The Assassin's Blade

I. Loved. This. Book. Or would it be these stories? Doesn't matter, I loved it.

At first, it was just adventure, then it got to these heart-touching parts... When he died... and Celaena... I almost cried. I really did. It was just so heart-touching. The characters in this book were wonderful. The stories true works of art. I loved how they were all connected but so short. I would re-read this over and over again. I'm so happy that I have the entire series and can indulge myself in reading more about Celaena Sardothien, one of my new favorite female protagonists. Thank you Maas, thank you.

A word about this book - I read it after finishing Crown of Midnight, and it absolutely was a great spot to cut over and read this prequel. Reading it before would have lessened the emotional impact of the stories, as I wouldn't have felt as strongly about the characters.

Update on 2024 re-read: still fantastic, still heartbreaking

Starting off this series by reading the novella first. I loved reading about Caelena and Sam's history, both individually and together. While not fully in depth into the characters themselves there is enough there to prepare you for the first book and I actually enjoy having a little knowledge of their world and brief introduction to the King of Assassin's beforehand. Excited to get into this series!

Wow, this book has been a super fun adventure! one thing that drove me nuts was Cealena's personality. I'm not sure if I can read more books about her.

Not the best Maas work I have ever read, but a great addition to the series. It provides lots of background and connections between aspects of the series.

I might have rated it higher if I had read it earlier in the series. However, as I read it after Tower of Dawn, a lot of the “aha” moments were already known to me. Still, worth reading.

3.5 stars.
Loved 1 story
liked 2 stories
disliked 1 story
so overal, 3.5 stars. :)

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord: ★★★★
The Assassin and the Healer: ★★★★★
The Assassin and the Desert: ★★★★★
The Assassin and the Underworld: ★★★★
The Assassin and the Empire: ★★★★

Overall: ★★★★

This review contains spoilers for books zero through six in the series! You have been warned!

Random Shit I Wrote Down In My Notes While Re-Reading The Assassin's Blade Because I Just Wanted To TBH:

• My copy of this is damaged because my dumbass spilled soy sauce on it a few years ago :( fortunately it's only on the top of the first hundred or so pages and is still readable :)
• Sam

4.5!

So this was a warm up to Throne of Glass, and let me say that I cant freaking WAIT to start that series. I loved these novellas, and I honestly wanted there to be more! I was kind of left with some tears in my eyes at the end, just a warning. Hopefully I will be able to commit to the reading list I have planned before I dive into Throne of Glass.

Ah this was so good! I loved being able to learn more about Celaena and her past. The novellas are so well written and a perfect addition to the series!

Wow the main character would make a great psychology case study, and I don't mean the part where she is an assassin. She clearly has an attachment disorder and sabotages her interpersonal relationships. I seriously wanted to smack her at times.

I still have so many issues with Celaena Sardothien. She's just too cheesy for me to take seriously and I wish she felt more realistic. But the world of these stories and the background characters are all very good and entertaining. I love the world building in this series and I keep reading just for that. I just wish Celaena was better.

This collection of novellas with an overarching direction was very interesting. It gave a great deal of insight into Celaena's past. However, on it's own merit, it was not as good as the regular stories in the series. The writing and intensity were not up to par. Neither was the pacing. It dragged moments out in several places, especially with the ending that anyone who read the other books knows was coming. After having read Heir of Fire, this story by necessity does not feel as grand. Perhaps it lost some magic for that reason.
There were some great things and characters. Sam Cortland was fantastic. The silent assassins and the Mute Master were incredible (easily the best part). Overall, I just didn't love it as much.

4.5 Stars.

There were a few parts in the novellas which I disliked because I felt that Sam and also Celeana went a bit out of character. After the second story I had the urge to read Heir of Fire further, but a friend reminded me of the intertwining of the last three stories with the 3rd book. So I came back to this and stopped one chapter before it would have been mentioned in Heir of Fire. So I would definitely recommend you to read the novellas - if you plan in doing so - before beginning the 3rd book.

4.5 stars!
HOLY JESUS CHRIST
THIS WAS AMAZING
I can't even comprehend how much I loved these stories, it was just absolutely amazing to read about Celaena's past and what she went through and holy crap, I understand so much!
The only thing that knocked it off the five star rating was because in the end I wanted to be like this

I was really like this

And this time I actually know that it wasn't just my lack of emotional display, but because it was written in a way that it didn't really reach me, which I found odd considering that everything else SJM writes is amazing.
But I love, love, looooooooved it so much!
AND SAM CORTLAND IS BAE AND THE MOST AMAZING HUMAN ON EARTH I WANTED SO MUCH MORE OF HIM IN ALL OF THE STORIES, I NEEDED MORE

Ah. It was a great book, and it made me want Queen of Shadows even more.

Also? I'm not okay with how Sam died. And how Celaena was caught. Freaking Arobynn.

Gosh. That was a wild ride. Let's get this out of the way though. I like Arobynn. He's a jerk. A dick. A douchebag. But I think he had a separate agenda for all he did to Celaena. Maybe one day we'll figure it all out (please Queen of Shadows!) but that's going to be a mystery for now.
Maas' writing definitely got better in Heir of Fire. In the novellas and in books one and two, her writing was sort of basic. Not emotion-inducing or whatnot, but plain descriptive sentences. The characters drove the plot, not vice versa. It's fun to see someone improve by this much, though.
I really loved finding out Celaena's past and how she was before the Salt Mines of Endovier changed her. But perhaps it was the gods or fate that led her to becoming what she became later on. I guess we do have to admit that thanks to the King, he made his greatest enemy yet.
I can't wait for her story to continue.

This book is actually a collection of novellas that are prequels to the Throne of Glass Series. Each one contains some event that shaped Celaena into the assassin we see in the series. These novellas were amazing and I really enjoyed all the background we got.

Each novella showed a lot of the choices Celaena makes that contradict the stereotypical assassin persona. These novellas helped show that what Celaena does in Crown of Midnight and Heir of Fire is not completely out of character and she has done similar things in the past. Personally I wish I had read this book before reading Heir of Fire because it would have augmented a few of the things Celaena goes through with Rowan if I had already read the Assassin's blade.

From the other books in the series, I did not think I would like Sam, but reading this book really made me understand why Sam and Celaena were good for each other. They dealt with the struggles of being an Assassin together and supported each other through that. Along with this came the heartbreak of just how devastated Celaena must be at the beginning of the Throne of Glass with being in the camp plus Sam's death. The slow build up of Celaena realize just how much she cares about Sam was wonderfully done.

Each of these stories were a great window into Celaena's life prior to Endovier and how they have shaped the events that take place in the other books. Arobynn is incredibly cruel and I absolutely do not understand how Celaena survived all that time with him. The Silent Master definitely taught her a lot and was a far better Master.

That last page killed me. So sad, but she is using Sam's death and her imprisonment to motivate her to survive and get her revenge. This book also made me crave more Celaena and I also miss Chaol and Dorian. I don't like that I have to wait until Fall 2015.