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Throne of Glass #0.3
The Assassin and the Desert
The Silent Assassins of the Red Desert aren't much for conversation, and Celaena Sardothien wouldn't have it any other way. She's not there to chatter, she's there to hone her craft as the world's most feared killer for hire. When the quiet is shattered by forces who want to destroy the Silent Assassins, Celaena must find a way to stop them, or she'll be lucky to leave the desert alive.
103 pages, ebook
First published March 30, 2012
1253 people are currently reading
86852 people want to read
About the author
Sarah J. Maas
105 books528k followersSarah J. Maas is the #1 bestselling author of the Throne of Glass, Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City series. Her books have sold millions of copies and are published in thirty-eight languages. She lives in New York City with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,711 reviews
March 20, 2023
Another wonderful addition to the repertoire of delicious books from the Queen of Fantasy – Sarah J Maas.
“If you can learn to endure pain, you can survive anything. Some people learn to embrace it—to love it. Some endure it through drowning it in sorrow, or by making themselves forget. Others turn it into anger. But Ansel let her pain become hate, and let it consume her until she became something else entirely—a person I don’t think she ever wished to be”
Wonderful fillers and I do mean fillers not just short stories, because these books provide additional detail and the backstory that is not covered in the main novels. In this case, we Celaena is in training and must obtain a letter of approval to confirm she has required the requisite skills and discipline from the Mute Master.
Although, combat is not the only teachings on offer because once again, Maas’s ability to weave deception, ambition, betrayal, friendships, trust, and survival into any story is on display once again.
An episode rather than a film, at 100 pages, yet satisfying, immersive, and a reminder “… there are some times when words are necessary… but words could be just as deadly as steel.”
Enjoy and if you haven’t read Sarah J Mass, give it a try, you won’t be disappointed. I am a huge fan for this superb 'Fantasy' author whose imagination knows no bounds. Terrific.
“If you can learn to endure pain, you can survive anything. Some people learn to embrace it—to love it. Some endure it through drowning it in sorrow, or by making themselves forget. Others turn it into anger. But Ansel let her pain become hate, and let it consume her until she became something else entirely—a person I don’t think she ever wished to be”
Wonderful fillers and I do mean fillers not just short stories, because these books provide additional detail and the backstory that is not covered in the main novels. In this case, we Celaena is in training and must obtain a letter of approval to confirm she has required the requisite skills and discipline from the Mute Master.
Although, combat is not the only teachings on offer because once again, Maas’s ability to weave deception, ambition, betrayal, friendships, trust, and survival into any story is on display once again.
An episode rather than a film, at 100 pages, yet satisfying, immersive, and a reminder “… there are some times when words are necessary… but words could be just as deadly as steel.”
Enjoy and if you haven’t read Sarah J Mass, give it a try, you won’t be disappointed. I am a huge fan for this superb 'Fantasy' author whose imagination knows no bounds. Terrific.
January 5, 2021
"The Lord of the North".
"Why does he get a fancy title?"
"Because the stag remains constant—no matter the season, he's always there".
"Why?"
"So the people of Terrasen will always know how to find their way home. So they can look up at the sky, no matter where they are, and know Terrasen is forever with them".
¡Este es uno de los mejores relatos del libro! La intriga, los viajes, los acertijos, el entrenamiento, las traiciones... The Assassin and the Desert lo tiene todo. Aquí, Celaena va a tener que llegar a la guarida de los Asesinos Silenciosos, después de atravesar todo el Desierto Rojo, y convencer al gran Maestro de que la entrene durante un mes. Y no sólo eso, sino que también tendrá que lograr que el Maestro le escriba una carta de aprobación para que Arobynn perdone sus insolencias y la deje volver a Rifthold. Pronto, Celaena se da cuenta de que su misión no será nada fácil, pues un gran traición pende sobre la Fortaleza Silenciosa.
En este relato nos encontramos con una faceta de Celaena que no conocíamos: la de alguien acostumbrada a ser la mejor y a sobresalir en todo pero que, de repente, se topa con personas y entrenamientos que rivalizan con sus habilidades y que, incluso, la superan. En la Fortaleza Silenciosa, Celaena aprende a ser un poco más humilde y a valorar las técnicas milenarias que les han dado su reputación a los Asesinos Silenciosos. Además, y paralelo a su entrenamiento, Celaena conocerá a Ansel, una chica letal que pronto se convertirá en algo parecido a su amiga... pero a qué precio.
Me fascinó el ritmo que llevaba esta historia. Sarah J. Maas nos presenta un mundo alejado de Rifthold, del Gremio de los Asesinos y de la gran reputación de Celaena como la Asesina de Adarlan. El Desierto Rojo es un mundo completamente distinto, al igual que las alianzas, relaciones y traiciones políticas que se fraguan allí. Me gustó muchísimo conocer, finalmente, la épica historia del robo de los caballos Asterion al Lord de Xandria, que se menciona brevemente en Crown of Midnight. Ver cómo, poco a poco, pequeños detalles de estos relatos encajan en la gran historia de los libros principales es buenísimo.
Ahora, cuando lean este relato, prepárense para los giros y las puñaladas por la espalda que incluye Sarah en esta historia porque, realmente, los van a dejar sin aire y sin ganas de confiar en absolutamente nadie a lo largo de su vida.
"Why does he get a fancy title?"
"Because the stag remains constant—no matter the season, he's always there".
"Why?"
"So the people of Terrasen will always know how to find their way home. So they can look up at the sky, no matter where they are, and know Terrasen is forever with them".
¡Este es uno de los mejores relatos del libro! La intriga, los viajes, los acertijos, el entrenamiento, las traiciones... The Assassin and the Desert lo tiene todo. Aquí, Celaena va a tener que llegar a la guarida de los Asesinos Silenciosos, después de atravesar todo el Desierto Rojo, y convencer al gran Maestro de que la entrene durante un mes. Y no sólo eso, sino que también tendrá que lograr que el Maestro le escriba una carta de aprobación para que Arobynn perdone sus insolencias y la deje volver a Rifthold. Pronto, Celaena se da cuenta de que su misión no será nada fácil, pues un gran traición pende sobre la Fortaleza Silenciosa.
En este relato nos encontramos con una faceta de Celaena que no conocíamos: la de alguien acostumbrada a ser la mejor y a sobresalir en todo pero que, de repente, se topa con personas y entrenamientos que rivalizan con sus habilidades y que, incluso, la superan. En la Fortaleza Silenciosa, Celaena aprende a ser un poco más humilde y a valorar las técnicas milenarias que les han dado su reputación a los Asesinos Silenciosos. Además, y paralelo a su entrenamiento, Celaena conocerá a Ansel, una chica letal que pronto se convertirá en algo parecido a su amiga... pero a qué precio.
Me fascinó el ritmo que llevaba esta historia. Sarah J. Maas nos presenta un mundo alejado de Rifthold, del Gremio de los Asesinos y de la gran reputación de Celaena como la Asesina de Adarlan. El Desierto Rojo es un mundo completamente distinto, al igual que las alianzas, relaciones y traiciones políticas que se fraguan allí. Me gustó muchísimo conocer, finalmente, la épica historia del robo de los caballos Asterion al Lord de Xandria, que se menciona brevemente en Crown of Midnight. Ver cómo, poco a poco, pequeños detalles de estos relatos encajan en la gran historia de los libros principales es buenísimo.
Ahora, cuando lean este relato, prepárense para los giros y las puñaladas por la espalda que incluye Sarah en esta historia porque, realmente, los van a dejar sin aire y sin ganas de confiar en absolutamente nadie a lo largo de su vida.
January 7, 2020
5 STAR'S
“If you can learn to endure pain, you can survive anything."
The Assassin and the Desert was by far the best novella in this series thus far :) It takes place in The Red Desert with The Silent Assassins. Where Celeana was sent by Arobynn as punishment to train with The Mute Master. I thoroughly enjoyed every last minute of it!! It blew me away and I can't believe how much I truly loved it! I was very much surprised at all the twists and turns and the number of details Maas was able to fit into a 103-page novella. I was extremely happy that this one was longer and yet I still wanted more. Needed more. Yes, it was slow in parts but really for once, I didn't mind that fact at all. I enjoyed all the new characters I was introduced too. I loved seeing how Celeana and Ansel officially met and I love the friendship that bloomed between them. I was so sad about how everything went down at the end :( and in spite of the betrayal, I can't help it... I still really like Ansel. Honestly, guys, this book was so worth the read. I recommend if you get the chance to read it DO! You won't be disappointed :D The Assassin and the Underworld here I come!
“Words could be just as deadly as steel.”
“One arrow, that had been her promise. But she'd also promised Ansel that she had twenty minutes to get out of range. Celaena had fired after twenty-one.”
“I think you will leave a lasting imprint on Ansel's heart. You spared her life, and returned her father's sword. And maybe when she makes her next move to reclaim her title, she will remember the assassin from the North and the kindness you showed her, and try to leave fewer bodies in her wake.”
“If you can learn to endure pain, you can survive anything."
The Assassin and the Desert was by far the best novella in this series thus far :) It takes place in The Red Desert with The Silent Assassins. Where Celeana was sent by Arobynn as punishment to train with The Mute Master. I thoroughly enjoyed every last minute of it!! It blew me away and I can't believe how much I truly loved it! I was very much surprised at all the twists and turns and the number of details Maas was able to fit into a 103-page novella. I was extremely happy that this one was longer and yet I still wanted more. Needed more. Yes, it was slow in parts but really for once, I didn't mind that fact at all. I enjoyed all the new characters I was introduced too. I loved seeing how Celeana and Ansel officially met and I love the friendship that bloomed between them. I was so sad about how everything went down at the end :( and in spite of the betrayal, I can't help it... I still really like Ansel. Honestly, guys, this book was so worth the read. I recommend if you get the chance to read it DO! You won't be disappointed :D The Assassin and the Underworld here I come!
“Words could be just as deadly as steel.”
“One arrow, that had been her promise. But she'd also promised Ansel that she had twenty minutes to get out of range. Celaena had fired after twenty-one.”
“I think you will leave a lasting imprint on Ansel's heart. You spared her life, and returned her father's sword. And maybe when she makes her next move to reclaim her title, she will remember the assassin from the North and the kindness you showed her, and try to leave fewer bodies in her wake.”
February 9, 2017
Hands down, my favorite novella thus far! I'm speechless as to how much I actually loved this story. It reminded me a lot of Nevernight, and although it made the story very predictable because of how similar both stories were, I didn't mind it one bit.
I actually loved Celaena in this. This is the Celaena I love! This is the Celaena I wish Aelin could be. She wasn't overly arrogant. She wasn't annoyingly cocky. In fact, I found her to be actually humble in this novella, and very likable.
The characters that were introduced in this novella were amazing. I loved every single one of them! And let me just say that Ilias is such a babe. If Celaena doesn't want him, I'll gladly take him off her hands and welcome him my way!
I really loved this novella and I have a feeling this will be my favorite one in this bindup!
I actually loved Celaena in this. This is the Celaena I love! This is the Celaena I wish Aelin could be. She wasn't overly arrogant. She wasn't annoyingly cocky. In fact, I found her to be actually humble in this novella, and very likable.
The characters that were introduced in this novella were amazing. I loved every single one of them! And let me just say that Ilias is such a babe. If Celaena doesn't want him, I'll gladly take him off her hands and welcome him my way!
I really loved this novella and I have a feeling this will be my favorite one in this bindup!
August 11, 2024
"If you can learn to endure pain, you can survive anything. Some people learn to embrace it—to love it. Some endure it through drowning it in sorrow, or by making themselves forget. Others turn it into anger."
After the debacle that happened with Rolfe and Arobynn’s slave trade agreement, Celaena is sent to the Red Desert’s Silent Assassins for one month as a punishment. She has one month to secure their master’s endorsement, and failing to do so is not an option if she wants to survive.
Once again, we get a little more of Celaena’s backstory with this novella, and we can understand her a little better. I like that the Silent Assassin’s master didn’t only focus on teaching combat to Celaena, he has a way of making her see the strength of all the creatures and the nature around her, but more importantly, he was nice and kind, despite being the leader of a group of feared assassins. Spending time with him only made Celaena realize how harsh and uselessly violent Arobynn can be when understanding and kindness can earn respect just as well if not more.
she remembered the words Sam kept screaming at Arobynn as the king of the Assassins beat her, the words that she somehow forgotten in the fog of pain:
'I'll kill you!'
Sam has said it like he meant it. He'd bellowed it. Again and again and again.
Celaena also comes to realize that she might have some feelings for Sam, and vice versa, and I love it!
For some reason though, I struggled to care for Ansel. Please don’t hate me.
0.1 The Assassin and the Pirate Lord ⭐⭐⭐⭐
0.2 The Assassin and the Healer ⭐⭐⭐.5
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June 3, 2019
Q:
“To being the most fearsome and imposing girls the world has ever seen.” (с)
Q:
Tomorrow will be better. It might be only a foot more than today, but it will be a foot longer that you can run. (c)
Q:
...education and culture were equally important—words could be just as deadly as steel. (c)
Q:
She looked to the open window, to the world beyond. For the first time in a long while, she heard the song of a northern wind, calling her home. And she was not afraid. (c)
This time Celeana meets 'Ansel of Briarcliff, Defender of the Realm', Silent Assassins and is on tour-de-quelque-chose through a bunch of deserts. Asterion horses. Stygian spydersilk. And yeah, Celeana's never kissed.
She learns the true value of friendship and loyalty and mercy in this one.
Q:
The only sound was the wind hissing through the sand. (c)
Q:
And since that night, even during her trip out here, everything had been a haze of rage and sorrow and bone-deep weariness, as if she were dreaming while awake. (c)
Q:
And since that night, even during her trip out here, everything had been a haze of rage and sorrow and bone-deep weariness, as if she were dreaming while awake. (c)
Q:
It was too convenient to be coincidental. (c)
Q:
Adventure and glory aside, anyone who’d sell twenty years of his life for a fortune couldn’t be trusted. (c)
Q:
A reminder of what?”...
“That everything has a price.” (c)
Q:
Celaena had a sudden moment of clarity then, as her hair ripped from her braid and the wind tore at her clothes. Of all the girls in all the world, here she was on a spit of beach in the Red Desert, astride an Asterion horse, racing faster than the wind. Most would never experience this—she would never experience anything like this again. And for that one heartbeat, when there was nothing more to it than that, she tasted bliss so complete that she tipped her head back to the sky and laughed. (c)
Q:
After that, she spent three days dangling from the rafters of the fortress stables with the bats. (c) Talk about going batshit!
Q:
It was almost as intoxicating as the oddity of dancing to no music, to hearing a collective, silent rhythm—to letting the wind and the sighing sand outside the fortress provide the beat and the melody. It was lovely and strange, and as the hours passed, she often wondered if she’d strayed into some dream. (c)
Q:
... Then he gave her one of those shrugs, which she interpreted to mean, If only we didn’t live thousands of miles apart. But can you blame me for trying? (c) This sounds like a severe case of a girl-translatetatitis, when you take simple things, such as cough or a sideways glance or a shrug for 'very important standalone messages'.
Q:
Again and again, the sweep and curve of her arm, the twisting of her torso, even the rhythm of her breathing. Again and again, until she became the asp, until the sun broke over the horizon, bathing them in red light.
Again and again, until there was nothing left but the Master and her as they greeted the new day. (c)
Q:
“When you give your master his letter, also give him this. And tell him that in the Red Desert, we do not abuse our disciples.” (c)
“To being the most fearsome and imposing girls the world has ever seen.” (с)
Q:
Tomorrow will be better. It might be only a foot more than today, but it will be a foot longer that you can run. (c)
Q:
...education and culture were equally important—words could be just as deadly as steel. (c)
Q:
She looked to the open window, to the world beyond. For the first time in a long while, she heard the song of a northern wind, calling her home. And she was not afraid. (c)
This time Celeana meets 'Ansel of Briarcliff, Defender of the Realm', Silent Assassins and is on tour-de-quelque-chose through a bunch of deserts. Asterion horses. Stygian spydersilk. And yeah, Celeana's never kissed.
She learns the true value of friendship and loyalty and mercy in this one.
Q:
The only sound was the wind hissing through the sand. (c)
Q:
And since that night, even during her trip out here, everything had been a haze of rage and sorrow and bone-deep weariness, as if she were dreaming while awake. (c)
Q:
And since that night, even during her trip out here, everything had been a haze of rage and sorrow and bone-deep weariness, as if she were dreaming while awake. (c)
Q:
It was too convenient to be coincidental. (c)
Q:
Adventure and glory aside, anyone who’d sell twenty years of his life for a fortune couldn’t be trusted. (c)
Q:
A reminder of what?”...
“That everything has a price.” (c)
Q:
Celaena had a sudden moment of clarity then, as her hair ripped from her braid and the wind tore at her clothes. Of all the girls in all the world, here she was on a spit of beach in the Red Desert, astride an Asterion horse, racing faster than the wind. Most would never experience this—she would never experience anything like this again. And for that one heartbeat, when there was nothing more to it than that, she tasted bliss so complete that she tipped her head back to the sky and laughed. (c)
Q:
After that, she spent three days dangling from the rafters of the fortress stables with the bats. (c) Talk about going batshit!
Q:
It was almost as intoxicating as the oddity of dancing to no music, to hearing a collective, silent rhythm—to letting the wind and the sighing sand outside the fortress provide the beat and the melody. It was lovely and strange, and as the hours passed, she often wondered if she’d strayed into some dream. (c)
Q:
... Then he gave her one of those shrugs, which she interpreted to mean, If only we didn’t live thousands of miles apart. But can you blame me for trying? (c) This sounds like a severe case of a girl-translatetatitis, when you take simple things, such as cough or a sideways glance or a shrug for 'very important standalone messages'.
Q:
Again and again, the sweep and curve of her arm, the twisting of her torso, even the rhythm of her breathing. Again and again, until she became the asp, until the sun broke over the horizon, bathing them in red light.
Again and again, until there was nothing left but the Master and her as they greeted the new day. (c)
Q:
“When you give your master his letter, also give him this. And tell him that in the Red Desert, we do not abuse our disciples.” (c)
May 27, 2024
━━♡ full anthology review
[2024 reread] ★★★
i truly am giving sarah a lot of credit for plotting and planning her overarching universe way back in the day, back before she sold millions of books and became the phenomenon in the book community that she is today. this novella had so many easter eggs in it, that i felt like i was taking notes for a full length sjm book.
this one picks up right after the second story in this anthology, where we are following celaena going through the desert to find the oasis where assassins are training. this is her punishment for the events in the 1st story in this anthology, where she is supposed to train with a very powerful assassin who makes you prove yourself before he will offer to train you, and then she is supposed to bring back a letter with his approval. it has taken her one month of travel to get to this desert, she is required to train for one month, and then travel back to arobynn and the assassin’s guild in rifthold - therefore she is going to be away for three months, which also held her birthday!
while at this training facility, and while trying to catch the eye of the assassin trainer she wants, she befriends a girl named ansel. in this story, they get very close and realize they have a lot of the same sadness held within their hearts. celaena also learns a lot about witches, and spidersilk, and she even makes a promise that will lead her on another mission that she will attempt to fulfill one day.
again, i loved seeing so many nods at things to come in the story - but for some reason this felt so long to read, and i found myself bored a lot of the time. maybe it is because I remembered the twist, so it was less impactful. But yeah, the reread of this one felt very middle of the road for me.
trigger and content warnings: mention of slavery, physical abuse in past, abusive relationships / unhealthy power dynamics, mention of uncomfortable age gap romance where the mc is underage (15), fighting/battle, violence, torture, blood, poison, fire, talk of debt, brief mention of child death, spiders, snakes, talk of colonization, loss of father and sibling in past.
[2016 first read] ★★★★
This novella follows Celaena on her punishment mission with the Silent Assassins. I really liked this story, and it actually is pretty thought provoking on the subject of abuse. Even though we are watching Celaena try to get a letter of recommendation, we also get to see her inner struggle dealing with her own abusive master. Celaena is now seventeen and realizing all the abusive things that have happened in her life are not normal or okay. Celaena also befriends a young girl named Ansel, and I absolutely devoured her story. Ansel is another character that I pray we get to see in this series eventually.
blog | instagram | youtube | kofi | spotify | amazon
1.) Throne of Glass ★★
2.) Crown of Midnight ★★★★
1.) A Court of Thorns and Roses ★★★★
2.) A Court of Mist and Fury ★★★
3.) A Court of Wings and Ruin ★★★
3.1) A Court of Frost and Starlight ★★★
4) A Court of Silver Flames ★★★★
1.) House of Earth and Blood ★★★
2.) House of Sky and Breath ★★★
3.) House of Flame and Shadow ★★★
[2024 reread] ★★★
i truly am giving sarah a lot of credit for plotting and planning her overarching universe way back in the day, back before she sold millions of books and became the phenomenon in the book community that she is today. this novella had so many easter eggs in it, that i felt like i was taking notes for a full length sjm book.
this one picks up right after the second story in this anthology, where we are following celaena going through the desert to find the oasis where assassins are training. this is her punishment for the events in the 1st story in this anthology, where she is supposed to train with a very powerful assassin who makes you prove yourself before he will offer to train you, and then she is supposed to bring back a letter with his approval. it has taken her one month of travel to get to this desert, she is required to train for one month, and then travel back to arobynn and the assassin’s guild in rifthold - therefore she is going to be away for three months, which also held her birthday!
while at this training facility, and while trying to catch the eye of the assassin trainer she wants, she befriends a girl named ansel. in this story, they get very close and realize they have a lot of the same sadness held within their hearts. celaena also learns a lot about witches, and spidersilk, and she even makes a promise that will lead her on another mission that she will attempt to fulfill one day.
again, i loved seeing so many nods at things to come in the story - but for some reason this felt so long to read, and i found myself bored a lot of the time. maybe it is because I remembered the twist, so it was less impactful. But yeah, the reread of this one felt very middle of the road for me.
trigger and content warnings: mention of slavery, physical abuse in past, abusive relationships / unhealthy power dynamics, mention of uncomfortable age gap romance where the mc is underage (15), fighting/battle, violence, torture, blood, poison, fire, talk of debt, brief mention of child death, spiders, snakes, talk of colonization, loss of father and sibling in past.
[2016 first read] ★★★★
This novella follows Celaena on her punishment mission with the Silent Assassins. I really liked this story, and it actually is pretty thought provoking on the subject of abuse. Even though we are watching Celaena try to get a letter of recommendation, we also get to see her inner struggle dealing with her own abusive master. Celaena is now seventeen and realizing all the abusive things that have happened in her life are not normal or okay. Celaena also befriends a young girl named Ansel, and I absolutely devoured her story. Ansel is another character that I pray we get to see in this series eventually.
blog | instagram | youtube | kofi | spotify | amazon
1.) Throne of Glass ★★
2.) Crown of Midnight ★★★★
1.) A Court of Thorns and Roses ★★★★
2.) A Court of Mist and Fury ★★★
3.) A Court of Wings and Ruin ★★★
3.1) A Court of Frost and Starlight ★★★
4) A Court of Silver Flames ★★★★
1.) House of Earth and Blood ★★★
2.) House of Sky and Breath ★★★
3.) House of Flame and Shadow ★★★
November 8, 2020
4.5★ Loved it!
—𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝, 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙝, 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙙𝙤𝙢 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙨𝙩, . . .
Celaena has to go to the Mute Master as her punishment and return with his letter of approval about her obedience and behaviour. If she does not return with it, she'll have to pay back Arobynn Hamel as much as he spent on her.
What if going back with the letter is her only option?
But what if new ways open for Celaena?
“𝙏𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨—𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨.” “𝙏𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙣.”
Celaena has never had any friends, but it seems like she has one now. But can she trust her? I bet you'll trust her as you read. I trusted her too!
𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙣, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙩—𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙩. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙬, 𝙤𝙧 𝙗𝙮 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩. 𝙊𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧.
While living with the Mute Master's silent assassins, Celaena feels a belonging. She starts to care about them, and when she has to leave, with or without the letter of approval, she has to make a choice. And by making that choice, she has no idea what her future might hold.
I must say, the writing style has been improved a lot!! Sometimes, you didn't even have to imagine. It was like everything happening in front of you.
— I was reading my own review and thinking is this the same author who wrote acotar books? Because I HATED the writing in those. And even in some tog books.😔💔
‼️ SPOILER ALERT ‼️
Also, I just saw this fanart and I HAD TO EDIT to add it to me review.
I loved the scene where Ansel and Celaena stole the horses. That was beautiful and so much fun. I LOVED IT!
—𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝, 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙝, 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙙𝙤𝙢 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙨𝙩, . . .
Celaena has to go to the Mute Master as her punishment and return with his letter of approval about her obedience and behaviour. If she does not return with it, she'll have to pay back Arobynn Hamel as much as he spent on her.
What if going back with the letter is her only option?
But what if new ways open for Celaena?
“𝙏𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨—𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨.” “𝙏𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙣.”
Celaena has never had any friends, but it seems like she has one now. But can she trust her? I bet you'll trust her as you read. I trusted her too!
𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙣, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙩—𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙩. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙬, 𝙤𝙧 𝙗𝙮 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩. 𝙊𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧.
While living with the Mute Master's silent assassins, Celaena feels a belonging. She starts to care about them, and when she has to leave, with or without the letter of approval, she has to make a choice. And by making that choice, she has no idea what her future might hold.
I must say, the writing style has been improved a lot!! Sometimes, you didn't even have to imagine. It was like everything happening in front of you.
— I was reading my own review and thinking is this the same author who wrote acotar books? Because I HATED the writing in those. And even in some tog books.😔💔
‼️ SPOILER ALERT ‼️
Also, I just saw this fanart and I HAD TO EDIT to add it to me review.
I loved the scene where Ansel and Celaena stole the horses. That was beautiful and so much fun. I LOVED IT!
February 10, 2017
“Words could be just as deadly as steel.”
The Assassin and the Desert sounded like a great story with a big twist at first, and then the pace was slow down that I almost lost my interest. Celaena Sardothien comes to the desert and must receive the approval letter before she is back to Arobynn. She meets a girl named Ansel and these two become friends very quick among the fact that Celaene herself is very cautious and doesn't trust anyone easily.
All in all, the ending leads to the new adventure for her. Being free and starting a new life are not cushy for a girl like Celaena Sardothien.
“If you can learn to endure pain, you can survive anything.”
March 6, 2025
|| 4.0 stars ||
Wow. What a beautiful story. This one truly managed to not only capture my interest, but also my feelings.
The characters and the plot were honestly very interesting.
The Silent Assassins had such an intriguing yet wholesome vibe going on. I wish Celaena could have stayed in the Red Desert with these people. She deserved a place like this, and if she’d stayed, then none of the other horrors later on in the series would have happened to her either..
I can honestly say that I was so thoroughly invested in this story, that the ending truly managed to make me feel extremely sad. I bonded with this place and these people, and I know for a fact that Celaena did too.. So to have to see her leave it was close to heart-breaking.
I really loved seeing Celaena’s friendship with Ansel develop. Something about this felt so pure and so significant to Celaena.
I have to admit to having felt a little off about Ansel from the beginning, but I still liked her, and thus, I couldn’t help but feel sorrow and even shock when the plot twist happened.
Their relationship is incredibly intriguing to me, and I hope to see them meet again. The complexity of their friendship could definitely make for many more interesting encounters in the future.
I really appreciated seeing the thoughts that go on inside Celaena’s head here: to see what matters to her, what confuses her, what troubles her, what it is that she truly stands for.
These novellas are deepening her character further and further, and it’s important that we now not only get to see what shaped her into who she is today, but also who she was before she went through the trauma leading up to book 1. We get to see what she was like when she was damaged, but not yet broken.
I also liked that we got to see more about Celaena’s reluctant and confusing love for Sam. It is becoming clear that, although Celaena fears to admit it, Sam and her have meant a lot to each other for a while now. And now she might have lost him.. It’s devastating.
I cannot wait to read the next novella. These short stories are shaping up to be more engaging than I expected and continue to get better and better!
'Throne of Glass' series:
1. Throne of Glass - 4.0 stars
2. Crown of Midnight - 4.5 stars
3. Heir of Fire - 4.0 stars
4. Queen of Shadows - 3.5 stars
5. Empire of Storms - 3.0 stars
6. Tower of Dawn - dnf
7. Kingdom of Ash - 3.0 stars
Novellas:
0.1. The Assassin and the Pirate Lord - 2.5 stars
0.2. The Assassin and the Healer - 3.5 stars
0.3. The Assassin and the Desert - 4.0 stars
0.4. The Assassin and the Underworld - 3.5 stars
0.5. The Assassin and the Empire - 3.0 stars
Other Sarah J. Maas books:
‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’ series - var. ratings
‘Crescent City’ series - var. ratings
Catwoman: Soulstealer - 4.0 stars
Wow. What a beautiful story. This one truly managed to not only capture my interest, but also my feelings.
The characters and the plot were honestly very interesting.
The Silent Assassins had such an intriguing yet wholesome vibe going on. I wish Celaena could have stayed in the Red Desert with these people. She deserved a place like this, and if she’d stayed, then none of the other horrors later on in the series would have happened to her either..
I can honestly say that I was so thoroughly invested in this story, that the ending truly managed to make me feel extremely sad. I bonded with this place and these people, and I know for a fact that Celaena did too.. So to have to see her leave it was close to heart-breaking.
I really loved seeing Celaena’s friendship with Ansel develop. Something about this felt so pure and so significant to Celaena.
I have to admit to having felt a little off about Ansel from the beginning, but I still liked her, and thus, I couldn’t help but feel sorrow and even shock when the plot twist happened.
Their relationship is incredibly intriguing to me, and I hope to see them meet again. The complexity of their friendship could definitely make for many more interesting encounters in the future.
I really appreciated seeing the thoughts that go on inside Celaena’s head here: to see what matters to her, what confuses her, what troubles her, what it is that she truly stands for.
These novellas are deepening her character further and further, and it’s important that we now not only get to see what shaped her into who she is today, but also who she was before she went through the trauma leading up to book 1. We get to see what she was like when she was damaged, but not yet broken.
I also liked that we got to see more about Celaena’s reluctant and confusing love for Sam. It is becoming clear that, although Celaena fears to admit it, Sam and her have meant a lot to each other for a while now. And now she might have lost him.. It’s devastating.
I cannot wait to read the next novella. These short stories are shaping up to be more engaging than I expected and continue to get better and better!
'Throne of Glass' series:
1. Throne of Glass - 4.0 stars
2. Crown of Midnight - 4.5 stars
3. Heir of Fire - 4.0 stars
4. Queen of Shadows - 3.5 stars
5. Empire of Storms - 3.0 stars
6. Tower of Dawn - dnf
7. Kingdom of Ash - 3.0 stars
Novellas:
0.1. The Assassin and the Pirate Lord - 2.5 stars
0.2. The Assassin and the Healer - 3.5 stars
0.3. The Assassin and the Desert - 4.0 stars
0.4. The Assassin and the Underworld - 3.5 stars
0.5. The Assassin and the Empire - 3.0 stars
Other Sarah J. Maas books:
‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’ series - var. ratings
‘Crescent City’ series - var. ratings
Catwoman: Soulstealer - 4.0 stars
January 21, 2021
“But there are some times when words are necessary -
when explanations are needed that mere gestures cannot convey.”
I don't know why, but I feel like crying.🥺
Definitely my favourite one so far.💕
AND ANSEL—
September 20, 2015
Out of all the novellas of The Assassin’s Blade that I’ve read so far, this third novella is the best one. It’s action-packed and full of bad-assery! Celaena never fails to really impress me with the way she deals with her situations. After being punished by her master Arrobyn, she was instructed to travel to the Deserted Lands to train with the master of the Silent Assassins. There, she met people who became her friends, including the girl assassin Ansel who had a very painful and cruel childhood.
The thing that I love most about The Assassin and the Desert is that it does not only have action scenes that will thrill you. It’s also meaningful. I love Celeana’s relationship with the master of the Silent Assassin. It tugged my heart in ways I did not expect. The way he taught her about life was so touching.
“If you can learn to endure pain, you can survive it.”
This novella made me smile and tearful. It’s something that I will not forget in this series. Plus, the setting was wonderfully described, painting captivating images of The Deserted Land. I think this is the best that I have read in the series so far, to be honest. What a journey!
Rating: 5 Stars
The thing that I love most about The Assassin and the Desert is that it does not only have action scenes that will thrill you. It’s also meaningful. I love Celeana’s relationship with the master of the Silent Assassin. It tugged my heart in ways I did not expect. The way he taught her about life was so touching.
“If you can learn to endure pain, you can survive it.”
This novella made me smile and tearful. It’s something that I will not forget in this series. Plus, the setting was wonderfully described, painting captivating images of The Deserted Land. I think this is the best that I have read in the series so far, to be honest. What a journey!
Rating: 5 Stars
October 22, 2016
Celaena realizing that Sam was screaming "I'll kill you" to Arobynn while he beat her slayed me. Too many feels because I know eventually where this leads to and I'm not ready.
July 30, 2024
“Live a little, Sardothien!”
how can one write a novella with so much action, emotions, friendships, betrayal and plot twists?? it's a fucking novella and SJM still managed to sneak in allat lmao. i found this novella to be a tad bit boring as compared to the previous one but the ending made up for it.
also, i must admit this one to be lowkey predictable. the moment ansel refused to take celaena to the court, the moment the merchant said that some spy and are working together, the moment we saw ansel's jovial attitude after chatting with the enemy, i knew. i sniffed the betrayal. but it still hurt.
“If you can learn to endure pain, you can survive anything. Some people learn to embrace it—to love it. Some endure it through drowning it in sorrow, or by making themselves forget. Others turn it into anger. But Ansel let her pain become hate, and let it consume her until she became something else entirely—a person I don’t think she ever wished to be.”
i like how each novella depicts various instances in celaena's life that teaches her (and us readers) a valuable lesson. we can see how each of these incidents played a vital role in shaping celaena's thoughts and beliefs and in making her a warrior, a better person and a better woman, leaving behind the corrupted monster arobynn hamel tried to create.
The Mute Master of The Silent Assassins was such an intriguing and wonderful character to read.
“When you give your master his letter, also give him this. And tell him that in the Red Desert, we do not abuse our disciples.”
he and arobynn are so antithetical to each other that it's refreshing! i love him so much and he is the torch amongst the darkness that sheds light on how horrible and disgusting of a person arobynn hamel is.
one of my major complaints from these novellas is how little we're getting of Sam Cortland. the sole reason i'm reading the assassin's blade is HIM and he is so irrelevant here that it's offensive. in this particular novella, we got only a glimpse of sam and that too was via celaena's thoughts.
And Celaena felt it. She felt each footstep, the phantom bruises on her face throbbing with the memory of Arobynn’s fists. And suddenly, as the memory of that day echoed through her, she remembered the words Sam kept screaming at Arobynn as the King of the Assassins beat her, the words that she somehow had forgotten in the fog of pain: I’ll kill you!
Sam had said it like he meant it. He’d bellowed it.
Again and again and again.
WE NEED MORE SAM!
how can one write a novella with so much action, emotions, friendships, betrayal and plot twists?? it's a fucking novella and SJM still managed to sneak in allat lmao. i found this novella to be a tad bit boring as compared to the previous one but the ending made up for it.
also, i must admit this one to be lowkey predictable. the moment ansel refused to take celaena to the court, the moment the merchant said that some spy and are working together, the moment we saw ansel's jovial attitude after chatting with the enemy, i knew. i sniffed the betrayal. but it still hurt.
“If you can learn to endure pain, you can survive anything. Some people learn to embrace it—to love it. Some endure it through drowning it in sorrow, or by making themselves forget. Others turn it into anger. But Ansel let her pain become hate, and let it consume her until she became something else entirely—a person I don’t think she ever wished to be.”
i like how each novella depicts various instances in celaena's life that teaches her (and us readers) a valuable lesson. we can see how each of these incidents played a vital role in shaping celaena's thoughts and beliefs and in making her a warrior, a better person and a better woman, leaving behind the corrupted monster arobynn hamel tried to create.
The Mute Master of The Silent Assassins was such an intriguing and wonderful character to read.
“When you give your master his letter, also give him this. And tell him that in the Red Desert, we do not abuse our disciples.”
he and arobynn are so antithetical to each other that it's refreshing! i love him so much and he is the torch amongst the darkness that sheds light on how horrible and disgusting of a person arobynn hamel is.
one of my major complaints from these novellas is how little we're getting of Sam Cortland. the sole reason i'm reading the assassin's blade is HIM and he is so irrelevant here that it's offensive. in this particular novella, we got only a glimpse of sam and that too was via celaena's thoughts.
And Celaena felt it. She felt each footstep, the phantom bruises on her face throbbing with the memory of Arobynn’s fists. And suddenly, as the memory of that day echoed through her, she remembered the words Sam kept screaming at Arobynn as the King of the Assassins beat her, the words that she somehow had forgotten in the fog of pain: I’ll kill you!
Sam had said it like he meant it. He’d bellowed it.
Again and again and again.
WE NEED MORE SAM!
November 2, 2017
“If you can learn to endure pain, you can survive anything."
For a short story this book blew my mind, I did not see that ending coming, damn! TOG is one of my favourite series and its gets better with each book, same thing with the novellas. The writing and world building is impeccable, the plot is amazing and the characters are cool and not one dimensional.
I really wished I read this before the series because it could have really helped me understand lots of stuffs that Celaena talked about in the other books. Never would I have thought that this is how she and Ansel metthe red hair girl that came to help Aelin fight Maeve with soldiers in EOS
This happened after The Assassin and the Healer, it focuses mainly on her training with the silent assassins and friendship with Ansel. The silent assassins had a problem with the Lord of the town, but it was bigger than she anticipated
I'm so dreading reading the last two novellas because I already know how it'll end, I just wish I can do selective forgetting, so I can forget what happened to Celaena and Sam
For a short story this book blew my mind, I did not see that ending coming, damn! TOG is one of my favourite series and its gets better with each book, same thing with the novellas. The writing and world building is impeccable, the plot is amazing and the characters are cool and not one dimensional.
I really wished I read this before the series because it could have really helped me understand lots of stuffs that Celaena talked about in the other books. Never would I have thought that this is how she and Ansel met
This happened after The Assassin and the Healer, it focuses mainly on her training with the silent assassins and friendship with Ansel. The silent assassins had a problem with the Lord of the town, but it was bigger than she anticipated
I'm so dreading reading the last two novellas because I already know how it'll end, I just wish I can do selective forgetting, so I can forget what happened to Celaena and Sam
April 28, 2021
~ 4.25 stars ~
I actually really liked this and it was much more enjoyable than the first two. Can't wait for the next one.
I actually really liked this and it was much more enjoyable than the first two. Can't wait for the next one.
September 17, 2020
Finally I am getting around to reading the adventures of my dear Celaena Sardothien. LOWKEY, I kind of love the assassin more than the queen, but that doesn't mean that I don't love the queen.
I wanted to read it before I read Empire of Storms BUT I kind of got distracted with other books that were coming out around the same time. I am not a huge fan of novellas, but I do know that some of the characters introduced in the last book were first introduced in some of these novellas in The Assassin's Blade. And because I love Sarah J. Maas's story telling and her writing, I am going to go ahead and read these beauties.
So, with that said, I am going to read and rate these so I can finally be completely caught up on The Throne of Glass Series: Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows, Empire of Storms, and Tower of Dawn.
The Assassin and the Desert (Throne of Glass, #0.3)
So this novella is also one that needs to be read before you read Empire of Storms, because it sheds a lot of light on certain characters that are going to be introduced.
Celaena and her actions from previous novella The Assassin and the Pirate Lord have gotten her sent to The Red Desert with The Silent Assassins. She has to come back with a letter of approval basically from the Master of the Silent Assassins after training with him, only getting him to train you is actually super hard.
ENTER ANSEL:
She meets Ansel, who is the lady introduced in Empire of Storms. She is basically Celaena in my opinion. They are both really proud of themselves and know they are hot stuff. They become really close friends in the month that Celaena is there. They even commit some crimes together, which is what true friendship is.
But there is someone who wants The Master of the Silent Assassins' head on a platter for them, and there is someone in the keep ready to take it in order to get what they want.
I liked this novella enough. I felt as if there were some filler paragraphs and I found myself yawning at some points, but it is a very needed novella if we are going to talk more about The Red Desert, The Silent Assassins, Ansel and even about the witches (because we get to learn more about them in this book too).
I want to feel spider-silk. That's all.
I wanted to read it before I read Empire of Storms BUT I kind of got distracted with other books that were coming out around the same time. I am not a huge fan of novellas, but I do know that some of the characters introduced in the last book were first introduced in some of these novellas in The Assassin's Blade. And because I love Sarah J. Maas's story telling and her writing, I am going to go ahead and read these beauties.
So, with that said, I am going to read and rate these so I can finally be completely caught up on The Throne of Glass Series: Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows, Empire of Storms, and Tower of Dawn.
The Assassin and the Desert (Throne of Glass, #0.3)
So this novella is also one that needs to be read before you read Empire of Storms, because it sheds a lot of light on certain characters that are going to be introduced.
Celaena and her actions from previous novella The Assassin and the Pirate Lord have gotten her sent to The Red Desert with The Silent Assassins. She has to come back with a letter of approval basically from the Master of the Silent Assassins after training with him, only getting him to train you is actually super hard.
ENTER ANSEL:
She meets Ansel, who is the lady introduced in Empire of Storms. She is basically Celaena in my opinion. They are both really proud of themselves and know they are hot stuff. They become really close friends in the month that Celaena is there. They even commit some crimes together, which is what true friendship is.
But there is someone who wants The Master of the Silent Assassins' head on a platter for them, and there is someone in the keep ready to take it in order to get what they want.
I liked this novella enough. I felt as if there were some filler paragraphs and I found myself yawning at some points, but it is a very needed novella if we are going to talk more about The Red Desert, The Silent Assassins, Ansel and even about the witches (because we get to learn more about them in this book too).
I want to feel spider-silk. That's all.
March 27, 2022
I wonder what exactly was I supposed to learn about Celaena from this unnecessary novella when it only made me feel even less fond of her. Overall, nothing even slightly important happens, not for the series, and definitely not for our "beloved" protagonist. She shows off her complex of a higher value anywhere she goes, which is not particularly likable.
Celaena is being sent to the desert to train with The Silent Assassins in order to be taught about obedience and discipline. She hopes she'll be able to catch the attention of the Mute Master, whose letter of approval she must obtain in only one month. Despite the fact her roommate Ansel has been living there for five years and has received no private lessons whatsoever, Celaena, being as childish and insufferable as ever, throws little snarky comments about how she should be getting more special attention because she's such a BIG BAD ASSASSIN. I've read FIVE books about her and I still don't see even a tiny notion about her actual skills. There is only telling and no showing and it's making me nauseous.
The writing style is as simple as ever. It doesn't necessarily mean it's bad, but it lacks some lyrical or rather poetical elements, humor and generally some witty dialogues. Or maybe I'm just used to more developed characters and stories. The overall impression is simply... lazy like Maas wrote it in two hours.
It seems almost impossible that I adored Celaena in Throne of Glass since she represents all the boring clichés of YA heroine. Again, she shows all shades of vanity, egotism, and arrogance. In addition, her reactions don't really show us the world-class assassin, only a 17-year-old attention whore. Probably the best quote in the whole series so far is Ansel's "You’re just a spoiled, selfish bitch.”
Celaena is being sent to the desert to train with The Silent Assassins in order to be taught about obedience and discipline. She hopes she'll be able to catch the attention of the Mute Master, whose letter of approval she must obtain in only one month. Despite the fact her roommate Ansel has been living there for five years and has received no private lessons whatsoever, Celaena, being as childish and insufferable as ever, throws little snarky comments about how she should be getting more special attention because she's such a BIG BAD ASSASSIN. I've read FIVE books about her and I still don't see even a tiny notion about her actual skills. There is only telling and no showing and it's making me nauseous.
The writing style is as simple as ever. It doesn't necessarily mean it's bad, but it lacks some lyrical or rather poetical elements, humor and generally some witty dialogues. Or maybe I'm just used to more developed characters and stories. The overall impression is simply... lazy like Maas wrote it in two hours.
It seems almost impossible that I adored Celaena in Throne of Glass since she represents all the boring clichés of YA heroine. Again, she shows all shades of vanity, egotism, and arrogance. In addition, her reactions don't really show us the world-class assassin, only a 17-year-old attention whore. Probably the best quote in the whole series so far is Ansel's "You’re just a spoiled, selfish bitch.”
April 6, 2023
Sarah J Maas did it again. This woman is so talented. She proved to us that she can write a short book too with so much action, plot twists, emotions, and the list goes on. This novella was surprisingly so good. I enjoyed every single word of it. Celaena my girl was so strong and brave. I LOVE HER! MY BADASS!
“𝘈 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵?” 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘰𝘹 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘤. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘺. “𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦.” 𝘈 𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘮 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦. “𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸,” 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵.
“𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘵—𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸, 𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵. 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘈𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺—𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦”
“𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘦𝘯𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘪𝘵.𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘮 𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘺𝘯𝘯'𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘚𝘢𝘮 𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘈𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘺𝘯𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯:'𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶!'𝘚𝘢𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘵. 𝘏𝘦'𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵. 𝘈𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.”
(っ◔◡◔)っ Ok, I need more Sam! WHERE IS HE?
“𝘈 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵?” 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘰𝘹 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘤. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘺. “𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦.” 𝘈 𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘮 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦. “𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸,” 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵.
“𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘵—𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸, 𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵. 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘈𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺—𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦”
“𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘦𝘯𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘪𝘵.𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘮 𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘺𝘯𝘯'𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘚𝘢𝘮 𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘈𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘺𝘯𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯:'𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶!'𝘚𝘢𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘵. 𝘏𝘦'𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵. 𝘈𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.”
(っ◔◡◔)っ Ok, I need more Sam! WHERE IS HE?
March 6, 2024
“No estoy segura de querer que todo vuelva a ser como antes y creo que…eso es lo que más me asusta”.
¿He tardado un buen par de semanas en leerlo a pesar de su corta extensión? Sí.
¿Me costaba horrores pasar la página o capítulo? Sí.
¿Sigo quemada de la última vez que intenté leer la saga junto a otros factores externos? Probablemente.
Ahora la pregunta es: ¿realmente me ha gustado el relato? La verdad es que sí. Después de haberlo pensado en frío, no ha estado mal, peca de sencillo y de otras cosas, pero en general está decente. No diré que me cae ya bien la protagonista, pero menos mal que está teniendo pequeñas dosis de realidad.
Volveré a los relatos pero necesito un descanso y mentalizarme.
¿He tardado un buen par de semanas en leerlo a pesar de su corta extensión? Sí.
¿Me costaba horrores pasar la página o capítulo? Sí.
¿Sigo quemada de la última vez que intenté leer la saga junto a otros factores externos? Probablemente.
Ahora la pregunta es: ¿realmente me ha gustado el relato? La verdad es que sí. Después de haberlo pensado en frío, no ha estado mal, peca de sencillo y de otras cosas, pero en general está decente. No diré que me cae ya bien la protagonista, pero menos mal que está teniendo pequeñas dosis de realidad.
Volveré a los relatos pero necesito un descanso y mentalizarme.
September 18, 2020
Ok, Celaena-- I see you maturing and getting stronger. Ansel however 🧐
October 6, 2012
OH MY FREAKIN GOOOOOOOOOD!!!! Celaena Sardothien, you just kicked Katniss Everdeen from her throne as my favorite kickass YA protagonist! This novella is just - AWESOME!!! And geez, its just a novella! What more with the book! I don't think I'll love Celaena more than I already do! But helll, I REALLY miss Sam here. I wish to see more of him with the succeeding novellas! I CAN'T WAIT ANY LONGER!!! Oh God, let it be May 1 when I wake up tomorrow so that I can read the 3rd novella! (kiddin') hihi. :)))
December 27, 2022
The most thrilling amongst all
October 29, 2017
Oh, my goddess! How does Sarah do it, one after one?
I mean, these novellas are amazing!
I can't stop repeating that Sarah J. Maas always surprise me. I mean, honestly, When I read a book, I tend to understand the plot and it's not a surprise the plot twist because I see it coming. But with SJM's books, I'm always surprised and I think that's why I enjoy so much her books.
I really like Celaena. She's so complex and I really admire how Sarah keeps giving us a lot of complex characters.
I finally have a proper flashback for the moment that Arobynn beaten up Celaena. And OMG you guys, I totally ship Sam and Celaena, and I know that she don't end up with him -Thanks, Diana XD- but right now I'm totally fine with him and that's probably because I haven't see him a lot.
So, yeah Sarah J. Maas, you did it again, you have me shipping this guy.
I mean, Sam shouted Arobynn that he was going to kill him. And good lord, I don't have words because he had to see how Celaena was beaten up by Arobynn.
And here I was, thinking that Arobynn was good with Celaena.
And when the plot twist happened I WAS SHOCK!! I MEAN, SARAH KEEPS DOING THIS!! SURPRISING ME, EVERY FREAKING TIME!! That woman is so talented.
So, in summary, I really like these novellas. Till the moment, this one is my favorite.
January 5, 2025
the assassin and the desert ⋆ pre-read
↳ started on 01.02.24
꒰🌵꒱ this has been a pretty interesting collection of prequels so far, i'm excited to see what's in store for Celaena (I think...?) even tho she's pretty arrogant. ngl, if I was celaena I'd act like her too if I was in her position. who wouldn't want everyone to know that you're the strongest woman in the nation?
↳ started on 01.02.24
꒰🌵꒱ this has been a pretty interesting collection of prequels so far, i'm excited to see what's in store for Celaena (I think...?) even tho she's pretty arrogant. ngl, if I was celaena I'd act like her too if I was in her position. who wouldn't want everyone to know that you're the strongest woman in the nation?
January 28, 2016
MAMMA MIA!
September 4, 2020
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This one was one of my favorite Novellas! Celaena ventures to the Red Dessert as punishment to train with the Silent Assassins. I adored the Mute Master and even though we dont really see much interaction between him and the assassins of his guild, you can still tell that he treats them properly. Unlike Arobynn.
Celaena worked hard to get her letter of recommendation and met some new friends on the way. Most importantly, Ansel. I was intrigued by her story and I know that she comes in the later Throne of Glass books (which I haven’t reached just yet) so it should be interesting to see where life has brought her since then.
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"The Lord of the North".
"Why does he get a fancy title?"
"Because the stag remains constant—no matter the season, he's always there".
"Why?"
"So the people of Terrasen will always know how to find their way home. So they can look up at the sky, no matter where they are, and know Terrasen is forever with them"
This one was one of my favorite Novellas! Celaena ventures to the Red Dessert as punishment to train with the Silent Assassins. I adored the Mute Master and even though we dont really see much interaction between him and the assassins of his guild, you can still tell that he treats them properly. Unlike Arobynn.
Celaena worked hard to get her letter of recommendation and met some new friends on the way. Most importantly, Ansel. I was intrigued by her story and I know that she comes in the later Throne of Glass books (which I haven’t reached just yet) so it should be interesting to see where life has brought her since then.
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November 3, 2018
2018
I can't believe the impact these re-reads are having on me. I absolutely, with my whole heart, totally enjoyed this even more so than I remembered all those years ago. I love Celaena, I love what she was and what she is about to become... this journey is still breathtaking!
2012
Oh My!!
I feel I have seen Celaena grow through this book and I am dying to know more about what is going to happen. I have questions about Sam at this point and I am still connected to the last story through this one...
This time I'm left feeling quite sad but excited to press on...
I can't believe the impact these re-reads are having on me. I absolutely, with my whole heart, totally enjoyed this even more so than I remembered all those years ago. I love Celaena, I love what she was and what she is about to become... this journey is still breathtaking!
2012
Oh My!!
I feel I have seen Celaena grow through this book and I am dying to know more about what is going to happen. I have questions about Sam at this point and I am still connected to the last story through this one...
This time I'm left feeling quite sad but excited to press on...
April 25, 2020
I love Celaena!❤
January 12, 2019
My favorite among the five novellas. Deep, and powerful. I'm happy to read a female friendship that doesn't includes girl hating and shaming. Loved Ansel, in despite of everything.
I reviewed it as a part of the bindup The Assassin's Blade, you can read it here: http://abookandateacup.blogspot.com/2...
I reviewed it as a part of the bindup The Assassin's Blade, you can read it here: http://abookandateacup.blogspot.com/2...
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