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A review by bibliorama
The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Enjoyment - 5
Really solid stories and interesting characters. Their personalities were pretty clear and didn't waver. All five of the short stories were entertaining. It took me about a week to finish, which is fast for me especially considering how busy this past week was. I enjoyed this collection more than Throne of Glass, but I'll do a reread of that and see if my original score stays.
Start - 4
The Assassin and the Pirate Lord was a good start to the journey that Celaena goes through. She feels quite young at the beginning compared to the end. This gets a 4 though because this novella was my least favorite of the bunch. Least favorite in character interactions, but I enjoyed the setting and descriptions so it gets a 4.
Characters - 5
The character personalities were again clear and understandable. My favorite interactions where in the Assassin and the Underworld novella. Celaena and Arobynn's relationship is so complicated and every interaction between the two of them is charged. The characters were one of my favorite parts.
Atmosphere - 4
Overall the descriptions were very clear and I could picture each environment Celaena found herself in. I just can't help that deserts usually make me not as interested. (Maybe it's just leftover bitterness from those first 100 pages of Nevernight).
Plot - 5
Each short story was succinct and moved Celaena forward to her ending/beginning. The plot kept me entertained without droning on. It was just enough info given to understand where it was going without dragging out the pace.
Ending - 5
Ending was great and painful. You could see it coming, but that made the tension of waiting for the final domino to fall more impactful.
Style - 3
This gets the least amount of stars from me, not because the writing was bad, it just wasn't trying to do anything different or amazingly unique. This story didn't need highly stylized writing though, so don't think the rating I gave it means I think it's bad. I just think it's straightforward, which probably helped make it such a fast read.
Overall - 4.5 stars
Rankings of the short stories from favorite to least favorite. They all were pretty solid and interesting.
1. The Underworld
2. The Empire
3. The Desert
4. The Healer
5. The Pirate Lord
Really solid stories and interesting characters. Their personalities were pretty clear and didn't waver. All five of the short stories were entertaining. It took me about a week to finish, which is fast for me especially considering how busy this past week was. I enjoyed this collection more than Throne of Glass, but I'll do a reread of that and see if my original score stays.
Start - 4
The Assassin and the Pirate Lord was a good start to the journey that Celaena goes through. She feels quite young at the beginning compared to the end. This gets a 4 though because this novella was my least favorite of the bunch. Least favorite in character interactions, but I enjoyed the setting and descriptions so it gets a 4.
Characters - 5
The character personalities were again clear and understandable. My favorite interactions where in the Assassin and the Underworld novella. Celaena and Arobynn's relationship is so complicated and every interaction between the two of them is charged. The characters were one of my favorite parts.
Atmosphere - 4
Overall the descriptions were very clear and I could picture each environment Celaena found herself in. I just can't help that deserts usually make me not as interested. (Maybe it's just leftover bitterness from those first 100 pages of Nevernight).
Plot - 5
Each short story was succinct and moved Celaena forward to her ending/beginning. The plot kept me entertained without droning on. It was just enough info given to understand where it was going without dragging out the pace.
Ending - 5
Ending was great and painful. You could see it coming, but that made the tension of waiting for the final domino to fall more impactful.
Style - 3
This gets the least amount of stars from me, not because the writing was bad, it just wasn't trying to do anything different or amazingly unique. This story didn't need highly stylized writing though, so don't think the rating I gave it means I think it's bad. I just think it's straightforward, which probably helped make it such a fast read.
Overall - 4.5 stars
Rankings of the short stories from favorite to least favorite. They all were pretty solid and interesting.
1. The Underworld
2. The Empire
3. The Desert
4. The Healer
5. The Pirate Lord
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail