This book is very good though it took me a while to really get into it. It's not as good as the ACOTAR series so far, but the last 150p were very intense and thrilling. I cannot wait to start reading the next one.

if you're sensitive you'll be crying by the end of the book

Slower than the other tog books but definitely a necessary book. I read it as #3 in the series so I already knew the fmc. But this gave me some background and insight. 

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 don't remember reading this book when I did and I probably read it after the full series was complete in my first time reading 6 years ago.)

First off, I am reviewing this book as a prequel rather than novellas because the individual short stories come together as 1 larger story. it shows the people, reasons, and events that lead Celaena to the Endovier Salt Mines.

This time I read it in the order Sarah J. Maas recommended, which is to read this after Crown of Midnight (Book #2). Reading the prequel/novellas made so much more sense since you understand Celaena and it helps you see why she makes decisions in the way she does. You also see some important context to characters and events that were mentioned in the first 2 books. If I remember correctly, some of the key characters in the short stories appear later on in the series.

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!

I’m not really sure what to say about this book. It isn’t the type of book that ive read before, but I really enjoyed it. It kept me hooked the whole way through. I couldn’t stop thinking about what would happen next. Even though Celina is an assassin, she still feels like the good guy.  liked how her and Sam ended up together, and I almost cried when he died. Which makes me hate Arobyn even more. I don’t understand how someone could treat a person like that. But now I get the hype over Sarah J Mass books and I can’t wait to read the next one !