What Is The Best Reading Order For Assassin'S Blade Chapters?
2026-08-01 21:49:47
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5 Answers
Aidan
Book Scout
Journalist
Okay, I had to piece this together myself after being super confused on my first read. The biggest debate is whether to read 'The Assassin's Blade' first or slot the stories in chronologically around 'Throne of Glass' and 'Crown of Midnight'.
I tried the chronological order last time—reading the novellas after 'Crown of Midnight'—and honestly? It felt like a momentum killer. You're just getting into the main story's political intrigue and then you slam on the brakes for five prequel stories. The emotional payoff for Celaena's past is way stronger if you already have a stake in her present. Knowing the context from the first two books made moments in the novellas, especially the ending, hit so much harder because I understood what that loss meant for the person she becomes.
That said, starting with the novellas makes the early books a different, slower experience. You're watching a character you already care about make choices you know are questionable, which has its own kind of tension. But for a first-timer, I'd recommend publication order: dive into 'Throne of Glass' first, get hooked on the competition and the mystery, then circle back to 'The Assassin's Blade' before 'Heir of Fire'. It builds the foundation right when you need it most, before the story expands wildly.
2026-08-02 12:48:16
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Yara
Contributor
HR Specialist
I'm gonna go against the grain here and say it honestly doesn't matter that much. The stories are written to work in either placement. If you're the type who loves a slow-burn reveal and enjoys piecing a character's past together from hints, read the main books first. If you want immediate context and prefer a more traditional, linear character journey, start with 'The Assassin's Blade'. Either way, you end up in the same place by 'Queen of Shadows'.
What matters more is your reading personality. I read the novellas after 'Crown of Midnight' because I couldn't wait, and I don't feel like it ruined anything. The emotional beats still landed.
2026-08-02 21:52:42
21
Finn
Book Scout
Teacher
Publication order, full stop. I see the argument for reading the prequel collection later for dramatic irony, but I genuinely think you lose too much nuance in the first two books without it. When Celaena drops a name like Sam or makes a cryptic reference to Rifthold, it just flies past you. Reading 'The Assassin's Blade' first turns those throwaway lines into little emotional landmines.
It also makes her attitude in 'Throne of Glass' make way more sense. She comes off as arrogant and detached if you don't know her backstory. Knowing what she just survived—the betrayal, the loss—frames her behavior as a hardened, self-protective shell, which is crucial for bonding with her early on. Starting with the novellas gives her depth from page one. Sure, it might make the initial plot of the first book feel a bit slower, but the character work is so much richer. I tried it the other way and felt like I was constantly playing catch-up on her motivations.
2026-08-03 09:58:21
16
Natalie
Contributor
Driver
I did a weird hybrid order based on a friend's advice and loved it. Read the first four novellas in 'The Assassin's Blade' first, but STOP before the final one, 'The Assassin and the Empire'. Then read 'Throne of Glass' and 'Crown of Midnight'. After the climax of 'Crown of Midnight', go back and read that last, devastating novella. It bridges the two eras so painfully well. You get the foundation of her skills and relationships, save the biggest emotional gut-punch for when you're fully invested, and it flows seamlessly into the new direction the series takes. It was accidentally perfect.
2026-08-04 04:20:41
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Ryder
Reply Helper
Engineer
My hot take: read 'The Assassin's Blade' AFTER 'Crown of Midnight'. The end of that book is such a tonal shift, and hitting the prequels right then gives you this breath to process what just happened while diving into the 'why'. It explains so much of Celaena's rage and grief in a way that feels immediate and raw. You're not just learning history; you're feeling the wounds while they're still fresh from the narrative events.
It also sets up 'Heir of Fire' perfectly. Going into that book with the full weight of her past—Arobynn, Sam, the betrayal—makes her journey toward reclaiming her identity infinitely more powerful. Reading the prequels first spoils some of the mysterious allure of her character in the early books, which I think is part of the fun. Let her be a bit of an enigma at the start.
2026-08-04 16:56:54
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Look, I skipped 'Assassin's Blade' and went straight into 'Throne of Glass'. Was I confused? Sure, a bit, especially when characters like Sam showed up in later books and everyone was acting like I should care. But the main plot about Celaena's competition and the magic stuff? That was totally followable. I think people overstate how "essential" it is. It's more like a bonus DVD with deleted scenes that explain some backstory motivations. You can watch the movie first and still get it, then the bonus features hit different.
I went back and read it after book three, and honestly, that might have been better. Those stories are so bleak and brutal, showing how broken she was. Jumping into 'Throne of Glass' with her already putting on a defiant, sarcastic front hits harder when you don't fully know the depths of her trauma yet. The reveals in the later books about Arobynn and the guild carry more weight if they're discoveries for you, too, not just foregone conclusions. Starting with the prequel feels like getting all the answers upfront, which kind of ruins some of the series' slow-burn mystery around her past.
It's not essential for basic comprehension, but it reshapes the entire emotional journey. Without it, Celaena's arrogance in the first book can seem shallow; with it, you see it as armor. So, essential? No. Deeply enriching? Absolutely. I'd say read 'Throne of Glass' first, and if you like her, dive into the prequel before 'Heir of Fire' when her past really starts to matter.
The friendship dynamics in the prequels with the other assassins also pay off way later. When certain characters reappear in 'Tower of Dawn' and 'Kingdom of Ash,' if you’ve read the prequels, it’s a reunion. If you haven’t, it’s just another new ally. The emotional weight is completely different. For maximum payoff in the final books, you need that backstory.