REVIEW: The Assassin and The Desert by Sarah J. Maas
THE ASSASSIN AND THE DESERT
(Throne of Glass #0.2)
By Sarah J. Maas
PUBLISHER: Bloomsbury
RELEASE DATE: 30th March 2012
FORMAT: Kindle, 95 pages
GENRE: Fantasy, Young Adult
The Silent Assassins of the Red Desert aren’t much for conversation, and Celaena Sardothien wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s not there to chatter, she’s there to hone her craft as the world’s most feared killer for hire. When the quiet is shattered by forces who want to destroy the Silent Assassins, Celaena must find a way to stop them, or she’ll be lucky to leave the desert alive. (Goodreads)
REVIEWER: Becs
We see another aspect of Celaena personality in THE ASSASSIN AND THE DESERT. After returning with Sam from the Pirate Lord and losing her master Arobynn’s money. Celaena is punished by his fists and sent to the Silent Assassins in the Red Desert to train with the Mute Master.
Celaena is only allowed to return to her home in Rifthold once the Mute Master has trained her himself and given her a letter of recommendation, but first she has to get noticed and be asked to join him in a personal training session.
In the middle of the red desert training with the Silent Assassin’s, Celaena has to share a room with Ansel. Ansel is a girl training to be a silent assassin, Ansel and Celaena fast become close friends and Celaena enjoys the female friendship as in Rifthold she is a lone female assassin. I enjoy the girly interactions with each other as they discuss boys and make-up and normal teenage things it brings lightness and fun in such a serious world filled with violence, deception and death.
Celaena reputation is very important to her and she wants people to know who she is and how her name causes fear but in the silent assassin’s keep she is just another face and it doesn’t sit well with her, being sent to the Silent Assassin’s has humbled Celaena a little which is good as she did need humbling.
The Silent Assassins have an enemy, Lord Berick, after an attack on the Silent Assassin’s fails, Ansel is asked to go to Lord Berick to negotiate a truce. Celaena joins Ansel on a trip to the main city to speak with Lord Berick, after the meeting Ansel and Celaena takes Berick’s personal special bred horses created by the Fae for their strength and speed. With these horses they have some fun as they outrun the guards but as with everything there are consequences.
Afraid that the Mute Master will beat her like Arobynn did, Celaena stays quiet however, knowing that Ansel would have nothing to go home to if she was kicked out of the guild steps forward and takes the blame. The Mute Master realizing the good that is in Celaena trains her personally all she has to do now is prove her worth.
Celaena in the Red Desert and away from Sam finds that she constantly thinks about him, missing his companionship and starts to realize that she may have feelings for him. I enjoyed the softer side of Celaena in THE ASSASSIN AND THE DESERT as she develop feelings of love and friendship which she has not allowed herself to feel before.
Celaena yet again learns valuable lessons that help shape the woman she is becoming and the Mute Master teachers her.
“If you can learn to endure pain, you can survive anything. Some people learn to embrace it-to love it. Some endure it through drowning it in sorrow, or by making themselves forget. Others turn it into anger.”
Teaching an important lesson, how we deal with the problems that occur in our lives will result in the type of person we can become. We see the strength that develops in Celaena in the way she overcomes the trials she has faced and continues to face when we meet her in Throne of Glass.
VERDICT:
I enjoyed THE ASSASSIN AND THE DESERT more than The Assassin and the Pirate Lord. Celaena seems more human and I think when you like a character you start to become more emotionally attached. My attachment to Celaena is increasing especially as she is a strong, independent, likeable heroine, who follows her heart when making tough decisions. I’m looking forward to picking up The Assassin and the Underworld next as we see Celaena return to face her master Arobynn and see if Sam is still alive, where maybe a relationship may hopefully blossom.
RATING: 
SARAH J. MAAS ONLINE
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
BOOKS IN SERIES ORDER
0.1 The Assassin and The Pirate Lord
0.2 The Assassin and The Desert
0.3 The Assassin and The Underworld
0.4 The Assassin and The Empire
1. Throne Of Glass
BUY THE BOOK
