“It was agony and despair and fear. It was joy and laughter and rest. It was life, all of it…”
Tower of Dawn written by Sarah J. Maas is book six in the “Throne of Glass” series.
This series MUST be read in order. This review will have SPOILERS for book one, two, three, four, and five. I recommend reading my reviews of Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows, and Empire of Storms. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you read The Assassin’s Blade before reading this book as well.
This review will be separated into two parts. There will a quick review with highlights and a full review.
Quick Review
- 5 Star Rating
- Awful Cover
- Great Disability Representation
- Full and Important Novel in TOG Series (Aka Not a Novella)
- I came to love Chaol.
- Yrene is perfect.
- Nesryn is a chiller version of Manon and equally awesome.
- Sartaq is definitely my kind of guy.
- All of the ships were amazing.
- Maas toned down on sex scenes. Thank the 36 gods. This still has mature content though.
- Maas’ monsters were badass as always.
Full and Personal Review
Story in a Sentence: Chaol and Nesryn travel to Antica seeking assistance from the legendary healers of the Torre Cesme to fix Chaol’s spine, but the healer is a victim of Adarlan’s soldiers making her reluctant to help the former captain of the guard and the world of the Khagan uncovers secrets that can be key to winning the war against Erawan.
Background Info: I have an acquired brain injury that left me in a wheelchair full time for over a year and a half. Before this, I was on my school’s competitive dance team and a runner on the track team. With intensive physical therapy and time, I am now a part-time wheelchair user with the ability to walk unassisted for small periods of time and short distances. I can no longer dance or run.
I have had this book since the day it came out on September 5th, but I have put off reading it. I knew that it was going to about healing Chaol of the injury that left him paralyzed from the hips down and I was hesitant to see how Maas handled it. I have been chronically and severely ill since I was sixteen. During the first year of my declining health, I discovered Sarah J. Maas and read everything she had published. I managed to get lost in her books. They were an escape for me. I have never pushed for physical disabilities in fantasy novels. For the majority of worlds and plots that these authors have built, a warrior in a wheelchair is not feasible. It has never personally bothered me. It is a whole different story when an author close to your heart tackles such a personal issue in a world that became a place of comfort. I put off reading this because I was scared. When you suddenly rely on a wheelchair, your world completely changes. It is not just how to adjusting to the chair and learning how to navigate the world in a different way, but the perspective is changed. You suddenly seem smaller, shorter, more vulnerable, and restricted. It also affects your psyche. To go from being an active and healthy young adult to someone who can’t even stand totally fucks with your head. It is so hard to write about something that you have not experienced, especially something as drastic as being confined to a chair. If Maas had failed in her attempt, it would have crushed me. Luckily, she didn’t.
Maas succeeded in every aspect of writing about a wheelchair user. The need for independence. The embarrassment and annoyance of eyes constantly following you. The stubborn notion that you can do everything yourself. The fury when people try to help against your wishes. The huge amount of joy when you do one thing that you believed was impossible but came so easy when you were able-bodied. The emotion that Chaol got to ride a horse again perfectly coincides with the feelings I experienced when I took a therapy dance class. Sure, it wasn’t the same. I had to use a walker and braces, but it was still incredible. When I stood up for the first time after so long, I focused on the world around me. I felt so tall. People could look at me without having to bend. The shaking and pain in my legs were secondary. Chaol experience this as well. The distant kinship between Shen and Chaol is common in the disability community. Shen and Chaol have different injuries but there is still that sense of understanding, almost friendship, between them. One of the most annoying and rude things people do to a wheelchair user is trying to push a wheelchair without being asked. “Someone-Shen- gripped the handles of his chair and began to turn him. Chaol twisted, teeth bared at the guard, “Don’t touch it.” But Shen didn’t release the handles, even as apology shone in his eyes. He knew-Chaol realized the guard knew just how it felt to have the chair touched, moved, without being asked.” It is with this quote that I knew Maas understood.
This book is basically split into two parts. Chaol and Nesryn are the two main characters. Chaol ends up splitting his part with Yrene and takes up 2/3 of the overall book. Nesyrn’s sections involve a lot of Sartaq, but his POV is not shown.
Chaol spends the majority of his time with Yrene because of his healing sessions. A little past halfway through the book we see more of them outside Chaol’s sitting room. Yrene’s POV consists of many different places such as the Torre Chesme, library, Silba’s womb (not as weird as you think), and the palace. She also sees a fair amount of action. Her character is very dimensional but is nowhere near the complexity of Chaol, but Maas’ has had five years to develop him. I enjoyed reading about Yrene and her dynamic with Chaol. *SPOILER* I shipped Chaol and Yrene from the very beginning. I knew he was never going to end with Nesryn. I was disappointed that we didn’t see the days leading up to Chaol’s proposal and their wedding, but the book was already very long so I understand. I hope to see more of them in the last book because they are adorable. *END OF SPOILER*
Nesryn’s parts were pretty boring until she became friends with Sartaq. After Nesryn rode on Kadare for the first time, I was hooked and constantly looked forward to reading more. I shipped them from the very beginning as well. Maas has an addiction to pairing characters and it doesn’t always work, but the pairs in these books were fantastic.*SPOILER* I knew that Nesryn would end up leaving with Sartaq before it was discussed, but I am really happy she did. I hope that Nesryn ends up becoming Queen and living in Antica. I really want her to have a happy ending. *END OF SPOILER* I would have liked to see a couple of sections with Sartaq’s POV, but the book is long as I previously stated at 664 pages. It always a good sign when you want the book to be longer.
Her quality of world building was very inconsistent. It would be amazing then okay and then absolutely horrible. I loved seeing the world of the Ruhkin. It was entertaining, intriguing, and well-done. Silba’s womb was definitely my favorite with the bells and darkness. I had a problem with the library which is weird because nearly every one of Maas’ books includes a library scene. The same goes for the traps and kharankui. Normally I would take half a star, but I had already decided to give this five stars the second I finished.
Overall, this is one of the best works by Maas. I might even consider it her best. Ignore the ugly cover and the fact that Aelin isn’t in this. This is a full novel that you must read to continue on to book seven of “Throne of Glass”. Maas managed to accomplish something very few able-bodied writers have ever achieved while keeping an entertaining and necessary plot. 5 stars. No question. The personal connection I have to this book is strong. With my already deep appreciation for Maas’ books, this particular installment basically means the world to me.
P.S. The final two pages are horrifying. Be prepared.
Sarah J. Maas Reviews
Literature Dreams 