This came out just two days ago and I've already devoured it. What a novella! The amount of emotion and character growth packed into this story is amazing. Celaena and Sam's actions at the end of the THE ASSASSIN AND THE PIRATE LORD do not go unpunished; Celaena is sent to spend a month with the Silent Assassins to learn a thing or two about discipline in the unforgiving desert. While she is there to train, she finds herself unexpectedly caught up in a conflict between the Assassins and a Lord from the neighboring city of Xandria. 
 Like the first novella, this is a gripping, action-packed, fast-moving story, but I think what impresses me most is how these novellas build upon and flesh out Celaena's world. I feel like I'm peeking behind the curtain, witnessing all these small moments that lead up to the hardened Celaena we see at the start of THRONE OF GLASS. And with each novella, the world gets richer and richer -- with places and people and conflicts and politics and folklore. I truly can not wait for novella #3. (Or #4). And then I'm going to get my hands on a finished copy of THRONE OF GLASS and read it all over again. <3 
 Originally reviewed here.