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.
4.5/5 stars – a collection of interconnected stories that works really well as an introduction to Celaena and her past.
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As many others have, I debated for a long time if I should start the series with The Assassin’s Blade or Throne of Glass. The Assassin’s Blade won, as I think I would get annoyed having to read about the past in the middle of the series. I can’t say for sure if it was the right call yet, but I really enjoyed reading the book & it has made me want to continue the series to see how these stories might tie back to the other books eventually. Knowing that Throne of Glass begins almost immediately after, I can’t wait to see how that unfolds.
I also really loved how each story lead into the next, so they were independent of each other but still interconnected.
It’s tough to say which of the 5 stories was my favorite. I thoroughly enjoyed Celaena’s time in the desert & her friendship with Ansel, but everything up to that point felt like a side quest. Once she gets back to Rifthold, we get a peek into her life with the guild. The last two stories were certainly the strongest. The ending was devastating and it just goes to show how young & naive Celaena was to get tricked so many times, despite being so revered as an assassin.
I’m guessing the whole “My name is Celaena Sardothien and I will not be afraid” will come up again and knowing Sam’s influence will be heartbreaking.