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.