Tandem Read: Empire of Storms & Tower of Dawn by Sarah J Maas

Dates Read: March 10, 2024 – June 30, 2024
Publication Dates: EoS – September 6, 2016 ToD – September 5, 2017
Source: Owned paperback set

Empire of Storms–Tower of Dawn — Amazon

I did a thing! I did a tandem read! I’m so jazzed that I actually did it.

Alright, so, I suppose I will be reviewing both books while also relaying my thoughts and feelings on the tandem read itself.

I did the tandem read partly because it was recommended that I do it that way and partly because I hate Chaol. Ok ok… I hated Chaol. I no longer hate him after reading Tower of Dawn. More on that later.

I really thought I would go through this tandem read thoroughly enjoying Empire of Storms and dreading the moments I had to switch back to Tower of Dawn. HOWEVER, I enjoyed both books SO MUCH… just in different ways.

And Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen, knew the time would soon come to prove just how much she’d bleed for Erilea.
-Empire of Storms

The character development in this series is some next-level writing in my opinion. It’s hard to go into detail without revealing major spoilers (which is something else I SO respect about this series) but I love a series where characters experience things in life and change accordingly. It just doesn’t make sense for someone to continually end up in the same exact scenario over and over when the intelligence level I’m urged to believe they have is so much higher than that of someone who wouldn’t learn from their repeated mistakes. (I’m looking at you, Darkfever series.)

Tower of Dawn was the biggest surprise of the year for me. Well, apart from that gut-wrenching cliffhanger in Empire of Storms.

I was actually very interested in Chaol’s journey from the beginning. I started to get annoyed with him falling right back into that self-loathing, self-inflicted despair kind of behavior. Thankfully it didn’t last too terribly long at all and he stepped up and became the man I wish he would have been three books ago. But I so respect the journey and where he is now. I actually found myself groaning when I reached a tab that told me I needed to switch back to Empire of Storms. Tower of Dawn held my attention the entire way through. I’m not a huge Nesryn fan and I even enjoyed her chapters and storyline as well.

And part of Yrene wondered, as she trudged through the palace, if Lord Chaol had not asked her to stop not just because he’d learned how to manage pain, but also because he somehow felt he deserved it.
–Tower of Dawn

This tandem read was just such a pleasant surprise. I think the experience was also enhanced because of knowing things or not knowing things until switching books and then finding out what the characters from the opposing book weren’t aware of yet. Some things they STILL aren’t aware of yet! This was just very enjoyable and I actually really do recommend the tandem read.

I can’t wait for these characters to all come together. I admit, I’m a little scared because I know how Maas works. I know she isn’t afraid to off a favorite character or do something absolutely tragic to bring me to my knees. I made it to the last book, though, and I am so excited for this conclusion. I’m ready to learn the fate of these characters I’ve come to love so much all while not really being ready for the series and these characters to come to an end.

The journey here has been slow, sometimes infuriating, sometimes heartbreaking, but I am so glad I can say I took it. Onto Kingdom of Ash. I’m sure this will be an emotional rollercoaster but I’m happily climbing aboard.

To whatever end.

“You and me,” she promised him. “From now until the Darkness claims us.”
–Empire of Storms