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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was going to give this 4 stars at first but then I thought about Fourth Wing and this book didn’t have me hooked the way Fourth Wing did, so I decided on maybe a 3.5. Sometimes the writing felt redundant, but I still enjoyed reading this. I like the main character a lot and I’m interested in her story so I think I will keep reading the series. Just to fit in, if anything.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"My name is Celaena Sardothien...and I will not be afraid."
This book of five novellas details the events just prior to The Throne of Glass and gives some additional insight into the character of Celaena Sardothien.
I always find it satisfying to read short stories when they function to give additional context and worldbuilding for a larger series. The Assassin's Blade does a pretty good job of this, introducing us to new characters and regions (which I hope will come back later in the main series) and giving us a bit more information on events that were previously just mentioned in passing.
My one complaint is that despite the fact that these novellas cover a very large series of events, it all happens over a very short period of time. If I've got a good grasp on the timeline, it's somewhere between 4 and 5 months. Without spoiling anything, I feel like the timeline detracts from the impact of these events. Celaena has very little time to process her feelings about something before she's thrown headfirst into the next big adventure. She's a character who experiences very fast, deep emotions and I would have liked to see that explored more in these novellas. Instead, I felt like there was more an emphasis on the events. Which is fine. I'm just a big fan of introspection.
I also have one question that's really bothering me now after having read the novellas and the first two books in the series: when is Celaena going to get revenge for what happened at the end of the book? I had no idea that this particular event was so soon before the start of the first book. I know that Celaena is busy trying not to die herself, but given her personality and the depth of her feelings towards her loved ones, I found it pretty unrealistic that she hasn't really been looking into what happened to him at all. Even in the second book where she is definitely in the right place and talking to the right people to get answers.
The themes of the Assassin's Blade are pretty in line with what we've seen in the main series. One thing that really stuck with me in this one was the role of money. Celaena is under the thumb of the King of Assassins, Arobynn Hamel, to whom she owns a large sum of money because of the cost of her upbringing. She believes that if she can pay off this debt, then she will be free of his influence. But this is not the case at all. Because of Celaena's focus on financial freedom, she fails to see all of the other ways in which Arobynn is controlling her. I actually think this is a really realistic portrayal of a toxic relationship. Celaena definitely feels that if she can gain back a bit of control over her life, that she'll be able to slowly claw her way towards independence. But Arobynn is a wild card. Sometimes he's horrible to her. Sometimes he treats her with the upmost care. At the end of the day, each of his actions is meticulously planned to manipulate her somehow - often in ways that Celaena does not understand until it's too late. And that was the really sad thing for me at the end of this book. All the tragedies that Celaena goes through are the result of her just trying to become her own person.
All things considered, a fast, light read. I'll be continuing on with the third book in the series, Heir of Fire.
This book of five novellas details the events just prior to The Throne of Glass and gives some additional insight into the character of Celaena Sardothien.
I always find it satisfying to read short stories when they function to give additional context and worldbuilding for a larger series. The Assassin's Blade does a pretty good job of this, introducing us to new characters and regions (which I hope will come back later in the main series) and giving us a bit more information on events that were previously just mentioned in passing.
My one complaint is that despite the fact that these novellas cover a very large series of events, it all happens over a very short period of time. If I've got a good grasp on the timeline, it's somewhere between 4 and 5 months. Without spoiling anything, I feel like the timeline detracts from the impact of these events. Celaena has very little time to process her feelings about something before she's thrown headfirst into the next big adventure. She's a character who experiences very fast, deep emotions and I would have liked to see that explored more in these novellas. Instead, I felt like there was more an emphasis on the events. Which is fine. I'm just a big fan of introspection.
I also have one question that's really bothering me now after having read the novellas and the first two books in the series: when is Celaena going to get revenge for what happened at the end of the book? I had no idea that this particular event was so soon before the start of the first book. I know that Celaena is busy trying not to die herself, but given her personality and the depth of her feelings towards her loved ones, I found it pretty unrealistic that she hasn't really been looking into what happened to him at all. Even in the second book where she is definitely in the right place and talking to the right people to get answers.
The themes of the Assassin's Blade are pretty in line with what we've seen in the main series. One thing that really stuck with me in this one was the role of money. Celaena is under the thumb of the King of Assassins, Arobynn Hamel, to whom she owns a large sum of money because of the cost of her upbringing. She believes that if she can pay off this debt, then she will be free of his influence. But this is not the case at all. Because of Celaena's focus on financial freedom, she fails to see all of the other ways in which Arobynn is controlling her. I actually think this is a really realistic portrayal of a toxic relationship. Celaena definitely feels that if she can gain back a bit of control over her life, that she'll be able to slowly claw her way towards independence. But Arobynn is a wild card. Sometimes he's horrible to her. Sometimes he treats her with the upmost care. At the end of the day, each of his actions is meticulously planned to manipulate her somehow - often in ways that Celaena does not understand until it's too late. And that was the really sad thing for me at the end of this book. All the tragedies that Celaena goes through are the result of her just trying to become her own person.
All things considered, a fast, light read. I'll be continuing on with the third book in the series, Heir of Fire.
