The Assassin’s Blade (Throne of Glass, #0.1-0.5) by Sarah J. Maas

My rating: five stars

Genre: YA, Fantasy

Edition: Paperback

**DISCLAIMER: I read The Assassin’s Blade in the published order, so after Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight. So, if you have not read those two books, this review may contain slight spoilers**

Goodreads summary: 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.

I decided to read this book after Crown of Midnight because I usually prefer to read series’ in their publication order. This book contains five novellas, and to be honest I didn’t have the highest expectations. I have loved all the other Throne of Glass books, but the idea of a bunch of short stories didn’t appeal to me. However, this book blew me away. It is a hundred percent my favorite book in the series so far!

Likes: I loved learning about Celaena’s past. The first two Throne of Glass books left so many mysteries about her and a lot of them were answered in this book. It made Celaena seem much more human, more relatable. Each story was so interesting that I ended up reading one a day, I just couldn’t make myself stop reading them. Her relationship with Sam was heartwarming and heartbreaking. I am glad that we are finally able to see more into that side of her past that wasn’t mentioned often in the first books. This view of her past shows how different of a person she is in in the main Throne of Glass series because of all the things that have happened to her. I also loved the characters in these stories. There were some great friendships and loves, as well as betrayal and heartbreak. I love the unexpected twists and turns that come along with these characters. I honestly wish some of them were in the main series.

Dislikes: Ummmm… I honestly don’t know. This was just such a good book. I can’t think of any.

Overall, this story just blew me away. For sure my favorite book in the Throne of Glass series so far. I wish there were more of these short stories because I loved seeing different aspects of Celaena’s past. The characters were wonderful, the plot twists shocking, and the plots themselves were phenomenal. I had such a great time reading this and I would recommend to everyone who has read the first two Throne of Glass books. (I know some people like to read it chronologically but for this book I find it important to read this one after Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight. It creates an element of heartbreak and awe that I don’t think would be created if it was read first. Just my opinion though.)