As I loved the 'Court of Thorns and Roses' series (ACOTAR) so much, I thought it was about time I tried the same author's first series, 'Throne of Glass' (TOG). There's a guide readily available on social media which suggests there are a few different ways to read this, and no-one in the huge FB book group I follow can seem to agree on which is the best way, so I've plumped for the 'Purist' route, which means reading them in chronological order story-wise. So although 'The Assassin's Blade' was not the first book published in the series, as it's a prequel it goes first.

This first book is a set of short stories about Celaena, a seasoned assassin at just 16 years old. The stories follow her on a mission where she realises that she has a choice; do as she is bid, or do the right thing, and the subsequent consequences of her decision. It is quite dark in tone as you would expect from a book about trained killers, but it's written in a very digestible way. It's certainty not graphic in gory details, but the author has written things very well to allow your mind to fill in the blanks and wince at the thought.

A result of reading this book out of publication order (and knowing it) is that I am definitely intrigued by this girl and what her story is going to be. While the book serves as a great introduction to this character (who I assume we'll be following in the TOG series proper) and definitely works as a standalone, the issue I do have is that there is a lack of context - why, half way through writing the series, did the author decide we needed to know Celaena's backstory? There is definitely an emotional element to this; I suspect if I was reading them in publication order this might offer a gut punch or two, but without any knowledge of the rest of the series it doesn't carry as much resonance. That being said, the more I read the more I rooted for and felt for Celaena. The few 'domestic' scenes with her partner and friends are beautifully written and carry real weight. 

As with ACOTAR, the author's ability to paint such vivid pictures with her words astounds me, but in this case I feel there is a small suggestion that she was still honing her craft. There are a few small shonky moments, but they don't ruin the overall flow of the narrative so they can be forgiven. For example, it could be argued that the story arc is fairly predictable and there are moments where you can see her moving the characters like pieces on a chessboard, but the story is so engrossing that it doesn't actually matter.

In any event, it's served its purpose; really looking forward to continuing this series! If I continue to like the next couple, I may even brave the tandem read you can do later on in the series!