We’re back between realms for Part 2 of The Assassin’s Blade, continuing our journey through the third instalment in our Throne of Glass reading order.

After covering the first three novellas in Episode 3, this episode dives into the second half of the book:

The Assassin and the Underworld
The Assassin and the Empire

We recap the final two stories in Celaena’s prequel collection, unpacking the schemes, betrayals, relationships, and devastating choices that shape her before the events of Throne of Glass.

This episode gets into some of the biggest character and relationship developments so far, including Celaena’s complicated and deeply troubling relationship with Arobynn, Sam’s behaviour and emotional impact, the power dynamics at play, and the moments that completely change how we understand Celaena’s past.

Alongside the recap, we discuss key themes from the second half of the book, squeeze in some lore deep-dives, and bring back our Favourite Lines from the Book segment to share the quotes that hurt us, stayed with us, or made us immediately need to pause and recover.

Expect betrayal, heartbreak, questionable decisions, emotional spirals, character analysis, and plenty of strong opinions as we close out The Assassin’s Blade.

So grab your favourite drink, settle into your reading nook, and join us as we revisit the stories that reveal exactly what Celaena lost before she ever stepped foot in Endovier.

Spoiler Warning: This episode contains spoilers for The Assassin’s Blade, including The Assassin and the Underworld and The Assassin and the Empire. We may also reference events from Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight, but no spoilers beyond this point in our reading journey.

In this episode of Court Between Realms, we’re diving into the first half of The Assassin’s Blade, the third stop in our Throne of Glass reading journey and Sarah J. Maas’s collection of prequel novellas.

As we're now following our podcast reading schedule, we’re only recapping the first three stories:

⚔️ The Assassin and the Pirate Lord
🌿 The Assassin and the Healer
🏜️ The Assassin and the Desert

We’ll be breaking down Celaena’s earlier adventures, from pirate lords and moral dilemmas to desert training, dangerous friendships, and the moments that start to show us who she really is beneath the assassin reputation.

This episode is a slightly different format from our previous full-book recaps. Alongside the plot recap, we’re digging deeper into the themes, relationship dynamics, character development, and the wider lore that starts to build around the Throne of Glass world.

Expect assassins, arrogance, growth, questionable decisions, unexpected emotional depth, and plenty of discussion about how these stories change the way we understand Celaena going into the rest of the series.

So grab your favourite drink, settle into your reading nook, and join us as we step back into Celaena Sardothien’s past—because apparently even assassins have character development.

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This episode contains spoilers for the first three novellas in The Assassin’s Blade: The Assassin and the Pirate Lord, The Assassin and the Healer, and The Assassin and the Desert. We may also reference events from Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight, but no spoilers beyond this point in our reading journey.

The journey through the Throne of Glass series continues, and this time we're diving into Crown of Midnight—the second instalment in Sarah J. Maas's epic fantasy series.

In this episode, we're attempting another full-book recap in around 20 minutes as we revisit all the betrayals, revelations, heartbreak, and moments that left us staring blankly at the wall after turning the final page.

After the recap, we're unpacking our theories—looking back at the predictions we got right, laughing at the ones we got spectacularly wrong, and discussing the biggest questions we're carrying into the next book.

And yes, the Chaol vs Dorian debate is somehow still alive. Both of us remain firmly entrenched, refusing to see reason, and we're not convinced this rivalry will ever end.

Plus, we're introducing a brand-new segment:

✨ Favourite Lines of the Book ✨

We'll each share the quotes that made us laugh, cry, highlight half the page, or immediately message the other host in all caps.

Expect:

📖 A full Crown of Midnight recap in around 20 minutes
🧠 Theory discussions and predictions
❓ The biggest unanswered questions heading into Heir of Fire
❤️ More Chaol vs Dorian disagreements than anyone asked for
✨ Our favourite quotes from the book
😂 Hot takes, reactions, and plenty of questionable opinions

So grab your favourite drink, settle into your reading nook, and join us between realms as we revisit one of the most emotional and game-changing books in the series.

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This episode contains full spoilers for Crown of Midnight and discusses questions and theories heading into Heir of Fire. No spoilers beyond that point.