The third and fourth novellas were my favorites

Amazing beginning to a new series.  I have not read the Throne of Glass series yet, but being a fan of her other books (ACOTAR & CC) and after deep book talks with my book bestie ….. it was time to tackle this series.  She recommended starting with this book first (many opinions out there on where to start the series) as she said things will happen later in the TOG series that will bring these short stories back to memory and cause a bigger OMG moment.  The Assassins Blade is the prequel to the TOG series and includes (4) short stories of which are very “surface level” compared to the deep dives you see in her other books.  However, from what I hear, that is coming with the TOG series.  The short stories are great and I fell in love with the FMC immediately.  Tough as nails and takes no crap from anyone with attitude (love it). This book grabbed my attention with the first page and kept me turning the pages.  If you’ve enjoyed Sarah J. Maas or if it’s your first read, don’t miss out on this one.  Happy reading! 

I know there are a few options of when to read this book in the lineup. I read this after Heir of Fire.

I'm glad I chose to read it now, after seeing some of Celaena's character development. It took a little perseverance to go back to the old Celaena, with the unchecked anger, rash decisions, and naivety. It would have been much harder to get through if I hadn't had a glimpse of who she'd become.

I get that there's some important backstory here, though. I'm guessing

the information about Arobynn's betrayal will be important in Queen of Shadows, and maybe Ansel will even make an appearance?

I really enjoyed this book, but I did dock a little bit for the last section (I got bored) and FOR THE ENDING.

LIKE WTH ARE U DOING KILLING SAM. I’m glad she ended strong though bc I was like girl you better STAND UP‼️‼️

It wasn’t my favorite think I’ve read, but I love Celaena’s strong character and perseverance. Also beware of content warning bc some descriptions left me nauseous 🙏🏻🙏🏻

Where I read the series in the 'purist' order last time, I've chosen to listen to the audiobooks in the 'romantic' order to see what affect that has on the emotional impact of Assassin's Blade. Indeed, this is the order endorsed by SJM herself! 

First and foremost, this is the best of the audios so far. I think the fact that the book is comprised of a series of novellas makes it that much more listenable as, while there are important plot points throughout, each individual story contains reminders of key moments. You're therefore less likely to miss things, but equally the reminders don't disrupt the flow of the current tale. As previously, I do think this is partially dependent on the speed at which you listen, but at the same time because we're looking at short stories there's also less opportunity for a lull in the action, which keeps you focused and the story moving.

There are also moments in this one that 'hit' better with the audiobook, particularly in the last novella. The narrator has a great grasp of exactly where pauses are required for dramatic effect, where the voice needs to be louder or quieter and so on. That being said, it did feel like she was perhaps starting to run out of different voices by the end of the book - just a few too many characters are sounding similar to other works of hers. 

This time around, I was able to pick up on  few nice little Easter Eggs within the stories that I didn't see before. For that reason alone, I can understand why this perhaps shouldn't be read first (even though the events occur before Throne of Glass). Likewise, I think for a first time reader, the emotional gut punch of this book would be better felt reading it after 'Crown of Midnight'. However, although it did forge a deeper connection to Sam for me, for my own personal enjoyment of the series I think I'm better off putting it up front. But then I'm not sure I'd have picked up on the Easter Eggs if I had listened to it first! It's a tough one to call!