Books & Literature

Book Review: Throne of Glass 6: Tower of Dawn, by Sarah J Maas

Chaol and Nesryn sail for Antica, the stronghold of the southern continent’s mighty empire and of the legendary healers of the Torre Cesme.

I have fallen into the trap of having a book that is not the first in a series to review. In researching this series, I find that it is a hefty story and that this book is number six and has the task of filling in the gaps from the previous volume. It is huge and has some 660 pages of very small type but once you get started the pages fly by. If you are reading the Throne of Glass novels, here is my appraisal of this volume from a person with very little understanding of the previous histories.

This book is made up of strong characters with diverse backgrounds, cultures, and lifestyles. It features disabled and healing souls in a world of threatening doom amongst sparks of magical encounters. It is the story of Chaol and tells of not only how he grows stronger but shows the paths taken as people find each other and come to terms with their own identities and potentials. It is a story of hope.

With Chaol as a main character, it is apparent that his wounds are woven not only in dark magic but his own hatred and regrets. His strong hatred for his disability and belief in how it weakens his character is a strong driving force as this story unfolds. This also is a tale of inspirational and strong female characters. Women who will not lay down in the face of adversity and who will do whatever is needed for the world and people they love.

The underlying message of Tower of Dawn seems to be one of healing and hope. It shows that no matter how lost or how damaged we may be, there are ways to become whole and worthy in our own esteem. It talks of compassion, forgiveness, kindness and loyalty even in times of war and dangerous monsters.

Having waded through this volume, I am heading to the book store to purchase the preceding five books and beginning at the start, so that when the final chapter is released in 2018 I will have a proper understanding of the realms and characters of the Throne of Glass novels. If, like me, you haven’t read these, I am informed that The Assassin’s Blade, which is a compilation of the Throne of Glass prequel novellas will be a good start before tackling this volume, to get the full emotional impact of its contents.

Reviewed by Leanne Caune

Rating out of 10:  8

Released by: Bloomsbury and distributed through Allen & Unwin
Release Date: September 2019
RRP: $16.99 paperback

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