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A review by sarah_cameron
Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Honestly this book is my favourite in the series so far.
Did it have its issues? Yeah. Were there some lines where I was like ‘huh?’ Yeah. These are the kind of criticisms that everyone is pretty well aware of across SJM books so I won’t bring them up here, but if you’re wondering if they’re present in this book also then the answer is yes.
Outside of those areas, this is a well written book, and I’m always here for a story about a man who comes from privileged getting knocked down a few pegs, reflecting on his past problematic behaviour, and learning to accept responsibility and become a better person and friend. So much healthier and more refreshing than the cancel culture we tend to see. I honestly don’t understand all the hate this book gets? Maybe people are so hung up on what Chaol has done before (which was pretty awful and I’m not discounting that) they didn’t think he deserved to learn and grow? But like everyone does, and we should give people the space to do exactly that. Is Chaol a perfect and unproblematic character at the end of this book? Of course not, but neither are any of the other MCs in the series. I thought he had a well-written arc, I like that it wasn’t linear, and we stan personal growth here.
I don’t have loads to say about Nesryn, mainly because she’s wonderful and I love her and that’s pretty much that. I’m so glad she got to reconnect with her heritage and culture and people, that she never lacked a love for herself, but that we got to see this grow and her put herself first for a change. It was a great journey of rediscovering and prioritising herself, and I love how this was done for her.
Yrene. Love of my life. What a queen. Perfect? Also no. But she had wonderful internal journey where she reconnected with her inner child, solidified her understanding of her worth and value, and deconstructed in a healthy and realistic way. I thought her journey was well done, I love seeing a well-rounded and developed character who isn’t ‘strong’ because her primary trait is that she can kick ass. Don’t get me wrong - Yrene can absolutely hold her own, but she does not value or seek out violence, and instead has strength in her compassion and determination and that’s very refreshing.
Basically, let’s stop hating on this book and let people make mistakes, then learn and grow from them. This is something we should be pushing to see more of. There’s never anything lost from giving characters - and people - a little bit of empathy.
Did it have its issues? Yeah. Were there some lines where I was like ‘huh?’ Yeah. These are the kind of criticisms that everyone is pretty well aware of across SJM books so I won’t bring them up here, but if you’re wondering if they’re present in this book also then the answer is yes.
Outside of those areas, this is a well written book, and I’m always here for a story about a man who comes from privileged getting knocked down a few pegs, reflecting on his past problematic behaviour, and learning to accept responsibility and become a better person and friend. So much healthier and more refreshing than the cancel culture we tend to see. I honestly don’t understand all the hate this book gets? Maybe people are so hung up on what Chaol has done before (which was pretty awful and I’m not discounting that) they didn’t think he deserved to learn and grow? But like everyone does, and we should give people the space to do exactly that. Is Chaol a perfect and unproblematic character at the end of this book? Of course not, but neither are any of the other MCs in the series. I thought he had a well-written arc, I like that it wasn’t linear, and we stan personal growth here.
I don’t have loads to say about Nesryn, mainly because she’s wonderful and I love her and that’s pretty much that. I’m so glad she got to reconnect with her heritage and culture and people, that she never lacked a love for herself, but that we got to see this grow and her put herself first for a change. It was a great journey of rediscovering and prioritising herself, and I love how this was done for her.
Yrene. Love of my life. What a queen. Perfect? Also no. But she had wonderful internal journey where she reconnected with her inner child, solidified her understanding of her worth and value, and deconstructed in a healthy and realistic way. I thought her journey was well done, I love seeing a well-rounded and developed character who isn’t ‘strong’ because her primary trait is that she can kick ass. Don’t get me wrong - Yrene can absolutely hold her own, but she does not value or seek out violence, and instead has strength in her compassion and determination and that’s very refreshing.
Basically, let’s stop hating on this book and let people make mistakes, then learn and grow from them. This is something we should be pushing to see more of. There’s never anything lost from giving characters - and people - a little bit of empathy.