Review: The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

The Assassin's Blade
Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass, #0.1 - 0.5
Released: March 1st, 2014
Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens
Rating: 4 stars
Word Rating: SHIPSHIPSHIPSHIP
Reviewed by: Mel

Contains all five novellas.

Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan's most feared assassin. As part of the Assassin's Guild, her allegiance is to her master, Arobynn Hamel, yet Celaena listens to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam. In these action-packed novellas - together in one edition for the first time - Celaena embarks on five daring missions. They take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, where she fights to liberate slaves and seeks to avenge the tyrannous. But she is acting against Arobynn's orders and could suffer an unimaginable punishment for such treachery. Will Celaena ever be truly free? Explore the dark underworld of this kick-ass heroine to find out.

You guys, I found my favourite ship of the year. (Well for now, at least.) I don't read novellas much, because personally, I find them to be rather pointless and uninteresting. But I take that back. I take it aaaaaall back because Celaena Sardothien has proved me wrong. The Assassin's Blade's awesomeness has no limits and everyone who has read Throne of Glass simply must read this. It's an entire book in itself--despite it actually being a series of 5 novellas--you will fall in love with it and cry and mourn over characters and feel all the feels you would feel like any other novel.

These 5 novellas are set before Throne of Glass, even though it should not be read in that order. I loved how this 'book' let us see what Celaena was like in her earlier years and how she grew to the person she became to be now. Her wit, boldness and kickassery are things you'd expect to see in a main character from a fantasy world but she also appreciates finery and sophistication. In each novella, Celaena grows steadily and realistically throughout the novellas. It isn't until the end when you realise how much she's truly grown. I've come to fall in love with her personality once again and now I only love her more. It was intriguing; watching the arrogant 16 year old Celaena grow and begin to realise the secrets that were hidden right beneath her eyes. Celaena Sardothien is a character that I respect and admire so much that I don't really know how else to explain.

Each novella was just as fast-paced and engaging as the next. They fly by quickly and before you know it, you're at the end, sobbing your eyes out because of that particular thing. I don't think it's possible to chose my favourite out of the 5, but I probably do prefer all the novellas that had Sam in it. *wink wink* I do feel like I understand the characters and even better, now that I have read The Assassin's Blade. We get more backstory of Celaena's life and that she isn't just a badass assassin. She's got a heart and compassion for others, and it was certainly great fun to see relationships grow.

In the actual novels, we find out that Celaena was particularly close to a young man, but their romance ended in quite the tragedy. Sam Cortland, you guys, I must admit love him more than Chaol. Sam is introduced in the first novella, and his relationship with Celaena is pretty much non-existent. They hate each other but were sent on a mission to the Pirate Lord together. By the end, they form a friendship. Can I just say for the a millionth time about how much I love hate to love relationships? They are the best. And this one was the best of the best. Their chemistry is real, and by novella number 5, I couldn't stop fangirling. But of course, we all know how it ends. Still, I was in pieces.

Sarah J. Maas writes beautifully and better never stop. The Assassin's Blade is a must read for all Throne of Glass fans, and you will undoubtedly fall in love. Best novellas I've ever read, hands down.