The Assassin’s Blade
The twist of a knife. The birth of a legend.
With this collection of prequel novellas, step into the world of the complete, #1 bestselling Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas, author of the Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series.
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.
A prequel to the #1 bestselling Throne of Glass series, this collection of five novellas explores the history of this cunning assassin and her enthralling-and deadly-world.
Included in this volume:
The Assassin and the Pirate Lord
The Assassin and the Healer
The Assassin and the Desert
The Assassin and the Underworld
The Assassin and the Empire
Other books in this series include:
Throne of Glass
Crown of Midnight
Heir of Fire
Queen of Shadows
Empire of Storms
Tower of Dawn
- Pages
- 463
- First published
- May 1, 2012
- Language
- English
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Reviews
· Read 2 times
- Anonymous
Finished June 4, 2021 · Read 7 times
Edit: Once again keeping this at 5 stars. Owie. ____________ Edit: Keeping it at 5 stars. Ow. ____________ Edit: Still in pain, still hurts. However I'm giving it 5 stars again because I still love it. ____________ Edit: After my third read of this book, I can now say that it is no longer a top book in the series. Yes, I loved it, and Sam will always have a special place in my heart, but I've read 13 of SJM's other books now, and there's so many others that I like more than this one. I'm changing my rating to a 4.5 stars, and it's coming off the Hall of Fame shelf. ____________ Where do I even start with this book? There were so many emotions all in one. Even though it was broken into several different stories, the way they were all woven together made it feel like one book. I will admit that in the beginning, I thought Sam was rather annoying and that Celaena was a bit of a pessimist. But, as time went on and I read more about her relationship with Sam and how the characters/world developed, they probably became my one of my favorite ships from any of the books I've read. Yes, I know this is my first read book on here, but I decided to just add them as I read them, this being the first one. I would highly recommend this book. I decided to read this one before Throne of Glass since they are prequel stories, but you can read them however you see fit. I rated this book 5 stars because the plot for each story was amazing, Celaena and Sam's relationship building was also very well written. Yes, I did cry. You'd have to be a monster not to.
Started April 1, 2026 · Finished April 3, 2026 · Read 7 times
Finished January 1, 2023
This book did not hit the spot
Finished April 5, 2026
I will truly say that I (yes me) am speechless. I really have no clue what to write or say right now that will do justice to this book. Starting the TOG series with this book was slightly dificult ngl, especially considering these are. basically 5 novellas. Therefore there is no one big main story throughout the book, but rather five shorter stories. This caused me to not be invested at the beginning and I did put the book down easily during the first two novellas. However, there was a general storyline going anyway which helped with getting to know some of the characters. Other than this I cannot say much about the other characters without having a full mental breakdown about it. Arobynn I despise you and wish you a lot of pain and suffering. I am so speechless, confused, broken.
Finished November 25, 2024
I am ✨emotionally distraught✨, but in the best way.
Finished December 9, 2018
“My name is Sam Cortland and I will not be afraid” Reread: Oh Sam love of my life 😭 I will never ever be over you. This is my third reread of AB and every single time it gets better and I notice more details and foreshadowing that I missed previously. I love getting to see all the characters again knowing how all of their stories end. Arrobyn when I catch you 😡
Finished April 1, 2025 · Read 2 times
*❝ My name is Celaena Sardothien," she whispered, "and I will not be afraid. ❞* ❥ My thoughts Honestly, this collection of novellas is highly underrated. Reading this for a second time gives me a deeper appreciation for all of the characters, the story that is unfolding, and the world that Sarah has created. The amount of world-building and character depth written in such a short book is amazing. My first time reading Assassin's Blade I read it third because that was supposed to be the "romantics" preference but honestly, I highly recommend reading this first. Each novella within this book is a chain of events that is crucial in appreciating Celaena's cold, surface-level demeanor and that all remarkable journeys have small, sometimes tragic, beginnings. ❥ Trigger warnings Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder Moderate: Slavery, Torture, Blood Minor: Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent [Follow my Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/inkstainedemotions?igsh=aTh6eTZ6dGwxMXpy&utm_source=qr)
Finished August 12, 2025
I love learning about Celaena. These short stories teach us so much about who she is and why she does what she does. It explains so much about her personality and her feelings. I also love Sam, he is so sweet and it just shows how two people can be amazing and loving but in a terrible situation, and try to make the best of it. The writing was amazing and all the emotions felt so real.
Started March 28, 2025 · Finished March 29, 2025 · Read 2 times
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/29/25 - On my 2nd read through of this and it's totally fine whatever order you wanna read this in but for me I will forever stand by reading this FIRST for so many reasons. Some reasons being: I believe it hits harder first with the pain and loss I won't spoil for you, I also think it allows me as a reader to build a love for these characters so when I'm following them later I'm more attached to them, this book is also the shortest in the series and (in my opinion) the slowest, so getting it out of the way first really opens up the rest of the series for me to just go for it - and finally I love to read things in chronological order, thats my reading style. I was certainly in need of some female assassin rage and AB delivered on that. I am adding a star to this on my 2nd read, it was such a better read the 2nd time though after reading the entire series last year I was able to pick up on some new little details I missed last time. *"Some things are more important than death."* ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/19/24 Honestly I was falling asleep during the first part of this book… But once I got to the desert story I was hooked. I get everyone has a "reading order" for this series, but I choose to read this first. I heard it was a little slower than the others and wanted to get it out of the way. I also know myself as a reader and I know I would have been pissed having to stop in between books to go back in time and read this. I need to connect with characters to enjoy the story, and after pushing through the first half, that’s exactly what i did. I hope it doesn’t fuck up reading the rest of the series, but i feel like i made the right choice at this. Im already pretty wrecked and attached to the MFC, and ready to see her kick some ass and get her revenge. 🌶️ 0/5 There’s “thoughts” of kissing… some YA tension, and some PG kissing/touching. 📚 Reading Between the Vines: 📚 Click Here to Join a Fun Discord Book Club
Started April 1, 2026 · Finished April 3, 2026 · Read 2 times
- Medium-paced
Started April 2, 2026 · Finished April 4, 2026
I'm not going to lie, I wish I hadn't read this first because it nearly put me off reading the rest of the series. For me, it felt like I had joined a conversation halfway through and no one would tell me what was actually going on, just a "keep listening and you'll get it". Some of the stories were fun, and I am writing this after reading book 3 in the series and thinking back this book now makes a little more sense. I will probably reread this at some point now I understand more about Celaena... From AB, I really didn't like her because I didn't get her.
Started January 11, 2026 · Finished January 14, 2026
Finished July 23, 2025
