Hello! I am coming out with a book review for the first time in forever. This is more of a mini book review because this is a novella, but this will definitely not be spoiler-free, so I don’t advise you to continue reading past the synopsis. I loved this novella and I highly recommend it if you love the Throne of Glass series. This is a prequel novella to that series, and I think you should read it if you have read those books. I would give this novella a 90% on my scale. But let’s go ahead and get into the review!
***Warning: This review contains spoilers. If you wish to not know what goes on throughout this book, read the synopsis and don’t read any other part of this review.***
Synopsis:
“On a remote island in a tropical sea, Celaena Sardothien, feared assassin, has come for retribution. She’s been sent by the Assassin’s Guild to collect on a debt they are owed by the Lord of the Pirates. But when Celaena learns that the agreed payment is not in money, but in slaves, her mission suddenly changes—and she will risk everything to right the wrong she’s been sent to bring about.”
Characters:
Celaena Sardothien: our main protagonist, an assassin who has no tolerance for slavery. It is no surprise what she ends up doing in this novella. We see her developing relationship (or lack there of) with Sam Cortland and her belief in justice.
Sam Cortland: we finally meet this guy that we have heard in passing in the Throne of Glass books and I actually really liked his character. As much as he tries to act like a bit of a jerk, he actually is a nice guy, sort of. He is an assassin, after all. But I think he genuinely cares about Celaena, and I really liked how they developed a tentative friendship over the course of this novella.
Lord Rolfe: this guy is an asshat and I don’t like his character. I was happy with the way he ended up, though I would have preferred if he just died. I hate how he was dealing with slaves and he got exactly what he deserved. Celaena kicked his ass and made sure he never dealt in slaves again.
Plot:
In this novella, Celaena and Sam are sent to a deal with the pirate lord, Rolfe. They discover the deal with Arobynn is about slaves and they are both fiercely opposed to this. So Sam and Celaena hatch a plan to free the slaves and render the bargain void. After a vicious fight, Sam lifts this chain, allowing the slaves to escape off the boat into row boats and be free of him. Celaena is almost killed by Rolfe and she thinks Sam is dead. She gains the upper hand on him and forces him to sign agreements that he won’t ever do deals in slavery every again. Sam is actually fine and Celaena hugs him. They then set off for home (they also forced Rolfe to give them a ship).
My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this. I think it really gave us a perspective on Celaena’s values and that she didn’t forget who she was. She believed in justice and this really allowed us to see the human side of her. It was also refreshing to see Sam, a character that we had only heard about in the series. I think this really helped us understand who Celaena is and why she does what she does. The writing was fabulous as always, I really liked all of the characters and Sarah made a simplistic-seeming plot turn into a complex one. I really enjoyed this novella and am looking forward to the next one!
And that is going to be the end of this little review. I enjoyed this much more than I originally thought I would! What was your favorite scene? Other than the one where everything is going down. Mine was definitely that last scene where Celaena hugs Sam. I ship them even knowing everything that I do from the series. Sam gives Dorian, Chaol, and Rowan a run for their money in the relationship department, in my opinion. I like her with Sam way more than with the other men. But that is going to be it for this post today. Thank you all so much for reading this, I hope you enjoyed it, and I will see you next time.
The Perks of Being a Book Freak 