“‘A glorious empire. A desperate quest. An ancient secret.’ Chaol Westfall and Nesryn Faliq have arrived in the shinning city of Antica to form 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 legendary Torre Cesme for the wounds that Chaol received in Rifthold. After enduring unspeakable horrors as a child, Yrene Towers has no desire to help a young lord from Adarlan, let alone heal him. Yet she has sworn an oath to help those in need – and will honour it. But Lord Westfall carries darkness from his own past, and Yrene soon comes to realise it could engulf them both. And deep in the shadows of distant mountains, where warriors soar on mighty ruks, long-awaited answers slumber. Answers that might offer their world a chance at survival – or doom them all.”
What is the book about?
Chaol Westfall and Nesryn Faliq have been sent across the ocean to another continent by Dorian, the new King of Adarlan, and Aelin, the Queen of Terrasen. Their mission, to forge an alliance with the Khagan of the Southern Continent, whose vast army would help their allies waiting in Erilea win the battle with Erawan that they currently aren't favoured to win. This may be their last hope. However, this mission is not the only reason Chaol finds himself in Antica, but also the legendary Torre Cesme, the sanctuary for skilled and magical healers who may be able to heal Chaol. After the battle with the possessed and now deceased King of Adarlan, Chaol found himself unable to walk and, if he has any chance of regaining feeling in his legs and being able fight in the front lines, then he must get the help of a healer. Yrene Towers is that healer, the one who has been told to help the lord from Adarlan. But she has no desire to heal him, not after the unspeakable horrors she and her mother suffered at the hands of Adarlan's soldiers, soldiers Chaol commanded as Captain of the Guard. Yet she swore an oath and will honour it and help him, but it will prove to be harder than she thought. The injury he possesses is not ordinary as it was given to him by magic, and helping him may just destroy them both...or bring them closer together...or both.
What were your initial thoughts on the book?
Initially I was so annoyed that I had to read Tower of Dawn, the book simply an obstacle between me and learning what happened after the shocking cliffhanger in Empire of Storms. I had no interest in reading an entire book set in a completely different location with new characters and some old ones that I had entirely forgotten existed after reading the previous book. I knew that this book would either be read incredibly quickly or I would never finish it, and, although I knew I would enjoy it, I didn't know if it would be as good as the other books I had read in this series. However, after reading a few chapters, I started to realise how stupid my initial thoughts had been and I knew that I would love this book, just like the others. Looking back I can't believe that I had been annoyed I had to read this book because I soon realised when reading it that I would have been lost without it and that I would have hated not having experienced the adventure and learnt the information first hand as I was able to do while reading. The book convinced me to change my mind after only a few chapters and I finished it quicker than expected, not simply because of my impatience to read Kingdom of Ash but also because of how much I was enjoying it.
Who was your favourite character and why?
I liked a lot of the characters in this book and most of them were new, or some that I hadn't really gotten to know despite meeting them previously, like Nesryn. One of the characters I really liked, who I suppose will say was my favourite character in this book, was Yrene. This was one of the characters that I had met before, however briefly, in The Assassin's Blade who I never thought I would see again. But I underestimated the genius of Sarah J. Maas and somehow she managed to put in characters that seemed so insignificant initially back into the story, into roles that made a huge difference to the story and will probably play a bit role later on too. Anyways, why I really liked Yrene was the fact that she chose to help Chaol and face everything that was happening even though she had nothing to do with it and didn't need to. She could have easily just remained in the well guarded Torre Cesme where she would have had a future as the Healer on High and would have been safe. However, since arriving in Antica, even after seeing all the beauty and safety it had to offer, her goal remained to head back to Erilea and help her homeland survive the war. She could have hidden away and she chose not to. She could have said no to healing Chaol when she found out that she may get hurt too, that it wasn't an ordinary injury, and yet she chose to keep going and I loved her bravery and courage.
What was your favourite part of the book and why?
I really enjoyed this whole book and there were a lot of parts that I enjoyed and could easily be my favourite however I would say that my favourite part wasn't a specific part and more of just the parts where there were things revealed and connections that made me laugh. Seeing Yrene again, for example, after I never thought I would see her again since The Assassin's Blade was so entertaining, especially as I realised whose love interest she was supposed to be. However, the main thing was when Nesryn went to see the rukhin and there was a character that had literally appeared for no more than a chapter or two in the prequel. I loved that somehow this character reappeared and would prove to be a great help in the story and that not only that but he was also related to another character which was entirely unexpected. It was the funniest thing ever to see how everything Sarah J. Maas had done and every character she introduced in the prequel book was intentional and was there to serve a purpose, which was made clear after reading Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn. I loved this and can't wait to see what goes on next.
What was your overall impression of the book?
Overall, Tower of Dawn was a really great book and, although I was desperate to finish and get to Kingdom of Ash, I really loved reading it. One reason I loved the book and why I have loved this series so far is that everything that Sarah J. Maas has done, every character she introduced, was entirely intentional. I read The Assassin's Blade ages ago and met a few characters that appeared for not much more than a few pages so I believed them to be insignificant and didn't give them a second thought. I thought it was just to show something about Celaena/Aelin or to add something more to the story, yet I was clearly proven wrong when reading this book. There were characters in this book I had met before and somehow they were linked to the story in ways I couldn't even imagine. It was absolutely genius and made the book so entertaining and enjoyable as I realised that everyone was linked together and that Aelin was in the centre of everything. It was so funny and I just can't wait to see everything come together in the next and final book. Another thing I loved about reading this book was that I got to see a whole new continent and location, one free of the destruction that people faced in Adarlan and the whole of Erilea. It showed me and the characters what Erilea could look like if they won the war and if Aelin was able to provide what she promised: a better world. I loved seeing the streets of Antica and the safety and happiness that people felt there. It was a land where magic wasn't forbidden and where people went to be saved by the healers at Torre Cesme. One last thing about the book that made me enjoy it despite how much I just wanted to be done with it (now I'm really thinking I should have done a tandem read of Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn) was that the plot was so interesting. In the beginning I had no hope for the book as it wasn't going to follow the storyline that I had been so interested in but soon I realised I jumped to conclusions too quickly. Not only did Tower of Dawn have a great plot that kept me on my toes just like the other books, but I also got a lot of information that fed into the plot that I was so desperate to get back to. Without Tower of Dawn I would have been lost and I'm just so glad that I was proven wrong about the book and it was better than I thought.
Which book did you like better: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6?
Although I really enjoyed reading Tower of Dawn and have found that all the books in the series so far have been amazing, my favourite book is still Queen of Shadows. It was interesting in this sixth book to see an entire new world, one that was safe (or appeared to be) and hadn't been plagued for the past 10 years by a demon king. However, while reading Tower of Dawn I missed some of the characters that I had read about in Empire of Storms and Queen of Shadows before that. It was a big change and one that I enjoyed, though not enough to say that I would pick this book over the fourth book. Queen of Shadows was perfect in every respect and there was so much that I loved that led me to choose it as my favourite. The plot in itself would have already been enough to make me choose it as my favourite, the fact that it was so interesting and that it had so many turns and things that I have never expected. Then the fact that it had all the characters that I loved from the previous books in the series, both those from her life as Aelin and from her life as Celaena. They all came together, the Fae and the human and it is the only book I have read so far where all of the characters I have grown to love were working together. I know that the last book will also be like that and I am so excited and hope it will meet my expectations. Every book in the series so far has been great but without a doubt Queen of Shadows is my favourite one (so far).
Would you recommend this book?
I would absolutely recommend Tower of Dawn and think it is an amazing book for lovers of all things fantasy, romance and adventure. However, I think it is best for readers 17 and up as there is some more mature content.
Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict)
An epic, magical and romance-filled adventure in a new world, more wonderful than anything you could ever imagine.
Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego
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