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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“ᴍʏ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ɪꜱ ᴄᴇʟᴀᴇɴᴀ ꜱᴀʀᴅᴏᴛʜɪᴇɴ," ꜱʜᴇ ᴡʜɪꜱᴘᴇʀᴇᴅ, "ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇ ᴀꜰʀᴀɪᴅ.”
This was a tough one to get through (which I entirely was prepared for) for a few reasons:
1 - Celaena really felt like a different character than the one I know from the other Throne of Glass books I've read so far.
2 - The pacing was tough.
3 - I just wasn't compelled by what was happening, even with the knowledge of the arc that it was building into.
All of this is easily explained by the fact that SJM wrote this when she was quite young. While I think this is a good addition to the ToG world for context, beyond that I think this really is a hard read. I'm excited to get back into the other books, but this for sure slowed me down a bit.
I think in an ideal world, I would love to see this book revisited and revised. I think this story could be so compelling and beautiful with just a little bit of updating! The climactic end section could have so much immense power with the right build-up!
This was a tough one to get through (which I entirely was prepared for) for a few reasons:
1 - Celaena really felt like a different character than the one I know from the other Throne of Glass books I've read so far.
2 - The pacing was tough.
3 - I just wasn't compelled by what was happening, even with the knowledge of the arc that it was building into.
All of this is easily explained by the fact that SJM wrote this when she was quite young. While I think this is a good addition to the ToG world for context, beyond that I think this really is a hard read. I'm excited to get back into the other books, but this for sure slowed me down a bit.
I think in an ideal world, I would love to see this book revisited and revised. I think this story could be so compelling and beautiful with just a little bit of updating! The climactic end section could have so much immense power with the right build-up!
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I’m glad I finally read The Assassin’s Blade, especially after being a few books into the Throne of Glass series. It was really satisfying to get more backstory on Sam, Arobynn, and how Celaena ended up in the Salt Mines—those connections added so much depth.
That said, I did struggle with this one. Young Celaena is frustrating—immature, arrogant, and a bit hard to root for compared to the more grounded version we see in Heir of Fire. Because of that, I found it hard to really connect with her or get fully pulled into the novellas.
Overall, I’m happy I read it after getting attached to Celaena in the main series. It adds context, but I’d definitely recommend saving it until you’re already invested in her story.
That said, I did struggle with this one. Young Celaena is frustrating—immature, arrogant, and a bit hard to root for compared to the more grounded version we see in Heir of Fire. Because of that, I found it hard to really connect with her or get fully pulled into the novellas.
Overall, I’m happy I read it after getting attached to Celaena in the main series. It adds context, but I’d definitely recommend saving it until you’re already invested in her story.
sorry bestie whitney if ur reading this review but I hated this and no one should be telling ANYONE to read it before TOG. bad bookstagram.