Before the salt mines, the world's deadliest assassin takes the jobs — and the love — that will cost her everything.
- Score
- 80.2
- Spice
- 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️Sweet
- POV
- third
- Ending
- HEA / HFN
Tropes
Content warnings
Curated signals, not an exhaustive guarantee.
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What readers think
Readers overwhelmingly praise the collection as emotionally devastating in the best way — the romance between Celaena and Sam is considered one of the most heartbreaking in the series, made more powerful precisely because readers already know the outcome. Celaena's moral complexity and moments of compassion (particularly toward slaves and the healer Yrene) are highlighted as some of Maas's strongest early characterisation. The villain Arobynn Hamel draws consistent praise as a masterfully written abuser. On the critical side, some readers find early novellas slow or the storylines uneven in quality, and a handful flag a 'white saviour' undertone in the pirate-lord novella. It is widely recommended to read after Crown of Midnight rather than first, as emotional impact is heavily dependent on series investment. Goodreads sits at approximately 4.2 stars from over one million ratings.
Read it if
- · Throne of Glass series readers who want the full emotional context for Celaena's trauma and motivations
- · Fans of tragic slow-burn romance with high emotional stakes and a predetermined heartbreaking end
- · Readers who enjoy morally complex heroines navigating abusive power dynamics and fighting for their freedom
Skip it if
- · You have not read Throne of Glass yet — the emotional payoff requires series investment to land
- · You want high spice or explicit romance content — this is kissing-level only
- · You dislike novellas or anthology formats — the five stories vary in pacing and depth
If you liked this
- · For fans of Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas who want Celaena's untold backstory before the salt mines
- · For fans of An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir — oppressive empire, morally grey assassins, agonising slow burn
- · For fans of The Cruel Prince by Holly Black — protagonist trapped in a dangerous world of power and manipulation
- · For fans of Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo — found-family dynamics, heist-style missions, and morally complex criminals
In this series
Part of Throne of Glass — read in order:
- ·The Assassin's Bladeyou’re here
- 1Throne of Glass
- 2Crown of Midnight
- 3Heir of Fire
- 4Queen of Shadows
- 5Empire of Storms
- 6Tower of Dawn
- 7Kingdom of Ash
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