[Review] Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s Books UK (Sept 5, 2017)
Series: Throne of Glass #6

Blurb:
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.

Rating: 5/5

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Shut the front door because it has finally happened. Chaol finally has his own story and I am not talking about a 100+ paged novella. I am talking about Tower of Dawn, his very own 600+ paged novel which follows up after the events of Queen of Shadows.

Remember when everyone was rather cross with Sarah J. Maas for not including Chaol Westfall in Empire of Storms last year? I think the reason behind her decision is rather clever and as a huge fan of her, I don’t mind having to read an entire Chaol novel. Even though he’s not one of my favourite characters.

Side note: I think Sarah J. Maas should just write a novel on the Thirteen because I would live for that. Manon Blackbeak is my spirit animal and a novel that focuses on them is a need.

Back to Chaol Westfall who journeys to Antica with his partner Nesryn Faliq in Tower of Dawn to get some business done, all the while trying to convince the khagan to fight alongside Aelin and the rest of the continent against the Valg King, Erawan.

“I will cherish it always.
No matter what may befall the world.
No matter the oceans, or mountains, or forests in the way.” 

I really don’t know how to review Tower of Dawn without spoiling anything for anyone. If you haven’t read Tower of Dawn and you’re not sure if you should, I implore you to read it. You won’t regret it because personally, after I’ve read it, I grew to like Chaol more because of his resilience, determination and strength.

I saw Chaol in a completely different light after Tower of Dawn and in a way, it did make me appreciate him as a character as well as an asset to the war. There is major character development in Chaol in Tower of Dawn and that made me feel like a happy chipmunk.

“'Using the chair is not a punishment. It is not a prison,' he said softly. 'It never was. And I am as much of a man in that chair, or with that cane, as I am standing on my feet.'” 

Tower of Dawn reintroduces Yrene, the young healer Celaena meets in the novella, The Assassin and the Healer and I was so thrilled when I found out that Tower of Dawn would have Yrene as one of the main characters. As much as the book follows Chaol’s arc, it also focuses on expanding the universe since the book is set in the Southern Continent, which is where Nesryn is from.

“I once lived in fear of other people. I let other people walk all over me just because I was too afraid of the consequences for refusing. I did not know how to refuse.”

Hand on heart, I was quite bored with Nesryn’s chapters initially but when things settled and the action picked up, I was actually looking forward to reading more and more of her chapters. You could probably imagine struggle: to stay with Chaol back in Antica or to go exploring with Nesryn!

I liked that Tower of Dawn had a good balance between storytelling in terms of expanding the history of the valg in the continent as well as the action-packed scenes told from Nesryn’s POV.

Despite the slow start in Tower of Dawn, I was soon completely enraptured in the book because with every chapter, the ending came closer. We know how Sarah J. Maas kills us with her endings so the last 150 pages were filled with heart-stopping action, surprising twists and probably one of the biggest plot revelations in the series as well as an unforgettable ending that made me pine for the last Throne of Glass book! I don’t know if I will be ready for the finale but damn, it’s been such a long journey, I need to know how the series ends! I need to see Aelin kick ass and slay all the valg and good shall triumph over evil!

So, you shouldn’t pass on Tower of Dawn, even if you’re not a fan of Chaol! Luckily for me, my dear friend Malie of Maliemania convinced me to read it!

Right now, I am deceased.

Like, I'm going to be like Taylor Swift and lie in a tub of diamonds.