The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas Review

SPOILERS!

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

Set across five novellas, Celaena Sardothien, Adarlan's greatest assassin, defies her master by freeing over 200 slaves-- and that's the easy part. Dealing with the consequences of her actions leads her around the continent-- training with the best, keeping an eye out for those who need protecting, and constantly putting herself at risk. After paying her dues and journeying back to Adarlan, Celaena can't help but notice that something has changed between her and Sam Cortland, the boy who's always been second best to her. But the problem with revealing a vulnerability for something is that it can be used against you. As Sam and Celaena make plans to decide their own fate, their entire world comes crashing down around them.

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.

REVIEW

Hi, that summary was cute and all but I don't think I'll ever be able to discuss this book, let alone think about it, without crying. I already KNEW how this book ends and it still utterly destroyed me. I sobbed-- legitimate covering-my-mouth-so-I-don't-alert-my-roomates sobs. I haven't cried so intensely over a character's death since reading Allegiant by Veronica Roth or The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.

"When we die," she said. "I don't think the gods will even know what to do with us." Sam glanced at her, a hint of amusement shining in his eyes. Celaena smiled at him, and the world, for one flickering heartbeat, felt right.

Despite all that, let's try to get through this, shall we?

Here's my personal situation in relation to these novels: I read Throne of Glass about a year ago and loved it-- I read the first three books in the series but then fell off the wagon and now can only barely remember what happened. Also, for some reason, I thought The Assassin's Blade had come out after ToG so I wanted to read the books in accordance with their publication dates. That was silly and also I was wrong about the dates because TAB came out first. Long story short, I really want to get through this series so I decided to go back and start again, this time ALL the way at the beginning. However, since I've already read ToG, I knew about Sam's death. I really, truly thought that it wouldn't affect me much since I was already aware. I figured that I knew well enough not to become attached to him. Oh man, I'm stupid! Somehow, it is more difficult to read a novel already knowing who will die than it is to be surprised by it. The characters become even more precious to you when you know you don't have much time left with them. ESPECIALLY, when Sarah J. Maas continues to throw in little "we'll have forever together!" lines ALL THE TIME, KNOWING WHAT SHE'S ABOUT TO DO!

He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Because I love you!" Her mouth fell open. "I love you," he repeated, shaking her again. "I have for years. And he hurt you and made me watch because he's always known how I felt, too. But if I asked you to pick, you'd choose Arobynn, and I. Can't. Take. It."

On to the other things, now: I really enjoyed looking back on the things Celaena has done and experienced so that I can understand her better in the future books. As someone who had only known her in Throne of Glass, the information we get here is vital. We see an in depth look at her relationship with Arobynn, what happened with the Silent Assassins, tiny details about her background in Terrasen, and also, of course, how she got into Endovier (a place where people typically die within a month due to the brutality and harsh conditions). Also, she's been through hell and back and is literally seventeen years old. Learning about her journey here is beneficial and definitely should be read before officially starting the series.

Real quick-- the FIGHTING! I love a kick-ass fight scene-- who doesn't?-- so I am feeling extremely fulfilled after these novellas. I would give anything to see these fights in action because they're written like elegant dances. I like to see it all play out in my head but I would love to see it onscreen.

"You want to hear something ridiculous? Whenever I'm scared out of my wits, I tell myself: My name is Sam Cortland... and I will not be afraid."

Before I read any of these books, I discovered this quote somewhere on a twitter account dedicated to book quotes. I've written this on my mirror before, having no knowledge of the series but having such an intense connection to these words. As I've mentioned in previous posts, courage is something I struggle to find within myself on a day to day basis, and that's why I value it so much. Quotes like this that acknowledge fear and show people working to push through it truly touch my soul. So, reading these words that I've deeply loved for so long and now knowing the speaker's fate... I think maybe that's why Sam's death hurt me so badly, because I already knew him, in a way, so he didn't feel fictional.

Maas has a beautifully painful way of shredding your heart to bits while also pushing you back up to battle again. I've rarely seen other works that make me say I would fight for that the way that hers do. I'm the kind of person who would just rather die than go through a zombie apocalypse because it just seems like torture and a lost cause. Why put myself through such an event, right? But the things that happen in Maas's books demand justice-- these are good people she's writing about and they deserve to be happy. So while I think part of me would want to cower and give up if I was Celaena, I also know that a bigger part of me would stand up and fight back.

But she squared her shoulders. Straightened her spine. "My name is Celaena Sardothien," she whispered, "and I will not be afraid." The wagon cleared the wall and stopped...She let them grab her, let them pull her from the wagon. I will not be afraid. Celaena Sardothien lifted her chin and walked into the Salt Mines of Endovier.

NEXT READ: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas