The Assassin’s Blade

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: Throne of Glass

Genre: Fiction, High fantasy, epic fantasy

Format: Digital Purchase via Kindle

Publish Date: March 2014

Read: August 2023

Favorite Quote: “My name is Celaena Sardothien,” she whispered, “and I will not be afraid.”

Spoilers ahead for Previous Books in Throne of Glass!

Story Synopsis: The Assassin’s Blade contains The Assassin and the Pirate Lord, The Assassin and the Healer, The Assassin and the Desert, The Assassin and the Underworld, and The Assassin and the Empire. Each short story builds on itself and gives insight into Celaena before she went to Endovier and why her convictions are so strong. We learn more about some stories referenced in other books, like the Asterion horse and why she was in Xandria. We also spend more time with Sam Cortland and the relationship he has with Celeana.

Why does this book beguile? The Assassin’s Blade is a compilation of five prequel novellas before we first meet Celaena in Throne of Glass. Most fans of the series recommend reading The Assassin’s Blade before reading Throne of Glass since that’s timeline order. However, a few intrepid readers recommended The Assassin’s Blade between Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows. I’m glad I read The Assassin’s Blade between books three and four. It felt like a flashback and a natural place in the story for a flashback as Celaena leaves her old self behind and steps into becoming Aelin Galathynius.

These stories were great character-building and motivation for why Celaena makes her decisions and how she’s been able to survive so much.

Rating: 5/5

Link*: The Assassin’s Blade (Prequel Novellas of Throne of Glass) by Sarah J. Maas - Amazon

If you’re interested in this, read*: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas