Running parallel to Empire of Storms, Tower of Dawn gave me all the Chaol that I so desperately wanted. A note: PLEASE read Assasin's Blade before the Throne of Glass series proper.
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Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6)
Sarah J. Maas
664 pages | Published by Bloomsbury
Chaol and Nesryn were instrumental in bringing down the King of Adarlan and crowning Dorian, but not without major losses and setbacks. In Tower of Dawn, the two are sent to the Southern Continent to Antica, with two goals: to convince their ruler to fight alongside Aelin, and two find a healer that can help Chaol walk again. Nesryn finds herself on her own adventure with a foreign prince and his aerial fleet, learning more about the Valg forces and her families homeland; At the same time, Chaol meets Yrene, a gifted healer tasked with helping him overcome not only his physical wounds but the mental wounds he's been holding onto for so long.
My first thought after finishing Empire of Storms was "Wait, where's Chaol???" I've had a soft spot for Chaol since the beginning of the series, and so I was excited that this installment featured him in a major way. I'm a sucker for a good soul - and I believe at his core Chaol is the best of the bunch in this world. I was happy to see him move forward and heal with Yrene's help - part of me was worried he would pine for Aelin forever which, frankly, he does not deserve.
As much as I love Chaol, and now Yrene as well, this book seemed to be lacking momentum. It took me far too long in its nearly 700 pages to become fully invested. Part of what keeps this series going is Aelin, her attitude, and grand schemes, so this story seemed to fall flat.
One thing that has bugged me about this series, however, its how heavily it leans on backstories that we technically don't learn in the main story. I've read Assasin's Blade - the novellas that take place before Throne of Glass - and would highly recommend starting this series there. Those short stories introduce MAJOR characters and plot points that, to me, should have been included within the novels themselves.
The end of Tower of Dawn left me hopeful for the fate of these characters and excited to see how it all ends in Kingdom of Ash! On to the next!
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