The Assassin's Blade

The Throne of Glass Novellas

By: Sarah J. Maas

Narrated by: Elizabeth Evans

Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Bloomsbury presents The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas, read by Elizabeth Evans.

The twist of a knife. The birth of a legend.

Step into the world of the #1 bestselling Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas with this collection of prequel novellas.

Celaena Sardothien is her kingdom’s most feared assassin. Though she works for the powerful Assassin’s Guild and its scheming master, Arobynn Hamel, she yields to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam. But when Arobynn dispatches her on missions that take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, Celaena finds herself acting independently of his wishes and questioning her own allegiance.

If she hopes to escape Arobynn’s clutches, Celaena will have to put her faith in her wits and her blade...knowing that if she fails, she’ll lose not just a chance at freedom but her life.

A prequel to the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass, this collection of five novellas explores the history of this cunning assassin and her enthralling—and deadly—world.

Included in this volume:

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord

The Assassin and the Healer

The Assassin and the Desert

The Assassin and the Underworld

The Assassin and the Empire

©2014 Sarah J. Maas (P)2021 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Critic reviews

"Fans and libraries will delight in having this gorgeous edition of the interconnected stories. Action-packed and full of insight into Celaena’s character.... What a ride!" (Booklist)

A compelling and engaging story

I have previously read this book in physical format, and listening to it was just as enjoyable. The story gives key insight into Celaena’s character at the beginning of her journey, and all the joys and heartbreak that she experiences along the way pull at the heart and make you root for her. Well-written characters, descriptive but not flowery writing, foreshadowing for what’s to come later in the series, engaging plot and emotion that draws you into the story all make this a compelling tale. Elizabeth Evans’ performance was enjoyable to listen to also, and I felt she did a good job with the emotion and all the different voices - with the exception of some of her male voices, which I felt were a bit over-the-top dramatic. Overall, a very good book; I would recommend!

A Good Introduction

I felt like this was a good introduction into the massive TOG series. I have read ACOTAR and this, so far, is MUCH different. Velar s is definitely someone I wouldn’t want to mess with and just know there has to be more in store for her. The different segments that make up this book are interesting and tell a good back story. I did find a few tidbits repetitive and was surprised there was no magic. I have a hunch magic will come into play eventually, so this one is definitely different!

Must read before the Throne of Glass Series

Typically I don’t read the supplemental materials but this was really good and provided useful background.

Read this one first !

I waited to read this book until after heir of fire and I wish I hadn’t done that!! This book provides a lot of important background to future people and events in the next books. I loved this one! Took me back to the first book and who Celaena was. Such great narration and writing. I’m absolutely loving this series!

Sarah is An amazing writer

I’m late to this series and started with ACOTaR and found my way here. But it’s amazing and I’m only on book one. Classic SJM

Love these books

Love these books and stories but the reader has like 2 voices and her male voices are weird. But i love these stories and I’m glad I can listen while i do house work

Great intro to The Throne of Glass series.

I have read The Throne of Glass series twice and never read this book. I'm glad I finally decided to read it! Definitely worth it, especially after finishing the series because it brings a lot of thongs together and gives more detail on the set up of the last two books.

Why did I not read this sooner?

I loved, and cried, and loved this book. All I will say is that you have to read or listen to this. It is great

Be prepared to have a heavy heart

I am a big fan of the ACOTAR series so I decided to try this one. From what I already knew the series is a slow burn, but even so reading this had me filled with every emotion. I was excited to be able to listen when I got the chance. On the way to work, doing dishes or laundry, cleaning, etc. Audio books help me get boring things done. I’ve already downloaded the next of the series. I love the voice of this one as well, reminds me of Selena Gomez actually! Beautiful and raspy.

Background adds so much more depth!

Love the background stories! It was hard to stop after Heir of Fire and go backward but all the characters mean so much more now!