Synopsis  

Chaol Westfall has always defined himself by his unwavering loyalty, his strength, and his position as the Captain of the Guard. But all of that has changed since Aelin shattered the glass castle, since Chaol’s men were slaughtered, since the King of Adarlan spared him from a killing blow, but left his body broken.

Now he and Nesryn sail for Antica – the stronghold of the southern continent’s mighty empire and of the legendary healers of the Torre Cesme. It’s Chaol’s one shot at recovery, and with war looming back home, Dorian and Aelin’s survival could depend on Chaol and Nesryn convincing Antica’s rulers to ally with them.

But what they discover there will change them both – and be more vital to saving Erilea than they could have imagined.

Discover the untold story of Chaol’s journey to the southern continent in this companion novella to the Throne of Glass series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas.

More Details

Genre:  Fantasy/High Fantasy
Page Length: 668
Characters: Chaol, Nesryn, Yrene and Sartaq
Publication Date: 5^th September 2017
Format: e-Book

Review

When I read the Throne of Glass series last year, I didn’t really have many feelings about Chaol. I wasn’t a hater and I wasn’t a lover but not anymore. Holy cow I love Chaol and I have no shame! Seriously I was so unexcited about this book but it completely blew me away!

Sarah J. Maas has such a unique and beautiful way of stitching her stories together, every little connection is well thought out and brilliantly done:

 “A note, written by a stranger who had saved her life and granted her freedom in a matter of hours. Yrene had never learned her name, that young woman who had worn her scars like some ladies wore their finest jewelry. The young woman who was a trained killer, but had purchased a healer’s education”

This part made me so gleeful, I just loved how many references to Aelin were thrown in, in fact, the whole crew is mention from time to time. The way in which SJM did this was just awesome it all felt seamless and none of the story felt like it was forced to fit in with what happening in EoS that’s how good the story telling was.

There are lots of new characters in this book, but I’m going to focus on Yrene and Sartaq. I thought Yrene was the perfect character to match Chaol, I loved all the banter between them it was so on point and many passages had me laughing at the amount of sass Yrene threw at Chaol. And then there’s Sartaq, another long haired swoon worthy warrior, this guy is smooth and charm personified:

“He blew out a breath, shoulders loosening. “And I’m relieved to see that the reality lives up to the legend.” Nesryn chuckled, grateful to be back on safer ground. “You had doubts?” They reached the landing that would take them to the great hall. Sartaq let her fall into step beside him. “The reports left out some key information. It made me doubt their accuracy.” It was the sly gleam in his eye that made Nesryn angle her head. “What, exactly, did they fail to mention?” They reached the great hall, empty save for a cloaked figure just barely visible on the other side of the fire pit—and someone sitting beside her. But Sartaq turned to her, examining her from head to toe and back again. There was little that he missed. “They didn’t mention that you’re beautiful.” Nesryn opened and closed her mouth in what she was sure was an unflattering impression of a fish on dry land”

 I really loved the journey that Chaol went on during this book, he really does grow and most importantly he heals emotionally. There’s a great scene towards the end of the book where he finally makes peace with all the choices he’s made in the past and forgives himself.

 There also lots of revelations about Valg, Maeve, and the Healers. This is the part for the Chaol haters; you need to read this regardless of your feelings for him otherwise you will miss some major things that will follow on in the next book.

The Bottom Line:

If you have read the rest of the series and plan to read book 7 when it comes out then you have to, I repeat have to read this book because it’s just so beautiful and you will be missing out if you don’t.

My Rating:  5/5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟🌟