Book Review: The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

Release Date: March 4th, 2014
Read: October 4th-9th, 2016
Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens
Series: Throne of Glass, #0.1- 0.5
Format: Signed Hardcover, 435 pages
Source: Bought

Description from GoodReads:

   Discover where Celaena Sardothien's thrilling saga began

   Celaena Sardothien is her kingdom's most feared assassin. Though she works for the powerful and ruthless Assassin's Guild, Celaena yields to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam.

   When Celaena's scheming master, Arobynn Hamel, dispatches her on missions that take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, she finds herself acting independently of his wishes—and questioning her own allegiance. Along the way, she makes friends and enemies alike, and discovers that she feels far more for Sam than just friendship. But by defying Arobynn's orders, Celaena risks unimaginable punishment, and with Sam by her side, he is in danger, too. They will have to risk it all if they hope to escape Arobynn's clutches—and if they fail, they'll lose not just a chance at freedom, but their lives...

   A prequel to Throne of Glass, this collection of five novellas offers listeners a deeper look into the history of this cunning assassin and her enthralling—and deadly—world.

   Included in this volume:

   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 

Review:

   Words can be just as deadly as steel.

   This series is basically a huge part of my life now, but I never really got the chance to read The Assassin's Blade until after reading Queen of Shadows. When it comes to reading, I'm not usually a huge fan of novellas. If, like The Assassin's Blade, they come out as a bind up in print form, I will eventually pick them up. But they aren't a high priority. 

   The Assassin's Blade was just like I expected it to be, just a bunch of short stories of Celaena before she was Aelin, when Sam was still alive and they were still working for Arobynn. I really enjoyed being able to see who Celaena was and what she was like before Endovier. In Throne of Glass it sort of felt like Celaena was all talk and no action, with the novellas we got to see some of that action, even if we still never got to see why she was considered the greatest assassin next to Arobynn. 

   Sometimes novellas are all over the place position wise, with the five in The Assassin's Blade, that wasn't the case. Each novella basically took place right after each other, with only a small passing of time between them. The last one ending right as Celaena reached Endovier, I do sort of wish that we got to see her surviving in Endovier though. 

   The only thing I found with the stories was that no matter how hard I tried, I just could not love Sam. I knew what was going to happen to him since I had read the original series first, and so I just couldn't connect with him. 

   The Assassin's Blade was a sweet little bit of backstory to Celaena's story. Where I enjoyed the book as quick little stories, I still prefer reading the storyline the main series has. But I am looking forward to seeing what Chaol's novellas will be like.  

Rating:

Favourite Quote:

“There was no way in hell she was going to move to the southern continent without all of her books."

"Where do men find it in themselves to do such monstrous things? How do they find it acceptable?"

Recommend to People Who Enjoy:

Young Adult, Fantasy, Supernatural, Fairies, Rebellion, Romance, Assassins, Magic, Demons