Honestly, I remember the collective groan that went up across the fandom when Sarah J. Maas announced that the sixth installment of the Throne of Glass series wouldn't actually feature Aelin Ashryver Galathynius. At all. Instead, we were getting a 600-plus page "parallel novel" about Chaol Westfall. People were livid. They wanted to know what happened after that soul-crushing cliffhanger in Empire of Storms, not read about a disgraced captain’s physical therapy sessions in a city we’d never visited.
But here’s the thing. Tower of Dawn isn't just a side quest.
It is arguably the most structurally sound, emotionally resonant book in the entire series. It takes us to the Southern Continent, specifically the glittering, expansive city of Antica. While the rest of the world is literally burning, Chaol Westfall and Nesryn Faliq are navigating a court of healers and khagans. If you skipped it—or if you’re planning to skip it—you’re basically trying to finish a puzzle with twenty percent of the pieces missing. You just can’t do it.
Why the Southern Continent Changes Everything
Antica is a breath of fresh air. After five books of cold, damp Erilean castles and the claustrophobia of Rifthold, the Southern Continent feels massive. It’s vibrant. Maas draws heavy inspiration from the Mongol Empire and various Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultures to build the Khaganate.
The world-building here is dense. We meet the Khagan’s children—Arghun, Duva, Hasar, Kashin, and Sartaq—who are all vying for the throne in a way that makes the political maneuvering in Adarlan look like child's play. They aren't just background characters; they are high-stakes players in a global war.
The sheer scale of the Khagan’s army is what brings Chaol there in the first place. He’s broken, both physically and spiritually. He’s in a wheelchair, his spine shattered by the King of Adarlan, and he’s carrying the weight of his perceived failures like a lead vest. He needs the healers of the Torre Cesme to fix his back, but he also needs an empire to save his home.
The Controversy of the "Tandem Read"
If you spend any time on BookTok or r/throneofglassgame, you’ll hear about the "Tandem Read." This is where readers switch back and forth between chapters of Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn.
Is it worth it?
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It depends on your personality. If you hate spoilers and want to experience the timeline chronologically, the tandem read is a logistical masterpiece. You get the high-octane action of Aelin’s crew alongside the slow-burn mystery of Chaol’s journey.
However, reading Tower of Dawn on its own allows the atmosphere to really sink in. The pacing is different. It’s a mystery. It’s a medical drama. It’s a romance that feels earned because it’s built on shared trauma and mutual respect rather than just "fate." When you rush through it just to get back to Aelin, you miss the nuance of Yrene Towers.
Yrene Towers: The Real MVP
We first met Yrene in the novella The Assassin and the Healer. Back then, she was a scared barmaid with a spark of magic. In this book, she is a powerhouse.
Yrene is the emotional anchor of the story. Her relationship with Chaol starts with genuine loathing—he represents the empire that killed her mother and oppressed her people. Watching that friction turn into a partnership is one of the most satisfying character arcs Maas has ever written.
Her magic is also unique. While Aelin’s power is destructive—fire, ash, death—Yrene’s power is restorative. But as we learn, healing magic has a sharp edge. The way she uses her light to combat the literal darkness of the Valg is a mechanical shift in how the magic system works in this universe. Without Yrene, the final battle in Kingdom of Ash is a guaranteed loss. Period.
Addressing the Ableism Critique
There has been a lot of discussion regarding the "healing" of Chaol Westfall. In a fantasy world, the trope of "magically fixing" a disability can be controversial.
Maas handles this with more nuance than people give her credit for. Chaol isn't just "zapped" back to health. The process is grueling. It’s tied to his mental state. His physical paralysis is inextricably linked to the emotional trauma he refused to process.
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Even at the end, he isn't "cured" in the traditional sense. He retains his injuries. He has to use a cane or his chair when his magic is depleted. His body is permanently changed. It’s a representation of chronic injury that acknowledges the reality of a body that has been through war. It’s not a perfect depiction, but for a high fantasy novel, it’s a surprisingly grounded take on recovery.
The Nesryn and Sartaq Subplot
While everyone focuses on Chaol and Yrene, Nesryn Faliq finally gets the spotlight she deserves. She was always a bit of a background character in Rifthold, the "other" love interest who never quite fit.
In the Southern Continent, she finds her people. She finds the ruks.
The rukhin—mountain-dwelling warriors who ride giant birds—are easily the coolest addition to the lore. Nesryn’s journey to the Altun Mountains with Prince Sartaq provides the epic fantasy scale the book needs. It also delivers one of the biggest plot twists in the entire series.
Remember the spiders? The Stygian spiders?
The information Nesryn uncovers in those mountains completely recontextualizes the history of the Valg and the Fae. If you skip this book, the revelations about Maeve in the final book will feel like they came out of nowhere. You need this context.
The Lore Drops You Can’t Afford to Miss
- The Valg Queens: We learn that the Valg aren't just a monolithic force of "bad guys." They have a hierarchy and a history that stretches back further than the Fae records.
- The Healer's Origin: The connection between the Torre Cesme and the ancient Fae magic is vital for understanding how to actually kill a Valg prince.
- The Khagan’s Might: You realize just how small Erilea is compared to the rest of the world.
Is It Actually Boring?
Let's be real. If you’re here for explosions every five pages, the first half of Tower of Dawn might feel slow. It’s a slow-burn. It’s a "vibe" book.
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But the tension builds in a way that feels like a coiled spring. By the time the Valg starts infiltrating the Torre and the Khagan’s palace, it turns into a straight-up horror novel. The scene in the library? Terrifying. The final confrontation? Heart-stopping.
It’s a book about internal battles. Chaol has to stop hating himself before he can lead an army. That kind of growth takes time. You can’t rush a man through his own self-loathing.
How to Approach the Book Now
Whether you are a first-time reader or doing a re-read before Sarah J. Maas drops her next project, here is the best way to handle this specific volume.
First, stop thinking of it as a "Chaol book." Think of it as the "Southern Continent" book. It’s a world-expansion pack.
Second, pay attention to the dates. The events are happening at the exact same time as Empire of Storms. There’s a specific moment where characters look at the horizon or feel a shift in the wind, and it aligns perfectly with Aelin’s journey across the ocean.
Finally, look for the clues about the Gods. The mythology of the Throne of Glass world gets very messy toward the end, and this book provides the blueprint for how it all ties together.
Actionable Steps for Readers
If you're currently staring at the spine of this book and feeling hesitant, here is how to tackle it effectively:
- Check the Map: Frequently refer to the Southern Continent map. Understanding the distance between Antica and the Altun Mountains helps visualize the scale of the Khaganate.
- Read The Assassin and the Healer: If you haven't read The Assassin's Blade, go back and read Yrene’s origin story first. It makes her growth in this book feel ten times more impactful.
- Note the Spiders: When Nesryn gets to the mountains, pay very close attention to the stories the spiders tell. Every word is a hint at the series' endgame.
- Listen to the Audiobook: If the slower pace is killing you, the narrator for the audiobook (Elizabeth Evans) does an incredible job with the various accents and the tense, atmospheric scenes in the Torre.
This book is the glue that holds the finale together. It’s where the disparate threads of the Valg, the healers, and the ancient royals finally weave into a single tapestry. Don’t skip it. You’ll regret it when you hit the first hundred pages of Kingdom of Ash and have no idea who the woman with the glowing hands is or why there are giant birds falling from the sky.