The Assassin and the Pirate Lord - 4/5 stars 
 I love how this story immediately showed the softer side of Celeana's character. This facet of her personality is slower to appear, in the main series, so it was pleasant to see her portrayed as such, here. We still got enough sass and brattiness that makes her such an unforgettable character, but we also get to see her empathy for the suffering of others. 
 I also loved how the reader was invited to learn more of Sam's character, and his blossoming relationship with Celeana was painfully sweet, (view spoiler)[given how it ends in the main series. (hide spoiler)] 
 The Assassin and the Healer - 3/5 stars 
 This is by far the shortest tale in the collection but no less exciting for it. I am a little bias with my love for this as I feel like awarding this series 5 stars whenever I read of Celeana's love for books, which it does early on. I do, however, also appreciate how this follows from the events in the last tale. I was hoping this would lead us chronologically through her life (rather than just random tales plucked from different times) to how Celana ended up in the salt mines, which is were Throne of Glass opens. 
 This is a split perspective tale, which is interesting as the other character is one who doesn't appear in the main series... at least as far as I am aware. It does provide a new insight to Celeana's character, that comes from outside of herself, but also doesn't really add to much to my understanding, despite the enjoyable nature of the piece. 
 The Assassin and the Desert - 4.5/5 stars 
 This felt like a full length novel, so full of nuances of plot as it was. This differed from the previous two as I felt this had some bearing on the central series and has added to my understanding of the infamous protagonist. I was completely fooled by the events that unfolded and fell in love with Celeana's character all over again, at the ending. 
 The Assassin and the Underworld - 3/5 stars 
 I am not liking Celeana's treatment of Lysandra and her bratty nature seems even more exposed, here. Sam, however, was shown as a truly compassionate and good-natured soul. I adore their interactions and seeing their alternative personalities collide. Celeana on her own however? I almost despised her, here! 
 The Assassin and the Empire - 5/5 stars 
 I AM NOT OKAY! I didn't expect this to kick me in the feels quite so much, given how all that occurred is already known from the main series. I was hoping this book would close with this story but I still wasn't prepared for how much it would impact my emotions. It certainly rectified my cooling opinions on the central character, in the last novella. The perfect closing piece!