I just finished a 1,300 page book. Well, no I didn’t, I actually finished two 650-ish page books, but you’ll understand in a second why I described them this way.
You may have heard of “Throne of Glass” by Sarah J. Mass, the internet sensation that has fantasy readers raving over the brilliance of it. If you haven’t, “Throne of Glass” (or TOG) is an eight book series following an assassin queen with unimaginable power and her band of magic potent companions.
This extremely popular series holds a large reader community on Instagram and TikTok. Some of these influencers are die-hard TOG fans, while others argue that it is overhyped. Personally, I fall in the area of “this is immensely entertaining but I will not sell my soul for it” (however, I will sell my soul for Harry Potter so give me a buyer).
But we aren’t here to talk about the whole series, only two books. And yes, that may seem weird, but something that makes the reading experience of TOG unique is the intimidating draw of the tandem read.
The TOG tandem read consists of reading two books at the same time – but going chapter by chapter. Both books contain major spoilers that don’t make complete sense unless you have the context of the other narrative. So ultimately, a community of readers came together to create a way to experience the story to its fullest potential.
The two books, “Empire of Storms” and “Tower of Dawn,” follow the same timeline, so events in each book are happening at the same time. The tandem matches up chapters from each book to create a continuous story. You are jumping between characters on different journeys, but are still connected with the overall narrative.
I don’t regret reading the books this way at all. If I lost my memory and read this series again, I would do it the same way. You get to know the characters more intimately since there’s more page time for their different goals and personalities. “Tower of Dawn” has a slower plot, and that can cause some dread, but I found it a refresher from “Empire of Storms,” which consists of never ending action.
And despite the seemingly massive undertaking that this method is, switching between chapters makes it manageable. Each time you finish a section and switch to the other book, you get the satisfaction of feeling like you made progress. Also, I would recommend reading these books in physical form as I did. Kindle editions might make it tedious to efficiently switch between books and with the physical copies you get to see progress you are making.
I used two combined techniques to participate in the tandem read. In the first, I tabbed chapters so I knew when to switch. The other technique I used is probably my favorite. I made bookmarks with the tandem read listed on it so I can reference what chapters to read right in front of me. I created them with the book covers as the background and a correlating font. You definitely can get creative with it.
To sum it up, I understand the urgency to read TOG this way. I’m pretty sure I am enjoying this series more than I would have if I read them individually. It enhanced my reader experience with a more entertaining and immersive perspective.
And for the final verdict after 1,300 pages? It is absolutely worth it.
