Throne of Glass Novellas - Sarah J. Maas

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord / The Assassin and the Desert / The Assassin and the Underworld / The Assassin and the Empire by Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Publication Date: January 13, 2012 / March 30, 2012 / May 1, 2012 / July 20, 2012

Source/Format: Bought || Kindle e-books

As a big fan of Sarah J. Maas' Throne of Glass, I'm not exactly sure why I held off on reading all of the prequel novellas. Perhaps it's because, until fairly recently, I wasn't exactly enamored with the idea of novellas, especially because my past experience with them had left me feeling shortchanged and uncomfortable. They were great in theory, but they just didn't do it for me... until I read these and they blew me away. I had the privilege of reading them one after another, which was a really great idea (personally, anyway), and I can highly recommend these novellas to fans of the series or those wanting to see if they should check it out.

The novellas are prequels, and they all focus on Celaena's life before the events in Throne of Glass ever take place. They're actually interconnected, though each one can be read as a separate story. They're also best read in order, though I'm sure that if you pick up one of the ones in the middle, you won't be too lost.

What's really important, however, is that they give you a glimpse into who Celaena is, what she's capable of, and what her past was like. We learn a little more about Arrobyn, King of the Assassins, and a few of Celaena's fellow assassins, especially Sam Cortland (cue the swoons!). I loved getting extra insight into Celaena, mostly because I enjoyed reading about her in Throne of Glass, and I think Sarah did a wonderful job letting us see a few things that could have possibly influenced her attitude and actions in the actual novel.

(Let me just take a brief moment to say that after meeting Sam, I adore him. He's definitely someone I could see Celaena being in a relationship with, and not just because they're both assassins. He's just too irresistible. And wonderful. And sweet.)

What I also thought was commendable was that I didn't feel like I was missing something or didn't get enough of a story with each novella. Sarah managed to craft them in a way that made them each seem like one full story (although, obviously, they were short), complete with plots, secondary characters and interesting settings. I loved the writing, and was sucked right back into the world that I had visited in Throne of Glass.

All in all, I can say that the $0.99 (!) that I spent on each novella was definitely worth it to gain an extra insight into one of my favorite characters. The novellas succeeded in drawing me in and getting me more invested in Celaena's character, while also giving me new stories to tide me over during the wait for Crown of Midnight (which is releasing sometime this August!). Sarah's writing, combined with these things, made the Throne of Glass novellas winners in my book, and I can definitely see myself returning to read them time and again.

(P.S. If you have not yet read Throne of Glass, you may want to try reading the first of these novellas to "test the waters". It might sway you into wanting to read the rest of the series - since that's probably how I would have felt if I'd read the novellas first.)