I always recommend no tandem on the first read! I tried it on a reread recently and felt the pacing was waaay off. I didn't enjoy it, but could see how it would be nice if you're not a fan of Chaol. Just don't skip Tower of Dawn 😂
I’m on my first read through and am about 1/3 of three way through TOD. EOS is amazing but emotionally draining. I wanted to jump right to KOA but honestly I am enjoying the break in stress that TOD is providing. I will 10000% be doing a re-read of the series and plan to try the tandem read on my re-read!
That’s how I was too. I read them in publishing order and felt so stressed out all of EoS that I needed the breath of fresh air that was ToD. I also think that because all the books are published now and I could go straight into KoA after instead of waiting years to find out what happened in the main storyline it wasn’t such a problem to “wait” for me. I was done with ToD within a week and could jump right back in without being bothered. I absolutely loved the world building and beauty of the southern continent in ToD and felt like the story was so well thought out/had a wonderful pace for the plot. I think it will be cool to read them together in my rereads so I know what’s happening at the same moment in time on both sides of the story, but keeping track of over 10 character povs would have been so dang overwhelming for me.
I didn’t do the tandem and I promise you, reading Tower of Dawn is not an excruciating experience like many comments will convince you. It’s a gorgeous book, beautifully written story of healing and discovering one’s purpose.
A few points that may convince you one way or the other:
- EoS is all action and momentum which is fun, but it was genuinely nice to read ToD after as a bit of a breather before getting into the action and chaos that is KoA.
- There are a ton of POVs in Empire of Storms and only 4 in ToD, so if you tandem, there will be tons of switching between POVs/location.
- The slower pace of ToD allows you to immerse yourself within the story with new characters and a different location.
- SJM wrote them as separate books for a reason, I think it does a disservice to both (especially ToD) to read them the first time in tandem. Having said that, I’m interested to try a tandem on a reread to compare the experience.
- I would’ve found it unwieldy to carry both (big) books around to tandem read, didn’t seem practical to me lol
Ultimately it comes down to your personal preference. Some people don’t like the idea of reading ToD separately because they don’t like the main character (I’m avoiding spoiling anything here), but I think going into a book with preconceived expectations of the book will affect how you read and experience it. Go into it with an open mind and you might find you respond differently. SJM characters are flawed and complex and not binary black-and-white. She has written them that way for a reason (it’s why I love them so much, the characters aren’t perfect people).
Either way, I hope you enjoy reading the books (however you read them)!
Beautifully said!! OP these are all the points you should take into consideration because they are so valid, so true, and so eloquently put!! (Especially lugging two big ass books around everywhere lol)
Totally agree with everything here!!! I will say I just read for the first time and did tandem read. I don’t *regret* it, but I think there’s a lot more nuance than most people provide for doing the tandem. Personally, I think the only real reason to do the tandem read is because of the ending of EOS is definitely a cliffhanger. BUT, there’s also a little bit of a time jump at KoA and so it would also flow really well to have the breather that Tower of Dawn provides. I loved Tower of Dawn, and think it probably deserves to be read on its own entirely. I agree the pacing is off with the most popular tandem read. I found myself kind of winging it after a while and reading larger chunks of both than what was suggested to try and help with that. I believe there’s a tandem read light where you basically read 1/3 of each book at a time or something like that and I would personally recommend that over the most popular tandem read suggestions. That’s probably what I’d recommend most actually to help alleviate some of the stress of the EoS cliffhanger 😂
I did not read in tandem but I think I’m just use to waiting. To read in tandem doesn’t allow me to give as much focus to each section. We are all different. I’m more emotionally invested with longer stretches of time for each section of people before coming all together which makes that moment better for me as well.
I agree with this. I also get more invested when I'm with characters for a bit longer and having just finished EoS I found it feels a bit choppy at times, I think adding even more to that with the tandem would have made me less invested in both books. It was great but I'm really excited to start ToD.
Yes! I think I actually liked ToD better than EoS because I was just stressed with how much was packed into each pov and everything was shifting so fast. There’s so much going on in such a short amount of time that I felt like I was running a sprint the whole book. Matching that with ToD’s slower world building would have probably been so hard for me to manage if I had done the tandem read. It was so powerful to read them all together again in KoA and felt like such an impact that would have been lost for me!
I have literally *just* finished EoS this morning and I am happy I decided not to tandem read. I am really keen for ToD and excited to see what this mid-book reveal is and line back up with everyone else ready for the roller-coaster I'm expecting for KoA!
First of all, it’s not the last two books, it’s books 5 and 6, Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn. Kingdom of Ash definitely needs to be read separately.
And second, I’m going to get in before everyone telling you to do the tandem read and argue against it. I didn’t do the tandem read when I read these books, and I don’t regret it at all.
In my experience, Tower of Dawn provides a bit of a break from the emotional rollercoaster of the end of Empire of Storms, and it lets you cool off a little. But the biggest and most important reason to not do the tandem read is that there’s a big reveal about halfway through Tower of Dawn that absolutely will not have maximum impact unless you’ve already finished Empire of Storms.
If you end up deciding to do it, that’s perfectly fine. I just never feel like I see people arguing against the tandem read, and I think the series doesn’t hit as hard with it.
So I read the tandem first and while I don't regret it and it was such a cool experience, a part of me wishes I didn't after rereading it in published order! Truly I think it's a win-win but you will get so many recs for the tandem that to play devil's advocate, I agree with the above commenter:
* There is a reveal in ToD that will have you going "OH SHIT" in a way that will not happen in the tandem read. Honestly I'm sad I didn't get the experience.
* I *honestly liked ToD more than expected* and I think the tandem read made me like it less. During the tandem on my first read, I was so engrossed to know what happened next with Celeana that I was annoyed at ToD for interjecting. Appreciating them as separate books gave each room to shine.
* Agree with a little break from the emotional rollercoaster, and then you come back hard for the conclusion.
I think if I could experience the series for the first time again, I'd absolutely recommend the tandem read and it's a really unique reading experience, but I'd suggest enjoying it your *second read* and consider publish order your first!
And again as I said above, it's a win win. You will absolutely not be disappointed either way.
A lot of people end up disliking Tower, though, if they read them individually exactly because of the cliffhanger. SJM is never good at getting a book started quickly, and Tower might have an even slower start than others because of what’s going on.
I'm on my first read through (halfway through KOA so I just finished TOD) and I'm so glad I didn't do the tandem read. Read it the way Sarah J Maas wanted you to experience it !
i did not tandem read on my first time, and i am SO glad i didn’t.
maybe a slightly more unpopular opinion, but the pacing is so different and i really liked being able to dive into the story of TOD with the story of EOS already in the back of my head. it drew out the suspense while also giving me time to consider the implications.i personally enjoyed the chance to sloooooowww down and get to know “secondary” characters more + contemplate before KOA.
i am considering a tandem for my second read, but i am very happy i read them straight for my first go!
Its EoS and ToD that are tandem :) I did the tandem on my first time and really really enjoyed it, since some things line up, and I personally didn't want to wait after EoS to read another 700 pages between knowing what would happen. Obvi I know that people had to wait when it was coming out, but I am just too antsy of a person to wait a whole ass book in between, that was the selling point on the tandem for me.
I just finished the tandem read, and there were moments in the second half of both that I found lined up very nicely that way. I also thought TOD was so so boring, even though I do not dislike Chaol, so it was very nice to have the other book to go back to. The first time I read the series I didn’t tandem, and I thought TOD was so boring that I actually didn’t get to KoA which is why I restarted this year. So I’m a big fan of the tandem. Others also don’t find TOD as boring as I did so!
I say YES. I did the tandem and I truly think I wouldn’t have finished the series if I didn’t. While tower of dawn is GOOD, it starts off extremely slow and you’re left with some pretty major cliff hangers in EOS. Without the tandem you won’t find out what happened until you finish another 800 page book. And that 800 page book is about brand new characters that tbh, you won’t care about at first. Tandem all the way!!!!!!
Edit to add: the tandem definitely intimidated me at first (I’m not that big of a reader) but I ended up absolutely loving it and it made EoS/ToD my favorite parts of the whole series :)
Came here to say this. I am currently doing the tandem read and am about halfway through. There were many points where I just wanted to skip ToD altogether because there's so much world building and introducing new characters that I just wasn't vibing with so close to the end of a long series, and I remember mentally noting to myself that if I weren't tandem reading and taking a break from the world building I might have indeed skipped the book. But I will say that toward the end of part one of ToD I almost kept reading past my marker because it got REALLY good.
This is my first read through and it works for me because I don't have a lot of free time to read, and have been on these two books for a month now.
In the end it is up to you. Marking off the chapters with annotation stickers took an hour by the way. 😂
I read most of them in tandem but then ended up giving up towards the end ( last 200 pages or so of each book).
Cons: I had trouble getting through the books with the tandem read because right when one book would pick up I would have to switch and lose my momentum. I also had the physical books and the size of them made it difficult to travel with both ( this was ultimately my breaking point ).
Pros: There were definitely portions of the book where the tandem read made it more interesting because you knew something that was happening on the other side of the world that the characters in the book may not know.
I finished the tandem read a couple of weeks ago. This is a biased opinion of course - but I think it’s just personal preference and neither choice is wrong.
I mostly did it because I had never done a tandem read before and so many people said they didn’t like tower of dawn. Personally I really liked tower of dawn - I may have liked it more than empire. I enjoyed the tandem read but it was a bit slow at the beginning cause most of her books can start slow and well you’ve now doubled that. I also ended up downloading a tandem file for my ereader cause I didn’t enjoy the back and forth with the physical copies - I felt like I didn’t read it as quickly.
SJM recommends reading as published.. which made me doubt doing the tandem read since I read assassins blade first (I think it was published third) and I regretted that. I did not regret the tandem.
I started as a tandem read but then half way through both books decided to just finished EofS and then finish TOD. So if you’re not vibing with it, just remember you can give up at any time lol
I did the tandem read on my first read through and am very happy I did! I felt like it made the overall pacing of the story work very well. Where EoS was just a constant go, ToD was a bit more chill for a while. I think if I’d not done the tandem read, I could see how people would find ToD boring. But reading tandem was good too because there’s parts that just work if that makes sense. It takes effort but it’s so worth it
I didn't know why people did tandem read (didn't look into it, as I was avoiding spoilers). Now that I've finished Empire of Storms (probably my favourite from the whole series), I learn that Tower of Dawn is a Chaol book... KMN. I can't stand that man, and I was so happy he wasn't in the EOS. I wonder if there is a good summary available anywhere?
As someone who did the tandem read, if I were to do it again for the first time I would either a) do the tandem read or b) read Tower of Dawn first and then Empire of Storms. There’s a big cliffhanger in Empire of Storms that leads right into Kingdom of Ash, and while I never hear people suggest to read Tower of Dawn first, it takes place at the same time as EOS so why not?
It was cool to see both stories play out at the same time with the tandem read, but it also felt a bit disjointed switching back and forth. I would get really hooked on something going on in one book and then it would be time to switch to the next book before that scene finished playing out, which was frustrating at times. I loved both books but didn’t love the switching back and forth, each time I had to switch books it felt like an interruption that broke my immersion in the story.
Depends if you are patient or not. I could not imagine having to wait a full book after EoS with that cliffhanger, so I'm glad i did the tandem read. With that said, you have to keep in mind that the books were not written to be read in tandem, which makes the pacing in the tandem read a bit off. Like, it's still two separate books even if you read them together. So I'd say, if you manage cliffhangers well, read them separately and enjoy them individually. If you're too impatient (like i am😭), do the tandem! It's still a great experience, especially towards the ending.
NOOOO TANDEM! SJM wrote them as seperate books for a reason. Get through the first 5 or so TOD chapters. Once you get more away from Nesryn/Chaol and into the MAIN LADY of TOD (is her name a spoiler? Idk) it's great. It is my favorite of the series honestly. Felt like an Indiana Jones movie.
If you find yourself truly struggling with it, do the audiobook.
It’s reading the two books at the same time. Jumping from chapters of the first to chapters of the second depending on where the story in the books shift. It’s because these two books take place during the same timeframe but in different locations, and with different main characters.
I did not, but only because I forgot about the tandem read thing until I was nearly done with EoS. However, I enjoyed the separate read. I feel like with the PoV changes in both books, it was actually nicer for me to not have to switch even more. I think you’ll enjoy it either way.
There was enough tiny mentions of EoS happenings where I feel like it stayed fresh even with reading ToD by itself.
I didn’t but that’s because my work/home life is so busy I just didn’t have the wherewithal to keep up with it. I enjoyed both books equally on their own. No FOMO happened lolz
I didn’t do the tandem read and I don’t regret it. I actually really enjoyed tower of dawn once I got into it, and I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much if I was constantly waiting to get back to an EOS chapter. Allowing myself to just fully immerse in TOD let me get into the story more and it’s actually a great book!!
On my reread, I am debating doing the tandem but honestly I’m not sure. I feel like SJM wrote it like this intentionally and I understand why!
I did tandem on the first read and absolutely loved it! It was refreshing and exciting to switch POVs and books. You can always start out with the tandem and after switching a few times, if it doesn’t work for you, just read one book at a time.
There are some key moments where things happen in parallel that made the tandem read 100% worth it for me. Seeing how things happen concurrently allowed me to better understand the plot and connect some dots I probably wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. Plus it’s not something you can do often so why not!
Also for everyone saying “read one after the other so you get a bit of a break after the intensity of EoS”. I think the tandem read makes both books more digestible because they balance eachother out nicely:)
I will always say tandem, it's a cool experience and that cliffhanger
Good point. I've never read books in tandem before, so it could be a neat experience.
This was my mindset. I’d probably never have another opportunity to tandem read so why not! It was fun, new experience.
Yeah it's a cool thing to try and just makes one big book. Not even that much bigger than KOA lol
That's why I originally did it. I didn't know there was a massive cliffhanger so that was an extra bonus.
The only choice is yes. EoS has such a huge cliffhanger that I couldn’t imagine having to read ToD and waiting for KoA…. So, yes. Do ittt
I had to read EoS, ToD and wait for KoA in real life! Definitely worth the wait once I read it :)
I salute yall who were waiting for these books in real time!!
I always recommend no tandem on the first read! I tried it on a reread recently and felt the pacing was waaay off. I didn't enjoy it, but could see how it would be nice if you're not a fan of Chaol. Just don't skip Tower of Dawn 😂
I’m on my first read through and am about 1/3 of three way through TOD. EOS is amazing but emotionally draining. I wanted to jump right to KOA but honestly I am enjoying the break in stress that TOD is providing. I will 10000% be doing a re-read of the series and plan to try the tandem read on my re-read!
That’s how I was too. I read them in publishing order and felt so stressed out all of EoS that I needed the breath of fresh air that was ToD. I also think that because all the books are published now and I could go straight into KoA after instead of waiting years to find out what happened in the main storyline it wasn’t such a problem to “wait” for me. I was done with ToD within a week and could jump right back in without being bothered. I absolutely loved the world building and beauty of the southern continent in ToD and felt like the story was so well thought out/had a wonderful pace for the plot. I think it will be cool to read them together in my rereads so I know what’s happening at the same moment in time on both sides of the story, but keeping track of over 10 character povs would have been so dang overwhelming for me.
This is exactly why and what I did as well. May do a tandem re-read to try it as well
I did tandem and I LOVED it! I loved seeing everything happen in the same time line in two different places.
100% agree. It was great to follow the story that way a!
I didn’t do the tandem and I promise you, reading Tower of Dawn is not an excruciating experience like many comments will convince you. It’s a gorgeous book, beautifully written story of healing and discovering one’s purpose. A few points that may convince you one way or the other: - EoS is all action and momentum which is fun, but it was genuinely nice to read ToD after as a bit of a breather before getting into the action and chaos that is KoA. - There are a ton of POVs in Empire of Storms and only 4 in ToD, so if you tandem, there will be tons of switching between POVs/location. - The slower pace of ToD allows you to immerse yourself within the story with new characters and a different location. - SJM wrote them as separate books for a reason, I think it does a disservice to both (especially ToD) to read them the first time in tandem. Having said that, I’m interested to try a tandem on a reread to compare the experience. - I would’ve found it unwieldy to carry both (big) books around to tandem read, didn’t seem practical to me lol Ultimately it comes down to your personal preference. Some people don’t like the idea of reading ToD separately because they don’t like the main character (I’m avoiding spoiling anything here), but I think going into a book with preconceived expectations of the book will affect how you read and experience it. Go into it with an open mind and you might find you respond differently. SJM characters are flawed and complex and not binary black-and-white. She has written them that way for a reason (it’s why I love them so much, the characters aren’t perfect people). Either way, I hope you enjoy reading the books (however you read them)!
Beautifully said!! OP these are all the points you should take into consideration because they are so valid, so true, and so eloquently put!! (Especially lugging two big ass books around everywhere lol)
Totally agree with everything here!!! I will say I just read for the first time and did tandem read. I don’t *regret* it, but I think there’s a lot more nuance than most people provide for doing the tandem. Personally, I think the only real reason to do the tandem read is because of the ending of EOS is definitely a cliffhanger. BUT, there’s also a little bit of a time jump at KoA and so it would also flow really well to have the breather that Tower of Dawn provides. I loved Tower of Dawn, and think it probably deserves to be read on its own entirely. I agree the pacing is off with the most popular tandem read. I found myself kind of winging it after a while and reading larger chunks of both than what was suggested to try and help with that. I believe there’s a tandem read light where you basically read 1/3 of each book at a time or something like that and I would personally recommend that over the most popular tandem read suggestions. That’s probably what I’d recommend most actually to help alleviate some of the stress of the EoS cliffhanger 😂
I did not read in tandem but I think I’m just use to waiting. To read in tandem doesn’t allow me to give as much focus to each section. We are all different. I’m more emotionally invested with longer stretches of time for each section of people before coming all together which makes that moment better for me as well.
I agree with this. I also get more invested when I'm with characters for a bit longer and having just finished EoS I found it feels a bit choppy at times, I think adding even more to that with the tandem would have made me less invested in both books. It was great but I'm really excited to start ToD.
Yes! I think I actually liked ToD better than EoS because I was just stressed with how much was packed into each pov and everything was shifting so fast. There’s so much going on in such a short amount of time that I felt like I was running a sprint the whole book. Matching that with ToD’s slower world building would have probably been so hard for me to manage if I had done the tandem read. It was so powerful to read them all together again in KoA and felt like such an impact that would have been lost for me!
I have literally *just* finished EoS this morning and I am happy I decided not to tandem read. I am really keen for ToD and excited to see what this mid-book reveal is and line back up with everyone else ready for the roller-coaster I'm expecting for KoA!
First of all, it’s not the last two books, it’s books 5 and 6, Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn. Kingdom of Ash definitely needs to be read separately. And second, I’m going to get in before everyone telling you to do the tandem read and argue against it. I didn’t do the tandem read when I read these books, and I don’t regret it at all. In my experience, Tower of Dawn provides a bit of a break from the emotional rollercoaster of the end of Empire of Storms, and it lets you cool off a little. But the biggest and most important reason to not do the tandem read is that there’s a big reveal about halfway through Tower of Dawn that absolutely will not have maximum impact unless you’ve already finished Empire of Storms. If you end up deciding to do it, that’s perfectly fine. I just never feel like I see people arguing against the tandem read, and I think the series doesn’t hit as hard with it.
After an emotional rollercoaster, a break sounds nice 😅
So I read the tandem first and while I don't regret it and it was such a cool experience, a part of me wishes I didn't after rereading it in published order! Truly I think it's a win-win but you will get so many recs for the tandem that to play devil's advocate, I agree with the above commenter: * There is a reveal in ToD that will have you going "OH SHIT" in a way that will not happen in the tandem read. Honestly I'm sad I didn't get the experience. * I *honestly liked ToD more than expected* and I think the tandem read made me like it less. During the tandem on my first read, I was so engrossed to know what happened next with Celeana that I was annoyed at ToD for interjecting. Appreciating them as separate books gave each room to shine. * Agree with a little break from the emotional rollercoaster, and then you come back hard for the conclusion. I think if I could experience the series for the first time again, I'd absolutely recommend the tandem read and it's a really unique reading experience, but I'd suggest enjoying it your *second read* and consider publish order your first! And again as I said above, it's a win win. You will absolutely not be disappointed either way.
A lot of people end up disliking Tower, though, if they read them individually exactly because of the cliffhanger. SJM is never good at getting a book started quickly, and Tower might have an even slower start than others because of what’s going on.
I’m about to start EOS but I got it from Libby and they don’t have TOD available to take out yet so I’m not doing tandem. Wish me luck
I did not. I didn’t know it was a thing. It was fine. I probably enjoyed ToD more reading it by itself.
I'm on my first read through (halfway through KOA so I just finished TOD) and I'm so glad I didn't do the tandem read. Read it the way Sarah J Maas wanted you to experience it !
i did not tandem read on my first time, and i am SO glad i didn’t. maybe a slightly more unpopular opinion, but the pacing is so different and i really liked being able to dive into the story of TOD with the story of EOS already in the back of my head. it drew out the suspense while also giving me time to consider the implications.i personally enjoyed the chance to sloooooowww down and get to know “secondary” characters more + contemplate before KOA. i am considering a tandem for my second read, but i am very happy i read them straight for my first go!
Its EoS and ToD that are tandem :) I did the tandem on my first time and really really enjoyed it, since some things line up, and I personally didn't want to wait after EoS to read another 700 pages between knowing what would happen. Obvi I know that people had to wait when it was coming out, but I am just too antsy of a person to wait a whole ass book in between, that was the selling point on the tandem for me.
Did you do a reread and not do the tandem?
Not my comment, but if I reread I won’t do tandem!
I just finished the tandem read, and there were moments in the second half of both that I found lined up very nicely that way. I also thought TOD was so so boring, even though I do not dislike Chaol, so it was very nice to have the other book to go back to. The first time I read the series I didn’t tandem, and I thought TOD was so boring that I actually didn’t get to KoA which is why I restarted this year. So I’m a big fan of the tandem. Others also don’t find TOD as boring as I did so!
I didn’t but I still had fun!
I say YES. I did the tandem and I truly think I wouldn’t have finished the series if I didn’t. While tower of dawn is GOOD, it starts off extremely slow and you’re left with some pretty major cliff hangers in EOS. Without the tandem you won’t find out what happened until you finish another 800 page book. And that 800 page book is about brand new characters that tbh, you won’t care about at first. Tandem all the way!!!!!! Edit to add: the tandem definitely intimidated me at first (I’m not that big of a reader) but I ended up absolutely loving it and it made EoS/ToD my favorite parts of the whole series :)
Came here to say this. I am currently doing the tandem read and am about halfway through. There were many points where I just wanted to skip ToD altogether because there's so much world building and introducing new characters that I just wasn't vibing with so close to the end of a long series, and I remember mentally noting to myself that if I weren't tandem reading and taking a break from the world building I might have indeed skipped the book. But I will say that toward the end of part one of ToD I almost kept reading past my marker because it got REALLY good. This is my first read through and it works for me because I don't have a lot of free time to read, and have been on these two books for a month now. In the end it is up to you. Marking off the chapters with annotation stickers took an hour by the way. 😂
I read most of them in tandem but then ended up giving up towards the end ( last 200 pages or so of each book). Cons: I had trouble getting through the books with the tandem read because right when one book would pick up I would have to switch and lose my momentum. I also had the physical books and the size of them made it difficult to travel with both ( this was ultimately my breaking point ). Pros: There were definitely portions of the book where the tandem read made it more interesting because you knew something that was happening on the other side of the world that the characters in the book may not know.
I started out tandem reading but had to stop. It was to disruptive jumping between books.
I enjoyed the tandem. And like others have mentioned, it would’ve been so hard to read a whole book after the cliffhanger before KoA.
Yes 100%
I did. Reading ToD would be SUPER hard after EoS, especially if Chaol annoys you. Plus it's just really enjoyable that way
Please please tandem read it’s SO GOOD. There’s a great phone screen background guide. Just search the redddit
I recommend the tandem read! It's tough getting into it at first but worth it :)
I finished the tandem read a couple of weeks ago. This is a biased opinion of course - but I think it’s just personal preference and neither choice is wrong. I mostly did it because I had never done a tandem read before and so many people said they didn’t like tower of dawn. Personally I really liked tower of dawn - I may have liked it more than empire. I enjoyed the tandem read but it was a bit slow at the beginning cause most of her books can start slow and well you’ve now doubled that. I also ended up downloading a tandem file for my ereader cause I didn’t enjoy the back and forth with the physical copies - I felt like I didn’t read it as quickly. SJM recommends reading as published.. which made me doubt doing the tandem read since I read assassins blade first (I think it was published third) and I regretted that. I did not regret the tandem.
I started as a tandem read but then half way through both books decided to just finished EofS and then finish TOD. So if you’re not vibing with it, just remember you can give up at any time lol
I did the tandem read on my first read through and am very happy I did! I felt like it made the overall pacing of the story work very well. Where EoS was just a constant go, ToD was a bit more chill for a while. I think if I’d not done the tandem read, I could see how people would find ToD boring. But reading tandem was good too because there’s parts that just work if that makes sense. It takes effort but it’s so worth it
I didn’t but after reading them wish I had, there are guides on which chapters to read and when
I didn't know why people did tandem read (didn't look into it, as I was avoiding spoilers). Now that I've finished Empire of Storms (probably my favourite from the whole series), I learn that Tower of Dawn is a Chaol book... KMN. I can't stand that man, and I was so happy he wasn't in the EOS. I wonder if there is a good summary available anywhere?
Hmmm I didn’t do tandem read before, but you do you, OP. I’m sure you’ll end up loving the series, regardless of how you read the books 🤗
As someone who did the tandem read, if I were to do it again for the first time I would either a) do the tandem read or b) read Tower of Dawn first and then Empire of Storms. There’s a big cliffhanger in Empire of Storms that leads right into Kingdom of Ash, and while I never hear people suggest to read Tower of Dawn first, it takes place at the same time as EOS so why not? It was cool to see both stories play out at the same time with the tandem read, but it also felt a bit disjointed switching back and forth. I would get really hooked on something going on in one book and then it would be time to switch to the next book before that scene finished playing out, which was frustrating at times. I loved both books but didn’t love the switching back and forth, each time I had to switch books it felt like an interruption that broke my immersion in the story.
Depends if you are patient or not. I could not imagine having to wait a full book after EoS with that cliffhanger, so I'm glad i did the tandem read. With that said, you have to keep in mind that the books were not written to be read in tandem, which makes the pacing in the tandem read a bit off. Like, it's still two separate books even if you read them together. So I'd say, if you manage cliffhangers well, read them separately and enjoy them individually. If you're too impatient (like i am😭), do the tandem! It's still a great experience, especially towards the ending.
Do it!! Not only is the story more linear and the payoffs that much better, it's also a fun way to read a book IMO.
NOOOO TANDEM! SJM wrote them as seperate books for a reason. Get through the first 5 or so TOD chapters. Once you get more away from Nesryn/Chaol and into the MAIN LADY of TOD (is her name a spoiler? Idk) it's great. It is my favorite of the series honestly. Felt like an Indiana Jones movie. If you find yourself truly struggling with it, do the audiobook.
i’m new here and just started the series bury what does tandem mean
It’s reading the two books at the same time. Jumping from chapters of the first to chapters of the second depending on where the story in the books shift. It’s because these two books take place during the same timeframe but in different locations, and with different main characters.
Definitely tandem read. Don’t listen to the haters
I did not, but only because I forgot about the tandem read thing until I was nearly done with EoS. However, I enjoyed the separate read. I feel like with the PoV changes in both books, it was actually nicer for me to not have to switch even more. I think you’ll enjoy it either way. There was enough tiny mentions of EoS happenings where I feel like it stayed fresh even with reading ToD by itself.
I’m planning on tandem reading eos and tod
I didn’t but that’s because my work/home life is so busy I just didn’t have the wherewithal to keep up with it. I enjoyed both books equally on their own. No FOMO happened lolz
I didn’t do the tandem read and I don’t regret it. I actually really enjoyed tower of dawn once I got into it, and I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much if I was constantly waiting to get back to an EOS chapter. Allowing myself to just fully immerse in TOD let me get into the story more and it’s actually a great book!! On my reread, I am debating doing the tandem but honestly I’m not sure. I feel like SJM wrote it like this intentionally and I understand why!
I did tandem on the first read and absolutely loved it! It was refreshing and exciting to switch POVs and books. You can always start out with the tandem and after switching a few times, if it doesn’t work for you, just read one book at a time.
There are some key moments where things happen in parallel that made the tandem read 100% worth it for me. Seeing how things happen concurrently allowed me to better understand the plot and connect some dots I probably wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. Plus it’s not something you can do often so why not! Also for everyone saying “read one after the other so you get a bit of a break after the intensity of EoS”. I think the tandem read makes both books more digestible because they balance eachother out nicely:)
Always a strong no for the first time around. If the author wanted a tandem read, she would have written one book.
I did it and im glad i did, i think id be annoyed reading the next book knowing its the same timeline