones among Duva, who is the youngest and pregnant. Sartaq is head of the Rhukin clans and is favored to become Heir. 

Speaking of the Rhukin clans, I LOVED them. I loved Borte, who is Heir to the clan  Sartaq is captain of. She’s stubborn, mischievous, brave, and loves intensely. Just like another character we know and love… 😉 I cannot wait to see how Borte and Aelin get along if they meet. 

The journey that Chaol takes throughout Tower of Dawn, I must admit, was a favorite of mine. I am not a fan of Chaol, never have been, so it takes a lot to say that. 😉 His progress throughout the story was of real strength and determination. I found myself at parts thinking, “finally, yes, now you realize” or “just have feelings you stubborn ass!” He made me feel a lot in this book. I think for his success and the others success in Kingdom of Ash, Chaol had to go through this journey. If he didn’t, I don’t think he would be as prepared for whats to come. 

You find out some absolutely jaw dropping things in this book that had me saying out loud “no” or “oh my gosh.” I’m not sure if the “big twist” at the end was that big….because it didn’t shock me. IF I think it’s what people are talking about as the “major twist.” 

There is one moment towards the end where you find out a huge, huge plot kernel that can change the entire narrative of the last book. IF that’s what people are talking about when they say “major twist” then yes I agree. MAJOR. 

 

If you have read Tower of Dawn and also have some feels about this book, let me know! I have lots of feels and would love to discuss. 

 

Until next time!