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A review by vereadsbooks
The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas
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