Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn take place concurrently with each book covering different characters’ point of views. Empire of Storms focuses on the main protagonist of the series, Aelin Galathynius, with her ensemble cast of Rowan Whitethorn, Aedion Ashryver, Manon Blackbeak, Dorian Havilliard, Elide Lochan, Lorcan Salvaterre, and Lysandra. While Tower of Dawn shifts to Chaol Westfall’s point of view and his journey to the Southern Continent with his former city guard, Nesryn Faliq.
Both books take place chronologically immediately after Queen of Shadows and then before Kingdom of Ash. It can feel a bit clunky if people try to read Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn sequentially, since they would have to jump back in the timeline. This has led dedicated fans to creating a tandem reading guide, where readers alternate between different chapters in each book. This way they finish both books on the same timeline and are ready to start Kingdom of Ash. Although it can feel like a nuisance at times, it is highly recommended for a more immersive experience.
For some readers, Tower of Dawn may feel like an outlier because it isn’t from Aelin’s point of view and they may prefer forgoing the book completely, but then they miss out on a lot of important information. I recommend that people definitely read Tower of Dawn and go with the tandem read. I personally was not a huge Chaol Westfall fan before starting the book, but his story started to really grow on me.
Where to buy the Throne of Glass series
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