With Aelin imprisoned, Aedion and Lysandra are the last line of defence keeping Terrasen from utter destruction. But even the many allies they've gathered to battle Erawan's hordes might not be enough to save the kingdom. Scattered throughout the continent and racing against time, Chaol, Manon, and Dorian must forge their own paths to meet their destinies. And across the sea Rowan hunts to find his captured wife and queen – before she is lost to him. Once upon a time, in a land long since burned to ash, there lived a young princess who loved her kingdom ....very much”

Aelin feels things both strongly and deeply. While she is often teasing, witty, and carefree when she is happy, Aelin's most immediate reaction when angry or sad is to channel her darker emotions into a barely-contained rage or killing calm. This gets her into trouble more often than not, such as when she is captured due to her rash actions and desire for vengeance after the murder of Sam Cortland. That being said, some recent discussion has led me to wonder if Tower of Dawn before Empire of Storms is perhaps the better way to read it.The Assassin’s Blade • Throne of Glass • Crown of Midnight • Heir of Fire • Queen of Shadows • Empire of Storms • Tower of Dawn • Kingdom of Ash

In Orynth, Aedion and his forces set a trap for Morath's fleet and manage to destroy two of the three witch towers, crippling the third. Morath still outnumbers his force with 100,000 soldiers. Empire of Storms leaves off at a bit of a cliffhanger (spoiler, sorry) and many people might be tempted to skip Tower of Dawn altogether. To let you go straight from Empire of Storms to Kingdom of Ashes, try reading Tower of Dawn first. After Manon and Elide run into Lord Vernon, Manon asks Elide if her blood runs blue or red. Elide chooses blue, which places her under Manon’s protection.She was able to manifest flame at an early age, although she had little to no control over it - as shown when she accidentally burnt a part of Orynth's Grand Library. Dorian realizes that the witch mirror is a memory mirror and that Manon and Aelin must go together to use it. Once inside the witch mirror, Manon and Aelin discover that it holds memories. They learn the truth about what happened last time Erawan came to power and that Aelin will have to sacrifice herself to stop him. Manon offers comfort the only way she knows how by moving close to her in a show of solidarity. Aedion and his armies travel to Perranth. Morath's soldiers finally reach them. Aedion's army is losing; in an attempt to inspire the troops Lysandra shifts into Aelin and enters the battlefield. She is injured by an ilken and the army is forced to retreat after Ironteeth witches arrive with witch towers and destroy 4,000 of Aedion's soldiers. When Aelin comes to Terrasen, astride the Lord of the North, she remembers one of the important lessons: symbols have power. When everything is dark—when Gavriel has sacrificed himself, when the spider-Valg princesses are on the move—she makes a stand in front of the gate, her sword burning. The tide turns when a series of portals open: Fae, the ones who fled the Southern Continent, and wolves and men, all coming down from the far north to aid the fight. Portal Generation - When Nehemia passed away, Aelin strived to see her friend again, and so she created a portal via a dome of wyrdmarks from her blood, near Elena's Tomb.