"This girl wasn't like wildfire—she was wildfire. Deadly and uncontrollable."

I think this one was interesting for getting some background on Celaena. It was interesting seeing her role within the Guild and how highly Arobynn thought of her. I really think this one does a good job of showing that she has this side of herself that she is slowly accepting, which disagrees with the tasks Arobynn gives her. She begins to act on these, and I think seeing how events unfold in this book, we are able to better understand why she is always so reluctant to act in the rest of the series. I have to admit though, compared to the first 3 books in the series this one was hard for me to get into. They really drug by and nothing much seemed to happen in the story really until we get to the last two novellas. I think in those a lot happens that starts to relate to the series, which makes it more interesting. It was the redeeming nature of the last two that earned a four star rating.

The collection of novellas tell an overall story, so you really need to read them all to understand the development of things, but honestly the only two I found interesting were the last two in the book. And boy those were intense and painful to read. I think the book shows a whole other side to her, but I also hope we get to meet some of the characters who appeared in this book again in the rest of the series. I loved watching the development of the relationship between her and Sam. Arobynn really intrigues me and I need to know more. I think my biggest issue with this one is it feels so slow going compared to the rest of the series and really doesn't serve much purpose other than getting to know about Celaena. ( )

One of my favorite books ever!! Starts off a bit dry but by the end of the first event you'll be on board. Links to the rest of the books so I suggest reading after the second or third book. Such a heartbreaking ending and I'm still recovering from it after years. ( )

Many places online recommended reading these novellas after reading the book Heir of Fire in the Thron of Glass series and I'm glad I did. Maas wrote these before the rest 9of the books and you can see how her writing evolved when she wrote the novels.

Events in these novellas are mentioned in the first three books, so it was fun/sad to see how the events really happened. It also shows how she turned into the person we meet in the first book.

She is used and betrayed by friends and mentors. It hardens her and strengthens her resolve to survive and get revenge/justice on those who wronged her and killed her boyfriend Sam.

I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. ( )

Five awesome novellas that blend seamlessly with one another, and really provide a great backstory for Celaena, and how she eventually ended up in Endovier (at the start of Throne of Glass). I have to wonder if the any of the secondary characters play a role later in the stories — but we knew what was going to happen to Sam. But I found myself procrastinating reading about it. I read this after book 2: Crown of Midnight, and I’m glad I did, there were a couple easter eggs in the novellas, and even a couple of cameos ;) but definitely worth the read to get a bit more background on Celaena’s journey. ( )

Sam 😭💔 ( )