The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

“You want to hear something ridiculous? Whenever I’m scared out of my wits, I tell myself: My name is Sam Cortland…and I will not be afraid.”

Synopsis: Celaena Sardothien is her kingdom’s most feared assassin. Though she works for the powerful and ruthless Assassin’s Guild, Celaena yields to no one and trusts only her fellow killer for hire, Sam.

When Celaena's scheming master, Arobynn Hamel, dispatches her on missions that take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, she finds herself acting independently of his wishes—and questioning her own allegiance. Along the way, she makes friends and enemies alike, and discovers that she feels far more for Sam than just friendship. But by defying Arobynn’s orders, Celaena risks unimaginable punishment, and with Sam by her side, he is in danger, too. They will have to risk it all if they hope to escape Arobynn’s clutches—and if they fail, they’ll lose not just a chance at freedom, but their lives...

There will be spoilers throughout this review. If you have not read The Assassin's Blade, please proceed with caution!

I was late to reading this, but I am so glad that I finally did. In most series, prequel books or novellas usually fall short of the main series in terms of quality or entertainment, but that was far from the case here. Since this is a series of novellas, rather than have a general review of the whole book, I'm going to write a short review of each of the novellas in The Assassin's Blade.

So, without further ado, let's get into it!

1.) The Assassin and the Pirate Lord

At long last, we meet Sam Cortland.

Celaena is a bit unlikable at the start, with the arrogance that is present in Throne of Glass, with Sam serving as a desperately needed balance as they meet with the Pirate Lord on Arobynn's behalf. As far as opening stories go, I thought that this served as a great way of introducing the dynamics of life in the Assassin's Keep as well as just how manipulative Arobynn is. It also exposes a crack in both Celaena and Sam's carefully crafted facades once they realize that the deal they came to finalize was a slave trade.

Given that they are viewed as Arobynn's most skilled assassins, this casts both of them in a more human light, and they become very easy to root for. I especially enjoyed their plotting and eventual attempt at freeing the slaves. Celaena's panic when she fears that Sam was crushed in the process was an excellent way of hinting at the shift in her feelings towards him, and by the end, I loved their banter and hesitant friendship.

A strong start to an increasingly chaotic series of events.

2.) The Assassin and the Healer

I think that this one was my least favorite of the five, but that in no way means that it wasn't good.

Yrene is introduced for the first time as an employee at the White Pig Inn, where Celaena happens to be staying. At this point, it is revealed that Arobynn brutally beat Celaena as punishment for freeing the slaves before sending her to train with the Silent Assassins, and it is unknown what happened to Sam. Despite still behaving with her typical arrogant attitude, she breaks character once again when she saves Yrene from a group of men and offers to teach her self-defense.

I made it very clear that I did not like Celaena in the first two books of the Throne of Glass series. In fact, I could barely stand her, and I nearly didn't continue with the series because of it. My opinion of her changed in more recent books, but it was during these scenes in particular that I slowly started to understand the truth behind her stoic attitude. This especially comes in the later novellas, but this was the point where it began.

It was pretty obvious that this was meant to set Yrene's character up for Tower of Dawn. Which I'm sure was undoubtedly important, although it didn't intrigue me as much as the others. Despite this, it was still an entertaining read.

3.) The Assassin and the Desert

I must admit, I flipped through this section briefly to see if Sam was in it before I started reading, and when I realized that he wasn't, I wasn't sure how much I was going to enjoy it. Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised.

The Silent Assassins were a fascinating group, as was the setting of the Red Desert. It is a sharp contrast between Arobynn, who beats and manipulates his assassins, and the Mute Master, who appears to genuinely care for his assassins and wants the best for them. As capable of an assassin as Celaena is, it was also refreshing to see her not be the best in the room. Seeing Celaena interact with another girl besides Lysandra, however, was not a plotline I expected to appreciate so much.

Ansel was a unique character from the moment she was introduced, and she served as an excellent counter to Celaena's usual bravado and attitude. The night that Ansel shares her past in particular is very well written, but her ultimate betrayal is executed even better.

Between Celaena being poisoned and rushing back to help the Silent Assassins and her final confrontation with Ansel, this was one of the most impactful moments of The Assassin's Blade. Sarah J. Maas wrote Celaena's desperation and pain in having to fight against her friend flawlessly, and it serves as such a pivotal point in her ability to trust people going forward. The character growth and development that she goes through here is easily the highlight of this novella.

4.) The Assassin and the Underworld

This one was without a doubt my favorite of the novellas.

The progression of Sam and Celaena's relationship is a crucial part of this novella's plotline. There are of course the sweet moments, like Sam tracking down the sheet music from the performance Celaena loves and the first time he tells her that he loves her. And don't get me wrong, I loved these moments, but nothing shows more about the nature of their relationship than when Celaena was trapped in the flooding sewers. Dramatic and anxiety-inducing as it can be, I love it when authors use extreme circumstances to showcase or reveal the bonds between characters. There is no mistaking how Sam and Celaena view each other after that scene or, in Sam's case in particular, the lengths that he is willing to go for her.

As much as I adored getting to watch their relationship continue to unfold, the other primary plotline present here falls on Arobynn. After he beats Sam and Celaena he acts surprisingly remorseful, going as far as to promise Sam that he will never touch Celaena again while spoiling her with expensive gifts. Naturally, I was suspicious when he presented her with a job to supposedly kill someone deeply involved in the slave trade, but I wasn't prepared for just how dark his scheme actually was.

Despite Arobynn already being proven to be a sinisterly cunning character, I found myself feeling a little stunned by the way he had deceived them. To have tricked them into killing someone who was trying to fight back against the slave trade is so cruel that it's unthinkable. Celaena's thoughts when she learns the truth are heartbreaking, but it pales in comparison to what happens next.

5.) The Assassin and the Empire

This shattered me. It took my heart and stomped it to pieces even though I was perfectly aware of what was about to happen. There was still a little part of me that was hoping that somehow, some way, things were going to go differently. That Sam would come back from his mission and the two of them would finally escape Adarlan together.

Except that isn't what happened, because unfortunately, even the best characters don't always get a happy ending.

Celaena waiting for Sam to return in particular was agonizing to read. Her hope and fear as the clock slowly moved forward were so anxiety-inducing that I genuinely contemplated just stopping there and living in denial. I wept when Arobynn brought her to his body, and after she was captured trying to avenge him, I could say that I finally, fully understood Celaena and why she acts the way that she does in Throne of Glass. Similarly, before reading The Assassin's Blade I found Arobynn to be such a fascinating villain that there was a part of me that didn't want him to be killed. Now, I can't help but think that his death should have been so much worse.

There's so much more that I could say about the events that took place during this novella, but quite honestly, it's too sad to write about. If Sam had made it to the main series, he would have easily been my favorite character, and his death is so unbelievably unfair that it hurts.

In conclusion, although it is a gut-wrenching read, The Assassin's Blade is easily the most well-executed collection of novellas that I have read in a fantasy series. They enhance the story and the characters exceptionally well, and it absolutely changed my initial opinion on the start of the series.

Fair warning, though: you're going to need some tissues.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars