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You know when you start a series, fall completely in love with it, and then… stop? Not because you don’t care anymore, but because life does its thing and suddenly months (if not years) have passed?

Yeah. That’s exactly where I’m at with Throne of Glass.

I started the series earlier this year and absolutely devoured the first few books. I finished Queen of Shadows back in August, emotionally drained, swearing I’d pick up Empire of Storms right away. Flash forward to the end of October and *spoiler* I still haven’t 😅.
And, rather embarrassingly, I’d set myself the goal of finishing the entire series by the end of October.
Yep. Failed. That. Spectacularly 🙄.

But November’s my redemption arc, because I’ve decided to finally dive back in… and this time, I’m doing the tandem read of Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn.

I’ve heard it’s the way to experience the story, so I’m both nervous and weirdly excited to juggle two books at once like some kind of fantasy-reading acrobat.

So if you’ve ever started a series, taken a “short break” (that turned into two months or two years), and now have no idea where to start again, I feel you bestie. Here’s how I’m getting back into it.

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💭 Step 1: Revisit Your Own Thoughts (Thanks, Past Me)

The first thing I did was re-read my Queen of Shadows review, and honestly, past me really came through. Reading my old notes reminded me exactly why I fell in love with the story, which characters I loved and which were on my not-so-love list.

If you write reviews, journal, or even leave chaotic Goodreads updates, revisit them. You’ll instantly reconnect with the emotions, theories, and rants you had last time around.

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📖 Step 2: Recap Before You Dive

Let’s be real, I don’t remember half of what happened in the earlier books. Bless the internet for existing, because Book Series Recaps and fandom wikis are absolute lifesavers.

A quick scroll through a summary and suddenly I’m like, “Ah yes, THAT betrayal,” and “Right, that’s why everyone hates that guy.” Ten minutes later, I’m ready to jump back in like I never left.

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🔁 Step 3: Re-Read the Ending (Optional, but Powerful)

If you’ve got time, re-read the final few chapters of the last book you finished. Queen of Shadows ends in such a wild, emotional way that it’s the perfect warm-up before Empire of Storms.

It just gets you back in the right headspace and in tune with the authors style of writing.

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📺 Step 4: Watch a Spoiler Chat

When I’m being lazy (read: always), I’ll watch a YouTube recap or spoiler-filled discussion. It’s like chatting with a bookish friend who remembers everything you forgot. You get the highlights, the emotional reminders, and the hype to start reading it again.

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🌙 Step 5: Let Yourself Rediscover It

Here’s the big thing: don’t stress about forgetting details. It happens. You’re not failing as a reader because you took a break, or your memory’s foggy. Reading isn’t supposed to feel like homework.

Sometimes, though, you don’t need recaps at all. You can just dive straight into the next book. Your brain does this funny thing where little flashbacks pop up as you read, and suddenly your mind is stitching together its own recap as you go along. It’s almost like the series is refreshing itself in real time!

So when I start my Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn tandem read this November, I’m not going to panic about what I’ve forgotten. I’m just going to let myself fall back into that world and ready myself for chaos, heartbreak, and (hopefully) healing.

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✨ Final Thoughts

There’s no “right” way to return to a series after time away. Maybe you re-read. Maybe you just read a synopsis and jump right in. Whatever gets you excited again, that’s the right way.

So if there’s a half-finished series collecting dust on your shelf, consider this your gentle nudge to pick it back up. The story will wait for you, and so will the characters, but there’s no time like the present to dive back in!

Now wish me luck… I’m mentally preparing to juggle Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn like a true bookworm daredevil.

Until next time… 🖤