Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare
What's It About?
Two outcasts find themselves caught in a web of forbidden love, dangerous magic, and dark secrets that could change the world forever in the start of a riveting epic fantasy series from the bestselling author of The Shadowhunter Chronicles.Sword Catcher (Del Rey) by Cassandra Clare has been highly anticipated due to the overwhelming popularity of Clare’s Shadowhunter Chronicles. Having read the vast majority of the Shadowhunter novels, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy of her latest book, and it certainly lived up to the hype!
Sword Catcher is a fresh adult fantasy novel packed with all the right ingredients — an interesting magic system, political intrigue, fascinating world-building — all culminating in an exciting ride that has you wanting more the moment it comes to an end.
Fate of the World Rest in the Hands of Two Outcasts
Kel, a young orphan in the city of Castellane, is stolen away to become the Sword Catcher for Prince Connor: a body double charged to defend the prince with his life. Thrust into a life of wealth, Kel learns to navigate the complex intricacies of life amongst Castellane’s elite. With a bond deeper than any outsider can see, Kel and Connor become inseparable, taking on the extravagant parties, public appearances and politics that come with being a part of the Aurelian royal family.
When an assassin makes an attempt on Kel’s life, mistaking him for Connor, Kel is brought face to face with Lin Caster, Ashkar physician and granddaughter of the advisor to the royal family. The Ashkar are a community within Castellane, forced by law to live within the walls of the Sault. They are also the only people who still possess limited use of magic, separating them from the rest of society. Being Ashkar carries a certain stigma to it, and when Lin is mixed into the aristocratic chaos, tempers ignite.
Then there’s the Ragpicker King to contend with. This criminal figurehead of Castellane’s underworld seeks intelligence that Kel possesses from his life in the castle in exchange for assistance in protecting Connor.
As Kel, Connor and Lin’s worlds collide, with the Ragpicker King never far from sight, tensions build in Castellane, swirling towards a tipping point. The fate of all of Castellane hangs in the balance as political alliances are forged and destroyed, societal unrest begins to bubble up and death comes knocking at the gates.
Exceptional Worldbuilding, Plot and Characters
I have always been a fan of Clare’s writing style, and Sword Catcher is another example of her exquisite use of detail and dialogue and her stunning worldbuilding. This is our introduction to a new world, the city of Castellane. From the opulent lives of the blood royal and the Charter families on the Hill to the Crawlers and gangs in the streets, the Ragpicker King in the Black Mansion to the Ashkar in the Sault, Clare has woven a wonderfully intricate society. Everything is rooted in the history of this world.
Interestingly enough, that history is actually quoted before each chapter in Sword Catcher via excerpts from historical books in the novel such as the Tales of the Sorcerer Kings and the Book of Makabi. These excerpts provide a helpful and clever avenue for additional backstory to be fed to the reader, grounding the current action in the stories of the past. Every aspect of the world of Sword Catcher is highly detailed, from the descriptions of streets and buildings to the finer points of etiquette and the concept of gematry magic.
I really enjoyed both Kel’s narrative perspective and Lin’s.
Kel is loyal and kind, committed to protecting Connor with everything that he has. He owes his current life to the Aurelians, and he loves Connor, despite the circumstances that brought him here. Kel knows Connor like the back of his hand — he has to, in order to become Connor when necessary — but it goes so far beyond that. Their relationship is at the heart of the novel, and when secrets and lies begin to chip away at that bond, it draws you further into the story because of how invested you have become.
Similarly, Lin is also a character that I found easy to love. She is passionate, hardworking and stubborn. Her relationship with Mariam, her dearest friend for whom she is desperately trying to find a cure, is the companion to the connection between Kel and Connor. Lin and Mariam also strike me as two halves of one heart, two women who easily play off of each other, who share everything with each other, who laugh, cry, celebrate and mourn together. It is always refreshing to see a pair of female characters with a genuine relationship like these two have, and reading their scenes together was both touching and heartbreaking, as we wonder if Lin will save Mariam before it is too late…
I was invested in this book from the first introduction to the position of Sword Catcher and the world of Castellane, to the final, gripping, cliffhanger moments at the end. I was drawn to these characters — to their relationships — so human and relatable yet wrapped up in the splendor of fantasy, royalty and magic.
Sword Catcher is a fascinating dive into a brand-new adult fantasy world that will have you in its thralls till the very last page. If you love a book with killer worldbuilding, full-blooded characters you can’t help but love, new magic systems, a mysterious underworld and just the right touch of what we can only hope is an enemies-to-lovers romance, then Sword Catcher is for you.
About Cassandra Clare:
Cassandra Clare is the author of the #1 New York Times, USA TODAY, Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly bestselling Mortal Instruments series and the Infernal Devices trilogy, and coauthor of the Bane Chronicles with Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson. She also wrote The Shadowhunter’s Codex with her husband, Joshua Lewis. Her books have more than 36 million copies in print worldwide and have been translated into more than thirty-five languages. Cassandra lives in western Massachusetts. Visit her at CassandraClare.com. Learn more about the world of the Shadowhunters at Shadowhunters.com.
