Review: The Assassin's Blade (Throne of Glass 0.5)

Reviewer: Kristen
Author: Sarah J Maas
Pages: 448
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: 10 out of 10

Summary (Goodreads, you the bomb dot com): 
Contains all five novellas.

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. 

My Thoughts: I read Throne of Glass last year, I'm all caught up and EAGERLY awaiting Queen of Shadows, so you'd think that between these two events, I would have picked up the glorious book that is The Assassin's Blade to go with Celaena on a few more adventures before figuring out what happens to my precious babies (aka Dorian and Rowan and Celaena of course). But no, because I am, apparently, a certifiable idiot. This book is just as amazing - or probably more amazing - as you'd expect from Sarah J Maas. Each book keeps getting better, and this is absolutely no exception. Celaena is as sassy as you'd expect, the story is as tremendous as you'd expect, the plot is as heartbreaking as you'd expect. What I didn't expect? Was to fall even more in love with characters who I knew would break my itty bitty fragile heart (SAM), for the book to flow like it was an actual novel and not 5 separate novels, or for me to still be thinking about the events that took place weeks later. Each novella flows right into the next, and you follow Celaena as she conquers pirate lords, practices general badassery, is betrayed, and as she finds herself in situations she never thought she'd be in. This book tells the reader how Celaena ended up in Endovier (I hope I spelt that right but I am at Tim Horton's and don't have the book on me), and allows for huge insights into her character to be made. We see why Celaena ticks, we get a glimpse into her past, and if you loved the Throne of Glass series (if you don't, I'm assuming that's because you just haven't read it yet) this novel is a must read. A gut-wrenching, beautiful, must read. 

Final Thoughts: Sarah J Maas, who did you sell your soul to? How are you so amazing?