Here is my chapter by chapter recap of Tower of Dawn. To find the others you can go here:
Crescent City recaps:
ACOTAR recaps:
Tower of Dawn
Chapter 1: Chaol has reached the Khagan's palace in Antica. The khaganate's spent centuries at nomadic horse-people before the first khagan emerged. He was a warlord who unified the scattered tribes and took the continent piece by piece.
Chaol has two tasks in Antrica - convince the khagan and his six potential heirs to send their armies to war against Erawen and to find a healer to get him walking again.
Chaol notices white cloths hanging from windows, lanterns and doorways. Nesryn tells him it is a sign that a royal relative has recently died.
The last khagan outlawed slavery, so all servants are paid. The inheritance of the empire is decided by the khagan - he can pick any of his children, based on who proves they are best suited for it. Khagan is required by law to keep a sealed document naming his heir in case he dies suddenly - this can be changed at any time.
Chapter 2: Nesryn's father was from Antica so this feels like home to her.
Urus is the current khagan and he has six children. Urus fought for his crown, executed two of his siblings, one is in exile and two swore fealty to him by having the healers of the Torre render them infertile.
Sartaq is the khagan's second-born and is commander of the ruk riders, the rukhin. Ruks are enormous birds, eagle like in shape. Sartaqs ruk is called Kadara.
Arghun is the eldest son and the politician amongst them - known as the Prince of Spies.
Duva is the second youngest, and currently six month pregnant, after recently having an arranged marriage to prince from a neighbouring territory.
Kashin, the fourth-born, has control of the armies on land.
Hasar is the third-born and she is in control of their armadas.
Chaol has brought jewels and gold as a gift from Dorian, Aelin gave him it for this purpose. Urus reveals he knows Aelin used to be Celaena Sardothien, an assassin. He is insulted that a wedding gift was not sent when Duva married, as every other kingdom sent one. Urus knows he is there to ask him to join the war and he says he will consider it whilst Chaol is there. Khagan gives Chaol permission to be healed at the Torre Cesme. He tells them to keep the jewels and gold, as he has no use for it.
Urus reveals his youngest daughter, Tumelan, died suddenly three weeks ago.
Urus tells Chaol that Perrington sacked Rifthold and that Dorian fled the city and that it now belongs to Perrington and the witches.
Chapter 3: Kashin comes to Chaol & Nesryn's chambers, tells them the khagan wishes for them to dine with him and his family every evening. Kashin is worried that Perrington's forces could have infiltrated their court, wants Chaol to observe at dinners. Tumelan is believes to have killed herself, having jumped from her balcony - Kashin doesn't believe it, says she would never do that.
Chapter 4: Yrene has been in the Torre for two years now, working under the guidance of Hafiza, the Healer on High. Yrene is the girl that Aelin saved in the Assassin's Blade. Yrene now feels ready to return to Adarlan, she wants to help in the war in any way she can.
Kashin is fond of Yrene, they became friends after she healed one of his servants. Kashin wants more than that but Yrene doesn't.
Hafiza assigns Yrene to Chaol - wants Yrene to heal him before she decides whether she will leave the Torre or not. She informs Yrene he is Chaol Westfall, the new Hand of the King of Adarlan and former Captain of the Guard. Yrene says she does not want to heal him, she hates Adarlan and the soldiers there - her mother was burned alive by soldiers from Adarlan.
Yrene still has the brooch that Aelin gave her all those years ago, and the note that Aelin gave her too.
Chapter 5: Yrene comes to assess Chaol and is angry at being there. She is very rude to him.
Chapter 6: Yrene tells Hafiza that she can heal Chaol, as the injury is almost identical to an injury she healed before.
Nesryn leaves the palace to go visit her aunt and uncle in the city, Sartaq sees her and asks to escort her. Sartaq tells Nesryn he was twelve when he snuck on rukhin captains ruk and rode it. His father ordered him to live amongst the rukhin as a punishment for this. Kadara hatched when he was fifteen and he took her as his ruk.
Chapter 7: Chaol summons a servant, Kadja, and asks her to go into the city and try to find any information she can on Rifthold. Chaol then goes to see Arghun, wants to ask him all he knows of Rifthold. Arghun doesn't want to be seen talking to him and tells him to leave.
Yrene joins the khagan and everyone for dinner - she is also good friends with Hasar and her lover, Renia.
Chapter 8: Yrene tells Chaol she will heal him and attempt to get him walking again. She warns him to be wary what he says, that the servants are paid by the vizier and kahagan's children for information.
Yrene lays her hands on Chaol's wound and probes it with her magic - she feels cold, dark anger and agony of the magic that was used.
Chaol whispers to Yrene about what happened to him - about wyrdgates, wyrdstones, Wyrdhounds, the Valg, Erawen, Valg princes and collars and rings. He doesn't tell her about the keys or that the King was enslaved by a Valg. Also doesn't tell her Dorian was enslaved by one. He doesn't reveal who attacked him or who Duke Perrington really is.
Chapter 9: Chaol tries to organise a private meeting with the khagan during dinner, the khagan refuses.
Chapter 10: Yrene is in the Torre library, trying to find out more information about the kind of wound that Chaol has. Nousha, the Head Librarian, has found her texts and scrolls on dark magic, demons and wounds inflicted by them.
Yrene finds an Eyllwe text called The Song of the Beginning with illustrations of an army kneeling before a towering gateway of blackstone - the Valg. Another shows three figures by the gate - names them as Erawen, Orcus and Mantyx, the three Valg Kings.
Yrene decides to leave for the night, she feels a presence following her. She runs and finds a dead healer on the floor, looking as if something has sucked the life out of her. The healer looks very similar to Yrene.
Chapter 11: Yrene arrives late to see Chaol and she sends his servant away to get ingredients so that she can talk to him. She tells him about the dead healer and that something was hunting her. Chaol believes a Valg is responsible for what happened to her. The healer looked like Yrene, so they believe it believed they were killing her. The valg also took the texts she had been reading.
Yrene reveals she teaches a class on self defence - teaches what Aelin taught her years ago. She wants Chaol to go with her and teach them what he knows. Yrene is getting Chaol a special brace and straps made so that he can ride a horse.
Chapter 12: Yrene starts the healing, it causes Chaol intense pain. There is an echo of the dark magic in his wound and it hates Yrene's magic. Chaol will experience excruciating pain the whole time she heals him. Yrene will need to fight off the magic and heal him at the same time. Yrene says he must talk about what happened, heal his emotional wounds as well but he refuses.
Chaol wants Nesryn to try and talk to Sartaq, so she goes and finds him in the aerie. Sartaq takes her for a ride on Kadara. They talk about Adarlan and what Aelin did to the King, as they have heard she killed him. Nesryn tells him the king was a monster and that Aelin did Erilea a favour.
Chapter 13: Yrene is healing Chaol, the dark magic shows her images of Morath.
Nesryn goes into the city to try and search for signs of the Valg - Sartaq follows her. Sartaq tells her he has heard that Rifthold is filled with monsters, beasts that look like humans but aren't. Nesryn tells him about her mother, who got sick but the King had rid Erilea of magic and killed the healers, so she could not be treated. Her father wanted to bring her to the Torre but she got to sick to make the journey and died. She explains to Sartaq that if he sees anyone with black rings or collars then he should behead to kill them. Explains everything she can about the Valg. Sartaq explains his hearth mother at the rukhin had told him stories - sounds like there was a Valg presence on this continent a long time ago.
Chapter 14: Yrene meets Chaol and they ride over to the self defence class. Yrene uses it as a teaching lesson for some of the girls, allows them to help him down off his horse. Chaol is furious and embarrassed.
Chapter 15: Yrene and Chaol fight about her letting the acolytes help him. Chaol asks if Yrene's problem is with him or Adarlan in general - she tells him how Adarlan soldiers burned her mother alive while she watched.
Chapter 16: Chaol is being healed, it shows him painful memories from his past, Yrene sees them as well. Chaol tells Yrene about Dorian, watching Sorscha be killed and then Chaol fleeing and leaving Dorian there. Chaol can now curl and uncurl his toes.
Chapter 17: Nesryn goes to visit her uncle Brahim and aunt Zahida. She tells them about the attack at the Torre and tells them to hire more guards.
Chapter 18: Hasar asks Yrene to meet with her, she wants Yrene to try and find out where Aelin is as she is not in Terrasen.
Chapter 19 & 20: Chaol goes with Yrene to see a man she is healing and then she gives him a tour of the city.
Chapter 21: Hasar makes Nesryn move at dinner so Yrene can sit next to him. Yrene tells Chaol that Yrene is not in Terrasen and that they want to know where she is. Yrene and Chaol pretend to flirt, so the others don't know what they are discussing. Chaol tells her Skull's Bay, as he thinks it is the last place Aelin would actually go.
Nesryn tells Chaol she plans to go with Sartaq, he wants to return to the rukhin in the mountains to try and find out if the Valg did make it to this continent a long time ago.
Chapter 22: Yrene arrives early and finds Chaol in bed with Nesryn. Chaol sees a book Yrene has taken from the library, it is covered in wyrdmarks. He makes her hide it in his room.
Chapter 23: Yrene asks what happened to the other Valg Kings, as the illustration showed three but he only talks of Erawen. He tells her that two were either defeated or sent back. Yrene points out that if they were only sent back then they could come back.
She begins healing him, sees more dark memories and then she shows one of her memories with her mother. Chaol can now feel his feet as well as his toes. She tells Chaol about her mother and her life after she died. Tells him she spent time in Innish trying to make money to come to the Torre. Yrene tells Chaol she knows the King is the one who gave him the wound and that he was possessed.
Chapter 24: Sartaq invites Nesryn to the mountains with him to hunt for answers, it will take three weeks. Nesyrn agrees and leaves a note for Chaol, telling him she holds him to no promises and she will hold to none of her own.
Chapter 25: Yrene and Chaol head to the Torre library to look for more information. Chaol reveals that the part of the King that still had some control was the one stopped the magic and executed healers and those with magic. He knew that Erawen and the Valg were drawn to magic and wanted to possess people with it so they could use their powers.
Sartaq and Nesryn camp for the night. He reveals he has heard of her before - his spies in Adarlan told him of the arrow she shot to save Lysandra's life (in Queen of Shadows) and that they refer to her as Neith's arrow.
Chapter 26: Chaol receives Nesryn's letter and is angry, feels it is his fault because of the flirting with Yrene at dinner. He is very short with Yrene when she comes to heal him, they fight. Yrene goes to see Hasar and she tells her that Sartaq has gone off into the mountains and taken Nesryn with him - Yrene now knows why Chaol was upset.
Chapter 27: Yrene goes out to heal people in the city as she is still mad about her fight with Chaol. Yrene heads back to the palace but feels the presence behind her again. She runs for Chaol's room and locks the door behind her. The creature begins trying to break it down while calling out for Yrene. Chaol gives her a dagger as they wait to fight whatever breaks through the door. Guards appear and whoever was there has vanished.
Chapter 28: Yrene spends the night in Chaol's room, she feels safer there. Chaol wakes early and goes and finds one of the guards, Hashim, and has him train and show him how they fight. He begins training with them every morning.
Chapter 29: Nesryn and Sartaq reach the rukhin in the Tavan Mountains. She meets Borte, the grandaughter and Heir of Sartaq's hearth-mother Houlun. There is a man there who is a guest of the hearth-mother, a merchant called Falkan Ennar.
Chapter 30: Nesryn trains with Sartaq, Borte and others, shows them her skill with an arrow. The heart-mother, Houlun, returns and reveals that a dark force stirs in the mountains and she had gone to search for it. Ruk nests have been pillaged, with eggs and hatchlings stolen. She tells them the creatures are known as kharankui - Nesryn thinks she is talking about the Valg. Houlun reveals they refer to the creatues as stygian spiders in Erilea. The stygian spiders (Heir of Fire) are actually Valg, came from the same world as the Valg kings.
Chapter 31: Falkan reveals he got a hundred yards of spidersilk from the spiders for the price of twenty years of his life. He is only 27 but looks almost fifty. Falkan wants to try and get his twenty years back - believes he must kill the spider who took them. He has come to learn from the rukhin how they kill the spiders.
Houlun knows of Erawen and the Valg and agrees to tell them what she knows. Long ago, a wyrdgate appeared in the Tavan Nountains - it allowed the kharankui to enter along with other types of Valg. Most went to Erilea but the spiders remained. War raged in Erilea - a Fae Queen (Maeve) against three Valg kings. After the Valg were defeated, the fae came to these mountains to teach the ruks how to fight the kharankui. They built watchtowers across the mountains. Houlun tells them to go to the watchtower to try and find more answers.
Chapter 32: Yrene and Chaol return to the library to try and find how the ancient texts and scrolls came to be in the library. Nousha reveals they may find the answers they need in the Aksara Oasis - it is the royals private refuge and no one can go without their permission. Chaol & Yrene go for a meal together, Yrene knows she needs to find a way to get Hasar to invite her to the Oasis.
Chapter 33: Sartaq and Nesryn go to one of the watchtowers, it is filled with traps. They come across some fae weapons and both take one.
Chapter 34: A kharankui appears above them. A large grey wolf appears and fights the spider, so they escape. Kadara attacks the spider as it follows them and she kills it. The wolf is Falkan, he is a shapeshifter and followed them there.
Chapter 35: Falkan comes from a family of shifters but didn't know he could shift until he came to this continent.
They return back to the rukhin and Nesryn tells Borte everything. Houlun tells Sartaq about the wrydgates and keys.
Chapter 36: Chaol now has movement up to his knees but still can't stand. Chaol is at dinner with Yrene, Hasar and other siblings when Hasar comments that Nesryn is due back the next day. Chaol reveals Nesryn has sent a letter, saying they are staying in the mountains for another three weeks.
Hasar says that Dorian and Aelin have both been spotted. Aelin was in Skull's Bay, as Chaol said, and her spies saw her unleash her power on Morath's ships. Hasar wants Chaol to swear on Yrene's life that Aelin won't one day try to conquer their continent too, Chaol can't swear it.
Kashin comes to Chaol's room that night, he reveals they provided Captain Rolfe with firelances and that they have had a new order for more to be shipped North.
Chapter 37: Nesryn, Sartaq and Falkan go to the other three watchtowers and find nothing of importance. Other ruk riders show up at the last temple. A rider called Yaren argues with them for a while and then leaves. Sartaq reveals that Yaren is Borte's fiance.
Chapter 38: Chaol interrupts the khagan's meeting with his foreign trade vizier. Says he has come to speak to the vizier, not the khagan. He tells the vizier to double Rolfe's firelance order and pays using the jewels and gold Dorian gave him - showing the khagan how profitable the war could be for him. Khagan kicks Chaol out, tells him that he can't be manipulated.
Chaol is angry, and he and Yrene get in to another fight. He says some hurtful things and she turns to leave.
Chapter 39: He manages to walk towards her to try and apologise. Chaol kisses Yrene.
Chapter 40: Chaol can walk a little but still needs healing. Yrene's birthday is soon, she has convinced Hasar to throw her a party in the Oasis so they can go there to look for more information.
Chapter 41: Sartaq, Nesryn and Falkan are going to head to Dagul, which is kharankui territory. They find a hatchling alive there and fly for it, it is a trap and Kadara flies into the spiders webbing.
Chapter 42: A spider appears and kills the hatchling. Sartaq, Falkan and Nesryn run, have lost Kadara.
Chapter 43: Chaol can now ride without a brace. They are riding to the Oasis.
Chapter 44: Chaol tells Yrene about his guard - how they were tortured, killed and left to hang on the castle gates. Yrene and Chaol go for a walk, trying to find a cave but come across ruins. Find columns with images on them. They have found a fae burial site, realises fae have been here. Chaol believes the healers are the ancestors of the fae and they can be used to fight the Valg.
Hasar thinks Aelin should marry one of her brothers, so Chaol reveals she will marry Rowan Whitethorn as they are caranam and he has sworn a blood oath to her. Hasar tries to pressure Yrene to marry Kashin, Chaol interrupts and says that will never happen. Yrene pushes Hasar into the pool.
Chapter 45: Chaol gives Yrene a locket for her birthday, he has noticed her grabbing for something in her pocket a lot (note from Aelin) and she can now keep it in the locket. Chaol and Yrene have sex and let us all congratulate Maas, this scene doesn't use the phrases 'velvet-wrapped steel' or 'purely male'.
Chapter 46: Yrene tells him about the girl who saved her years ago and taught her self defence.
Chapter 47: Sartaq, Nesryn and Falkan escape on foot. Sartaq finds himself stuck, a spider coming for him. Sartaq tells her he loved her before he ever met her - my eyes roll so hard I almost lose them! Sartaq is taken by a spider, Nesryn plans to get caught on purpose to go after him - how very LOTR!
Chapter 48: She wakes up wrapped in webs. A spider finds her trying to escape and talks to her. Says the kharankui are awaiting the Queen of the Valg to return to them, says she goes by the name Maeve. Maeve is a Valg Queen - I totally forgot this before I reread.
Chapter 49: Spider tells her about Maeve. She came from the same world as the Valg kings. The three kings ruled before she appeared, with a new and dark power. The King desired her but she agreed to marry the eldest and strongest one, Orcus.
Maeve learnt how to enter other worlds and stepped into this one, the kharankui came with her to this spot in the mountains. She told them spiders to guard the gate, she did not want to return. Orcus and his brothers discovered what she did and followed her there, but they had learnt how to control the gates.
Maeve found Mab and Mora and disguised herself as fae, used her powers to make them believe they had an elder sister. She then made all the fae believe she had always existed and ruled. The Kings fought Maeve, never knowing who she really was. Maeve stole the keys and sent two Kings back. Brannon stole them before she could send Erawen back. Brannon didn't realise who she was but did know she feared fire. Kharankui reveal all valg fear fire.
Falkan turns into a spider and enters, tricking the other spider into leaving.
Chapter 50: They escape and spiders chase them. Falkan will buy them time, tells Nesryn he has a niece but doesn't know who she is. Tells her to find her if she can, that all he owns is hers. His niece is Lysandra because of course she is! Borte appears on her ruk.
Chapter 51: Kadara flies in, as does Yaren and many other ruk riders. Borte has brought an army of ruks and they use fire arrows to set Dagul on fire.
Chapter 52: Chaol's room has been trashed, the scrolls and books have been taken.
Chapter 53: Yrene goes to see Hafiza and tells her about the scrolls, the ruins and that she believes the healers were planted in Antica to fight against the Valg. Hafiza was once told that Antica belonged to the fae long ago. They entombed their dead as they didn't want anyone taking the bodies.
Yrene is bathing in the Tomb of the Torre, where the baths are. Bells hang all over, each healer places their own bell here. She finds a bell from a Yafa Towers, one of her distant relatives.
Chapter 54: Chaol is in pain, wound is hurting and the darkness is creeping back. Yrene is determined to heal him fully and end it now.
Chapter 55: Chaol sees memories, all that he and Aelin went through. Realises he understands her and the decisions she made. Yrene finds him in the darkness and pulls him out of it.
Chapter 56: Another not terrible sex scene from Maas. Yrene and Chaol tell each other they love each other. This is one long book but it still manages to make both romances feel super rushed/forced and insta-lovey.
Chapter 57: The rukhin Council of Clans meet. Nesryn explains about the Valg and demons. Sartaq asks them to fly with him if he fights against Erawen, they agree. Nesryn tells Falkan about Lysandra, that she is his niece and asks him to come North with them. Chaol has sent a message asking them to return to the palace immediately.
Chapter 58: Chaol told Yrene about Celaena's past and her being Aelin. Yrene has figured out the Valg act like parasites and she now believes she can successfully treat people who have been infected by them.
Chapter 59: Hasar tells Chaol that Maeve's armada found Aelin and her armies, that they fought. Tells him they believe Aelin won, as she was seen moving North with her armies (They don't know it is Lysandra disguised as Aelin). They now know Aelin has a small army of Silent Assassins as well as Galan Ashryver's forces too.
Hasar reveals Aelin sent her a letter weeks ago, asking for her to help and promising a better world.
Chapter 60: Yrene and Chaol go to speak to Hafiza, but she is missing. She left her key behind. They head to the tunnels in the library.
Chapter 61: They find a corridor with four doors, one is open and they go through it. Find a chamber filled with gold and sarcophogi in it. They find Hafiza there, Duva is with her. Duva is possessed by a Valg and threatens to kill Hafiza.
Chapter 62: Perrington sent a wyrdstone ring as a wedding present and Duva put it on, was possessed by the Valg. Tumelan suspected her so the Valg made Duva push her from the balcony. Yrene is Silba's heir, so possesses the power to rid people of the Valg. Duva attacks them, Chaol jumps in the way to protect Duva.
Chapter 63: Duva uses her valg powers to wreck Chaol's spine once again. Yrene runs and Duva chases her. Yrene can sense that Chaol is dying. Nesryn and Sartaq appear. Nesryn hears a voice, saying Chaol can be saved but she must pay a price and she agrees. Chaol is healed, even the scar on his face that Aelin gave him in Crown of Midnight is healed.
Chapter 64: The cost Yrene paid is that her and Chaol now share a life-bond. Chaol can use his legs and walk when her magic is at its fullest, when she is weak he will still need his chair. The life-bond means that if one dies the other dies too, they will die together.
Sartaq calls the khagan and his siblings to see Duva, says she is possessed by the Valg.
Chapter 65: Yrene works to get the Valg out of Duva, she does it and saves Duva and the baby. Khagan tells her she can have anything that she wants. The demon in Duva was a valg princess, not a prince. Sartaq will send 1,000 of his rukhin to help in the war, Hasar agrees to also go and bring her armadas with her.
Chapter 66: Nesryn has claimed a ruk for her own, named Salkhi. Her father, sister and sister's children have made it to Antica. Sartaq reveals he told his father he will take his rukhin to fight Erawen with or without his permission and will be with Nesryn no matter what his father thinks. The khagan has named Sartaq as his heir.
Chapter 67: Yrene and Chaol on a ship sailing for Erilea.
Chapter 68: Chaol and Yrene are married, got married two days before. Yrene shows Chaol the note she was given years ago and he realises it is from Aelin. Three hundred healers have come with Yrene. The khagan has sent 1,000 of his ships with them. Yrene's request for the khagan was for him to send her people. He has sent 1,000 ships filled with his foot soldiers and cavalry, as well as the 1,000 rukhin.
Aelin is in the iron box that Maeve placed her in, Cairn is coming to torture her.
