The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J Maas
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
A group of novellas by Sarah J. Maas tell the story of Celaena Sordothein before the events of Throne of Glass. Each short story in The Assassin’s Blade encompasses the events that led to Celaena distancing herself from the King of Assassins and her eventual sentence to Endovier.
I loved reading about Celaena’s life before she was taken prisoner and sent to the slave camp. The events described in the book present glimpses of who Celaena was behind her confident mask and the trauma she went through before even being captured. The new characters introduced in each story were also lovely because new storylines were created that I wanted to hear more about. Rolfe was undoubtedly an interesting character. I would love to see more interactions between him and Celaena. Ansel was another character that stood out to me since she was Celaena’s first real female friend and showed a new vulnerability in Celaena.
The Red Desert story may have been my favorite. Celaena always thought she was the best, but the Silent Assassins humbled her a little. It was a nice change. The training methods were intriguing, and the improvements Celaena made were noticeable later in the book. This brings me to my next point. Although they were separate stories, they all connected. The stories built on one another to lead to the betrayal that changed Celaena’s life forever.
Sam Cortland was an absolute treat. I am heartbroken that we won’t see him again in the series. I liked that the romance was enemies to lovers, at least from Celaena’s perspective. It wouldn’t have fit Celaena’s character to have her get along with her rival in the Assassin Guild from the beginning. The handful of romantic moments I got between Sam and Celaena was precious. I’m super upset that Maas didn’t give us more. The ending hurt me in every way. Why does Maas create these characters I love and then hurt them so bad that I feel their pain? I don’t appreciate it…but keep going, Sarah. I cried while reading the final story. My emotions were all over the place after it was revealed who betrayed Celaena.
I enjoyed The Assassin’s Blade because, as usual, Sarah J. Maas cast a spell on me and made me feel attached to her characters. I look forward to seeing how the effects from the events in this book come back later in the series.
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