810: Throne of Glass Prequels

In this episode, I was glad that I started Throne of Glass with the Novellas…

Friends, friends, friends.

Welcome back to Teatime Reading where there are books in progress.

So, up until recently, I had read two series by Sarah J Maas. There were the five books in A Court of Thorns and Roses, also known as ACOTAR and there was the Crescent City series which awaits its third book: House of Flame and Shadow.

I liked both series and there were numerous characters who I enjoyed learning about and spending time with. The spice level was high and the politics and world-building made both series extremely readable.

But I had one series left to read and that was Maas’ first: Throne of Glass. After doing some research I decided to start with the Novellas which were set before the titular first book in the series.

Put simply, I really enjoyed reading these five novellas. The Assassin and the Pirate Lord was an interesting look at the relationship between Celaena and Sam. It also sent them on a mysterious mission for their assassin boss: Arobynn Hamel and the resulting action was intense and exciting while revealing some of Celaena’s inner strength and moral fiber.

The Assassin and the Healer was probably the smallest and most nuanced in the five novellas but it was extremely moving to see Celaena from another person’s eyes. After the events of the previous novella, Celaena is on her way to the Red Desert as punishment and the introduction of Yrene Towers as a quiet girl with healing gifts was really nice to see.

This was probably my favorite of the five if I’m being honest.

The Assassin and the Desert along with novella four The Assassin and the Underworld were fine for different reasons. I got to see different layers of Celaena. I got to see more of her Assassin’s arrogance and the morals she holds dear. I saw her desire for friendship flow into her desire to do the right thing. Betrayals were a theme here and I really enjoyed the introduction of Ansel, who (as I’m writing from the future now) may or may not be a factor in the later novels.

I also got to see her at her most unpleasant. A specific scene near the end of Underworld comes to mind.  Knife-throwing is never an acceptable response to an insult, but I’ll discuss that in a future review in the series.

The Assassin and the Empire was devastating, even though I knew something bad was imminent. Arobynn Hamel was a fascinating through-line in these novellas, and his puppeteering was masterful. Finally, we get to the beginning of the main novels and the place where Celaena finds herself on page one of Throne of Glass.

Overall, I’m glad I read the series starting with the novellas as opposed to the publication order. I’ll never know exactly why my friend was shocked at my choice because I thought it worked well.

I definitely recommend them if you’re going to read Throne of Glass and its sequels.

Until next time, keep your bookmarks close.

Peace, Love, Pages.

Note: As Always, Affiliate Links are here for your convenience at no cost to you. All reading was at my own expense.