Fantastic.

I hesitated to pick up this one, because ugh... Chaol.

But Maas did not disappoint, and neither did Chaol, to my surprise.

Evans is a phenomenal narrator, which is why I started Throne of Glass to begin with.

Eagerly awaiting number 7.

5 people found this helpful

edge of my seat

loved the "bring the group together" storyline but was getting tired of Caol and his self deprecation. thank god that's over Irene is perfect for him. now let's get Aylin to step out of her constant martyrdom. get in done girl!

A whole story about chaol? bleh

You could actually skip this novel entirely and it would be fine. I love this series so this book is such a disappointment. Just read a summary online and move onto the next book. The entire book was so slow and there was I guess one major bit of info revealed but otherwise you can summarize this as Chaol finally gets over Aelin by ways of a super co-dependent relationship. Elizabeth Evans is an amazing narrator as always

Tower of Dawn

Incredible book... where the readers may not expect the result but wants it. The inter book character connections are outstanding and draws each character closer to the reader , chapter by chapter. This series is truly a painting of words, where the reader feels each character emotionally, physically as the art takes us on a journey in our minds. I am looking forward to the last book ... the last in the art collection of such a gifted writer.

Dull

There are some parts of this book that I enjoyed but they are not many. I liked the introduction of new character and relationships to the mix, the highlight is the sartaq/nesryn storyline, however, it was painful to listen to, I didn't care for this book for most of the time and often found myself wondering if I should just skip it. Few things of importance to the plot happen and it felt slow and dull most of the time. Even when I liked very few things, I really didn't enjoy most of it.

Best narrator

Love this series and especially LOVE the narration done by Elizabeth Evans. I would listen to any series she narrates just because she does such a great job.

Loved this one

I have yet to read kingdom of ash, but so far this is my favourite in the series! So much happens! You learn so much and piece a ton of stuff together

Fantastic with some flaws

Plot
Chaol Westfall and Nesryn Faliq have arrived in the shining city of Antica to forge an alliance with the Khagan of the Southern Continent, whose vast armies are Erilea's last hope. But they have also come to Antica for another purpose: to seek healing at the famed Torre Cesme for the wounds Chaol received in Rifthold.After enduring unspeakable horrors as a child, Yrene Towers has no desire to help the young lord from Adarlan, let alone heal him. Yet she has sworn an oath to assist those in need—and will honor it. But Lord Westfall carries shadows from his own past, and Yrene soon comes to realize they could engulf them both. In this sweeping parallel novel to the New York Times bestselling Empire of Storms, Chaol, Nesryn, and Yrene will have to draw on every scrap of their resilience if they wish to save their friends. But while they become entangled in the political webs of the khaganate, deep in the shadows of mighty mountains where warriors soar on legendary ruks, long-awaited answers slumber. Answers that might offer their world a chance at survival—or doom them all . .
Characters
Chaol
I really liked how Maas portrayed Chaols disability and his emotional trauma. Maas did a good job of making me want to strangle him for his attitude and anger towards other characters or how he had a hard time managing his emotions. I still get the captain of the guard vibe from him even with his present day physical incapabilities. Throughout the book he gave the protective guard vibe and at times he was a calm in the storm that was Yrene’s mind.

Nesryn
I do find Nesryn an incredibly strong character. She has been through so much during her life and it is never going to get easier for her, especially with this war approaching. Her only thing she truly cares about is her family and every scene that featured her family gave me goosebumps. Towards the end of the book I could tell that she was really opening up about her feelings towards the prince.

Yrene
Yrene is definitely a new favourite character of mine. I couldn’t remember where she was from, but the friend I mentioned previously told me she featured in a novella in The Assassin’s Blade. I believe the story is “The Assassin and The Healer” – which would obviously make sense since Yrene is a healer. Yrene wants to help the world. She wants to spread her healing, as the Assassin told her to do. She has been following the words she was given for two years and holding a strong hatred for the King and all the people of Adarlan.She is the best healer though and the only one with the skill to help Chaol. It is her skill that will help him and for her to do that she must truly overcome the trauma that lives inside her. Hearing Yrene’s story was heartbreaking. I definitely shed a couple tears. Watching her develop throughout the novel was amazing. She was not a soft healer, she was kickass and not afraid to defend herself. She was not the stereotypical character who needs someone to fight her battles or to protect her. Yrene could do that all herself and it was amazing.

Romance
Chaol and Yrene
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 revives humanity.

Disappointments
My disappointments were that although this was a great read, I just think it was waaaay too long and not really entirely necessary. At the same time I actually need more? 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 was dying to pick up where the last book left off. Unfortunately, I am still in the dark, along with a million other readers. In my opinion, the book was a bit hard to get into from the start, with the story taking place in a new continent with a lot of new characters and storylines. Also, the first half is driven by character and world building, which she is fantastic at, but it makes the story a bit slow. It took me about two weeks to finish the first 50% due to school and work, and for the first time it didn't bothered me to put down a Sarah J. Maas book. The last 50% however took me one night to finish with the story being a lot more plot driven! 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.

Overall
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.

Best side story yet

One of the best side stories ive red yet :) got you all caught up with other characters, and a shot to the past was nice

Awesome

While this book shifts away from the series's main character, it's still a super fun juicy tale