Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

149 reviews

lavendar's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Physical abuse, Slavery, and Torture

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Excrement, and Murder

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

leguminosae's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

I was going to give up on this series until I read this book.

Things I liked:

• A more immature, teenage voice from our protag (interesting to see. She also is a lot more manipulatable and you get sad for her)
• Compelling side characters 
• We love a — *hand outstretched* Come with me. Think of what we could do. Together. — moment between women 
• The roller coaster of the relationship she has with [important character]

I feel like I was finally able to appreciate the main character in a way I wasn’t really connecting with before.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, and Grief

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Violence

Minor: Torture

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

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

_marycappiello3's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

poppyskills's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Read this 3rd in the series for sure, it adds many levels to Sardothiens character, it’s worth the exposition and pulling through the other books. Personally, I really liked finding out her history after having met her as a person in Throne of Glass, and don’t really understand how someone can read this first  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

nightingfae's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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

3.0

FINALLY! I thought it would never end... I should have read it after Throne of Glass and before Crown of Midnight.

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Content Warnings

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