A review by abetterpaige
The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

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This series… y’all! Why did I hold off on reading TOG for so long? I read Assassin’s blade third per the recommendation of some of my friends and holy hell, did it hit hard. I obviously can’t speak to whether or not reading it third is better than fourth, but I’m so glad I didn’t start with it because I felt like even though these stories were from the past, they showed so much character growth for Cela (my nickname for her bc I’m too lazy to type her name). 

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My favorite story was by far The Healer - I loved it so much and thought it was a lot more like ACOTAR in its storytelling and writing style. It was a little bit more whimsy and fairytale like, and I thought it was a nice break in some of the heavier stories. I also really enjoyed her time with the Silent Assassins. 

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Even though I knew how the book would end, I was so heartbroken at the loss and the betrayal. It helped contextualize some of Cela’s earlier actions and also he power and grit, which I think really helped build the emotional connection to her character. 10/10 recommend my reading order!