Title: Sword Catcher
Series: The Chronicles of Castellane #1
Author: Cassandra Clare
Genre: Adult, high fantasy
Publication date: October 2023
Published by: Del Rey Books
Source: Purchased hardcover
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Synopsis: In the vibrant city-state of Castellane, the richest of nobles and the most debauched of criminals have one thing in common: the constant search for wealth, power, and the next hedonistic thrill.
Kel is an orphan, stolen from the life he knew to become the Sword Catcher—the body double of a royal heir, Prince Conor Aurelian. He has been raised alongside the prince, trained in every aspect of combat and statecraft. He and Conor are as close as brothers, but Kel knows that his destiny is to die for Conor. No other future is possible.
Lin Caster is one of the Ashkar, a small community whose members still possess magical abilities. By law, they must live behind walls within the city, but Lin, a physician, ventures out to tend to the sick and dying of Castellane. Despite her skills, she cannot heal her best friend without access to forbidden knowledge.
After a failed assassination attempt brings Lin and Kel together, they are drawn into the web of the mysterious Ragpicker King, the criminal ruler of Castellane’s underworld. He offers them each what they want most; but as they descend into his world of intrigue and shadow, they discover a conspiracy of corruption that reaches from the darkest gutters of Castellane to the highest tower of its palaces.
As long-kept secrets begin to unravel, they must ask themselves: Is knowledge worth the price of betrayal? Can forbidden love bring down a kingdom? And will their discoveries plunge their nation into war—and the world into chaos?
“I am the Prince's shield," he said. "I am his unbreakable armor. I bleed that he might not bleed. I suffer that he might never suffer. I die that he might live forever."
"But you will not die," said Conor, releasing his hand.
Listen, you guys know I love my Shadowhunters, and I will never say no to a new book in that world. But I was also very excited to learn that Cassandra Clare was writing something completely new. And I know this isn't the first time—she co-wrote an MG series with Holly Black. But this is fully hers! An adult high fantasy series! Ah! So exciting! And I ended up really enjoying this book!
I really enjoyed learning about the world, and I hope we touch more on that in later books because I'm intrigued by the fact that magic used to exist in this world, as well as creatures such as the Phoenix and basilisks. That magic has since disappeared, the Ashkar being the only ones able to perform small bits of magic, which is what makes them great physicians. Like Lin! Anyway, I really liked the world-building here and I'm hoping we get a bit more regarding the magic system because I feel like it could be really cool.
I also liked the characters—Prince Conor, in particular, I ended up liking more than expected. I don't know if it's just me, but usually when I hear "royalty," I think of someone self-important who is out of touch with the real world, if you will. But Conor is not like that at all! He has someone called a Sword Catcher, Kel, who is kind of like a body double/ bodyguard all at once. It sounds terrible, but Conor and Kel really care about each other—I got sibling vibes off of them. And in fact, when Conor was young and was going to get his Sword Catcher, he sought out an orphan because he didn't want someone who would be taken from their family. Yes, this was still awful because they basically kidnapped Kel from the orphanage. But the lesser of two evils and all that. As for Kel, he actually wants to protect Conor! All those years ago, Conor promised him an extraordinary life, and he has had that! Additionally, and more importantly, Kel told Conor that he gave him an extraordinary friendship, too.
I loved this so freaking much! 😠This was definitely one of my favorite relationships of the entire book. It's almost parabati-like, except Kel is the only one taking the sword here, literally. But they both grew to genuinely care about each other and I loved that.
I also liked Lin, who is trying to become a physician. She was very... how do I say this? Un-starstruck when she met Conor. Lol. In fact, at one point, she was kind of curt with him, and his reaction was hilarious! But in her defense, she was trying to save a life. Lol. And then Antonetta comes from a noble family, and I honestly think she could become one of my favorite characters. There’s more to her ditzy persona than meets the eye. I honestly need more of her because she could be quite a badass!
As for the romance, I could see the pair-offs that are going to happen and I don't know if I’m a fan of them, tbh. Although there was this one part between two of the characters that almost made me swoon, so maybe I'll come around to it. Lol. And I do appreciate the slow-burning romance of it all. My favorite 🥰
But overall, I really liked this! Not as much as my beloved Shadowhunters, but it was still good! There were some slow parts and not as much action as I was hoping, but that ending made up for it. Everything went to hell, and things got wild! But I can't say I hated the slower parts with all the political stuff because it was interesting. And lastly, this was most definitely a Cassandra Clare book. Lol. If you have read any of her Shadowhunter books, you'll notice similar themes and even character archetypes. For me, that's not a bad thing. In fact, I am very much looking forward to reading the next book!
I also liked the characters—Prince Conor, in particular, I ended up liking more than expected. I don't know if it's just me, but usually when I hear "royalty," I think of someone self-important who is out of touch with the real world, if you will. But Conor is not like that at all! He has someone called a Sword Catcher, Kel, who is kind of like a body double/ bodyguard all at once. It sounds terrible, but Conor and Kel really care about each other—I got sibling vibes off of them. And in fact, when Conor was young and was going to get his Sword Catcher, he sought out an orphan because he didn't want someone who would be taken from their family. Yes, this was still awful because they basically kidnapped Kel from the orphanage. But the lesser of two evils and all that. As for Kel, he actually wants to protect Conor! All those years ago, Conor promised him an extraordinary life, and he has had that! Additionally, and more importantly, Kel told Conor that he gave him an extraordinary friendship, too.
I loved this so freaking much! 😠This was definitely one of my favorite relationships of the entire book. It's almost parabati-like, except Kel is the only one taking the sword here, literally. But they both grew to genuinely care about each other and I loved that.
He had not known what it meant to be needed by someone else: that it made you want to protect them. To his own surprise, he wanted to protect this boy, the Prince of Castellane. Wanted to stand between him and a forest of bristling fléchettes. Wanted to stare down and demolish any enemy that wished Conor Aurelian harm.
I also liked Lin, who is trying to become a physician. She was very... how do I say this? Un-starstruck when she met Conor. Lol. In fact, at one point, she was kind of curt with him, and his reaction was hilarious! But in her defense, she was trying to save a life. Lol. And then Antonetta comes from a noble family, and I honestly think she could become one of my favorite characters. There’s more to her ditzy persona than meets the eye. I honestly need more of her because she could be quite a badass!
As for the romance, I could see the pair-offs that are going to happen and I don't know if I’m a fan of them, tbh. Although there was this one part between two of the characters that almost made me swoon, so maybe I'll come around to it. Lol. And I do appreciate the slow-burning romance of it all. My favorite 🥰
But overall, I really liked this! Not as much as my beloved Shadowhunters, but it was still good! There were some slow parts and not as much action as I was hoping, but that ending made up for it. Everything went to hell, and things got wild! But I can't say I hated the slower parts with all the political stuff because it was interesting. And lastly, this was most definitely a Cassandra Clare book. Lol. If you have read any of her Shadowhunter books, you'll notice similar themes and even character archetypes. For me, that's not a bad thing. In fact, I am very much looking forward to reading the next book!
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