Book Title: The Assassin and the Desert
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #o.2
Series: Throne of Glass #o.2
Date Started: June 23rd 2013
Date Completed: June 24th 2013
Genres: Action, Thriller, Fantasy, Romance
Rating: Five stars
Review:
Once again, I'm incredibly impressed with Maas' writing in such a small collection of pages; there's a fully fledged and developed plot in this novella and the characters change and act realistically and there's plot twists and action, and romance, and inner monologues and learning and brilliant descriptions and exciting events and everything. I really, really love Sarah J. Maas' work.
The Assassin and the Desert is set right after the prequel novella The Assassin and the Pirate Lord, where Celeana and Sam manage to free a load of slaves from captivity. After returning back to their master and mentor, Arobynn, both are shocked when he reacts violently at his lose of money and beats Celeana into unconsciousness. When she wakes again, the assassin has been told she must travel to the Mute Master of the Southern deserts and train with him for a month to recieve his letter of approval to be reaccepted into her master's house. But when she reaches the palace, she has trouble getting to grips with the ways of her new lodgings and can't avoid getting into trouble along the way. But there's something a lot more sinister hidden behind the sandy dunes than just a rivalry between the local ruler and the assassins...
Sarah J. Maas' writing is superb: quick, fluid and action-packed. Every word flows into the next perfectly and the rhythm is so consistent you never find yourself confused or bored. Her action sequences are jaw-droppingly effective and imaginable, yet she can still write slower passages. She can convey the emotions of the characters very well, despite the book being narrated in the 3rd person, and I feel really connected to their personalities as well - even though I've literally only read two short novellas, I already know the characters well enough to predict what they're going to do, and understand their choices and opinions. And there's still a lot I don't know about them, so I'm not disinterested.
The story was very original, like all her stories, and I found myself hanging on every word and wanting to know what happened next all the time. I really liked the unpredictable start that threw off the reader from what they knew and transported them into new and dangerous territory before the main plot had even begun. It left us wanting to know more and also showed how Celeana was likely feeling - which made us emphasise with her even more.
The ending was good. Very good. I'm not quite sure how Celeana is such a famous and deadly assassin and yet she still hesitates before killing, but perhaps that's just her character and is explained more in the actual book - I shall have to find out for myself. But I thought it was all very well written and carried out; not predictable and not repetitive.
Every chapter was different, and the story moved quickly, but still gave the reader time to notice how the people and events were developing and spiralling into something a lot more uncontrollable.
I really love Celeana. I think she's an absolutely brilliant protagonist: not only is she kick-ass, sarky and beautiful, but she admits she's wrong and reckless - but still make human mistakes. She's so much more real to me this way; people make mistakes, admit them, and then make them again. It's just how we function. And I love the fact that Celeana's so aware of this, yet still doesn't let it affect her too much. I find her funny and really interesting to follow in her adventures.
I wish Sam was in this one more! (But oh my god, the tiny bit he was in broke my heart.) I love Sam so much - he'd better be in the bloody main novel or I will kill something. I like Ansel, a lot. I thought there was something up with her, but Maas lures you into trusting her, just like Celeana is deceived.
I also kind of wish Ilais had a slightly bigger part, just because I think it could have become quite interesting about how she dealt with him and her feelings for other people.
The Mute Master was nothing like I expected him to be, but that worked so wonderfully well. We're obviously supposed to think of him as something like Arobynn; the threatening, powerful Assassin Lord - but he's actually far nobler and intelligent. I think that worked wonderfully.
There was always something happening and something to keep the audience interested, but even when the pace slowed a little and there wasn't much action or speech, Maas still manages to create a believable world that is enjoyable to read.
I'm once again surprised by how much detail and story can be fitted into under 200 pages. I don't know exactly how long this novella is without looking, but it's definitely not that much. Yet there's still so much plot and story that it's practically bursting at the seams with mystery and menace and everything you could want. I really really enjoy stories that involve thieves and assassins in far off, middle-eastern-esque worlds, but this is by far one of the best I've read. And this isn't even the proper thing yet.
I would recommend this novella to everyone. There's a load of astounding action in there, and mystery, fantasy and a little bit of romance too. It's perfect if you want to try out Maas' writing, and I really love learning a little bit about the characters before I go on to read the actual book - I can tell I'm already going to be attached and in love with the people and places before I open to the first page.
(In particular, if you're a fan of authors like Trudi Canavan or Laini Taylor, this book/novella is definitely for you. I find myself picturing Cery and Sonea from The Black Magician Trilogy many times.)
Image Source: http://www.bookchickcity.com/wp-content/
uploads/2012/07/the-assassin-and-the-desert.jpg
Once again, I'm incredibly impressed with Maas' writing in such a small collection of pages; there's a fully fledged and developed plot in this novella and the characters change and act realistically and there's plot twists and action, and romance, and inner monologues and learning and brilliant descriptions and exciting events and everything. I really, really love Sarah J. Maas' work.
The Assassin and the Desert is set right after the prequel novella The Assassin and the Pirate Lord, where Celeana and Sam manage to free a load of slaves from captivity. After returning back to their master and mentor, Arobynn, both are shocked when he reacts violently at his lose of money and beats Celeana into unconsciousness. When she wakes again, the assassin has been told she must travel to the Mute Master of the Southern deserts and train with him for a month to recieve his letter of approval to be reaccepted into her master's house. But when she reaches the palace, she has trouble getting to grips with the ways of her new lodgings and can't avoid getting into trouble along the way. But there's something a lot more sinister hidden behind the sandy dunes than just a rivalry between the local ruler and the assassins...
Sarah J. Maas' writing is superb: quick, fluid and action-packed. Every word flows into the next perfectly and the rhythm is so consistent you never find yourself confused or bored. Her action sequences are jaw-droppingly effective and imaginable, yet she can still write slower passages. She can convey the emotions of the characters very well, despite the book being narrated in the 3rd person, and I feel really connected to their personalities as well - even though I've literally only read two short novellas, I already know the characters well enough to predict what they're going to do, and understand their choices and opinions. And there's still a lot I don't know about them, so I'm not disinterested.
The story was very original, like all her stories, and I found myself hanging on every word and wanting to know what happened next all the time. I really liked the unpredictable start that threw off the reader from what they knew and transported them into new and dangerous territory before the main plot had even begun. It left us wanting to know more and also showed how Celeana was likely feeling - which made us emphasise with her even more.
The ending was good. Very good. I'm not quite sure how Celeana is such a famous and deadly assassin and yet she still hesitates before killing, but perhaps that's just her character and is explained more in the actual book - I shall have to find out for myself. But I thought it was all very well written and carried out; not predictable and not repetitive.
Every chapter was different, and the story moved quickly, but still gave the reader time to notice how the people and events were developing and spiralling into something a lot more uncontrollable.
I really love Celeana. I think she's an absolutely brilliant protagonist: not only is she kick-ass, sarky and beautiful, but she admits she's wrong and reckless - but still make human mistakes. She's so much more real to me this way; people make mistakes, admit them, and then make them again. It's just how we function. And I love the fact that Celeana's so aware of this, yet still doesn't let it affect her too much. I find her funny and really interesting to follow in her adventures.
I wish Sam was in this one more! (But oh my god, the tiny bit he was in broke my heart.) I love Sam so much - he'd better be in the bloody main novel or I will kill something. I like Ansel, a lot. I thought there was something up with her, but Maas lures you into trusting her, just like Celeana is deceived.
I also kind of wish Ilais had a slightly bigger part, just because I think it could have become quite interesting about how she dealt with him and her feelings for other people.
The Mute Master was nothing like I expected him to be, but that worked so wonderfully well. We're obviously supposed to think of him as something like Arobynn; the threatening, powerful Assassin Lord - but he's actually far nobler and intelligent. I think that worked wonderfully.
There was always something happening and something to keep the audience interested, but even when the pace slowed a little and there wasn't much action or speech, Maas still manages to create a believable world that is enjoyable to read.
I'm once again surprised by how much detail and story can be fitted into under 200 pages. I don't know exactly how long this novella is without looking, but it's definitely not that much. Yet there's still so much plot and story that it's practically bursting at the seams with mystery and menace and everything you could want. I really really enjoy stories that involve thieves and assassins in far off, middle-eastern-esque worlds, but this is by far one of the best I've read. And this isn't even the proper thing yet.
I would recommend this novella to everyone. There's a load of astounding action in there, and mystery, fantasy and a little bit of romance too. It's perfect if you want to try out Maas' writing, and I really love learning a little bit about the characters before I go on to read the actual book - I can tell I'm already going to be attached and in love with the people and places before I open to the first page.
(In particular, if you're a fan of authors like Trudi Canavan or Laini Taylor, this book/novella is definitely for you. I find myself picturing Cery and Sonea from The Black Magician Trilogy many times.)
Image Source: http://www.bookchickcity.com/wp-content/
uploads/2012/07/the-assassin-and-the-desert.jpg
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