Fairytale Reader: Review: The Assassins Blade by Sarah J Maas

THE ASSASSINS BLADE BY SARAH J MAAS
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Format: Hardcover
Series: Throne of Glass #0.1 - 0.5
Pages: 435
Date Finished: 21.07.15
Rating: 5/5
Summary: Celaena Sardothien is her kingdom's most feared assassin. Though she works for the powerful and ruthless Assassin's Guild, Celaena yields to no one and trusts only her fellow killer for hire, Sam.

When Celaena's scheming master, Arobynn Hamel, dispatches her on missions that take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, she finds herself acting independently of his wishes—and questioning her own allegiance. Along the way, she makes friends and enemies alike, and discovers that she feels far more for Sam than just friendship. But by defying Arobynn's orders, Celaena risks unimaginable punishment, and with Sam by her side, he is in danger, too. They will have to risk it all if they hope to escape Arobynn's clutches—and if they fail, they'll lose not just a chance at freedom, but their lives...

I've read The Assassins Blade three times now, and I honestly think that it gets better and better with each reread. Even though I already reread the entire series back in March, I'm participating in the #ReadThroneofGlass readalong (for more info, click here). All I can say is that this book is good enough to still keep me on my toes even though I already knew exactly what was happening.

“This girl wasn't like wildfire - she was wildfire . Deadly and uncontrollable. And slightly out of her wits.”

Straight away I need to say how utterly in love I am with each and every one of the characters. I know this is a big claim to make but out of all the books I have ever read, Celaena Sardothien is my favourite character. In The Assassins Blade we get to see her in her full, badass glory and I love it. I love that she's morally ambiguous, that she'd do anything to protect the people she loves, that she likes the theatre and books and shopping, but most of all I love her because despite it all she's completely and utterly human. Even though it isn't as grand as it is in Heir of Fire, the character arc that goes on in The Assassins Blade is just as wonderful as it is heartbreaking.

“She was fire, she was darkness, she was dust and blood and shadow.”

In The Assassins Blade we get to see the complexity of Celaena's relationship with Arobynn Hamel, the king of the assassins. I hope that it gets explored more in Queen of Shadows but it's so fascinating as well as a little messed up. Actually, the relationships between all the characters are complex. Everything is so damn intentional and when reading this for a third time I could just see how much care Maas put into this book.

I also need to mention that I absolutely love Capain Rolfe, the pirate lord that Celaena meets in the first novella. I really hope that we see him again in later books because his character is just as amazing as he is despicable.

"I have no name," she purred. "I am whoever the keepers of my fate tell me to be."

Another thing I need to mention is that Sarah J Maas' attention to detail is bloody brilliant. Having read the entire series it's so cool to read this book and find phrases and sentences that foreshadow future events or give hints to Celaena's past. Everything is so purposeful and it makes my heart break for Celaena even more. I just love her, okay?

I cried whilst reading this book, but not at the point you might think. I think I'm the only person in the world who likes Sam but doesn't love him. Don't hurt me. No, I cried in that very last chapter. Right now I'm a teary mess, so much so that my mascara is currently on my chin. I regret nothing.

"Pine and snow and lazy, golden summers--a city of light, and music in the shadow of the Staghorn Mountains. She must stand."

The last time I read The Assassins Blade I flew through it in one sitting. This time I took it much slower and that gave me the chance to notice exactly how beautiful Maas's prose is. I'm in utter awe over how talented a writer she is. I felt like I too was amidst dust and dunes in the Red Desert, or sitting in that infernal tavern in Innish. I'm just so jealous of her skill, to be honest.

Some of my favourite parts were when Celaena and Ansel rode the Asterion horses, that final chapter, both sewer scenes, and when Celaena meets Rolfe for the first time. Oh, also every other page.

"So the people of Terrasen will alway know how to find their way home, she'd once told Ansel as they lay under a blanket of stars and traced the constellation of the stag. So they can look up at the sky, no matter where they are, and know Terrasen is forever with them."

I know this review is entirely praise, though if I'm honest I couldn't say anything else. It's not a perfect book because nothing is, but this series is so close to my heart that I can't really say anything other than how amazing it is and how much Celaena's story means to me.

If you haven't read this book yet, please do. It's just so damn badass. This is the third time I've read The Assassins Blade and I promise that it won't be the last.