Review: The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J Maas

Title: The Assassin's Blade (Throne of Glass #0.1-0.5)
Author: Sarah J Maas
Genre: Young Adult, High Fantasy
Source: Bloomsbury Sydney. Thank you!

Average Goodreads rating: 4.55 out of 5.00 (320+ ratings)
Goodreads | The Reading Room

Celaena Sardothien owes her reputation to Arobynn Hamel. He gave her a home at the Assassins' Guild and taught her the skills she needed to survive.

Arobynn's enemies stretch far and wide - from Adarlan's rooftops and its filthy dens, to remote islands and hostile deserts. Celaena is duty-bound to hunt them down. But behind her assignments lies a dark truth that will seal her fate - and cut her heart in two forever.

Review by Nara

I apologise in advance for the abundance of hashtags and inability to turn off capslock. #sorrynotsorry #letthefangirlingbegin #hashtag

The Assassin's Blade is a collection of the five Throne of Glass prequel novellas. The novellas are ordered chronologically, so they can kind of just be thought of as one continuous story. Basically the "first" novel in the Throne of Glass series. And I must say, EVERYONE who has read Throne of Glass should be reading this book. Or getting the individual novellas in ebook form, whichever. They add so much more to the series, in that you get to see how Celaena arrives at where she is at the start of Throne of Glass. And you meet Sam. SAM. SAAAAMMMM!

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord
So this is the first book where we're introduced to Sam, and what an introduction! Don't you just adore love-hate relationships? GAH, so epic. We also get an introduction to Celaena's more human side- she's an assassin, but she does have a (somewhat) intact moral compass. Basically, swashbuckling and shenanigans.

The Assassin and the Healer
The shortest of the novellas- but still an interesting one which gives more insight into the way Celaena thinks. Probably the only major downfall of this novella was that there was no Sam. lol.

The Assassin and the Desert
Another novella with a sorrowful lack of Sam. On the bright side, we get to see a lot of badassery from Celaena. You might remember from Throne of Glass (if you've read it) that there is a bit of lack of Celaena doing assassin-like activities, so if you'd like a bit of proof that she is actually a bamf then you should go for this novella. Or Crown of Midnight. Or both. I recommend going for both. (Also, if you've read CoM, Jesus, the foreshadowing!)

The Assassin and the Underworld
The focus of this novella, unlike the others, is more so on the romance than on the development of Celaena's character. Although I suppose that developing the former would technically also aid in the development of the latter. We also perhaps see the darker side of Celaena's mentor/foster father Arobynn- ultimately setting things up for the conclusion of The Assassin and the Empire.

The Assassin and the Empire
#feels
#majorfeels
#mynameiscelaenasardothien
#iwillnotbeafraid

Characters introduced in the novellas who I feel will turn up some time in the Throne of Glass series
(btw it's possible these people might have turned up in ToG/CoM and I just didn't notice #bookamnesia)
- Rolfe the Pirate Lord
- Yrene the Healer
- Ansel and possibly Ilias from The Assassin and the Desert. (btw Ilias better not turn up and ruin Chaolena or desks WILL BE FLIPPED)
- Farran the douchebag from The Assassin and the Empire
- Arobynn the f***ing bastard King of Assassins

Before you ask, HECK YES, this book is worth getting. The novellas are surprisingly long, so instead of thinking of it as a collection of novellas, you should think of it as a complete book. If you're a fan of Throne of Glass and don't get this book, I will be personally offended (lol jks. But seriously get a copy of this book. You certainly won't regret it.)

Incredible

Favourite

Ratings
Overall: 10/10
Plot: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
World Building: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 4/5