Review: Dark and tragic story that details the events that lead into Throne of Glass.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 3, 2012
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: Dark and tragic story that details the events that lead into Throne of Glass.Opening Sentence: Curled into the corner of a prison wagon, Celaena Sardothien watched the splotches of shadows and light play on the wall.The Review:For the first time in her life Celaena Sardothien is truly happy. She has moved out of the Assassin's Keep. She has the love of her fellow assassin Sam Cortland. And she is no longer in debt to Arobynn Hamel, the King of the Assassins. But in order to truly be free Celaena must pay off her and Sam's dues to the Assassin's Guild so they can move away. The price is extremely high so Sam and Celaena must take on one more job so they can afford to move away. The job is exceedingly dangerous. Celaena questions the job but Sam expresses that they need this money in order to move. Celaena reluctantly agrees and the job isn't all that they bargained for.The Assassin and the Empire details the events that lead up to where Celaena is at the beginning of Throne of Glass. In the previous novella Celaena had everything to gain but in this one she has everything to lose. The ending is not surprising if you've read the synopsis to Throne of Glass, but it still isn't any more heartbreaking.Over the course of these novella's I have certainly started feeling for Celaena and her plight. She started pampered, selfish and spoiled and slowly grew to learn some of life's lessons. Although Celaena can still be viewed as a little selfish, I felt really bad for her. I recommend reading all of the novella's before going into Throne of Glass, even though only the last novella really leads into the events of the novel. They are a good in depth look into the Throne of Glass world. I have a feeling that each of these short stories will have something to do with this world at some point.FTC Advisory: I purchased my own copy of The Assassin and the Empire. No goody bags, sponsorships, "material connections," or bribes were exchanged for my review.