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lilywolf's review against another edition
4.0
Read anytime in the serie but do it before Queen of Shadows!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
bookworm2991's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I’d just like to add that The Assassin's Blade is a great introduction to the world of Throne of Glass, especially if you're curious about Celaena's past and what shaped her into the character she becomes. The novellas also do a fantastic job of building relationships, particularly the bond between Celaena and Sam, which adds a layer of emotional depth to the action and suspense.
Even though it’s a prequel, the stakes feel high, and the book sets the tone for the rest of the series, giving readers a glimpse of what’s to come in terms of both character growth and the larger conflicts that will unfold. It’s a must-read for fans of the series, but also an enjoyable read for anyone who loves strong, complex female protagonists and fast-paced fantasy.
Even though it’s a prequel, the stakes feel high, and the book sets the tone for the rest of the series, giving readers a glimpse of what’s to come in terms of both character growth and the larger conflicts that will unfold. It’s a must-read for fans of the series, but also an enjoyable read for anyone who loves strong, complex female protagonists and fast-paced fantasy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Emotional abuse
The Assassin's Blade delves deeply into Celaena Sardothien's past, revealing her complex relationships, particularly with Sam, which is central to her character development.vereadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The book offers five novellas that navigate key moments in Celeana’s life before the events in Throne of Glass and show us how she ended in Endovier.
This book is the perfect introduction to Celeana as a character because we see her in her fullness as an assassin, unlike Throne of Glass, where we meet a heroine broken by the past. Celeana is the most arrogant and spoiled person in the world. But her heart is righteous, and that makes her a lovable character.
The book shows the complexity of her relationship with Arobynn, who seems like a father figure and, at times, seems like her executioner. Sometimes, their relationship becomes strange because it is hinted that Arobynn has romantic feelings for Celeana.
We also meet Celeana’s first love, Sam. Sam is her rival in the Guild, and at first, it seems that they both hate each other, but as the pages go by, we realize that Sam is crazy about her.
The Assassin and the Pirate Lord show how Sam and Celeana’s relationship evolves. Sam and Celeana discover that Arobynn has been lying to them, and they decide to work together to free the slaves. During the mission, they bond, and for the first time, Celeana starts to see Sam differently.
In the second novella, The Assassins and the Healer, Arobynn beats her up and sends her to train with the Silent Assassins of the Red Desert. Before she gets to the Red Desert, she gets stuck in a small town and meets a healer. The story seems irrelevant. I assume the character introduced will become important later. In my opinion, this story is the weakest.
The Assassin and the Desert bring to the table the toxic and abusive relationship that Celeana has with Arobynn. During her stay in the red desert, Celeana reflects on how different the mute master is from Arobynn. In this place, Celeana finds a friend she can trust. However, she is also being betrayed by someone she trusts.
After that, Celeana returns to Rifthold. In Assassins and the Underworld, Celeana tries to leave Arobynn. But he manipulates and deceives her.
The Assassin and the Empire show us the events that end with Celeana in Endovier. I’m still processing what happened with Sam. I believe that what occurred didn’t happen and that it was all a hoax. He’s somewhere out there, eagerly waiting to make his big appearance. I refuse to accept the other ending as reality.
Excellent prequel! Heir of Fire, here I go.
P.S.: I’m still not sure if I read this book in the right order.
This book is the perfect introduction to Celeana as a character because we see her in her fullness as an assassin, unlike Throne of Glass, where we meet a heroine broken by the past. Celeana is the most arrogant and spoiled person in the world. But her heart is righteous, and that makes her a lovable character.
We also meet Celeana’s first love, Sam. Sam is her rival in the Guild, and at first, it seems that they both hate each other, but as the pages go by, we realize that Sam is crazy about her.
The Assassin and the Pirate Lord show how Sam and Celeana’s relationship evolves. Sam and Celeana discover that Arobynn has been lying to them, and they decide to work together to free the slaves. During the mission, they bond, and for the first time, Celeana starts to see Sam differently.
In the second novella, The Assassins and the Healer, Arobynn beats her up and sends her to train with the Silent Assassins of the Red Desert. Before she gets to the Red Desert, she gets stuck in a small town and meets a healer. The story seems irrelevant. I assume the character introduced will become important later. In my opinion, this story is the weakest.
The Assassin and the Desert bring to the table the toxic and abusive relationship that Celeana has with Arobynn. During her stay in the red desert, Celeana reflects on how different the mute master is from Arobynn. In this place, Celeana finds a friend she can trust. However, she is also being betrayed by someone she trusts.
After that, Celeana returns to Rifthold. In Assassins and the Underworld, Celeana tries to leave Arobynn. But he manipulates and deceives her.
The Assassin and the Empire show us the events that end with Celeana in Endovier. I’m still processing what happened with Sam. I believe that what occurred didn’t happen and that it was all a hoax. He’s somewhere out there, eagerly waiting to make his big appearance. I refuse to accept the other ending as reality.
Excellent prequel! Heir of Fire, here I go.
P.S.: I’m still not sure if I read this book in the right order.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
carriehaley89's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Slavery
jmdressel's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
surprisingly, this is probably my least favorite book of this series so far. it seemed very repetitive and i’ve enjoyed having small parts of the main character’s past experience revealed little by little. for me, i think reading extensively about a character’s past can feel like it boggs down the present writing portions. looking forward to getting back into the meat of the story!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
Minor: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, and War
nlvelez's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Look, I appreciate getting to know more about Celaena's past and what led to her downfall. I understand she was only a teenager, and in love, and it made her stupid and acted rashly. But like...come on! You could tell it was a trap from miles away! She's supposed to be the *best*. I struggled with this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, and Murder
fr0styme11o's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is just, insanely good. I can't even describe it. It has left me speechless.
The action in this is very exciting and I can tell you that there is quite a lot of it. It's incredibly enjoyable to read and I'm always anticipating for the next action packed scene.
The characters individual personalities are something I find very intriguing in this, too. Everyone is different. Of course they are, but you get a very clear idea of who they're like as a person.
Not to mention that Sam literally chattered my heart into a thousand pieces. I don't understand how SJM can simply get rid of a character in a blink of an eye. Or even get rid of a character that literally just appeared, like WHAT?! I LOVED HIM! I'm devastated. :(
Anyway, it was really entertaining to read and a great adventure I wish I could experience again!
The action in this is very exciting and I can tell you that there is quite a lot of it. It's incredibly enjoyable to read and I'm always anticipating for the next action packed scene.
The characters individual personalities are something I find very intriguing in this, too. Everyone is different. Of course they are, but you get a very clear idea of who they're like as a person.
Anyway, it was really entertaining to read and a great adventure I wish I could experience again!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Death, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Cursing and Vomit
jls6283's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I read the prequel third, and honestly I think it would’ve had more emotional impact if I had read it first. I probably would’ve rated it higher, but I knew what was coming. I assumed people said to read it 3rd because it gave away the surprise ending to book 2, but it absolutely does not at all.
Reading it 3rd also just breaks up all the momentum that was built with the characters in 1 and 2.
Reading it 3rd also just breaks up all the momentum that was built with the characters in 1 and 2.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Slavery, Torture, and Murder
Minor: Vomit and Injury/Injury detail
pennyfountain's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I really wish I read this one first. Based on other reviews, I thought it'd be a slog but it wasn't that way at all for me. It's definitely the darkest SJM book out of the ten I've read so far based on the themes it addresses.
It gives such an important background to what Celeana has been through, some things in the first Throne of Glass books make more sense, and going back to the main series was jarring to say the least (I read "Heir of Fire" after). It has a different tone than the others, so I'd recommend reading it first or fourth, not third like all the suggestions I've seen (which is what I did). If you read it fourth then at least the events of "Assassin's Blade" are tied to "Queen of Shadows."
It gives such an important background to what Celeana has been through, some things in the first Throne of Glass books make more sense, and going back to the main series was jarring to say the least (I read "Heir of Fire" after). It has a different tone than the others, so I'd recommend reading it first or fourth, not third like all the suggestions I've seen (which is what I did). If you read it fourth then at least the events of "Assassin's Blade" are tied to "Queen of Shadows."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Emotional abuse
eemi42's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I know there are a few options of when to read this book in the lineup. I read this after Heir of Fire.
I'm glad I chose to read it now, after seeing some of Celaena's character development. It took a little perseverance to go back to the old Celaena, with the unchecked anger, rash decisions, and naivety. It would have been much harder to get through if I hadn't had a glimpse of who she'd become.
I get that there's some important backstory here, though. I'm guessingthe information about Arobynn's betrayal will be important in Queen of Shadows, and maybe Ansel will even make an appearance?
I'm glad I chose to read it now, after seeing some of Celaena's character development. It took a little perseverance to go back to the old Celaena, with the unchecked anger, rash decisions, and naivety. It would have been much harder to get through if I hadn't had a glimpse of who she'd become.
I get that there's some important backstory here, though. I'm guessing
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, Grief, and Death of parent