The Assassin's Blade
“Celaena Sardothien is her kingdom’s most feared assassin. Though she works for the powerful Assassin’s Guild and its scheming master, Arobynn Hamel, she yields to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam. But when Arobynn dispatches her on missions that take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, Celaena will have to put her faith in her wits and her blade . . . knowing that if she fails, she’ll lose not just a chance at freedom but her life.”
The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas, I’ve come to realize, it a series of novellas making up the prequel of the Throne of Glass series. Each has a miniature arc of Celaena’s life as she grapples with the fact that she doesn’t want to comply with her Assassin’s Guild master. The manipulative father figure, Arobynn Hamel. In this novel, you find yourself falling in love with the power and nuance that is Celaena Sardothien. You love her, fall in love as she does, feel devastating loss and betrayal, and feel her visceral defeat right along with her. It is a perfect prelude to the series, as it leaves you hungry for revenge, right along with Celaena herself.