Spoiler alert: It gave me life.
If you’ve ever even considered reading Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass series, you’ve probably discovered there are some… I don’t want to say rules. Guildlines? Suggestions? that fans of the series have very strong feelings about. Most of them have to do with order. Are you supposed to read the prequel novellas in The Assassin’s Blade in publication order or timeline order? (Or you can totally forget about it until right before you finish the series and squeeze it in before Kingdom of Ash, like I did… I strongly recommend not doing that.)
But the big suggestion I kept seeing everywhere was to tandem read EOS and TOG. The idea is that, because the two books take place at the same time, you switch back and forth to keep the timeline in order. I are some practicality concerns. Mostly, to juggle between two very large books seemed super cumbersome. Still, I’d never tried something like that, but I thought the concept was so interesting that I decided to give it a go (with one key modification). I used this guide I found on reddit (from user HUNIH22):
Rather than carry around a combined almost 1400 pages of fae textbook, I purchased Tower of Dawn on Audible and read Empire of Storms on paper. I regularly juggle an audio and physical book, so I just listened to TOG whenever listening was more convenient and read the paper book at home. I honestly rarely referenced the guide at all, for most of it. This worked for me because then I was keeping some sort of pace, but I would sometimes have to do pretty significant catch up for one or the other. Still, I’m sure I got through both of them quicker and remembered much more than I would have if I read one and then the other. If you’re on the go a lot, I think this is a failry low stress way of alternating!
I will admit that when I got toward the end, I put away the audiobook and started alternating the actual books, following the guide exactly. This is experience was TOP. TIER. The pacing? The breaking up of the dense, intense emotional journey that is EOS? Exquisite. If you are able to closely follow the schedule, I think you’ll get even more out of it.
I loved each book for what it was. TOD is more of a romance/mystery, swtiching perspective amongst a small group of people who are all together, so it feels very cohesive. EOS is a shitstorm of pain and distress, jumping all over to characters who are scattered, but that makes it very energetic. They go together perfectly! If I had left off on the cliffhanger of EOS and then had to totally shift gears for all of TOD, I think I would have hated it, and vice versa. You also have a lot of homework to do before Kingdom of Ash, so I think the tandem is the best way to keep all the events fresh in your mind.
Have you read the Throne of Glass series? I’d love to hear about your experience!
xx, Tab
TabithaTypes 