The Assassin’s Blade (Sarah J. Maas)

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… 

Explore the dark underworld of this kick-ass heroine and find out how the legend begins in the five page-turning prequel novellas to the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series.

---

This book is a bind up of 5 novelas that are set up before Throne of Glass. Actually, about the events that lands Celaena at the salt mines of Endovier… and this reads more like a novel than 5 different novellas.

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord

I thought this novella was a great introduction to the story, to Celaena and Sam, to their bond (or lack thereof) and to what set things in motion…

4/5 Stars

The Assassin and the Healer

This one felt so short, but I really liked Yrene and I wanted to see more of her. Hopeful we will 😀 !

4/5 Stars

The Assassin and the Desert

I really liked the Silent Assassins and I want the Mute Master and Ilias to come back and help Celaena sometime in her life, because they were awesome. I also loved Ansel, despite everything, and my heart broke when she did what she did, though I could sympathize with her… I didn’t like the fact that she killed her lover (than was totally in love with her) with so much ease. I’ll be eagerly awaiting for their return.

And why didn’t Sam meet her in the desert? I wanted him to go to her!

4.5/5 Stars

The Assassin and the Underworld

This was my favorite novella. I loved Sam. I loved jealous Celaena. I loved their badassery. I hated Arobynn Hamel, since he beat the crap out of both of them, and I wanted to kill him! How dare he? Use Celaena’s money to buy Lysandra’s bidding? GRRRR!!! I could have killed him! And then he did what he did…

Sam though… ❤

“I love you,” he repeated shaking her again. “I have for years. And he hurt you and made me watch because he’s always known how I felt, too. And if I asked you to pick, you’d choose Arobynn, and I. Can’t. Take. It.”

Can we talk about the fact that Dorian asked her to dance and to be HIS for a few dances?! 😀 My fangirl heart almost gave away at that. But Sam was there 😉 .

5/5 Stars

The Assassin and the Empire

The only problem I have with this novella is that it has a short time span. Why on Earth did SJM only give 1 month of happiness to Sam and Celaena? Are you kidding me? The boy spent his life loving her and only gets one month of sleeping happily beside her, without even getting lucky or she saying that she loves him? That’s cruel! She even took away the good soap!

Have I mentioned how much I hate Arobynn?

I broke at the end. Not because Sam died – I knew it was coming after all – but because of how she reacted. Her grief was so raw… that it broke my heart. Her trip to Endovier was TORTURE!!!

“I’m Celaena Sardothien and I will not be afraid.”

4.5/5 Stars

---

Overall, I really enjoyed this novellas and how they flowed together. I did wished that it spanned throughout more time. I wanted Celaena and Sam’s connection to be stronger than it was. I wanted to see more of Sam as well, I feel like 3 novellas was not enough.

Now I’m feeling the urge to go through the last 2 books to find any reference I might have missed about any of these people.

Also, I love Celaena. When she says that she will consider leaving some of her shoes, but no way is she going to leave her books… my girl!

Overall Rating: 4.4 Stars