You should usually read The Assassin’s Blade after book 2 (Crown of Midnight) and before book 3 (Heir of Fire).

What The Assassin’s Blade Is

  • It’s a bind-up of five prequel novellas (stories 0.1–0.5) about Celaena before Throne of Glass.
  • Four of those novellas were originally released as ebooks before the first novel Throne of Glass came out.
  • The collection was later published in print in 2014, after Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight.

The Three Main Reading Options

1. Chronological (Read It First)

Order:

  1. The Assassin’s Blade
  2. Throne of Glass
  3. Crown of Midnight
  4. Heir of Fire → onward.

Why people choose this:

  • You get Celaena’s backstory and Sam’s story right away, so the world and her trauma make sense from page one.
  • Some guides (and early notes from Maas’s site) have recommended reading The Assassin’s Blade first because the novellas came before the main novel in publication.

Potential downside:

  • Emotional beats and reveals later in the series can feel less surprising because you go in already armed with a lot of context.

2. Popular Option: After Crown of Midnight (Most Recommended)

Order:

  1. Throne of Glass (#1)
  2. Crown of Midnight (#2)
  3. The Assassin’s Blade (0.1–0.5)
  4. Heir of Fire (#3) → then the rest.

Why many fans swear by this:

  • You already care about Celaena from the first two books, so the novellas hit much harder emotionally (especially Sam and the ending of “The Assassin and the Empire”).
  • There’s a natural pause after Crown of Midnight that makes this feel like a “flashback season” before the series changes gears in Heir of Fire.
  • Several readers say this order gave them the biggest emotional impact and that they “wouldn’t read it any other way.”

Possible drawback:

  • You go into book 1 and 2 missing some context and Easter eggs, which you only get later as a kind of retroactive insight.

3. Much Later in the Series (After Heir of Fire or Even Near the End)

Example orders mentioned by readers:

  • After Heir of Fire.
  • After Queen of Shadows.
  • Even after finishing the entire series.

Why some people like this:

  • By then, you know almost everyone and everything, so every reference, location, and name in The Assassin’s Blade lands with maximum weight.
  • It can feel like a devastating but satisfying “bonus season” once you’re already deeply invested.

Why others advise against waiting that long:

  • A lot of emotional context, especially around Sam and Celaena’s past, was designed to shape how you experience the middle of the series, not just be an afterthought.
  • Some fans argue that reading it too late “messes with the pacing” and dulls the intended build of revelations.

Simple Guidance Based on Your Situation

Here’s the short version, tailored to where you are:

  • If you haven’t started the series yet and want maximum mystery:
    • Start with Throne of Glass , then Crown of Midnight , then The Assassin’s Blade , then Heir of Fire.
  • If you love deep backstory from the jump and don’t mind some emotional beats being “pre-loaded”:
    • Read The Assassin’s Blade first, then go into Throne of Glass.
  • If you’re already past Crown of Midnight and haven’t read it yet:
    • Slot The Assassin’s Blade in right now, before continuing to Heir of Fire.

Quick HTML Table (Reading Orders)

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Approach</th>
      <th>Recommended Order</th>
      <th>Why Choose It</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Chronological first</td>
      <td>The Assassin's Blade → Throne of Glass → Crown of Midnight → Heir of Fire → rest [web:3][web:9][web:10]</td>
      <td>Max world/backstory context from page one; aligns with original novella releases. [web:3][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Most popular</td>
      <td>Throne of Glass → Crown of Midnight → The Assassin's Blade → Heir of Fire → rest [web:3][web:5][web:9][web:10]</td>
      <td>Stronger emotional impact once you already care about Celaena; fits the “pause” after book 2. [web:3][web:5][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Much later</td>
      <td>Read main series to HoF/QoS or even the end, then The Assassin's Blade. [web:3][web:9][web:10]</td>
      <td>Functions as a heartbreaking, context-rich prequel once you know everyone; some say it disrupts intended pacing. [web:3][web:4][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

TL;DR: For most readers wondering “when should I read Assassin’s Blade” , the sweet spot is: after Crown of Midnight , before Heir of Fire.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.