Tower of Dawn Review

*Spoilers Ahead*

Oh my goodness, I am blown away. The intricacies in the storylines and how they have been woven together throughout the whole Throne of Glass series is simply masterful. I don’t know why I hesitated so long before picking up Tower of Dawn as it is simply 9781408887974amazing.

Tower of Dawn follows the story of Chaol and Nesryn as they arrive in Antica to forge an alliance with the Khagan the most powerful ruler in the Southern Continent and to visit the legendary Torre Cosme to heal Chaol from the wounds he received in Rifthold.

The complexity of this book really surprised me. I didn’t realize all that was be gained by Chaol and Nesryn whilst in Antica. I honestly thought it would just be more focused on the political intrigue that the Khagan and his children brought forth as the main plot point of the story. Sure it delved a little deeper into the dynamics of this incredibly powerful family and we learnt a lot more about them but the main focus was really the character growth that we witness throughout the course of the book, in particular Chaol, Yrene and Nesryn.

Chaol is wounded, he’s grief stricken, and guilt ridden and strong beyond measure, watching his character grow throughout the course of this book was spectacular. His narrative is so intimate as we watch him overcome his personal demons as he fights off the demons that have latched on inside of him in his wound. The transition from the man he is when he is wheeled off that boat by Nesryn to the man who walked aboard the vessel to sail back to Erilea with Yrene by his side was so well thought out, genuine and heartfelt. I loved him as a character and I have definitely been swayed, as he wasn’t really a favourite of mine in the rest of the series.

I thought Yrene was also a delight to read. Her strength and resilience in the face of danger is really something to be commended. We see her grow from being timid, yet quietly assertive to being the commanding, powerful tenacious woman that she is meant to be. Seeing the slow build up of their romance through the course of the book was also great. It wasn’t rushed at all and we could really feel the genuineness of the relationship spilling out through the pages.

Nesryn was kind of in the background for the first half of the story for me. I had inklings about her and Sartaq from the first night he followed her to the Torres Tower and I thought he was a good match for her. She is so used to being disciplined and in control and he really counteracted all of that as the carefree, cocky prince. I enjoyed seeing their relationship build and seeing Sartaq’s backstory unfold at Altun and their adventures and discoveries they found during their time there and how it drew them together was worth the read.

This story was full of adventure, heartaches, plotting and revelations and it had my heart pounding the whole time. It was thrilling to read, and seeing the plot points all align together from the last six books in this series was expert. I applaud Sarah J Maas and I am eagerly anticipating the next book in the series later this year!

⭐️5/5 stars nothing more to say!

My Top 10 Books of 2018 so far…

Just thought I’d have a little fun and make a list of the top ten books I’ve read so far this year. Currently my total amount of books I’ve read is 55! My goal for 2018 was to read 70 books so I am well on my way to completing that, which makes my very happy. So here is a list of my top ten favourite books I’ve read so far this year.

A Darker Shade of MagicA Gathering of Shadows and A Conjuring of Light by V.E. ShadesMagic-UKSchwab. These books were amazing! Again I had been hearing about these books forever and I only got around to reading them in January and I loved them. The magic system was intricately detailed and the character arcs that occur throughout this trilogy are amazing. Kell is powerful yet still endearing and I love the relationship he shares with Rhys. Delilah really lightens up the mood in this series as well, quick witted, sharp and bright I love how she grows and develops throughout the three books! If you haven’t read this series I highly recommend that you do.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. I read this book back in March and I still 186074catch myself thinking about it every now and then. The Name of the Wind is another epic fantasy novel that really captures your imagination. The narrative is very intimate as we read as Kvothe grows and has to face a number of trials and tribulations in his young life and have that contradict to the man he is at present. This really has us guessing at every stage what will happen next to eventually lead up to the point that he’s retelling his story. The lore and fantasy elements woven into this world is expansive and really complements the plot beautifully!

29589074Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson. Truly Devious really captured my attention as soon as I read it. I love a good YA mystery thriller and this book really ticked all the boxes for me. The flashbacks to the time of the kidnapping as well as the present day crimes that are occurring really have you second guessing every character and their motives. Mysterious, dark and captivating this book entrances you from the start all the way through to the cliffhanging end!

51Xg5doN6iL._SX324_BO1,204,203,200_A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas. This book really took me by surprise. I don’t particularly like fantasy series that specifically revolve around fairies or the fey and I really had some misgiving about this series after I read A Court of Thorns and Roses and I just thought that it was kind of ok…. But then I read a Court of Mist and Fury and I was in love. The twists and turns and revelations that occur as well as the magical elements and surprises were everything that I love to read. By far my favourite book in the series!

31931690Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia. It’s not often that I read contemporary books but I thought since I’ve heard about this book so much that I would bite the bullet and give it a go. This book was fantastic. Super relatable I think Eliza is every teenager going through high school at the moment having to deal with social media, and the scrutiny of her peers as well as thousands who have come to rely on her on a weekly basis for her posts. I thought it was very well written and showcased the struggle that everyday teenagers have to deal with in this cyber world!

29748925Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor. I put off reading Strange the Dreamer for a while now as I wasn’t a fan of The Daughter of Smoke and Bone series that everyone seems to love. I even DNF’d Dreams of Gods and Monsters as I just couldn’t gel with the story. However, Strange the Dreamer really surprised me! I actually really enjoyed the narrative. It’s lyrical and beautifully descriptive and the actually story is full of twists and turns and it really keeps you entertained throughout. I’m definitely going to be picking up Muse of Nightmares when it comes out later this year.

51VFrzslYiL._SX329_BO1,204,203,200_The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This book was everything! Full of scandals and rumours, the winding path of Evelyn’s life is simply was amazing! The characters are flawed and sassy and entertaining and relatable and Evelyn’s story is super entertaining and tragically beautiful. I had high expectations for this book and Taylor Jenkins Reid really blew me out of the water with this tale.

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The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. I only just recently completed this book and it blew me away. From the characters to the world building (which is massive), to the magic system and the lore and legends that are woven throughout… this book is every epic fantasy lover’s idea of perfection! Being the first in a ten book series I have no doubt this is going to become one of my all time favourites!

August TBR

Since it is already the 14th August I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself to read another 8 books this month but I do still want to give myself some form of structure for the rest of the month and have a goal to achieve. So for the rest of August I have four books that I would really like to finish. A couple have been on my TBR for a very long time now and I’m at the point where I am ready to get stuck in!

wordsofradiance_8938The first book that I would like to read this month is Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson. This is the second book in the Stormlight Archives. I just finished The Way of Kings last month and absolutely loved it, so I definitely want to continue on in this series and see what is going to happen next. Even if I don’t completely finish Words of Radiance as it is over 1000 pages, just getting started will be a pass for me!

9781408887974The second book on my TBR is Tower of Dawn by Sarah J Maas. I read the Throne of Glass series earlier this year and I actually really enjoyed it. I’ve been sitting on Tower of Dawn ever since as Chaol wasn’t really a favourite character of mine and I felt like Nesryn was just kind of thrown into the mix very suddenly and I didn’t quite gel with her. However, I’ve heard nothing but high praise for Tower of Dawn so I figure just give it a read and see how I feel.

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The third book I’m hoping to complete in August is To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo. I’ve seen this book floating around for the last few months now and it has me intrigued. The premise really appeals to me. I just recently read The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw a few months ago and was really captivated by it and this book seems like it fits into the same category from what I’ve heard. One of those dark, atmospheric, YA fantasy books that I think would be right up my alley.

51YD0qrSr6L._SX328_BO1204203200_The last book that I would like to have finished by the end of this month is Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. I don’t read a lot of contemporary so every now and then I like to throw in a contemporary book to kind of cleanse my palate from all the fantasy that I read. Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda has been quite a staple in the contemporary world since it was published in 2015 but ever since the movie came out at the start of this year I’ve been seeing this book everywhere and everyone has been talking about it, so I thought it was high time I gave it a read.