I want to start by thanking Netgalley for an ARC of this title to review. My reviews are always honest and all opinions are my own. #NetGalley #TheAssassins #SarahJMaas #BookReview #ARCReview

I haven’t actually read any Sarah J. Maas other than her DC Comics tie in Catwoman: Soulstealer which I did enjoy but it was Catwoman so… I was always going to enjoy it. When I was kindly given access to this on Netgalley I thought it was a good way to get into her fantasy world and writing and see one) what all the fuss was about and two) if I liked her writing. The answer is I did indeed enjoy her writing and world building and while I may have invoke a bit of separating the art from the artist because of some of her more controversial views I have to say I haven’t enjoyed a fantasy series this much in a long time. It’s definitely not taken over Middle-Earth by any means but it is definitely high on my list and I will be getting the rest of the Throne of Glass series and her others.

I immensely enjoyed my introduction to the characters, particularly Celaena and Sam and to the world they inhabit and I cannot wait to start the rest of the series!

Many Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing the digital review copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
I’m a huge fan of Sarah J Mass and all of her novels. I have read the throne of glass series several times, and love the way Sarah paints this vivid and complex world within her books. If think everyone who has read the books fell in love with sassy, impulsive Celaena Sardothien, she has such a depth of character and moral compass despite, being a trained assassin.
This Novella, which is placed before the start of the first official novel Throne of Glass, gives insight into some of the stories of Celaena, and why she became Arobynn’s assassin she became famous for. The book is broken up into five short stories, each shown from Celaena’s POV, each from a new mission, some sending her far away from the city of Rifthold, she must face dangers, and enemies, and explores her feelings for Sam a fellow assassin.
I loved how Sarah developed the love interest between Sam and Celaena, which as we know had a profound effect on her in the following novels of a Throne of Glass. Celaena and Sam start to question their future in the Guild and with Arobynn, which will lead them to the start of the next book.
I can’t recommend these books enough to anyone who enjoys young adult fantasy fiction.

Favourite Parts: Celaena and Sam together
Recommendations: all the Yeses
Rating: Four Stars

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve had the pleasure of getting myself lost in a Maas fantasy land, and with the Throne of Glass series coming up this year as bookclub reads, the chance to read these prequel novellas to the series seemed a great opportunity to whet my appetite. And it did just that. I can’t wait to get stuck into the throne of glass series now and find out what happens next!!

Set as a series of short stories this book is a collection of novellas and all the stories follow on from each other and combine together to make an action packed, fierce full story of 400+ pages! The book is set a couple of years before Throne of Glass follows Celaena on her exploits. Setting the scene perfectly with everything you’d expect, a badass fierce female protagonist, a whole load of people who you don’t know if they can be trusted, action from start to finish, mystery and intrigue and some downright baddies!

Question is, can I wait until June for our throne of glass buddy read

I really love Sarah's writing and I'd finished the rest of this series so it was great to be able to read the prequel. Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I obviously knew all of Caleana's history going into this because of reading the rest of the series, but this had no impact on how great the book was. The writing was great, I liked that there were many novella's in one book so it gave you even more of an oversight as to what happened to lead up to the events in the rest of the series.

I loved the relationships between characters, although flawed they were really great to see in more detail. I'd definitely recommend reading this book because you'll get to understand and like the characters a little more before TOG.

Thank you to NetGalley, for letting me read this book.

I requested it because my daughter is obsessed with Sarah J Maas' work, and I wanted to see why. I understand now. It's a great combination of action and character development. There's some great world-building going on. Celaena is a teenager - hot-headed, impulsive, but when she cares about people, she really cares about them. I guess this is her origin story - a series of novellas brought together - which works really well. There's an episodic, mythic feel to the series. She's not perfect, but she's understandably flawed. I really enjoyed getting to know her.

I'm going to have to read the whole series now.

I really enjoyed these novellas. I have not read the Throne of Glass series so this was a completely new introduction to the series and it definitely made me want to read more. This contains five short stories which take place consecutively, so they make one big story of Celaena - a 16 year old master assassin - and her life leading up to the start of book 1 - Throne of Glass. Sarah J Maas has managed to pack a lot of character development, plot and world building into these short stories. After finishing this I immediately went and read Book 1 of the series which follows on really well, so if you haven't read any at all, I think reading the novellas first gives a really good insight into Celaena's background and motivations. A well crafted YA fantasy read.

this is not my normal genre of book but wow how i enjoyed it! i will definitely be reading more by this author in fact i can’t wait!

Entertaining set of fantasy novellas

Celaena is an assassin and a very good one at that.. In these novellas, we discover various adventures, encounters and consequences which lead her to the "Throne of Glass" series. She is an interesting character as are many of the others in this fantasy (no magic or fantasy races and creatures). My previous experience of the author's work was aimed at a female readership in my opinion but this set of stories would suit any lover of fantasy fiction. It's engaging and worth a look..I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you NetGalley for the earc of this book.

The Assassin’s Blade takes place before Throne of Glass and is a must read before starting the series.

This was a fun short collection of stories following Celaena Sardothien during her time as an assassin.
Throughout the ToG series you hear about how amazing Celaena is but never really see it. These shorts finally let the reader follow Celaena and witness her assassin skills.

Very enjoyable and easy to read.

The first three books of The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas are some of my favourite fantasy books and I was pleased to read the prequel novella, The Assasin’s Blade features connected short stories showing us how Calena ended up from assassin to prisoner.
I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion
The Calena Sardothien at the start of The Assassin’s Blade is a cocky sixteen-year-old well aware of her skill, reputation and position as second in line to an Assassin’s organisation. As the various short stories progress we see her progression from an annoying teenager to a woman willing to fight for her principles and the people she loves.
There are several characters in the stories that stand out including the cruel leader of the assassins, the possibly mute teacher, and the young woman who becomes Calena’s first female friend and we can see how they shape Calena to become the warrior we see in The Throne of Glass.
The blossoming love story between Sam and Calena is both heart-warming and heartbreaking,
My only criticism is that we hardly see Calena actually being an assassin but this is tempered by the lack of magic in the book ( something that put me off the later books in the series),
Content Warning
Slavery, physical abuse of a teenager
Perfect for Fans of
This is a must for fans of The Throne of Glass series

This is a collection of five novellas from the pre-Throne of Glass era depicting what led to Celaena Sardothien's incarceration in the salt mines of Endovier. Although I read the Throne of Glass series many years ago I thoroughly enjoyed this reintroduction and would highly recommend these novellas to any ToG fan. Obviously they don't have the depth of a full-length novel which is a bit irritating when you're absorbed in the plot but they're an excellent read.

The Assassins Blade was pretty good- it was a little confusing if you haven’t read the other books but I enjoyed the storyline

This Prequel combines five Novellas which focus on Celeana's life as a trained assassin for Arobyn, King of Assassin's. Each novella is uniquely entertaining and you meet lots of interesting and unique characters which will play a huge part in the series. It has a strong female main character, enemies to lovers, heist vibes, humour and there is so much foreshadowing in these books! The writing is so engaging you will laugh, grimace .. and definitely cry! I find it amazing how Sarah J Maas has a way of fitting in so much information and twists in short novellas.

I had read the entire Throne of Glass series before reading The Assassin's blade. I don't know whether that would be the recommended method but I think you appreciate the characters a lot more and see more twists if you have at least read the first book in the series. However you could also start off with this book. I am certainly thinking about rereading the rest of the series now I have reread The Assassin's blade. I think the new covers are very reflective of the series. I like the more simplistic design with the little attentions to detail encompassed in each book. This is the series that returned me to my love of reading so I can recommend it with all my heart, soul and tears.. because there are a lot of them.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah J Maas is one of my favourite authors and once again she hasn't disappointed me! These five novellas are the perfect addition to the Thone of Glass Series that I wish would never end! It is great to read more about the characters I have come to love. Please write more!

Love this book. I read this this series in the order they were published and really enjoyed going back to the start and learning more about the main character before she got involved in the main storyline. One of my favourite series

Easily one of the best book of fantasy novellas!

I love this world and it’s characters, and this prequel series of novellas is a must read for anyone who is invested in these characters.

Emotional, raw and yet sometimes unflinchingly honest. I laughed, I cried and I rooted for these characters.

You don’t get much better in this genre of Fantasy Romance than Sarah J Maas.

I loved this book. The detail and the atmosphere built up well for the ending. The ending alone was heartbreaking and for the author we need more on Sam.! All in all it was a fantastic read

Sarah J Maas is one of my favourite fantasy writers. If you haven’t read this book get it now. It can be read as a stand alone and you are in for a real treat. But even better, not only is this book brilliantly entertaining fantasy for readers of all ages, it gives some back story to a seven book ‘Throne of Glass’ series. Thank you to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine freely given.

“My name is Celaena Sardothian, and I will not be afraid.”

The most integral piece of information I can give you about this is that when you choose to read it will entirely alter how much impact it has on you. If you’re something of a romantic, enjoying the character development and obscurities to the metaphors then you should read this after you’ve read up to Heir of Fire. The first three books are totally required reading, in my view, to appreciate some of the secondary characters you meet her and some of the reasons why Celaena behaves the way she does in those opening stories. After this point, her character develops for more substantial reasons, but these novellas really do encompass who and what she is.

The novellas included are as follows, and should be read in the intended order. They can be read at any time in your journey with Celaena’s story, but there are mild spoilers in Throne of Glass for the novella series so these stories are likely to have more surprises for you if you start here.

1. The Assassin and the Pirate Lord - Celaena is sent on a mission by her Master, Arrobyn, in the slave industry but she's not following the rules. It introduces Sam and Arrobyn.
2. The Assassin and the Healer - You will only find this instalment in this collection whereas the others can be purchased as e-books separately. It follows Yrene, who you will later meet in Tower of Dawn.
3. The Assassin and the Desert - After going against Arrobyn’s wishes, Celaena faces a punishment in the Red Desert with the Silent Assassins training alongside the Master.
4. The Assassin and the Underworld - This details Celaena and Sam's latest mission after coming back from the her punishment in the Red Desert. It introduces Lysandra.
5. The Assassin and the Empire - This explains how Celaena became enslaved in Endovier and why Sam is so pivotal to her character. It introduces concepts which are integral to the wider series.

I love these characters and the world so much, but this really helped me to understand who Celaena is, at her core. Highly recommend checking it out.

I adore these novellas which are set before the main series.

I love that we get to see celeana’s journey before the events of Throne of Glass.

Many of the characters she meets here and helps return in subsequent novels in a big way and it’s so interesting to explore her interactions with them here as Celeana and later as Aelin.