This is a spoiler-free review on the prequel to the Throne of Glass series. I will be writing this review from the perspective of having read the whole series so it might be hard to understand if you have not read any of the books.
There are debates on when you should read this book. Some people start with it and others read in publication order before the 3rd book, Heir of Fire. I personally read this book after I finished the last book, Kingdom of Ash. However, I wish I had read it in publication order, and it’s what I recommend doing, because I would have understood certain things in later books better.
Synopsis
Celaena Sardothien is her kingdom’s most feared assassin. Though she works for the powerful Assassin’s Guild and its scheming master, Arobynn Hamel, she yields to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam. But when Arobynn dispatches her on missions that take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, Celaena finds herself acting independently of his wishes and questioning her own allegiance.
If she hopes to escape Arobynn’s clutches, Celaena will have to put her faith in her wits and her blade . . . knowing that if she fails, she’ll lose not just a chance at freedom but her life.
Review
The Assassin’s Blade is a prequel with 5 novellas. It is the story of Celaena and her life leading up to the start of Throne of Glass. I definitely prefer the other books to this one but it was still insightful and fun to read. I really enjoyed reading about the stories that I have heard so much about in the main books.
The fun thing about reading this book last was I knew how it was going to end; however, it still did not prepare me for the amount of heartbreak I felt after finishing the book. The writing is done well so that even if you know what will happen at the end, you are still sucked in and invested into the story.
Celaena is a different person in this book since it is a few years back before all of her character development. It was interesting to note the differences and also the things that haven’t changed as much (like her love for chocolate and luxurious items).
I finally got to meet Sam in this book and he was lovely. Their romance was different than I thought it would be in the sense that Celaena was convinced that she hated Sam at the start of the book. It makes sense, I was just so used to hearing about Sam from the perspective of love. On the other hand, Sam has loved Celaena for a while and would do anything for her. He had so many subtle but not so subtle romantic gestures that made me swoon.
I liked getting to learn more about Celaena’s relationship with Arobynn and it makes more sense now how she can “love” him like a father but also hate him for all the harm he has caused her. He both saved her and hurt her which makes room for a tough relationship to say the least.
I loved getting to see the start of Celaena’s journey to finding herself. Celaena is an assassin who takes peoples’ lives. Yes, that is a bad thing, but she also does quite a few acts of kindness as well and we see many of those throughout this book. I think that is a huge start to her character development.
It was crazy reading this book knowing that she is suffering now, but this is only the start of her pain and her very long journey to finding her true self.