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A review by deena_
Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas
5.0
5 stars ★
How did I go from wanting to skip this book to laying my heart and soul at its feet? Sarah J. Mass worked her magic on this yet again. I never thought I could read almost 700 pages about the most annoying character in the whole series and live to tell the tale.
I didn't find Chaol and Nesryn to be interesting individuals. I mooned over Chaol at some point in between the first two books, yes, but he was quick to get on my bad side and drop out of favor as quick as he made it up on it. Back then, Chaol seemed like the safest choice for Celeana, a scarred knight in shining armor, ready to pluck the moon out of the sky for her. That all-perfect 'can't do anything wrong' guy was gone as soon as tragedy struck. I have no complaints on that until he decided to play Celeana like a scapegoat, and dump all his mess-ups on her. By the end of the first book, he was done and dusted and I was too eager to slap an 'I don't like you' card on him. After the events that led to the ending of 'Empire of Storms', I thought the idea of another book, anything other than the continuation of the storyline, to be impossible.
Thank the lucky stars I didn't cave in without giving this book a chance. I held the 5 stars off for far too long but somewhere right in the middle, I was like- screw it, it's the one for me. I was completely floored, mesmerised by every twist and turn, utterly speechless and unprepared for how beautiful it turned out, from the beginning until the very end.
Sypnosis: 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. A journey that can be their salvation or their doom, with war rising on the horizon and their friends and families lives on the line, as their desperation for finding answers leads them to discover great secrets left buried for ages; one that can bring down the darkness infesting them from within.
I’m not sure what I was expecting but it was not that at all! I didn't just love it; I enjoyed every second of it. I loved the gorgeously described southern continent, its people, and rich culture. I loved the glittering castle and the royal kids. I loved Torre Casme with all its secrets, knowledge, and lights hidden beneath and the esteemed healers who shared those with the people all around. I loved the Rukhin people and their magnificent ruks. I cried, and I smiled, and I felt myself soaring on those ruks with Sartaq and Nesryn while galloping into the desert with Chaol and Yrene.
Chaol was so much more bearable that got me thinking why I ever hated him, I had so much admiration for his journey as well as Nesryn's in 'Tower of Dawn'. I was happy with Chaol’s achievements and over-comings in this book as he needed a dose of significant personal growth. I loved how his tale played out. I was also happy for Nesryn and her own journey of finding home and safety in her homeland considering I didn’t quite care for Chaol's treatment of her. I knew for the start they were not for each other.
A huge part of this book centers around healing physical wounds as well as wounds from within, personal growth and retribution. Their main purpose for journeying to the southern continent was to receive the best possible help in healing Chaol's grave injury that left his life in shambles. I think this book does a good job in representing this kind of disability in Chaol’s constant struggle to come to terms with navigating the world from a wheelchair. With his body betraying him, his inability to walk and do and act as he used to, to do what his instincts call to him, Chaol has to place his pride and self-sufficiency aside to navigate the world not being in his complete physical faculties. This book goes into detail about the struggle of physically moving for Chaol, things people take for granted. His physical healing is tied to his emotional struggle, in that he has to learn his value and importance to accept himself in every way, in every condition. Chaol has a rough ride with his body in 'Tower of Dawn' but soon comes to truly understand that living in a chair doesn’t make him any less of a man, and that he is just as capable.
Honestly, I'd crawl for Yrene if she asked me to. Meeting her made me realize how glad I am that Chaol faced those heartbreaks; he loved and lost, and in the process, he found something he was looking for all his life when he wasn't even looking. I would put no one beside Yrene and the same goes for Chaol himself. I like that Yrene only helps Chaol when necessary, and propels his independence by not stepping in to help because she knows he is perfectly proficient. She was the first one who looked at him and truly saw him and didn't walk away, who understood his worth and made sure he did so in every regard. Yrene, despite being someone used to the shadows, possesses a strong heart and keen mind. I loved to see her at work and some more. Her unrelenting kindness and the way she provided Chaol the guidance he needed but never dared ask, since he's so used to having everything under control, it tugged at my heartstrings. I swear, I nearly wept when he stood on his own two feet and took his first steps towards her, the need to hold her close overruling his body's protests.
Nesyrn was another interesting and complex character, who in the previous books I liked but didn’t feel a connection toward. I felt like something was missing in her character, this book helped fill the void and made me really love her. Her story is equally interesting here. I 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. She is strong, both physically and mentally, and very admirable. She is also very caring and dedicated to her family, her only thing she truly cares about is her family and every scene that featured her family gave me goosebumps. Those scenes were so beautifully executed I couldn’t help but shed a tear.
I was quite surprised by how much I liked reading about Nesryn and her budding romance with the prince of Antica, Sartaq. While it was instant love and attraction that drew Sartaq towards her, it took Nesryn a while to grow and adapt to her feelings for him during many of their epic adventures together which followed soon after. Their adventure in question entails flying over the continent on the back of a ruk and hunting secrets to hunting demonic spiders in the ruins of the fae, hidden far beyond dangerous mountains, with a shifter friend in tow. Perfect situations that can bring even the worst enemies to lean onto each other and if we're talking about already-existent feelings, you can only guess.
Sarah J. Mass has a bad habit of not putting us on her character's infamous wedding guest list. She better keep us tuned in for Nesryn and Sartaq's wedding, or I'm rioting. Not to mention the big reveal; I never saw it coming. All the clues were perfectly aligned against the culprit, but I walked by it just like Sarah expected us to. It made reading it all the more enjoyable. Other than that, there were some other characters and ships I'd like to see more of; in fact, I'd like for the storyline to take us right back to this glorious heaven of a kingdom, in the heart of Torre Casme, the mountains, and the deserts when their world is freed once again. I'll miss this journey the most among everything else.
“He realized that here, amongst the dunes and stars … Here, in the heart of a foreign land … Here, with her, he was home.”
How did I go from wanting to skip this book to laying my heart and soul at its feet? Sarah J. Mass worked her magic on this yet again. I never thought I could read almost 700 pages about the most annoying character in the whole series and live to tell the tale.
I didn't find Chaol and Nesryn to be interesting individuals. I mooned over Chaol at some point in between the first two books, yes, but he was quick to get on my bad side and drop out of favor as quick as he made it up on it. Back then, Chaol seemed like the safest choice for Celeana, a scarred knight in shining armor, ready to pluck the moon out of the sky for her. That all-perfect 'can't do anything wrong' guy was gone as soon as tragedy struck. I have no complaints on that until he decided to play Celeana like a scapegoat, and dump all his mess-ups on her. By the end of the first book, he was done and dusted and I was too eager to slap an 'I don't like you' card on him. After the events that led to the ending of 'Empire of Storms', I thought the idea of another book, anything other than the continuation of the storyline, to be impossible.
Thank the lucky stars I didn't cave in without giving this book a chance. I held the 5 stars off for far too long but somewhere right in the middle, I was like- screw it, it's the one for me. I was completely floored, mesmerised by every twist and turn, utterly speechless and unprepared for how beautiful it turned out, from the beginning until the very end.
Sypnosis: 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. A journey that can be their salvation or their doom, with war rising on the horizon and their friends and families lives on the line, as their desperation for finding answers leads them to discover great secrets left buried for ages; one that can bring down the darkness infesting them from within.
I’m not sure what I was expecting but it was not that at all! I didn't just love it; I enjoyed every second of it. I loved the gorgeously described southern continent, its people, and rich culture. I loved the glittering castle and the royal kids. I loved Torre Casme with all its secrets, knowledge, and lights hidden beneath and the esteemed healers who shared those with the people all around. I loved the Rukhin people and their magnificent ruks. I cried, and I smiled, and I felt myself soaring on those ruks with Sartaq and Nesryn while galloping into the desert with Chaol and Yrene.
“You may look at me with resentment, Yrene Towers, and I will not blame you for it. But believe me when I say that there is no one in Erilea who loathes me more than I do myself.”
Chaol was so much more bearable that got me thinking why I ever hated him, I had so much admiration for his journey as well as Nesryn's in 'Tower of Dawn'. I was happy with Chaol’s achievements and over-comings in this book as he needed a dose of significant personal growth. I loved how his tale played out. I was also happy for Nesryn and her own journey of finding home and safety in her homeland considering I didn’t quite care for Chaol's treatment of her. I knew for the start they were not for each other.
A huge part of this book centers around healing physical wounds as well as wounds from within, personal growth and retribution. Their main purpose for journeying to the southern continent was to receive the best possible help in healing Chaol's grave injury that left his life in shambles. I think this book does a good job in representing this kind of disability in Chaol’s constant struggle to come to terms with navigating the world from a wheelchair. With his body betraying him, his inability to walk and do and act as he used to, to do what his instincts call to him, Chaol has to place his pride and self-sufficiency aside to navigate the world not being in his complete physical faculties. This book goes into detail about the struggle of physically moving for Chaol, things people take for granted. His physical healing is tied to his emotional struggle, in that he has to learn his value and importance to accept himself in every way, in every condition. Chaol has a rough ride with his body in 'Tower of Dawn' but soon comes to truly understand that living in a chair doesn’t make him any less of a man, and that he is just as capable.
“I might not have battled kings and shattered castles, but I am the heir apparent to the Healer on High. Through my own work and suffering and sacrifice. And you’re standing right now because of that. People are alive because of that. So I may not be a warrior waving a sword about, may not be worthy of your glorious tales, but at least I save lives—not end them.”
Honestly, I'd crawl for Yrene if she asked me to. Meeting her made me realize how glad I am that Chaol faced those heartbreaks; he loved and lost, and in the process, he found something he was looking for all his life when he wasn't even looking. I would put no one beside Yrene and the same goes for Chaol himself. I like that Yrene only helps Chaol when necessary, and propels his independence by not stepping in to help because she knows he is perfectly proficient. She was the first one who looked at him and truly saw him and didn't walk away, who understood his worth and made sure he did so in every regard. Yrene, despite being someone used to the shadows, possesses a strong heart and keen mind. I loved to see her at work and some more. Her unrelenting kindness and the way she provided Chaol the guidance he needed but never dared ask, since he's so used to having everything under control, it tugged at my heartstrings. I swear, I nearly wept when he stood on his own two feet and took his first steps towards her, the need to hold her close overruling his body's protests.
“I heard the spies’ stories of you. The fearless Balruhni woman in Adarlan’s empire. Neith’s Arrow. And I knew…I loved you before I ever set eyes on you.”
Nesyrn was another interesting and complex character, who in the previous books I liked but didn’t feel a connection toward. I felt like something was missing in her character, this book helped fill the void and made me really love her. Her story is equally interesting here. I 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. She is strong, both physically and mentally, and very admirable. She is also very caring and dedicated to her family, her only thing she truly cares about is her family and every scene that featured her family gave me goosebumps. Those scenes were so beautifully executed I couldn’t help but shed a tear.
“We fly to war. Much is uncertain ahead. Save for this. Save for what I feel for you. No demon army, no dark queen or king, will change that.”
I was quite surprised by how much I liked reading about Nesryn and her budding romance with the prince of Antica, Sartaq. While it was instant love and attraction that drew Sartaq towards her, it took Nesryn a while to grow and adapt to her feelings for him during many of their epic adventures together which followed soon after. Their adventure in question entails flying over the continent on the back of a ruk and hunting secrets to hunting demonic spiders in the ruins of the fae, hidden far beyond dangerous mountains, with a shifter friend in tow. Perfect situations that can bring even the worst enemies to lean onto each other and if we're talking about already-existent feelings, you can only guess.
Sarah J. Mass has a bad habit of not putting us on her character's infamous wedding guest list. She better keep us tuned in for Nesryn and Sartaq's wedding, or I'm rioting. Not to mention the big reveal; I never saw it coming. All the clues were perfectly aligned against the culprit, but I walked by it just like Sarah expected us to. It made reading it all the more enjoyable. Other than that, there were some other characters and ships I'd like to see more of; in fact, I'd like for the storyline to take us right back to this glorious heaven of a kingdom, in the heart of Torre Casme, the mountains, and the deserts when their world is freed once again. I'll miss this journey the most among everything else.