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A review by shellballenger
The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas
3.0
Type of read: Lunch/Weekend Read.
What made me pick it up: Mass sucked me in with ACOTAR and now I just want more of the Maasverse and let's be honest, to prepare for the interconnection of all her literary worlds.
Overall rating: I have heard a ton of mixed reviews about 'The Assassin's Blade' and truth be told, I wasn't sure what order I should tackle the TOG series in because I had heard some say to start with 'Assassin's Blade' and others said to read in publishing order. I ultimately went with the order in which the books were placed in the box set I purchased, which had 'Assassin's Blade' first.
I do think because I was prepared for this one to suck that I may have been able to take it in a bit better than if I was going in blindly expecting it to be as amazing as my last Maas series (ACOTAR) or to live up to what I've heard the TOG books bring to the table. If you're coming to TOG world from ACOTAR world, this isn't as bad as ACOFAS but I got the vibe it was created to serve the same purpose: fill in some blanks, give you some backstory, and help you understand specific characters better. Honestly, I feel like whenever authors have to work backward to incorporate character development it's a tricky path - how do you continue to build out a character that people have already created impressions of? Again, that's why I'm happy I read this one first (I see what you did there box set coordinators).
Overall, I didn't hate 'Assassin's Blade.' As of right now, I find Celaena Sardothien to be annoying as all get out. But again, I'm trying to remind myself that she's 16/17 in this book and that I could come to like her more as a character (and I'm guessing FMC?) as the series progresses. Although, even with all of the annoying, stuck-up, holier-than-thou traits, I still want to read more and learn more about her and her world.
Reader's Note: 'The Assassin's Blade' includes graphic depictions of death and assault and minor conversations involving sex work.
What made me pick it up: Mass sucked me in with ACOTAR and now I just want more of the Maasverse and let's be honest, to prepare for the interconnection of all her literary worlds.
Overall rating: I have heard a ton of mixed reviews about 'The Assassin's Blade' and truth be told, I wasn't sure what order I should tackle the TOG series in because I had heard some say to start with 'Assassin's Blade' and others said to read in publishing order. I ultimately went with the order in which the books were placed in the box set I purchased, which had 'Assassin's Blade' first.
I do think because I was prepared for this one to suck that I may have been able to take it in a bit better than if I was going in blindly expecting it to be as amazing as my last Maas series (ACOTAR) or to live up to what I've heard the TOG books bring to the table. If you're coming to TOG world from ACOTAR world, this isn't as bad as ACOFAS but I got the vibe it was created to serve the same purpose: fill in some blanks, give you some backstory, and help you understand specific characters better. Honestly, I feel like whenever authors have to work backward to incorporate character development it's a tricky path - how do you continue to build out a character that people have already created impressions of? Again, that's why I'm happy I read this one first (I see what you did there box set coordinators).
Overall, I didn't hate 'Assassin's Blade.' As of right now, I find Celaena Sardothien to be annoying as all get out. But again, I'm trying to remind myself that she's 16/17 in this book and that I could come to like her more as a character (and I'm guessing FMC?) as the series progresses. Although, even with all of the annoying, stuck-up, holier-than-thou traits, I still want to read more and learn more about her and her world.
Reader's Note: 'The Assassin's Blade' includes graphic depictions of death and assault and minor conversations involving sex work.