Title: The Assassin’s Blade
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication Date: February 14, 2023
ISBN: 9781639731091
Synopsis:
Celaena Sardothien is her kingdom’s most feared assassin. Though she works for the powerful Assassin’s Guild and its scheming master, Arobynn Hamel, she yields to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam. But when Arobynn dispatches her on missions that take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, Celaena finds herself acting independently of his wishes and questioning her own allegiance. If she hopes to escape Arobynn’s clutches, Celaena will have to put her faith in her wits and her blade . . . knowing that if she fails, she’ll lose not just a chance at freedom but her life.
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It has been about a year or so since I last read a book by SJM, having finished all three of her series in quick succession in 2024. In that time I’ve explored writers from across the romantasy genres and one thing that remains true is that she is the true queen of this corner of the literary sphere.
It took my ages to pick up assassins blade, in part because I came to love Celaena’s story arc throughout the Throne of Glass series. The relationships she develops in that series are so paramount to her plot, I couldn’t bear to explore this prequel and this time before I discovered her story. I wished I’d read it first, and couldn’t go back to it after finishing the series. Fear held me back and it was only through an agreement with a friend to read this book together that I was finally able to pick it up.
SJM’s writing is just beautiful. It’s not flowery or superfluous. She is clean and simple with her words and it allows her world and her characters to shine. There is no waste in her prose, leaving only the essentials, and it’s those essentials that construct a complex, vibrant, and tangible world. I’ll admit, I was hesitant to read this collection of novellas as I’m not a fan of short stories of any kind. The longer the better, in my opinion. While I haven’t come around on the shorter sound bites, if anyone has come close to helping me enjoy this writing style, it’s SJM.
Getting to know the Celaena of The Assassin’s Blade feels like a wholly different story to the rest of Throne of Glass. I’m actually itching to go back and start the series again just to see how my perspective will change, getting to know this younger, cockier (as if that was possible), and more inexperienced version of Celaena. She makes mistakes in this book that just don’t happen in the same way through the rest of the series and it makes her much more accessible and approachable.
And Sam. Lovely, kind, soft-hearted Sam. All I can say is I wanted more. There wasn’t nearly enough of him in this book and it devastated me. We don’t get the time with him that he deserves, yet I still fell apart as their story reached its maddening conclusion, over before it could even begin. It’s amazing to see SJM laying the foundation of her most profound character here, giving us a peek into who she was before.
This series is an absolute must-read. It’s one of the most life-changing series and I think it’s redefining the fantasy genre in a way that most writers only dream of.
Happy reading!
Worn Pages and Ink 