When the King of the Assassins gives Celaena Sardothien a special assignment that will help fight slavery in the kingdom, she jumps at the chance to strike a blow against an evil practice. The misson is a dark and deadly affair which takes Celaena from the rooftops of the city to the bottom of the sewer–and she doesn’t like what she finds there.
The Assassin and the Underworld
By sarahjmaas
The Assassin and the Underworld novella is about 100+ pages long, so it didn’t take long to read. Celaena has returned from the Red Desert and is ready for her next assignment from Arobynn. Although Celaena is also prepared to tell him, he will no longer own her after she gives him the trunks filled with gold that she received from the Mute Master after saving his life. One last job, and she’s done with Arobynn. Unfortunately, this novella will show Celaena who she can truly trust and who she can’t trust.
I enjoyed this novella because it gives us the moment where Sam revealed his feelings to Celaena. (It’s about time that he told his true feelings to her.) It also puts Celaena in a tricky spot, where she has to choose her life between the Assassin Guild and Sam. The last job that Arobynn gives Celaena ends up being something that she should’ve questioned before doing since Arobynn is going to do something unthinkable.
If I were Celaena, I would’ve given the gold to Arobynn right away and not taking any mission from him. He is evil. He hurt her before going to the Red Desert, which is unforgivable. I can’t stand Arobynn!!! This is one novella that is a must to read before diving into full-length novels. Why? Because you get to find out how Arobynn is and find out about Sam.
Would I recommend this novella? Yes. This novella may make you mad, but it sets up what is to come next in Celaena’s story. It’s not going to be easy for Celaena.
I really enjoyed this book more. It seems the more I read from Sarah J. Maas the more I enjoy her work. The Assassin and The Underworld is the fourth novella in The Assassins Blade book collection, which is a prequel to The Throne of Glass series.
Celaena Sardothien was finally back home to the Assassin Fort after being sent away to the Red Desert to train with the Mute Master of the Silent Assassins. With trunks full of gold to pay off the debt she owes to her master for her freedom, with her own apartment waiting. But she is unable to get the words out to tell Arobynn Hamel, he apologises and showers her with gifts. He even gives her a mission to help save some slaves. So wanting to trust her master and redeem herself after ruining the last mission he sent her on, Celaena is going to make sure that this one is a success.
I do feel for Celaena, she has been dealt one bad hand after another. She doesn’t know anything better than what she has be told and shown from her master, she is supposed to be his successor but he hides things and is constantly lying to her. But then the way he lashes at her at the end, I just wanted to strangle in. But she is lucky she has Sam.
When I first meet Sam in The Assassin and The Pirate Lord I wasn’t a fan of him. I felt like he was a snake in the grass waiting to strike. I did have a feeling that he did like Celaena but I thought he wanted power more. But as the book went on my feelings towards him changed. But then this book changed my opinion of him completely. He really does care for her and as it shows she does care about him as well. It’s young love, it’s sweet, innocent and beautiful.
Arobynn is such a massive @#!+% hole, he treats both Celaena and Sam terrible and he lies and deceives them around every corner.
Oh my goodness… talk about some intense and scary scenes!! There are some great, romantic ones in there too. I found the plot slightly predictable, but only because Celeana was the only one who wasn’t catching on to the thickening plot against her. It was in this novella that the immaturity of her age and her inability to yield wisdom instead of arrogance were showing. I’m glad for this because it makes Celeana, and the stories in general, more believable and realistic. I can feel the empathy that is coming from these really hard and emotional experiences that Celeana has endured, and is currently going through.
Greaaatttttt! This series of novellas is great for people to read, definitely recommended if you are reading Throne of Glass, it explains much of the stuff that happens in Queen of Shadows and Empire of Storms, as well as it describes Sam Cortland, Arobynn Hamel, how Sam died, and how Celaena ended up in Endovier.