Review: The Assassin's Blade: The Throne of Glass Novellas by Sarah J. Maas

Read: July 15-26, 2015
Rating: 4 stars
Pages: 438
Genre(s): Fantasy, Romance, Adventure

Here's the synopsis from Goodreads:

"Celaena Sardothien is her kingdom's most feared assassin. Though she works for the powerful and ruthless Assassin's Guild, Celaena yields to no one and trusts only her fellow killer for hire, Sam.When Celaena's scheming master, Arobynn Hamel, dispatches her on missions that take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, she finds herself acting independently of his wishes--and questioning her own allegiance. Along the way, she makes friends and enemies alike, and discovers that she feels far more for Sam than just friendship. But by defying Arobynn's orders, Celaena risks unimaginable punishment, and with Sam by her side, he is in danger, too. They will have to risk it all if they hope to escape Arobynn's clutches--and if they fail, they'll lose not just a chance at freedom, but their lives . . .A prequel to Throne of Glass, this collection of five novellas offers readers a deeper look into the history of this cunning assassin and her enthralling--and deadly--world.Included in this volume: "The Assassin and the Pirate Lord""The Assassin and the Healer""The Assassin and the Desert""The Assassin and the Underworld""The Assassin and the Empire""

To be honest, I never intended to read this book, but after finishing Heir of Fire, and realizing I'd have to wait an eternity to read Queen Of Shadows, I thought I'd give it a shot. Plus, I just happened to see it at the library.


First off, I liked the novellas because I really got a more in depth look at characters that were not constantly present in the main series. Characters like Arobynn Hamel. Sam was also a very nice addition to the story. Since I read the Throne of Glass series first, I only remember vague mentions of Sam, with this book, I got to witness first hand what really happened to him...it was so sad. Besides that, I also got a taste of what Celaena Sardothien was like before The Salt Mines of Endovier, and all the adventures she had, and people she met.

What I didn't like was the ending. Not sure if this counts as a spoiler, but just in case, here's a warning:  SPOILERS!
Sam dies. How sad....I've already accepted it, and I don't mind it too much since I've already learned that there will be other people in the Throne of Glass series. But what I really didn't like was that Sam died without much of a spectacular ending. I hoped that before Celaena went to the Salt mines, Celaena would have had one last chance to speak with him. His spirit, anyways. But, no. There was no spirit. No reconciliation with him, and I was left unsatisfied...humph.
[Sam dies. How sad....I've already accepted it, and I don't mind it too much since I've already learned that there will be other people in the Throne of Glass series. But what I really didn't like was that Sam died without much of a spectacular ending. I hoped that before Celaena went to the Salt mines, Celaena would have had one last chance to speak with him. His spirit, anyways. But, no. There was no spirit. No reconciliation with him, and I was unsatisfied...humph (hide spoiler)]
All in all, not a bad compilation of novellas, it read like a regular book, the way a regular book would