Name: Tower of Dawn
ISBN: 9781681198798

Sarah J. Maas

Chaol and Nesryn visit Antica hoping the legendary healers of the Torre Cesme can enable Chaol to walk again, and to persuade the rulers to ally with them to save Erilea.

Tower of Dawn

Cynthia Langley

Simone Endres

Annabelle Louise Hilhorst 

Elaine

Stephanie 

Ryleigh Johnson

She needed a fatter ass for her lover to grip at night.

"They are . . . If you ever meet them you'll get it. Like Hasar, she isn't an easy person to be with, to understand. Aelin frightens everyone." He snorted. "But not him. I think that's why she fell in love with him, against her best intentions. Rowan beheld all Aelin was and is, and he was not afraid."

Anna Stewart

It was her eyes that Chaol noticed first. 

She likely stopped people dead in the street with those eyes, a vibrant golden brown that seemed lit from within.

This close, her eyes were a golden flame. Not like the cold metal of Manon Blackbeak’s, not laced with a century of violence and predator’s instincts, but… like a long-burning flame on a winter’s night.

“Drink.” Pure command laced his voice—a man used to being obeyed, to giving orders. “Resent me all you want, but drink the damn thing.” 

And it was the faint kernel of worry in his eyes… 

A man used to being obeyed, yes, but a man also inclined to care for others. Look after them. Driven to do it by a compulsion he couldn’t leash, couldn’t train out of him. Couldn’t have broken out of him.

Chaol chuckled, catching the makings of a grin on her face before she ducked her head to hide it. As if sharing one with a son of Adarlan were such a crime. 

Still, he eyed her for a long moment—the humor lingering on her face, the heavy, softly curling hair that was occasionally caught in the morning breeze off the sea. And found himself still smiling as something coiled tight in his chest began to loosen.

“Chaol,” she breathed, and he thought it might have been the first time she’d called him such. 

But she looked down, dragging his stare with her. 

To his toes, slowly curling and uncurling. As if trying to remember the movement.

Yrene smiled—broadly, widely. Remained smiling as she turned her head toward him. 

Chaol was still watching her with that focused, calm face. A different one from any she’d seen on him before. As if in shaving off some of that darkness, it had revealed this facet beneath. 

She wasn’t sure what to do with it. With him.

And though she told herself not to… a little smile tugged on Yrene’s mouth as they rode into the awakening city.

Fantasy. 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. Now he and Nesryn sail for Antica. It's Chaol's one shot at recovery, and with war looming back home, Dorian and Aelin's survival could depend on Chaol and Nesryn convincing Antica's rulers to ally with them. But what they discover there will change them both

Couldn’t get into it for the life of me🥲 once there was like a fifth left it started to get better! I’ve never felt drawn to Chaol as a person so his parts were a bit boring to me! The ruks were the best part for me! Nesryn and Sartaqs parts at least had some action, the book was too long where a lot of times they didn’t actually say anything! Highly wanted to DNF but didn’t do it because I want to finish the series!

Femke

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 . . .

A Throne Of Glass Novel

Didn’t love as this followed two fairly boring characters. I enjoyed the ending but a good 80% was just annoying listening to chaol whine. Glad to see Yrene back in the story and how she will be used in the finale book. 

Paige Paul

Wonderful to meet Yrene and the incredible ways she adds to this story. It was fairly slow paced and the storyline was pretty simple, but necessary.

Isabella De Francesca

Following the shattering of the glass castle and the deaths of his men, Chaol pursues recovery by searching for healers in the southern continent while trying to convince Dorian and Aelin to ally with him and Nesryn in order to avoid war.

Okay after empire of storms yes it was a good choice to put a more relaxing book. While I did like Nesryn’s storyline Chaol’s was meh. Honestly he did not convince me AT ALL. The way he treated Aelyn and how he viewed her as a monster I just can’t forgive. And he is such a hypocrite I mean I don’t know I really didn’t see how Yerene liked him. What she saw. Also the ending was again like salt to all my wounds from empire of storms. Main takeout, while I enjoyed reading this book and loved many characters, a. Chaol pisses me off and b. Too much of a happy ending with too fast marriages and I love yous.

🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕

Chase Leitner

"Yrene had never known her father, never learned anything about who he was other than a traveler who had stopped at her mother's cottage for the night, seeking shelter from a wild storm that swept over the grassy plain."

It would remain in him, a scar and a reminder. "Will it grow again?" "Only if you let it. Only if you do not fill it with better things. Only if you do not forgive." He knew she didn't just mean others. "But if you are kind to yourself, if you -- if you love yourself..." Yrene's mouth trembled. "If you love yourself as much as I love you..."

Michele

"Yrene had never known her father, never learned anything about who he was other than a traveler who had stopped at her mother's cottage for the night, seeking shelter from a wild storm that swept over the grassy plain."

It would remain in him, a scar and a reminder. "Will it grow again?" "Only if you let it. Only if you do not fill it with better things. Only if you do not forgive." He knew she didn't just mean others. "But if you are kind to yourself, if you -- if you love yourself..." Yrene's mouth trembled. "If you love yourself as much as I love you..."

Janice Walker

It’s good but not at all like the other books in the series. Had a wonderful ending and had some wonderful character development for all involved

Madeleine Rose

i strongly believe chaol is in love with dorian, but him and yrene work too i guess. 

neele

You would be surprised by how closely the healing of physical wounds is tied to the healing of emotional ones. 

I feel like I’ve been possessed by the Throne of Glass series—I can’t stop until I finish every last book. And even then, I’ll probably be left yearning for more. Out of all the books so far, this one might just be my favorite, mainly because I finally got to meet Yrene Towers—the girl once saved by an assassin and now grown into a powerful healer.

I still have mixed feelings about Chaol Westfall. Much like Feyre from the ACOTAR series, he often strikes me as emotionally fragile, someone who needs to lean on a stronger figure just to keep from breaking. Sorry, Chaol. I do love Nesryn and Yrene though—such compelling characters, both in strength and in heart.The setting in this book, particularly the Khagan’s empire, felt like an overly blended mix of real-world cultures—Ottoman Empire, Egypt, Morocco, and even echoes of the early Turkish Khaganates, like those of Bilge Khagan—from whom, interestingly, one of my own names hails. But instead of adding richness and depth, the mix sometimes came off as a confusing mash-up. It lacked the clarity and cohesion I was hoping for. Antica, where Nesryn’s family comes from and where the legendary healers are trained, had so much potential, but the worldbuilding felt more like a patchwork of loosely borrowed elements than a fully realized, original culture. Although I was very enjoyed to be there, I also kept getting pulled out by how forced or surface-level the cultural inspirations felt.

One of my favorite takeaways from this book is the reminder that small kindnesses can echo in powerful ways. There’s a Turkish proverb that came to mind while reading: “Do good and throw it into the sea. If the fish don’t know, God will.” That spirit is beautifully reflected in Yrene's journey.

It was also satisfying to witness the personal growth of both Nesryn and Chaol, especially as their paths and purposes evolve. This installment reveals secrets and insights that cast new light on everything that’s come before—and brings a spark of hope to what’s otherwise felt like an impossible war looming over Aelin and her allies.That said, something continues to bug me about the SJM universe—why does every character need to find a romantic pairing to be whole? Can’t someone just be their own person without needing to be bound to a partner or to Aelin’s ever-expanding crew?

Bilge Ince

You would be surprised by how closely the healing of physical wounds is tied to the healing of emotional ones. 

I feel like I’ve been possessed by the Throne of Glass series—I can’t stop until I finish every last book. And even then, I’ll probably be left yearning for more. Out of all the books so far, this one might just be my favorite, mainly because I finally got to meet Yrene Towers—the girl once saved by an assassin and now grown into a powerful healer.

I still have mixed feelings about Chaol Westfall. Much like Feyre from the ACOTAR series, he often strikes me as emotionally fragile, someone who needs to lean on a stronger figure just to keep from breaking. Sorry, Chaol. I do love Nesryn and Yrene though—such compelling characters, both in strength and in heart.The setting in this book, particularly the Khagan’s empire, felt like an overly blended mix of real-world cultures—Ottoman Empire, Egypt, Morocco, and even echoes of the early Turkish Khaganates, like those of Bilge Khagan—from whom, interestingly, one of my own names hails. But instead of adding richness and depth, the mix sometimes came off as a confusing mash-up. It lacked the clarity and cohesion I was hoping for. Antica, where Nesryn’s family comes from and where the legendary healers are trained, had so much potential, but the worldbuilding felt more like a patchwork of loosely borrowed elements than a fully realized, original culture. Although I was very enjoyed to be there, I also kept getting pulled out by how forced or surface-level the cultural inspirations felt.

One of my favorite takeaways from this book is the reminder that small kindnesses can echo in powerful ways. There’s a Turkish proverb that came to mind while reading: “Do good and throw it into the sea. If the fish don’t know, God will.” That spirit is beautifully reflected in Yrene's journey.

It was also satisfying to witness the personal growth of both Nesryn and Chaol, especially as their paths and purposes evolve. This installment reveals secrets and insights that cast new light on everything that’s come before—and brings a spark of hope to what’s otherwise felt like an impossible war looming over Aelin and her allies.That said, something continues to bug me about the SJM universe—why does every character need to find a romantic pairing to be whole? Can’t someone just be their own person without needing to be bound to a partner or to Aelin’s ever-expanding crew?

Such a happy surprise how much I loved this book xxx

Nicole Mills

Tower of Dawn took me a while to get into, mostly because I'd just finished Empire of Storms and I really wanted to continue reading from that point in time, but once I really got into it, this book was wonderful. 

Chaol's emotional and physical journey was really lovely to read, and discovering a whole different side of the ToG world was very interesting. Once again, SJM's writing was perfect, with lots of tension, new love and adventure, and made me never want to put the book down. 

After the first couple of chapters, which were very slow-paced and without much action, I sometimes wished I'd done the tandem read, but now that I finished the book I'm glad I didn't. I think both Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn are such good novels on their own, that you don't need one to support the other. I also think that for me personally it would have been too distracting to switch from one storyline to the other. Perhaps I'll try the tandem read if I ever reread the series, but for now I'm happy with my decision. 

Isabelle

Tower of Dawn took me a while to get into, mostly because I'd just finished Empire of Storms and I really wanted to continue reading from that point in time, but once I really got into it, this book was wonderful. 

Chaol's emotional and physical journey was really lovely to read, and discovering a whole different side of the ToG world was very interesting. Once again, SJM's writing was perfect, with lots of tension, new love and adventure, and made me never want to put the book down. 

After the first couple of chapters, which were very slow-paced and without much action, I sometimes wished I'd done the tandem read, but now that I finished the book I'm glad I didn't. I think both Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn are such good novels on their own, that you don't need one to support the other. I also think that for me personally it would have been too distracting to switch from one storyline to the other. Perhaps I'll try the tandem read if I ever reread the series, but for now I'm happy with my decision. 

Now on to Kingdom of Ash... 

This one started out so slow to me, but I ended up loving it. I do think it could’ve been A LOT shorter. 

Jillian Roberts

This one started out so slow to me, but I ended up loving it. I do think it could’ve been A LOT shorter. 

KOA…here I come!! (I’m not ready)



julie reads

as a chaol girl, this book meant the world to me. he’s done so much growth and he’s so kind, my boy forever. i can’t wait for my core  to be together again

CLAUDIA VALDES

To those who said this book was boring……. whaaaaat???!!! This was anything but. I absolutely loved it. Totally advise doing it as the tandem read. And now to the finale……….

Aims

millena

4,5 ⭐️ the only flaw in this book was the number of nesryn’s chapters, otherwise i loved it!!!

A glorious empire. A desperate quest. An ancient secret. The search for allies extends to a new land in the sixth book of the #1 bestselling Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. 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 at the hands of Adarlanian soldiers, 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 she will honor it. But Lord Westfall carries his own dark past, and Yrene soon realizes that those shadows could engulf them both. Chaol, Nesryn, and Yrene will have to draw on every scrap of their resilience to overcome the danger that surrounds them. But while they become entangled in the political webs of the khaganate, long-awaited answers slumber deep in the mountains, where warriors soar on legendary ruks. Answers that might offer their world a chance at survival . . . or doom them all. The final battle looms in this sixth book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series.

Jennifer Gosnell

I went in with very low expectations and I would say they were surpassed!! Wasn’t sure that I needed a book this long about Chaol and Nesryn (still not sure it needed to be this long, tbh) but it was actually a really cool, interesting world in Antica. I would say Yrene was 100% the highlight of the book for me. Really enjoyed the Torre storylines and learnings. RELIEVED I didn’t do a tandem read for the first reading of this book + Empire of Storms. Too much going on with those two books to do that for first reading, in my opinion. Pumped to be jumping into Kingdom of Ash now!!

Okay, so this is going to be a slightly unpopular opinion but I think this book was really really good and not just one I could ignore from lack of enjoyment. So I think the obvious reason is that I don’t hate Chaol as much as a lot of other people do and dreaded this book because of it. I think having this book was an emotional journey of love and healing. And seeing the full circle of moments and how they will all combine into the last book is one I’m looking forward to. I will say as well that I read the tandem because I was recommended to. But I think for me personally I would have been okay reading both books part of the tandem individually and would have still enjoyed the books. Let me explain. I’m a really anxious person, so while I was reading the books I was so stressed making sure I was paying attention and correctly switching between the books that I could have loved them even more than I do. I even messed up at one point and had to literally stop and work through if I messed up the whole thing but knew I was ridculous for thinking that. But that is just how my brain works so for me I needed to do them separate and since I really liked Tower of Dawn as being one of the best books in the series I feel validated with myself for thinking it too. 

Priscilla Stanfield

Maya 

Fireheart :( 

I don’t think I’m ready for Kingdom of Ash…

If there’s one thing SJM is gonna do is write a book about everyone’s least favorite character and make me fall in love.

Danielle Blandina

While I loved getting to know all these new characters and the story is phenomenal… I actually miss the people from the main story!! I can’t wait for the next book!

Jennifer Palmer

Hanna Rybchynska

'Tower of Dawn' was really good! Why? Because it's all about Chaol, baby! He's been one of my absolute favorites since book 1, so getting to hang out with him throughout this whole adventure was perfect! He's like the ultimate underdog, and watching him grow and kick butt in this book was beyond rewarding. Plus, the new characters we meet along the way? Total gems. They added so much depth and flavor to the story, I couldn't get enough of them!

Z♡ 

3.5★
i read this in tandem with Empire of Storms. 

okay, i’ve always had a soft spot for Chaol, so i was happy to read a book about him and his own adventure, and how he overcame his own struggles and new injury. [SPOILERS] → 
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i’m so happy Chaol found his happy ending! i love him and Yrene. i think they compliment each other so well, with him being a bit rash and her calm nature. the Nesryn and Sartaq chapters bored me a little. but overall it was a fun read, now i can’t wait to see how they get back to Rowan and the rest of the crew!