Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas
*This is the sixth book in the Throne of Glass series. Mild spoilers if you haven't read the rest of the series!*
Synopsis (from Goodreads)
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.
Review
I could see how this was originally a novella, and also how it developed into a full-blown 700-page novel. And I'm glad it did, because it needed to be this long. (Also, if you haven't read Assassin's Blade, which is a bunch of prequel novellas, you will miss out on a lot of background information)
One thing I've liked about the Throne of Glass series is that each book does well on its own, while still building and contributing to the overarching plot. This book was no exception.
This book focuses on three characters, Chaol, Nesryn, and Yrene. Chaol and Nesryn head to Antica so that he can be healed from the injury he sustained in Queen of Shadows. From there their paths diverge, as Chaol works with the healer Yrene, and Nesryn works with the prince, Sartaq. Chaol's recovery process with Yrene is intense and raw. He not only has to be healed physically, but also emotionally, and we see all the ugliness that comes with confronting your inner demons. Nesryn finally makes a decision for herself and decides to have an adventure. I wish we could have had a little more from her experience, but I imagine we'll get more in future books.
Both groups, in their journeys begin finding pieces to a puzzle. Chaol and Yrene investigate the darkness that lies at the heart of Chaol's injury, as well as a mysterious figure that begins stalking Yrene. This leads them to find out more about the origins of the healing power that she weilds. Nesryn and Sartaq travel to the south of the continent, where they help a local clan track down missing rocs (huge birds). In exploring these remote mountains, they find out the truth of what happened in that first demon invasion, long ago. Together, their discoveries culminate in some extremely vital information for the war that Aelin and her posse are waging in the north.
I did feel like the book started off slow, with the first three chapters basically being a huge info dump between minute actions of the characters. But once that was all established, the book really took off. Maas is really good at dropping subtle hints and building up to really good reveals and plot twists. She is amazing at character development, at bringing her characters through hell and then back out again. This book really served to reestablish Chaol's character, and to build up Nesryn, Yrene, and introduce other characters. Probably my only complaint is how often we're told about Chaol's amazing muscles.
For the series, the board is set, and now all that's left is to see the massive fallout that's going to happen with all these things start coming together. I eagerly await the next installment of this series!
Rating
I give this book 4 stars.
Details
Genre: Fantasy
Language: Some.
Sex: One semi-graphic sex scene.
Violence: Some violent fight scenes.
*This is the sixth book in the Throne of Glass series. Mild spoilers if you haven't read the rest of the series!*
Synopsis (from Goodreads)
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.
Review
I could see how this was originally a novella, and also how it developed into a full-blown 700-page novel. And I'm glad it did, because it needed to be this long. (Also, if you haven't read Assassin's Blade, which is a bunch of prequel novellas, you will miss out on a lot of background information)
One thing I've liked about the Throne of Glass series is that each book does well on its own, while still building and contributing to the overarching plot. This book was no exception.
This book focuses on three characters, Chaol, Nesryn, and Yrene. Chaol and Nesryn head to Antica so that he can be healed from the injury he sustained in Queen of Shadows. From there their paths diverge, as Chaol works with the healer Yrene, and Nesryn works with the prince, Sartaq. Chaol's recovery process with Yrene is intense and raw. He not only has to be healed physically, but also emotionally, and we see all the ugliness that comes with confronting your inner demons. Nesryn finally makes a decision for herself and decides to have an adventure. I wish we could have had a little more from her experience, but I imagine we'll get more in future books.
Both groups, in their journeys begin finding pieces to a puzzle. Chaol and Yrene investigate the darkness that lies at the heart of Chaol's injury, as well as a mysterious figure that begins stalking Yrene. This leads them to find out more about the origins of the healing power that she weilds. Nesryn and Sartaq travel to the south of the continent, where they help a local clan track down missing rocs (huge birds). In exploring these remote mountains, they find out the truth of what happened in that first demon invasion, long ago. Together, their discoveries culminate in some extremely vital information for the war that Aelin and her posse are waging in the north.
I did feel like the book started off slow, with the first three chapters basically being a huge info dump between minute actions of the characters. But once that was all established, the book really took off. Maas is really good at dropping subtle hints and building up to really good reveals and plot twists. She is amazing at character development, at bringing her characters through hell and then back out again. This book really served to reestablish Chaol's character, and to build up Nesryn, Yrene, and introduce other characters. Probably my only complaint is how often we're told about Chaol's amazing muscles.
For the series, the board is set, and now all that's left is to see the massive fallout that's going to happen with all these things start coming together. I eagerly await the next installment of this series!
Rating
I give this book 4 stars.
Details
Genre: Fantasy
Language: Some.
Sex: One semi-graphic sex scene.
Violence: Some violent fight scenes.
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