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The Assassin's Blade
- The Throne of Glass Novellas
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Evans
- Series: Throne of Glass, Book 0.5
- Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins
- Categories: Teen & Young Adult, Literature & Fiction
Non-member price: $31.74
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HOLLY!!!! WHATTTT!!!????
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Editorial Reviews
Publisher's Summary
Celaena Sardothien is her kingdom's most feared assassin. Though she works for the powerful and ruthless Assassin's Guild, Celaena yields to no one and trusts only her fellow killer for hire, Sam.
When Celaena's scheming master, Arobynn Hamel, dispatches her on missions that take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, she finds herself acting independently of his wishes - and questioning her own allegiance. Along the way, she makes friends and enemies alike, and discovers that she feels far more for Sam than just friendship. But by defying Arobynn's orders, Celaena risks unimaginable punishment, and with Sam by her side, he is in danger, too. They will have to risk it all if they hope to escape Arobynn's clutches - and if they fail, they'll lose not just a chance at freedom, but their lives…
A prequel to Throne of Glass, this collection of five novellas offers listeners a deeper look into 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
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What listeners say about The Assassin's Blade
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Cody
- 27-02-2018
I COULDN'T STAND IT...
How she would yell the first few words then softly speak the rest. EVERY SENTENCE WOULD BE... The same. A PAUSE BETWEEN... The yelling and speaking
7 people found this helpful
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- stacey
- 06-10-2016
best books and boice actor!
omg! I love these books!!!!!!! the voice actor is the absolute best! I like the other series more but this was grrat to and gave the story more body anf now I want to listen to the other books all over again!
2 people found this helpful
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- Iann
- 07-03-2020
Captures ones inner fantasy
Started off slow i.e. I felt the characters were somewhat stereotype. The banter and wit from Celina felt cheesy and over the top at times and one almost felt feminist power being forced onto the character. However.....the story started to become captivating... the Celina character starts growing on you like getting to know someone... she starts to show vulnerability and you find yourself hoping that she does not loose dominance... you want her to be near superhuman. It ends leaving you almost flat and miserable.. I almost didn’t want to read the second book... but oh my how the second book compliments this first one... I love the subtle innocent sexual tensions and love the fact that it does not dominate the story... it is a pure, well written fantasy... and pleases those purest when it comes to fantasies. Great book... please make a movie with a great budget to compliment the characters and their unique and well developed personalities.
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 07-08-2019
loved it
I honestly love this whole series, I finished with assassin's blade and knowing what I do now it would have been nice to have read it sooner in the series. But I honestly love the whole story and the characters. The narrator did a great job.
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 25-11-2020
A great series, should be read first.
The Throne of Glass series is one of the best series I have ever read and listened to. Assassins blade really should be read first, it is a series of short novellas that introduces the main character and her adventures, and people she meets will come into play throughout the series, The narrator does a wonderful job narrating and it develops throughout the series as the main character matures.
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- Jade B
- 21-10-2020
The Assassin's Blade
This book is a great fantasy read. I was hooked from the start and devoured every word. A great read, I really enjoyed it.
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- Kindle Customer
- 04-03-2020
amazing
Omgod makes me wanna read the whole series from the start again because I know her tragic history in more depth now! great narration as usual. epic storytelling!
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- kamalesh
- 02-03-2020
unattractive main character but interesting story
the main character is 15 and behaves accordingly with unregulated emotions rollercoastering. what is concerning is, having already read the sequel to this, the girl shows not maturation of emotional development, remaining an impulsive and reactive young teenager, which, as someone who is more than 50 years out of adolescence, I found difficult to stomach such that i didn't care what happened to her.
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- Payne’s Bookworm Reviews
- 06-02-2020
Great introduction into this world
Book 0.1 - The Assassin and The Pirate Lord 3⭐️ The Assassin and The Pirate Lord is the first novella in The Assassins Blade book collection, which is a prequel to The Throne of Glass series. This is the first book I have read by Sarah J. Maas after be recommended it. I wasn’t sure which one to start. But I thought I’ll give this one a go as I love a good female assassin and would like to read about one. I did like getting to meet Celaena, this 16 year old assassin that is the best of the best, surpassing her peers. Sam was a whole other subject, I’m a little unsure of what to make of him, at the beginning of the book he seemed like he hated Calaena. So I’m waiting to see how things go with them. Celaena Sardothien a 16 year old female and was Adarlan’s Assassin, the right arm of Arobynn Hamel. Everyone knows of her but no one besides the Adarlan’s Assassin know who she really is or what she looks like. She is feared, and is always wearing her mask and cloak, which makes her look like a demon. Sent on a mission with fellow assassin Sam by the Assassin’s Guild to collect a debt owed by Lord of The Pirates Rolfe. But what Calaena thought was supposed to be payment in money turns out to be in slaves instead, her mission changes. She will risk everything including her life to right the wrong. Book 0.2 - The Assassin and The Healer 3⭐️ The Assassin and The Healer is the second novella in The Assassins Blade book collection, which is a prequel to The Throne of Glass series. Ok, I’m still really not sure what my thoughts are about this series as this is the second book I have read by this author. But being a novella they are not usually the best books to use to make the best decision on an authors writing skills and capability, so I will continue to finish these novellas and see how I go. After ruining the Assassin King’s slavery trade deal with the Pirate Lord in ‘The Assassin and The Pirate Lord’, Calaena is being sent to the Red Desert. Having had to wait two days for a ship to arrive at this port town Innish, Celaena is bored and itching for a fight. Sitting in the back of the inn wearing a hooded cloak, a ruby broach and weapons, she was hoping to catch the eye of someone wanting to steal her gold, weapons or broach she wore. Yrene Towers wanted to be a healer like her mother, had set off on a journey to get to Antica, where she could train at the Torre Cesme, the Great Academy for healers and physicians. But had ran out of coin and ended up at The White Pig Inn working as a barmaid where she had plan to make enough money to continue on her journey. On her last night before leaving Innish, Celaena finds Yrene in trouble with mercenaries behind the inn and saves her. As a parting at the end of the novella Celaena leaves a leather pouch on Yrene’s bed in hopes it will help her with her future. Book 0.3 - The Assassin and The Desert 3⭐️ The Assassin and The Desert is the third novella in The Assassins Blade book collection, which is a prequel to The Throne of Glass series. After ruining a deal between her Master and The Pirate Lord, Celaena Sardothien had been punished to travel to the Red Desert to train with The Silent Assassins to learn obedience and discipline. It had been two months since Celaena and another Assassin Sam Cortland had been sent to Skull’s Bay to claim an unknown payment of slaves. Not sitting well with it both Celaena and Sam helped release the slaves. But not without consequences to herself. After return back to the Guild her Master Arobynn Hamel had given her a beating, then sent her on this mission. Now a month later the bruises and cuts were healing on her face. After making it to the Hidden Fortress of The Silent Assassin’s, Celaena is introduced to Ansel, who would be her roommate whilst staying there. They soon become friends along with the Masters son Ilias and Mikhail. This book would have to be the best so far of the novellas that I have read. I loved the Mute Master, he is kinder than Arrobyn Hamel and treats his assassins better than Arrobyn ever will. The Silent Assassins are more of a brotherhood and worked together, they all seem to get along. No one ever seems to try out do the other unlike the Adarlan’s Assassins. Being sent to the Red Desert to be trained obedience and discipline might have been the best thing to happen to Celaena as the change of setting, atmosphere and Master allowed her to think about her life and treatment she was receiving from her Master whilst also improving her skills. Book 0.4 - The Assassin and The Underworld 3⭐️ I really enjoyed this book more. It seems the more I read from Sarah J. Maas the more I enjoy her work. The Assassin and The Underworld is the fourth novella in The Assassins Blade book collection, which is a prequel to The Throne of Glass series. Celaena Sardothien was finally back home to the Assassin Fort after being sent away to the Red Desert to train with the Mute Master of the Silent Assassins. With trunks full of gold to pay off the debt she owes to her master for her freedom, with her own apartment waiting. But she is unable to get the words out to tell Arobynn Hamel, he apologises and showers her with gifts. He even gives her a mission to help save some slaves. So wanting to trust her master and redeem herself after ruining the last mission he sent her on, Celaena is going to make sure that this one is a success. I do feel for Celaena, she has been dealt one bad hand after another. She doesn’t know anything better than what she has be told and shown from her master, she is supposed to be his successor but he hides things and is constantly lying to her. But then the way he lashes at her at the end, I just wanted to strangle in. But she is lucky she has Sam. When I first meet Sam in The Assassin and The Pirate Lord I wasn’t a fan of him. I felt like he was a snake in the grass waiting to strike. I did have a feeling that he did like Celaena but I thought he wanted power more. But as the book went on my feelings towards him changed. But then this book changed my opinion of him completely. He really does care for her and as it shows she does care about him as well. It’s young love, it’s sweet, innocent and beautiful. Arobynn is such a massive @#!+% hole, he treats both Celaena and Sam terrible and he lies and deceives them around every corner. Book 0.5 - The Assassin and The Empire 3⭐️ The Assassin and The Empire is the fifth novella in The Assassins Blade book collection, which is a prequel to The Throne of Glass series. A month after finally being free from her Master Arobynn Hamel, after paying her and Sam Cortland’s debt off, living in her own place away from the Guild, Celaena Sardothien thought things would work out. She’d walked away from her life as Arobynn’s protégée. A decision she did not regret especially not after he had betrayed her, he’d humiliated, lied, and used her. Then to top it off he used her money she paid to free herself to win Lysandra’s Bidding just to spite her. But now she wanted a fresh start to move away with Sam but she needed Arobynn’s blessing to do so, but what would it cost her this time to do so? I have been on the fence with these novella’s as I’m not real sure about how I feel. I’ve never really been a fan of novellas as I don’t feel that the story is able to be portrayed to its best ability when it’s limited on pages. But I do have to admit that as the books went along the stories did get better and better and more enjoyable. Celaena has grown so much on me over these past 5 novella’s at first I found her to be very immature, stuck up and very childish and erratic. But now as she has grown her eyes have opened and she isn’t just blindly following orders. She has gone through so much from loosing Ben a friend in the first book, being lied to about a debt collection, being beaten, sent to a desert, lied to again, betrayed, lost a loved one Sam 😭 and now set up and sent to the Salt Mines. How is she going to be able to get herself out of this mess? Noooo, not Sam. Just when I started to like him and enjoy having him around you go and do this to me...
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- Zak Cosgrove
- 16-05-2019
Great Beginings!
Deep story with memorable characters and that builds you a desire to follow the series... 😊
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- A.vega
- 05-09-2018
Remember this book is a "back story"
For those who have not read/listened to the rest of the books yet, you need to understand 1 thing about this book. This is her back story, this is when she was still a teenager, acting like a spoiled brat with a history of anger issues. The whole point of this book is so you can understand why she does something and who her allies are in the rest of the series. You get to understand why she is so broken in book 1. When I first started this series I had to stop listening to it for a while before I finally came back and gave it a chance. Sarah is character building through the whole series. You have to keep in mind this WHOLE series starts with her at 16 almost 17 and end with her in her 20 or almost 21(I believe). She is bringing this character to life, you will see her grow and learn from her mistakes and make more and learn from them again. The main character is whinny and emotional to the point of annoying but she is ridiculously kind hearted to a fault but doesn't like to show it so she puts on this "tough" face and try's to be someone deep down that she is not. You wont realize this so much in this book, but you will as the series continues and you watch her grow in the the amazing bada** person she is meant to be. I HATE whinny characters that are supposed to be strong people, and I usually will stop reading a book if the main character doesn't start "growing up" or learning from their mistakes quick enough. BUT that is NOT what is in this book, this is a BACK STORY. This is just so the other characters in the rest of the series have more dept, and it helps you realize why she has such a love/hate relationship with the "King of the Assassins". This audible book was not available when I got all of the other books in the series, so I had the privilege of knowing the story line before listening to this particular back story. You really could wait to listen to this one after the fact and still understand the rest of the series. This book just brings in the "AHHHH I get it now" when you hear the names of other characters in the story. Give this book a chance or at the very least save it for like the 5th or last one you read/listen to. It gives you time to understand the growth of the character that Sarah brings to this story. Still one of my favorite character development stories.
63 people found this helpful
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- irishred507
- 26-05-2014
Entertaining and annoying at the same time
Any additional comments?
As with all of the books in this series so far, I found the story to be good and entertaining, but Celaena's pride and anger are really grating! Maybe if I read the books, rather than listened to them with the narrators own interpretations and inflections, I might not find Celaena to be so hostile and prideful nearly every waking moment. Another thing I find silly is that she is supposed to be THE assassin, but yet she is so trusting of the wrong people and is so easily duped, and all the while she is not trusting the people that she should be. But those gripes aside, they are all good short stories and give you some insight into her life before becoming the King's Champion.
29 people found this helpful
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- N. Ross
- 26-08-2014
Interesting Story, I'm game.
I'm looking forward to starting Book 1 (this was Book 0.5). I downloaded the rest of the series, even preordered Book 4 (September 2) as well as the kindle versions. This is an interesting story about a young girl rescued & turned into an assassin. It's reminiscent of the tv show Nikita only w/ Kings, Queens and Kingdoms. I liked the idea of it all and found the story interesting.
My only confusion or thing I graple with is this young girl is an assassin, how is it w/ her caution, care & training does she not catch on to the betrayal she is delt. I give her a pass based upon the fact that she is 16 when this story starts. I'm hoping to see her mature through out these next books.
Performance: Please forgive me, I'm picky. I'm an Emma Galvin, Therese Plummer fan. Some review I've read dislike my chosen narrators. It's just me. I feel Evans read Celina a bit too snotty but the voice for her is perfect. Make sense? I don't like how nasty she reads her at times when I feel Celina may have been being defencive not a brat. Her male voices are awful. But I'm sticking w/the audible & kindle version as I enjoy the story. Evans isn't horrid perhaps not my cup of tea is all.
40 people found this helpful
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- Chris Atkins II
- 28-03-2019
I could not finish this book.
I found the main character lame. spoilers kinda. I find it hard to believe the same women that risked everything to free slave would turn around and say now that i have my freedom its ok you bought me some earrings. I realize this story is written by a woman , but find it offensive towards women and just poor character development.
4 people found this helpful
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- DLRV
- 11-03-2019
Not for Me
I love Sarah J. Maas novels but, this one was not for me. I tried several times to listen to it and just couldn't get interested. I don't recommend this one.
4 people found this helpful
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- Makoto Ichijoji
- 11-02-2015
Schlocky
I wanted action and got tricked into a romance. The protagonist was obnoxious with no redeeming qualities; her moments of grief or guilt felt disingenuous and did not convince me. Nothing about her screamed "world class assassin" as it seemed like luck and other people were responsible for her success or saving her life - making her narcissism even more unendurable. Then when the romance hit, the main characters all seemed to go stupid and saccharine.
Not my kind of fantasy novel ; it was not deep, exciting, nor did I learn or find a new perspective on the human condition.
39 people found this helpful
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- Itsuwari64
- 24-09-2016
Read this book first!
Audible recommended this series. I read some of the reviews but wasn't sure which book to start with. sometimes prequel s give away too much of the later books. not the case with The Assassin's Blade. The stories were riveting and gave some great insight into the characters and land. Maas is an excellent author. I didn't care for the narration but thats me. I don't care for most female narrators, give me a hot European everytime!
20 people found this helpful
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- JSM
- 17-06-2018
Sad day, I REALLY wanted to like it.
I picked this up because I love the ACOTAR series, but was in for a rude awakening as the characters are much different. As the writing style is the same the characters I have a hard time getting through. The main character is just not my cup of tea. Sad day I really wanted to like this.
3 people found this helpful
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- Mandy
- 22-04-2019
meh.
Hoping this series gets more interesting after this book. it was a bit of a snooze fest after listening to the ACOTAR series.
2 people found this helpful
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- Odette Schlageter
- 16-08-2018
Not bad of a book, horrible narrative.
The book is good enough. I could do without the cheese love parts but the action is actually cool. I intend to listen to the rest of the series despite the horrible narrator. beware, she is whinny, her voices are less than mediocre, and although she tries to add passion to the main character, she only sounds like a bratty child who is about to burst out crying.
2 people found this helpful
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- C
- 10-01-2017
love it
never fails to sucks you in and entertain. Sarah J Mass is an amazing author. I just can't get enough. The narrator is amazing and does the book justice
9 people found this helpful
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- Wooljunky
- 03-03-2016
Outstanding
I read this book ages ago but couldn't remember most of it. I love it. The narrator is Brilliant. Best YA Fantasy I heard in a long time.
8 people found this helpful
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- Farnham_red
- 21-05-2019
Dont read this book first!
This book is a selection of short stories which take place before book 1 but there is no world building or real character development here. I can understand why the reviewers who read this first are disappointed It is much better read after getting into the series - I listened after book 5 Empire of Storms but I would recommend reading it before as it gives good background to some characters who are introduced in this book. Ideally I would suggest reading it after book 3 or maybe book 2 but definitely no earlier The stories are all decent in their own right but you need to know more about Selina for them to make sense and they help with backgrounds to characters who really appear in books 5 and 6. Once you are already have been hooked on the series and know how things fit together then these stories are quite enjoyable. Narration is good and doesn't detract at all but nothing exceptional
5 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-11-2018
A great book ruined by an awful natator
Accessible story, maybe to accessible, time will tell. natator ruined the experience for me, some very strange accent choices.
3 people found this helpful
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- JenniferL
- 14-03-2018
Great Prequel to the Throne of Glass series
This book tells the story of how Celaena finds herself in Endovier, where she starts at the beginning of the Throne of Glass series. This is a great book, filled with shorter stories that build into a bigger picture of her journey through these younger years of her life. It's cleverly written and although you know where she will end it's still filled with intrigue and interest.
I listened to this book after Crown of Midnight which is the order they were published. This worked well for me. I know others have listened to it at different points or even first. I think knowing some of her story before listening to it makes it more interesting.
The narrator of this series is really good and I look forward to listening to more of the Throne of Glass series.
2 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 14-04-2020
Alt!
The stories were brilliant. Loved them. However the recording has a few errors which can be distracting and confusing. Eg there are times when a sentence will be repeated and a computerised voice will blurt out Alt!
1 person found this helpful
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- Lulu
- 21-05-2014
OK, Moderately Enjoyable
I was expecting a little more intrigue and depth but didn't get it. Don't get me wrong, it was an enjoyable read but I couldn't help getting irritated with this supposed mysterious heroine who acted way too much on careless impulse and emotion (dumb blonde). As such, less emphasis was placed on building-up a story with greater intellectual complexity or stimulation that would compel one to grab the sequel with enthusiasm...Not much effort was put into describing the world in which our heroine lives, and too many questions were left hanging (obviously to be answered in the sequels) leaving a shallow if not hollow story.. I don't feel compelled to find out whether the questions will be addressed in the sequels.. BUT, hands up to the narrator - she brought the book to life in a way that could not have been achieved by reading the book/hard copy. I've probably been too harsh in my review of this book, but, it didn't provide much basis flattery. I think, even if I was a YA, I'd have wanted a little more intrigue!!
7 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 05-01-2021
Awesome!
It's a good insight on Cele's past and what brought her to where she is. no mention of magic and abilities though..
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- Issy Jones
- 03-01-2021
love
love love love these books. definitely recommend, these books rocketed to the top of my favourite books.
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- Adam Willingale
- 01-12-2020
Repetitive
If she mentioned his body or his looks one more time... oh wait she did. One of the only books that I haven finished listening to.
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