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.

My Thoughts

After reading quite a bit of the series, it’s really great to take a slight step back to see what Celaena was like when she was Adarlan’s Assassin – the most deadly out there.  What we have in this first prequel is the story of Celaena with Sam – in Skull Bay, where they’ve been sent on a recovery mission from Arobbyn, but where they learn that the task they were told about isn’t the task at all.

What i like about this though is that we see there’s an emotional side and a very human side to Celaena at this point in the story – it’s 8 years post the disappearance of magic, and we see that while she’s not thrilled with who’s in control of her life, she’s able to have a bond with some.

It’s also really interesting to see how things were between her and Sam, since we kept reading about him in the main installments, and here, they are clearly not in the same place – although you can see hints of what’s to come.

These novellas are really great, especially since the main books are soo long and really deep.  Sometimes it’s nice to have this snackable content – knowing that there’s something big coming up.

On that note – i’m going to dive into the next one shortly.  Enjoy!