Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

187 reviews

lilywolf's review against another edition

4.0

Read anytime in the serie but do it before Queen of Shadows!

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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.

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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.

Their romance is tender yet tragic, adding emotional weight to the narrative. Sam's fate is a pivotal moment that shapes Celaena’s future decisions and her path toward becoming the assassin readers know in the Throne of Glass series. This loss plays a crucial role in her transformation, highlighting the themes of revenge and emotional scars. The novellas also explore Celaena’s internal conflict about her identity and the morality of the assassin life she leads, setting the stage for the personal growth that follows in the series.

The book is an excellent mix of action, personal reflection, and emotional stakes, with darker themes around loss and morality running through it. The relationships in the book, particularly the bonds forged under extreme circumstances, add depth and complexity to the overall story.

imkedogger's review against another edition

adventurous 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

4.0

I'm really glad I read this book before starting the series. I hadn't read a fantasy in a while so I was a bit intimidated at the start, but the fact that it's just a bunch of novellas makes it so much easier. I really liked the writing and the plottwists honestly left me speechless. I don't know if I should've seen it coming, but I know I didn't expect any of that to happen. Sometimes it did feel like our main character was portrayed as not like other girls and I didn't love the way she thought/spoke about the harlots. She obviously felt bad for them and didn't call them sluts or anything, but it just felt kind of icky. The writing in general didn't hit for me at times, but it was really easy to get through, so thats a plus. I settled on a 4 star rating. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Blood and War

Minor: Alcoholism

frawst_disasta_reads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I loved some of the short stories more than others, but overall it’s such a beautiful book.  Sometimes I wanted to yell at C, but I kept reminding myself she’s been groomed to be an assassin and a literal teen.

This felt like a perfect book for the beginning of my Throne of Glass journey.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gore, Violence, and Blood

ameydireads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

"If you can learn to endure pain, you can survive anything. Some people learn to embrace it–to love it. Some endure it through drowning it in sorrow, or by making themselves forget. Others turn it into anger."

This book is divided into five short stories centering on Celaena. Each story is a new adventure or life lesson for her. She meets so many new characters, each of whom she influences in her own unique way.  I hope to see some of these interesting characters return in later books. One notably memorable character is the Mute Master, leader of the Silent Assassins. He was a refreshing character in the sense that he’s in stark contrast to Arobynn. Whilst Arobynn rules through punishment and ruthlessness, the Mute Master leads with unity and compassion. When the first story begins, Celaena is still very young and somewhat naive. Her strong sense of morality and justice pushes her to liberate slaves–a choice that sets off a cascade of events leading to her downfall. 

The five stories are linked by an overarching plot that tells the love story of Celaena and Sam. If you’re reading this book after Crown of Midnight like me, you already know how this story will end.

Everything inevitably leads to Sam’s death and Celaena’s imprisonment in Endovier. I couldn’t get this thought out of my head as I read, making the moments when Sam and Celaena speak of their hopes and future together especially heartbreaking. They believed they would have all the time in the world, but we readers know better.

 

I do feel I understand Celaena better after reading this book. No wonder this girl is no walking sunshine. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Vomit

Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Rape, and Death of parent

fedorkable's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

sam.. i miss you, sam...

i really liked this book(s?) + it lowkey makes me want to go back and look for the little hints in tog that align with these stories, like nehemia calling her coward when that's her DEEPEST SECRET? like ok nehemia really was workin some magic trying to get celaena pissed as hell. ugh and how she constantly repeated "i will not be afraid" in the 1st book...... i'm gonna die

also excited to see the characters that were introduced in these novellas again!! and FUCK arobynn hamel

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Blood, Kidnapping, and Grief

Minor: Gore, Slavery, Excrement, and Vomit

bmceleney's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Torture, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Slavery and Vomit

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! 

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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

hopecobbledpots's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, and Murder

maddinar's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder

Minor: Physical abuse and Sexual violence