Review: The Ragpicker King (The Chronicles of Castellane #2) by Cassandra Clare

Title: The Ragpicker King

Series: The Chronicles of Castellane #2

Previous book in this series: Sword Catcher

Author: Cassandra Clare

Genre: Adult, high fantasy

Publication date: March 2025

Published by: Del Rey

Source: Won in a giveaway

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Synopsis: Kel Saren, body double to Conor, crown prince of the dazzling city of Castellane, is caught between two worlds. In order to protect his beloved prince, Kel must find the culprits responsible for a massacre at the royal palace—and the only clues are held by the Ragpicker King, the notorious criminal who rules Castellane’s underworld. The trail Kel follows leads back to the Hill, where among decadent nobles and glittering parties a dark conspiracy to destroy the royal family has taken hold—a conspiracy headed up by the monstrous Artal Gremont, the man engaged to marry the woman Kel adores.

Meanwhile, Lin Caster must face the aftermath of the greatest risk she’s ever taken. To save the life of a dying friend, Lin has falsely claimed to be the Goddess Reborn, the legendary heroine destined to save her people. Now the terrifying—but strangely magnetic—leader of her people has arrived to test her powers. The price of failure is exile, and only through her alliance with the Ragpicker King can she continue to access the magic that may save her.

Then Prince Conor reappears in her life, demanding that she use her healing powers to cure the madness of his father, the King. Lin soon realizes the King is gripped by an ancient and terrible magic, one whose lure she cannot deny any more than she can deny her growing passion for Conor.

As the simmering tensions in Castellane reach a fever pitch, Lin and Kel must decide who to trust when any false move means death—or worse.

My rating: ★★★★☆

I really enjoyed this book! I tend to enjoy anything Cassandra Clare writes, though 😆

One of my favorite things about this book, in particular, was the mythos. In this series, magic left the world years and years ago. There are only little bits here and there, like when the Ashkar, such as Lin, use their magic to heal people. We learned a bit more about magic in this book, which I loved! And we learned how it’s connected to some of the characters in the series 👀 VERY intriguing stuff!

I wouldn’t say I love these characters nearly as much as I do my beloved Shadowhunters, but I do like them! I particularly love Connor and Kel’s relationship, how deeply they care for one another despite Kel being Connor’s Sword Catcher. One new character that I really liked was Princess Anjelica! She was so straightforward, but I think that’s why I liked her. And she also had some very interesting connections 👀

And that ending was INSANE! I knew all the lying was going to come back and bite them all in the ass, but GODDAMN! To me, it felt like the ending dragged for a bit. And while I understand that it was just wrapping up loose ends, which I do appreciate, it could’ve gone a bit faster 😅

That being said, I enjoyed the book overall! Said ending, despite its slowness, was MESSY and I loved it! 😆 All the characters were in some pretty precarious situations, and there were some shocking revelations, too. I am very much looking forward to seeing how this series wraps up!

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think about it? If not, what do you think? Does it sound like something you might want to read? Leave me a link to your review or comment below! 😊