A review by bookswithmeghann
Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas

4.0

4 ⭐️ 

• In "Tower of Dawn" by Sarah J. Maas, we join Chaol Westfall on a compelling journey to the Southern Continent. As Chaol navigates physical challenges and confronts his inner turmoil, he seeks crucial alliances for his queen and grapples with the complexities of his own identity. Against a backdrop of political intrigue and magical conflict, Maas skillfully crafts a tale of redemption, love, and self-discovery. Through Chaol's perspective, we explore themes of healing, acceptance, and the resilience of the human spirit.

• I was told I would dislike this compared to EoS because of the character it follows and I have to disagree!! Despite this story revolving around Chaol… and I have strong opinions on Chaol, it was still a good time. I think Yrene makes this story for me. This story could have possibly been shorter, but it didn’t feel as long and complex as EoS. Maybe it was trying to read this tandem read during my last semester of grad school that didn’t allow me to enjoy these books to the fullest capacity, but overall the writing is clever, thorough, and overall excellent. How else would I survive through an entire series based around main characters I really don’t even like?! SJM really finds her style during EoS and ToD, in my opinion. I can see why so many people love these books, for sure. 

Tandem read notes: I would say this book would have probably been a little more dry or boring had I not read this in tandem with EoS. I can’t say for sure I would have liked it less on its own but because I wasn’t trying to race through to the ending, I found myself enjoying this more!!