Review: The Assassin and the Desert

The Assassin and the Desert by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Having read and enjoyed the first five Throne of Glass books and impatiently awaiting the sixth, I decided it was time to work my way through the five novellas offered up in The Assassin’s Blade. I’d debated reading these stories at an earlier stage, yet I found myself too pulled into the main story to take a detour. I’m there now, though. I’m holding out that these five stories will tide me over until the sixth book is released.

Upon finished The Assassin and the Pirate Lord, I was unsure whether or not the stories would do much. The Assassin and the Pirate Lord was an okay read, but for the most part I really didn’t care. The Assassin and the Healer improved upon the first novella, yet it still wasn’t quite what I had hoped for. It was enough to leave me with the belief the stories would improve. With The Assassin and the Desert, I’m back at my earlier stage. It was an okay read, but I really had expected so much more from this.

Whilst this story was better than The Assassin and the Pirate Lord, I did not enjoy it as much as I enjoyed The Assassin and the Healer. I think it’s because I had the highest expectations for this one. It promises us so much, I was once again holding out hope for the deadly assassin story I’ve been crossing my fingers for throughout the entire series, yet it wasn’t quite what I had wanted.

Following the first two novellas, this one continues to show us our main character in the days before the main series. It is nice to see how everything came together, to see details that are alluded to in the main series, and to be given an insight into yet another part of the world. It was fun to pass the time, but I wasn’t crazy about this story. It was so slow, and it lacked the powerful punch I had been hoping this one would deliver.

I’m positive those obsessed with Throne of Glass will love this, but for me it was simply okay.

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