Title: The Assassin’s Blade
(Throne Of Glass #0.1-0.5)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal
First published: March 4th 2014
Finished reading: June 14th 2015
Pages: 448
“If you can learn to endure pain, you can survive anything. Some people learn to embrace it- to love it. Some endure it through drowning it in sorrow, or by making themselves forget. Others turn it into anger.”
I loved reading the first three books in the Throne Of Glass series (especially the second and third book), but I’ve always wanted to learn more about Celaena’s previous partner Sam. And with the fourth book recently coming out in September, I thought reading The Assassin’s Blade was the perfect excuse to dive back into Celaena’s world. As always, Sarah J. Maas delivers. I love her writing style and even though The Assassin’s Blade is actually a collection of five novellas, I still enjoyed reading each single one. It’s nice to learn a little more about Celaena’s life before Throne Of Glass and how she ended up in Endovier in the first place. Learning more about Sam is a huge bonus; I think I actually like him better than Chaol or Dorian. Out of the five novellas, I think the third one set in the desert is my favorite, but I enjoyed all of them. The Assassin’s Blade is definitely recommended if you enjoyed reading the Throne Of Glass series and want to learn more about Celaena’s past!
Celaena Sardothien is still a teenager, but not one to be underestimated. She is Adarlan’s most feared assassin and dangerous to those who try to undermine her. Celaena has to answer to her master Arobynn, but that doesn’t stop her from doing what she thinks is right. She only trusts her fellow assassin Sam… And together they have to face various complicated missions. When she finds out a pirate lord smuggles slaves she is determined to set them free, but not without consequences. She is punished and sent far away to the desert to train with the Silent Assassin’s, and soon she wonders if she will ever be truly free. And what happened to Sam?
The Assassin’s Blade contains five entertaining novellas that will give you a better insight of Celaena’s past. Some are better than others, but each story is worth reading and the last will probably leave you in tears. If you enjoyed the Throne Of Glass series and want to learn more about the world Sarah J. Maas created, you will most likely enjoy reading The Assassin’s Blade. I do think it’s better to read at least the first book before reading the novellas, so it’s easier to understand what is happening during the stories. But I guess they could be read separately as well.
I finished Treasure Island the other day, and unfortunately I cannot say I ended up enjoying this classic by Robert Louis Stevenson. I feel a bit guilty, but I was almost bored by the story and couldn’t connect to the characters… I also finished City Of Ashes by Cassandra Clare, and I’m still sticking with the fact that I like the prequel trilogy better. There are so many love triangles going on that it’s becoming annoying!