*Reviews contain spoilers.
The Assassin's Blade
(Throne of Glass 0.1-0.5)
by Sarah J. Maas
March 4, 2014
435 pages
Goodreads Summary:
Discover where Celaena Sarthodien's thrilling saga began Celaena Sarthodien is her kingdom's most feared assassin. Though she works for the powerful and ruthless Assassin's Guild, she yields for 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 discovers friends and enemies alike, and discovers that she feels far more for Sam than just friendship. But by defying Arobynn's orders, Celaena riskes 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 readers 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
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 discovers friends and enemies alike, and discovers that she feels far more for Sam than just friendship. But by defying Arobynn's orders, Celaena riskes 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 readers 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
Reviews
The Assassin and the Pirate Lord
An interesting beginning to the Throne of Glass series. Celaena's so wild and Sam's so rational. I love how their strong sense of morality and justice led them to freeing all those slaves and fighting off those pirates. They're both soooooo kick ass!! I can't wait to see their relationship grow!!
The Assassin and the Desert
This is a very big turning point for Celaena as she starts to doubt her loyalty to Arobynn. The time away from him allowed her to see his cruelty. I was overjoyed when she received all that gold and decides to use it to pay off her debt to Arobynn so that she can be free of him.
It's nice to finally see Celaena interact with a female character. Celaena and Ansel's friendship was very touching despite its ending. It was so cute to see her put make up on Ansel and for Ansel to share her stories with Celaena. I loveed their mini adventure on rescuing the Asterion mares. It's too bad that Ansel turned out to be so consumed by hatred.I'm sad that this story doesn't have Sam but I loved how Celaena constantly thought of him and worried over his well-being. I need to see more of Celaena and Sam for sure!!
One thing that I really look forward to seeing is the spidersilk merchant's story. He will reappear and have an impact on Celaena's life in future books, right?!
It's nice to finally see Celaena interact with a female character. Celaena and Ansel's friendship was very touching despite its ending. It was so cute to see her put make up on Ansel and for Ansel to share her stories with Celaena. I loveed their mini adventure on rescuing the Asterion mares. It's too bad that Ansel turned out to be so consumed by hatred.I'm sad that this story doesn't have Sam but I loved how Celaena constantly thought of him and worried over his well-being. I need to see more of Celaena and Sam for sure!!
One thing that I really look forward to seeing is the spidersilk merchant's story. He will reappear and have an impact on Celaena's life in future books, right?!
The Assassin and the Underworld
Everything changes in this story! Celaena and Sam's relationship finally blooms! I just knew she was going to put the spidersilk in Sam's suit! I LOVE the sewage scene! Finally!!!!! They are so meant for each other!
From the beginning, I knew Arobynn wasn't telling Celaena the truth about the job! I knew he was manipulating her because everything just didn't feel right. I hated the way he showered Celaena with gifts and then betrayed her. He lied to her and used her. Not to mention he used her money to buy Lysandra. He was fully aware of how much Celaena loathed the courtesan. Thank god she got herself and Sam free of him (even though she had to sell Kasida). I did thoroughly enjoyed the scene where Celaena threw that knife at Lysandra. Heck ya, you go girl!
The masked Royals at the party must have been Prince Dorian and Chaol! I like how Sarah J. Maas included them!! I'm so excited to see more of them!!
From the beginning, I knew Arobynn wasn't telling Celaena the truth about the job! I knew he was manipulating her because everything just didn't feel right. I hated the way he showered Celaena with gifts and then betrayed her. He lied to her and used her. Not to mention he used her money to buy Lysandra. He was fully aware of how much Celaena loathed the courtesan. Thank god she got herself and Sam free of him (even though she had to sell Kasida). I did thoroughly enjoyed the scene where Celaena threw that knife at Lysandra. Heck ya, you go girl!
The masked Royals at the party must have been Prince Dorian and Chaol! I like how Sarah J. Maas included them!! I'm so excited to see more of them!!
The Assassin and the Empire
This story is so devastating. Although I knew it wasn't going to have a happy ending I still wasn't prepared for what happened. It left me in pieces.
Arobynn is so evil and so cruel. The way he betrayed Celaena and allowed Sam to be tortured to death was extremely inhumane. I absolutely despise him!!
I love Celaena!! She's such a strong and powerful character! After enduring Arobynn's humiliation and betrayal (although she only suspects it at the end), Sam's horrible death and her own terrible fate, she is still able to stand tall and face Endovier.
Arobynn is so evil and so cruel. The way he betrayed Celaena and allowed Sam to be tortured to death was extremely inhumane. I absolutely despise him!!
I love Celaena!! She's such a strong and powerful character! After enduring Arobynn's humiliation and betrayal (although she only suspects it at the end), Sam's horrible death and her own terrible fate, she is still able to stand tall and face Endovier.
I had to skim your review since I've read the entire series so far EXCEPT the novellas! I'm waiting until the six month mark before book four before I pick this one up. Since I'll probably be suffering MAJOR Sarah J Maas withdrawals! Great review :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Lily!! It's a smart move to wait! I'm still waiting for my copy of HoF to come in the mail but I feel like I've already started dreading the wait for the fourth book haha :)
DeleteI just finished this as well! I was instructed by so many people to start the series here. I thought it was a great introduction to Celaena. We really got to understand her strengths, her weaknesses, and her motivations in this book. Now that I'm reading Throne of Glass I feel like I'm already invested in her success! Great review!
ReplyDeleteCassi @ My Thoughts Literally
Thanks!! I started off the series with the novellas too so I totally agree with you. We got an inside peek into Celaena and I'm so glad we did!
DeleteI loved these just as much as I have loved the actual books. I adore Sam and admit I got teary eyed at what happened to him. It makes sense why Calaena is how she is though in the first book.
ReplyDeleteI often wondered if I'd see Celaena differently if I didn't read these novellas before the first book in the series. As much as the stories broke my heart, I'm glad I got to though :)
DeleteOne of these days, I will conquer this series. SIGH.
ReplyDeletePlease do!! I'd love to hear you thoughts!!
DeleteUgh, this book is seriously just AMAZING :D I'm glad you enjoyed this just as I did :)
ReplyDeleteRachel @ A Perfection Called Books