I first read Throne of Glass in 2020 and while I enjoyed it, I felt I’d missed a lot of the story and character development somewhere. Enter The Assassin’s Blade. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, my interest in the series has been revived with this prequel that filled all of the missing gaps. I know there’s different opinions on which order to read the ToG series, but had I read this first back in 2020 I would’ve happily continued then. Such a great series of novellas that has in my opinion important character development. I really enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to continuing the journey.

What a read! I adored this book! It’s something that will stick with me and is a notorious read. I read this as someone that isn’t a huge fantasy reader, but the recommendations were too tempting! Read it!

I wish I’d realised when I started that this shouldn’t have been my first SJM! But regardless I did enjoy it, but will probably appreciate it more when I come back to it in future.

2.5 stars

In hindsight,because we all know it's 20:20, I shouldn't have made this my first SJM read.

I'm reluctant to give this a hard and fast rating because I will probably come back to this because it certainly hasn't put me.off this author's work.

However, I think I need more than what these novellas offer to truly appreciate both what they themselves offer and how they fit into the overall SJM world.

I picked this up after reading throne of glass and got myself so confused.
I had no idea who any of the characters are or what was going on!
I’m a big fan of SJM but these stories felt unnecessary. Maybe I’d feel differently if I read it at a different point within the series.

I think by this point most people know Sarah J Maas and her fierce female characters, epic storyline and fantastic world-building.
While the Throne of Glass series isn't my favourite (mine is A Court of Thorns and Roses) it is undeniably a favourite of YA readers everywhere.
The Assassin's Blade is an excellent place to start as it sets up the TOG series and gives insight into the characters and their struggles to come.

An interesting backdrop to the Throne of Glas series, a worthwile read to get Celaenas perspective and more insight to her story. Not sure how I feel about this series yet, as there's certainly a lot of heartbreak.

Sarah J Maas is one of my favourite fantasy authors. The way that she weaves worlds and draws you into them is nothing short of magic.
This book was no different. The characters and plot leave you wanting more (needing more). Creating a beautiful foundation for the rest of the series that I'm sure will be just as captivating

I wasn’t able to get into this properly and unfortunately the access to the book expired before I could get into it properly. I enjoyed some of what I read but not enough to get really stuck into.

These five novellas are well written and really pull you into the story. I really enjoyed reading about Celaena and her journey. The stories got better and better, they were action packed but there is heartbreak along the way. Be warned the ending is sad and crying is allowed. These all lead up to the rest of the books in the series.

I’m quite new to the world of fantasy fiction books and I’m so glad that this was the introductory book as it was a fantastic read.
Initially, I was concerned about how much I was going to enjoy this book due to it being compiled of short stories, however I was delighted that they flowed from one to the next and followed the same character.
This is the first book i’ve read from Sarah J. Maas and I was very pleased by the end of it, the writing style in this book was really well done. It was addictive and made it easy for me to want to continue reading. It was very well detailed which is necessary to capture you into the fantasy world. I think that some aspects were repetitive however I think it gave an insight into Celaena’s mind and what issues were constantly affecting her. I adore Celaena’s character, we think that she may be cold-hearted and lacking any personality due to her profession and although she can be hot-headed and brash, we get to see her interesting qualities throughout this book. She stayed strong to her morals, and valued her friendships.

This was a great read and piqued my interest to read the rest of The Throne of Glass series.

Not sure how I feel about these prequels for the Throne of Glass series. I ahve read better things from Maas.
Generally I read up everything she publishes but I just couldn't get into these 5 novellas.

Thank you so much to the publisher for the eARC via Netgalley.

I got totally ahead of myself when I had an email from NetGalley about ARCs becoming available of The Assassin’s Blade, a prequel to the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas. Having just finished The Court of Thorns and Roses series, I couldn’t help from jumping at the chance to read the prequel before having read the actual series.

I flew through the prequel - a colllection of five novellas, four of which had previously been released before the main series. 16 year old Celaena Sardothien is the most feared member of the Assassin’s Guild. The stories of her adventures are well paced and absorbing. Which led me to where I am tonight, having now finished Throne of Glass, the first of 7 books in the series. I loved it. I am totally intrigued by two possible romantic interests; the Crown Prince and the Captain of the Guard. There’s also something about other worlds and long dead queens popping in for a prophetic chat.

I was influenced by @hapennybooks who recently read the whole series and adored it. I can see myself on a slippery slope to reading every word SJM has ever uttered.

Thanks so much for the ARC of this book, I can’t recommend it highly enough!

I requested these novellas recently completely forgetting I read them a few years ago. Because of this I decided to reread them to see if my opinions or rating have changed. This collection of novellas is a wonderful prelude to the Throne of Glass series and an enjoyable collection of short stories that you can dip in and out of. We get a more in depth insight into Calaena’s character, life experiences and particularly her relationship with Sam, which was alluded to in the Throne of Glass series. Reading this collection of five novellas is almost like reading a complete book with five parts to it as each of the stories line up chronologically and flow well.

Like myself, if you really enjoy Sarah J Maas’s style of writing you can’t go wrong reading these novellas. However, I would recommend reading the other books first as there may be one or two spoilers contained within if you have not yet read the Throne of Glass series. My thoughts and opinions haven’t changed since I first read The Assassin’s Blade, which still remains at a middling 3* rating.

Thank you so much to the publisher for the eARC via Netgalley.

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

Fantasy superstar Sarah J Maas is one of my favourite authors; her writing is gripping, her plots are complex and have so many twists and turns, and she is Queen of the emotional rollercoaster. It all started off with YA fantasy series Throne of Glass, and kick-ass assassin Celaena Sardothien.

The Assassin's Blade is made up of five prequel novellas, coming in at around 450 pages, and is a must for any Throne of Glass reader. It really made me understand Celaena much more and what drives her. I found it fascinating exploring her history in the capital city, Rifthold, her relationship with the King of the Assassin's, Arobynn Hamel, and her changing relationship with her rival assassin Sam Cortland. And some things happened quite differently than I had expected! The novellas created a story arc that had a real emotional impact, especially with experiences of grief.

SJM fans differ as to what point in the seven book series you are best to read The Assassin's Blade. I was advised to read it after Heir of Fire (Book Three), which was great advice. You can read it at anytime, but I would recommend reading it before Queen of Shadows (Book 4). It makes certain events much more poignant, you understand their significance, and you have a deeper level of understanding of what is happening.

The Assassin's Blade is entertaining, emotionally striking, and gives answers that all of us TOG fans want!

This is not a new publication, but rather a repackaged version of novellas which are prequels for the Throne of Glass series. If you wonder how Celaena meets some of the characters who come together later in the series, then these novellas will fill you in. And explain a lot more about Sam!

Celaena is still the slightly irritating, perfect at everything character that she is in the full series, but without the fae abilities yet, which makes her the more engaging character of the first couple of books. There's a lot more about the world of the assassins and the underworld of Rifthold (which I personally prefer to the Fae villains of the later books). Overall, it's enjoyable and worth reading.

A book to appeal to readers of the original series. Celaena is a teenage assassin in the under the local guild master Arobynn Hamel, but she is beginning to feel trapped despite all the advantages this employ gives her.
A job which brings her into close contact with the slave trade triggers her rebellion and brings her fellow assassin Sam along with her. The consequences will be far reaching.

I enjoyed these stories, but I feel they will have much greater impact on those readers familiar with the original series.

I didn't read the Throne of Glass but I love Sarah J Mass' stories and I think that this collection of novellas is a good introduction to the series and the world.
All the novella are up to Ms Maas' standards: good storytelling, well developed characters, great wrold building.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This was my first book by Sarah J Mass and I have to admit I went into it with a bit of trepidation. These books have become so huge I was interested to see what the fuss was all about by reading this prequel to the throne of glass series, but not at all sure if they would be for me.

Well I'm pleased to say that I was pleasantly surprised. One of my main concerns was the level of angst I would find. I tend to find too much angst annoying, but there was a good balance here with the action and humour. This set of short stories definitely fluctuates in quality, but overall I felt it was a good introduction into the series and piqued my interest enough that I will go on and read Throne of glass.

I enjoyed The Assassin's Blade. It is made up of five novellas giving some history and backstory to Throne of Glass. I haven't actually read Throne of Glass but this has left me wanting to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.