This novella is a well-written, easy read that I got through in 2 hours on a flight home after the Christmas holidays. 
 It is the first in 5 novellas that set the scene for the full length novel "Throne of Glass". 
 I'm glad I started with this book. Having received a brand new Kindle for Chrismas, this was my first Kindle purchase at 80p. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will definitely be reading the rest. 
 This story focuses on Assassin Celeana and her quest, with Sam, to free some slaves from a pirate lord. This book focuses on a gripping and exciting story and intense characterisation, without bothering with overly complicated description or indulging in complex, sentence structures. I hate novels that use the "beautiful english language" - I find it pretentious, so I'm glad that this novella didn't bother and instead delivered a cracking story. 
 Celeana is the protagonist and bloody likeable. She's a headstrong, top class assassin, but she's 16 so she's got all the cockiness and arrogance that come with the age, that can lead to mistakes. The key to a good character is showing their flaws. So Celeana became more likeable and believable to me because of them, and despite her stupid name. 
 All in all, a cracking read, and I'm excited to read the next ones!