The Assassin’s Blade (Throne Of Glass prequels) by Sarah J Maas Review

Hey ForeverBookers, 

How are you? I hope you're all doing well!

In the month of June and early July I focused on reading The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J Maas. I’m glad I dedicated a few weeks to reading it as it’s made up of separate novellas. If I’d just read it within the space of a week, I don’t think it would have had the same impact that it did have spacing it out. 

I go into this below but I'll say here as well that I don't think it's necessary to necessarily read The Assassin's Blade first, as the author suggests. I enjoyed getting to know Celaena how she was in Throne Of Glass and Crown Of Midnight and then back tracking, but as I said I go into that below. Also sorry if there is repetition. I tried my hardest to cut that out but when you're writing over the space of a couple of weeks it's hard not to repeat certain aspects, especially if they're significant for more than one novella.

My order of favourite novellas:

The Assassin And The Desert - 5 Stars

The Assassin And The Empire - 4 Stars

The Assassin And The Healer - 4 Stars

The Assassin And The Underworld - 4 Stars

The Assassin And The Pirate Lord - 4 Stars

 (The colours form a sort of key for the reviews of each novella below)

Readathons

I read “The Assassin’s Blade” for a specific readathon. which was the Make Your Myth Taker readathon, hosted by Ashleigh at A Frolic Through Fiction on youtube and Instagram and Charlotte at Beigepages on Instagram. I slightly went over into July and I didn’t get to my Occult themed book but I enjoyed reading the books I chose nonetheless. 

Cardcaptor-a-thon - The Shot - A card that’s found amongst trading cards - Read the first book in a series you wish to collect - technically this collection can be read at any time before the latter half of the Throne Of Glass series (before “Queen Of Shadows”). In fact I suggest reading it second or third as I detail a few of times below, but it still details the significant events that happen before that of “Throne Of Glass” (book 1). I already own the whole series too. I just haven’t read onward from “Crown Of Midnight” yet!

Reading Rivalry - I counted one novella towards the “Author Highlight,” which was of course Sarah J Maas. And for the one I read completely in July, I’m counting it as “A book by an author who wrote one of your favourite books.” The ACOTAR books are my second favourite fantasy series, so I think that counts!

The novellas of “The Assassin’s Blade” do need to be read in order!

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord

FYI - There is violence in this novella and I’m sure there will be in the entire collection. There’s also use of alcohol.

4 Stars! 

This novella details why Celaena became the way she was, I feel. This is the first instance whereby she has to deal with being sent away to do a job for Arobynn, the King of the Assassins. She isn’t pleased when she learns she has to go on this quest with Sam, her arch-nemesis at the beginning of this collection. I don’t know what will happen between these two yet, although I have a pretty good idea. 

Spoilers Below...

“If it came down to a fight, she’d win—she always beat Sam,” is what Celaena thinks would happen if she and Sam had to fight each other. She isn’t worried about her being a girl and him being a boy. That was refreshing to read, as in a contemporary or in a non-fantasy world, we do have gender stereotypes. It was positive thing to see them not used here.

The quest is to get slaves from the Pirate Lord, as suggested in the title of the novella. Celaena and Sam need to decide just how much they are willing to do for the King of Assassins, Arobynn, a significant character throughout this collection. Are they willing to sacrifice innocent lives? Or will one or both of them stand up for them? The Pirate Lord is called Captain Rolfe. He isn’t someone you’d want to get on the wrong side of! Celaena of course, isn’t bothered by this, as she can do anything and survive. As Celaena is in Throne Of Glass it’s obvious that she survives the events of The Assassin Blade novellas.  

“How dare he make her wait! He knew precisely why they were here, after all.”

This shows just how not bothered Celaena is by the fact that Captain Rolfe is the leader of the Pirates. She’s more bothered by and tired of the time he’s taking to show up. Celaena, I feel carries on like this into Throne of Glass, which, like I note above, I have already read.

I’m glad that I had already read Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight before going into Assassin’s Blade because while it does detail aspects of Celaena’s past you might be shocked to know if you just read the novellas first, you can understand her character more if you read the first two novels first, I feel. For example, if I hadn’t of read Crown of Midnight first, I wouldn’t have known how important Sam was to Celaena and I feel I might have missed that if I hadn’t have read the first two novels first. 

“It had been over a year and a half since she’d lost her freedom; a year and a half since she’d lost Sam.” This quote from “Crown Of Midnight” that puts the events of the Assassin’s Blade into context, I feel. The events of Crown Of Midnight take place a year and a half after The Assassin’s blade wraps up.  

There are three main characters in “The Assassin And The Pirate Lord.”. Celaena, Sam and Captain Rolfe. Each had a well defined character, I thought. I wasn’t sure what to think of Rolfe at first but he reveals his true colours at the end of the novella. Will he pop up in other novellas or later on in the Throne Of Glass series, I’m not sure?! Or does he even get killed later in the novellas or in the last three Throne of Glass novels somewhere? I’m excited to find out!

The Assassin And The Healer

FYI - There’s talk of a side character doing some “dark dealings” in this novella. It’s never alluded to what these are though, as they’re not the main focus of this novella.

4 Stars!

I really enjoyed this novella. It’s simple but necessary to read to get the full picture of who Celaena is as a character. It tells of the events after those in “The Assassin And The Pirate Lord,” so it is necessary to read that first. Otherwise you’ll be a little lost. 

“The Assassin And The Healer” takes place in and around a bar called “the White Pig.” It’s the shortest of the novellas in the collection. We still saw lots of development for Celaena’s character, however. Sam wasn’t present in this novella. He’s mentioned but his presence isn’t in the story. The other main character of “The Assassin And The Healer” is Yrene. She takes up a lot of the story, maybe more than Celaena, who isn’t the focus I don’t think. 

Spoilers below...

Celaena has been punished for the events that took place at the end of “The Assassin And The Pirate Lord.” That’s why she’s in the town she’s in and why she’s skulking away her sorrows in “the White Pig,” where the majority of “The Assassin And The Healer” takes place.

Yrene is the healer in the title. We learn that towards the end of the story, but she and Celaena are really the only characters spoken of so it HAD to be her, as the Assassin is of course, Celaena, so it’s not really a huge spoiler. 

Yrene starts the novella as a cowardly barmaid, scared of the world around her. 

“Yrene sighed through her nose but didn’t complain, because Jessa was Nolan’s favourite, and Yrene had nowhere—absolutely nowhere left to go. Innish was her home now, and the White Pig was her haven. Outside of it, the world was too big, too full of splintered dreams and armies that had crushed and burned everything Yrene held dear.”

Yrene grows to become someone strong thanks to Celaena, who is a week away from turning seventeen in this novella. 

“Yrene carefully, so carefully, backed away.” is how Yrene acts at the start of The Assassin and the Healer.

What Yrene really wants is to become a healer, like her mother and grandmother were before her. She needs money to get to the Torre Cesme, the school that will teach her about medicine, however.

“Let me give you a bit of advice,” the girl said bitterly, “from one working girl to another: Life isn’t easy, no matter where you are. You’ll make choices you think are right, and then suffer for them.” Those remarkable eyes flickered. “So if you’re going to be miserable, you might as well go to Antica and be miserable in the shadow of the Torre Cesme.”

This advice from Celaena, is what turns a scared and naive Yrene into a strong and capable woman. After this we see Yrene take matters into her own hands and do what she wants. Will she be able go to the “Torre Cesme” or will she forever be in the pub where she works for pittance, under a mean and controlling boss? You’ll need to read to find out...

Celaena never reveals who she is to Yrene because she’s an assassin. Yrene does ask who she is but Celaena keeps her identity hidden by a hood at the beginning and even when she and Yrene become better acquaintances, she still doesn’t disclose who she is.

This novella, while short developed both characters identities well, I feel. I can see Yrene popping up later in the Throne Of Glass series, even as I believe that some characters from The Assassin’s Blade show up in the last three Throne Of Glass stories. I hope she does pop up, as I grew attached to her. She reminds me of me, a little in that she becomes unafraid of the world around her and other opinions of herself.

What this story is about, I feel is getting over one’s fears isn’t always that hard to do if you have the right sort of support. Anything can be done if you try hard enough, which is a good mantra to instil in people today, no matter what age they are!

The Assassin And The Desert Review

FYI - There are brutal aspects to this novella, but then Celaena is going to a school where they train people to become assassins! I expected it to be be more brutal if anything!

5 Stars! 

I really enjoyed this novella! I don’t want to go into much depth because if I do, it will lead to spoilers and you don’t want to be spoiled for this novella, as it’s shocking, at least it was to me, so this review will be short but it’s still VERY good, my favourite of the collection!!!

Mild spoilers below...

“...The sessiz suikast are there.” Sessiz suikast. The Silent Assassins—the legendary order that she’d been sent here to train with.”

Celaena’s guide takes her only so far towards the fortress where she’s got to spend three months training with the Silent Assassins as punishment for what she did to the Pirate Lord. The guide doesn’t trust the assassins. He’s scared of them. Is it just because they’re assassins?

When Celaena gets acquainted with her new surroundings, she meets the Mute Master, who is like the equivalent of Arrobynn Hamel — but head of the desert. “My master sent me here to beseech you to train me,” she said, chafing at the words. Train her! She lowered her head so the Master wouldn’t see the ire on her face. “I am yours.” This is what Celaena says to the Mute Master. She’s very annoyed and humiliated that she has to call herself his, as if she’s his to do with what he wants. Will Celaena learn some humility while she’s in the desert?

Celaena discovers she has to share a room with one of the Sessiz Suikast trainees, Ansel. They make friends easily. Is it too good to be true, though? What secrets is Ansel hiding? Will they bring doom or structure to Celaena, or both?

This is my favourite one of the Assassin’s Blade novellas so far. I got through it in two days! It had me on the edge of my seat the whole way. There were so many surprises and things I didn’t see coming. I loved it!!! I HIGHLY recommend it! You do however have to at least read the first novella, “The Assassin And The Pirate Lord,” to understand some of the events, though. 

There’s a character within this novella that could come into the last three Throne Of Glass novels. I hope they do!

The Assassin and the Underworld Review

FYI - There’s talk of sexual acts with minors in this novella. It doesn’t detail them but they’re alluded to. 

4 Stars!

I enjoyed this novella. It allowed us to see the after affects of Celaena’s time in the desert and just what being put in the desert did to her, both the good and the bad. 

Spoilers below...

“It had been three months since the night Arobynn had beaten her unconscious—punishment for ruining the his slave trade agreement with the Pirate Lord, Captain Rolfe. It had been three months since he’d shipped her off to the Red Desert to learn obedience and discipline and to earn the approval of the Mute Master of the Silent Assassins.

The letter clutched in her hand was proof that she had done it. Proof that Arobynn hadn’t broken her that night.

And she couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when she gave it to him.”

We’re reminded why Celaena was sent to the Red Desert here, as well as seeing she’s proud that she overcame it. She “couldn’t wait” to see Arobynn’s face when she gives him the letter of recommendation from the Mute Master, shows this. In this novella I felt a lot of hate towards Arobynn for the things he makes Celaena do! 

“He was nearly twenty years her senior, and though his red hair had a few strands of silver, his face remained young. Elegant, sharp features, blazingly clear gray eyes . . . He might not have been the handsomest man she’d ever seen, but he was one of the most alluring.” This description of Arobynn puts him at 37. I thought he was older than that when I started The Assassin’s Blade. The author makes it appear that 37 is an old age, I think. This might just be how Celaena sees him, although the “Throne Of Glass” series is told in 3rd person, so I’m not sure if this is the case. Later on in the novella, when Arobynn buys a young female for a night, this isn’t seen as creepy in the book. It’s just seen as an everyday occurrence. Of course, we should think it is creepy however, even in fantasy novels!

“Why shouldn’t I enjoy Lysandra after all these years of investing in her career?”

Is what Arobynn says to Celaena, when he’s peeved and annoyed at her for deciding to leave him. This just proves what an egotistical prat Arobynn is. All he’s concerned about is himself, which I go onto note in my review of “The Assassin And The Empire.” He doesn’t care about Lysandra in a good way. He just wants to get sexual gratification from her. This isn’t written on the page. It’s again, just implied.

“The Assassin And The Underworld” focuses on Celaena having to get information from Doneval, the main antagonist of this fourth or penultimate novella, not counting Arobynn. She needs the information to give to Arobynn. She’s not sure what she’s searching for though. I think that’s the point, as not all is as it seems...We, as the reader are left trying to work things out too.

“Why don’t you stop by the house at eight thirty?”

Her smile only grew, genuine this time. Seven thirty, then. That’s when the deal would occur. How could he be that foolish, that arrogant? He deserved to die just for being so irresponsible—so easily lured by a girl who was far too young for him.”

This is Celaena’s first impression of Doneval, the main antagonist of “The Assassin and the Underworld.” Of course, she’s just basing everything she’s heard about him on what Arobynn has told her. Is he lying or telling the truth? You’ll have to read to find out! Here we do see Celaena as put off by a man that is too old for her. Is this because she has feelings for another character or because she’s just used to how Arobynn acts around her. I think it’s a bit of both but I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.

The only other thing I really valued in this novella was the relationship development between Celaena and Sam. Without that, I feel I would have given it a much lower rating. In “The Assassin and The Underworld,” we see Celaena really start to care for Sam and vice versa. I thought the author wrote romantic tension well. In other books I’ve read by her, she writes the romantic tension well as well, but I expected it to be not as good here as “The Assassin’s Blade” collection are some of the first stories she wrote.

There’s another relationship/rivalry we see in this fourth novella of “The Assassin’s Blade.” That of Celaena and Lysandra, a rather spoilt brat of a character that expects a lot more than what she deserves. I HATED her so much, which is the point of her character. Celaena hates her, so we’re meant to hate her too!

“She used her madam’s name, too, like a weapon, a word meant to crush and dominate—a word that whispered: I am more important than you; I have more influence than you; I am everything and you are nothing.”

This is how Lysandra makes Celaena feel lower than low. She’s always trying to make out how much better than Celaena she is. She also wants Sam. Luckily, he doesn’t want her! He’s very happy with Celaena!

Celaena almost dies in “The Assassin and The Underworld” when she’s captured by one of Doneval’s guards and locked in the sewer. Of course she survives but does this event haunt her? Does the person trying to save her get hurt? Does she manage to kill the person that threatened her in the sewer? You’ll have to read to find out!

While I enjoyed “The Assassin and The Underworld," I don’t feel it had quite the same emphasis as the other novellas have had, a little like the second one, “The Assassin And The Healer.” Both of these just helped us see different sides to Celaena, which while still significant maybe weren’t as riveting to read as the first or third novella, as there isn’t much plot to either of them, just character development. Each novella has shown us something different for Celaena so far. The first showed us what set her off, the second showed her more sisterly side, the third showed how she deals with big events and the fourth showed us her romantic side more. I wonder what the last novella will show us???

The Assassin And The Empire

FYI: There are brutal scenes in this novella! 

4 Stars!

I liked this novella a lot! It had a bit of everything I look for in a good fantasy book, romance, comedy, action that keeps the plot moving, evil villains, world building etc. 

I knew the main outcome of this novella before I started reading it. I didn’t mind this because it meant I could see the run up to the main event and I wouldn’t have to reread parts for it to make sense.

Spoilers below...

Celaena and Sam are happily getting by in Rifthold when two men are brought to Sam’s attention. These men are called Ioan Jayne, known just as Jayne and Farran. If Celaena and Sam can kill these men, they can get out of Rifthold and start a new life on the Southern Continent. Sam is all for this new life, however Celaena is unsure whether or not she wants to leave, as is seen in, 

“I was willing to move to a place like Banjali or Bellhaven or Anielle. Not to an entirely new continent—a place we hardly know anything about! That wasn’t part of the plan.”

“At least we’d be out of Ardalan’s empire.”

“I don’t give a damn about the empire!”

This clearly shows that Celaena isn’t happy about leaving the only place she knows. Sam, always the peacekeeper to Celaena’s character calmly states the facts, while Celaena worries about their future.  Celaena apparently doesn’t “give a damn about the empire!” It’s clear to us, however that what she does care about is being remembered as Ardalan’s most feared assassin, as is repeatedly told to us in “The Assassin’s Blade” novellas. Celaena is therefore a selfish character, at least in these novellas. I think she becomes a little less selfish in “Throne Of Glass” and “Crown Of Midnight,” which is probably why I could stomach her. Also, another reason for reading these novellas after the first two novels in the series is her selfish character would have been annoying to read without the surety that she actually gets better.

I’m VERY glad that I read the first two books in the series before The Assassin’s Blade because although The Assassin’s Blade is the prequel to the series, by reading the first two books first it meant I had a basis on Celaena’s character after the novellas so I could see how she became the way she was. If I’d started with The Assassin’s Blade, I don’t think I would have liked the series, as I wouldn’t have met Chaol, Dorian or Mort, three characters I love, as well as Celaena, herself, of course. It is good to see her development but if I’d been just thrust in with The Assassin’s Blade, I don’t believe I would have grown attached to her or cared enough about her to mind what happened. I felt sorry for her at the end of “The Assassin’s Blade” and I don’t feel I would have felt that way without the events of “Throne Of Glass” or “Crown Of Midnight.” I would have just thought she was an incredibly selfish character, which she isn’t if you see her development in the first two books first.

Sam is our other main character in all the novellas, apart from “The Assassin And The Healer” and “The Assassin And The Desert,” where he’s still mentioned. I liked getting to know him and seeing him develop, although I didn’t see him as half cast as the new covers for the series paint him. He’s a white character to me. Celaena and Sam’s relationship is built on strong bones at the start of this last novella. 

Arobynn is a character that’s bought up a lot. He’s not as present as Sam, I wouldn’t say but he’s the antagonist throughout the collection that Celaena and Sam are trying to escape from, I guess. In this last novella, Celaena finally sees Arobynn for who he truly is, a twisted and demented bigot who only wants what’s best for him. He doesn’t care about the welfare of Celaena, or especially Sam, or I believe  even Lysandra. 

“I did all of those things because I was angry with you for picking Sam.” 

Was it the King of Assassins who spoke, or the father, or the lover who had never manifested himself?

Arobynn’s carefully cultivated mask fell, and the wound she’d given him flickered in those magnificent eyes. “Stay with me,” he whispered. “Stay in Rifthold.”

She swallowed and found it particularly hard to do so. “I’m going.”

“No,” he said softly. “Don’t go.”

Arobynn is clearly upset with Celaena for wanting to leave and being prepared to do anything so she can. He thinks she should stay in Rifthold. Sam, however wants Celaena to go with him. He thinks that’s best and a clean break is what they both need, as I’ve detailed above. What does Celaena decide to do? Does she stay in Rifthold as an assassin, as Arobynn wants her to, does she leave with Sam or does she get trapped into making a decision she’s not sure about? You’ll need to read to find out! I thought Arobynn was just a creep if I’m being honest. One moment he was like a fatherly figure to Celaena and the next he was like her lover. Just NO! I get why this was done, to show that Arobynn has many sides but suggesting Celaena and definitely Lysandra, in an earlier novella, become his play things was rather disgusting.

Do all of the characters we come to love in this collection make it out okay? Or do some fall by the wayside? You’ll have to read to find out.

Overall then, I enjoyed my time reading The Assassins Blade novellas. I gave them all 4 stars, apart from “The Assassin And The Desert,” which I gave a full five stars.

I’m therefore giving this collection a 4.5 out of five stars. I don’t normally like novellas but I appreciated getting to know

why Celaena is the way she is in "Throne of Glass" and "Crown of Midnight." As I said above, that’s why I’d say to read “The Assassin’s Blade” after the first two “Throne Of Glass” novels. However, the author does tend to info-dump a lot of information all at once, as well as write scenes where you’re to imagine older men and young girls fornicating and rather brutal battle scenes too. The Assassin’s Blade were her first published works I believe, so the info-dumping is forgivable but it’s still there. 

What did you think of "The Assassin’s Blade?" Do you agree with me? I’d be really interested to know!