The Assassin and the Underworld

Celaena is back from the Red Desert with enough gold to pay off Arobynn Hamel but he has apologized and is showering her with gifts. He also has a job for her that fits with her desire to fight slavery. She also sees Sam again but is torn about how she feels about him. He has spent the summer escorting her rival budding courtesan Lysandra. They do finally talk to each other and resolve their differences. But Celaena faces the ultimate betrayal in this story.

"In the silence of her bedroom, she swore an oath to the moonlight that if Sam were hurt, no force in the world would her back from slaughtering everyone responsible."

I think this is the best novella so far. I still have to read the last one but this.. This made me love Sam a whole lot. I can't convey enough how much my heart hurts now..

"The moment I woke up after he beat me, I realized I have to leave. Because I was going to kill him if I didn't. But I couldn't." He studied her face. "Not until you came back. Not until I know you were alright- until I saw that you were safe."

My heart. Be ready. You're going to get broken. I just knew it. T_T And I really hate Arobynn!!!!Argh.

"I love you," he repeated shaking her again. "I have for

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years. And he hurt you and made me watch because he's always known how I felt, too. And if I asked you to pick, you'd choose Arobynn, and I. Can't. Take. It."

Really, I think my masochistic side is showing because even if it'll hurt so much, I want to read the last novella. Ahhhh. Bring it on. show less

This is the third of the four prequels to Sarah Maas's "Throne of Glass" novel. Things are definitely heating up. I actually felt dread all the way through this novella because I knew things were going to hit the fan. I was shocked by the surprise twist to "The Assassin and the Desert" but I saw the twist in "The Assassin and the Underworld" from the first page. I was more than a little upset that Celaena did't see it. She was far to naive and trusting but it is good to see her mature and grow as we move through these tales. Arobynn has asked Celaena to do another contract for him and since it involves hurting a bunch of slavers she jumps at the chance...even though she is still smarting from what he did to her following the events of show more the first novella. The good news is that she is reunited with Sam and he was sorely missing from "Desert". Their romance feels so genuine and beautiful to watch bloom. I can't believe the author can pack so much amazing action and intrigue in these short novellas...and to think she can fit in one of my new favorite romances as well. I am so very eager to get to the full legnth novel...but I have one more novella to go and I am afraid it may break my heart. show less

1st read: December 2019
2nd read: September 2023

Ugh. I previously said The Assassin and the Pirate Lord was the worst of the novellas. I was wrong.

I really didn't like this one. Celaena is so gullible and keeps making stupid decisions. And the relationship build-up between Celaena and Sam is so weak. They've supposedly hated each other for years. The author needs to do more to make me believe things have changed.

This is the third in a series of four novellas that take place before the Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas. All of these novellas tell about Celaena and her adventures as an assassin before she ended up where she was at the Throne of Glass. I didn’t enjoy this novella quite as much as The Assassin and the Desert, but it was a still a good read that does an excellent job of developing Celaena as a character.

Celaena returns from the desert to confront her master, Arobynn, about the beating he gave her before she was sent off. She has enough gold to buy her freedom, but is confused when Arobynn treats her with the utmost respect showering her with gifts. Then when Arobynn offers her the chance to assassinate someone high up in the chain of show more slavery, Celanae accepts the job excited to use her assassination skills for good.

Celaena comes off as a bit naive in the story. I was somewhat disappointed that she wasn’t more committed to leaving the abusive situation she was in with Arobynn. I was also a bit disappointed that she didn’t do more background checking on the assassination assignment she was given. After all Arobynn did to her she still blindly trusts him.

It was great to have Sam back in the story again. Him and Celaena have a prickly relationship, but he is always respectful and steadfast to her. Things do heat up between her and Sam, which was a fun turn for the story to take.

This is the novella where you finally start to see how Celaena ended up in the situation she was in at the beginning of Throne of Glass.

Overall an excellent addition to this world and series. I love Celaena as a character and have really enjoyed reading about how she gets to where she is in the beginning of The Throne of Glass. All the novellas/books in this series are highly recommended to those you enjoy adventure fantasy with a strong female lead. show less

3.75 stars.

In this novella more room is given to teen romance, but Sam and Celaena are both idiot and cute at the same time. So, there were just a few roll-eyes moments.
Actually, what has lowered my rating is the predictability of the plot. I was sure of how it would end from chapter 1. But overall, I still enjoyed the story.

This novella describes the events in Celaena’s life directly leading up to where Throne of Glass begins, and if you’ve already read the novel, like I have, then you already know how this story ends. This is by far the most depressing of the prequel novellas. I’m glad I read it because it adds layers to Celaena’s character (and reveals the identity of her betrayer), but it’s still overwhelmingly heartbreaking. If you’re going to read this one, definitely start with The Assassin and the Pirate Lord, The Assassin and the Desert, and The Assassin and the Underworld; these three stories build on one another and culminate in The Assassin and the Empire.