Details
Release: 10th October 2023 (UK)
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Pages: Brick-sized – around 600 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series Number: ONE
Synopsis
(from Goodreads)
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 #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Shadowhunter Chronicles.
“Everything I look for in fantasy.”—George R. R. Martin
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?
Review
Ahhh it’s been a while since I fell into a new fantasy and couldn’t put it down. Sword Catcher was everything I wanted in a new series and more. While it wasn’t perfect, it kept me reading and despite my misgivings from the opening chapter (37 pages!) I read this in a couple of days.
So let’s get a couple of things out of the way – I think my lack of Shadowhunter experience probably worked in my favour. I’ve read some of Clare’s other works in the Shadowhunter world (the original Mortal Instruments and then the Dark Artifices trilogy) and this is not that, don’t come into this book expecting the same vibes and to automatically love the characters, leave it at the door. It’s also not similar to Schwab’s A Darker Shade of Magic, which I have also read. Did it hurt my brain to have a MC with the same name? Yes, a little. Did I get over it? Absolutely. And you should too, because this book deserves that.
Sword Catcher introduces us to the vibrant city of Castellane which boasts a class divide, a royal family holding on by a thread, a deep underworld (again divided) and a historical event known as The Sundering which left the world devoid of magic except for a light magic system only used by the Ashkar – a religious population, living in a section of the city and limited in what they can do. The narrative itself is told from two POVs and between each chapter there is an excerpt of a historical document that aims to give some insight into the history of this world.
I know, it sounds like a lot. It IS a lot. As can be expected from the first book in a series, there is a lot of world building and character introductions. The good thing about Clare’s writing, is she shows you the world and allows you to build it yourself through the colours, the smells, the food and costumes. The architecture and city scape are almost a character in their own right. I didn’t have this graphic when I was reading but it’s very helpful:
Okay, characters! As mentioned, there are two POVs in Sword Catcher – Kel and Lin but there are a multitude of side characters and they all have complex relationships and hidden agendas. I can’t cover them all but here are the main ones to watch out for.
Kel is a Sword Catcher for Prince Conor – a traditional position he has held since childhood when he was taken from an orphanage. Kel lives with the prince and even steps in to act as the prince on certain occasions (with the help of a little Ashkar magic). While Kel spends his life with the prince and the richer classes, he can’t be himself and lives as Conor’s ‘cousin’ in public.
Lin on the other hand, lives in the Saulk where the rest of the Ashkar reside, out of society and restricted to certain times of the day outside it’s walls. Lin works as a healer, a position usually restricted to men and is related to the royal Ashkar advisor.
Both of our MCs become entangled with The Ragpicker King (the title of the second novel in this series). I loved this character, he was methodical and intriguing in the actions he takes and I can’t wait to read more of him. In Sword Catcher he is the leader of a band of outlaws essentially who rule the underground of Castellane, however, there is another vying for this position also …
I’ve definitely left too much time between reading and writing this (I wrote most 6 weeks ago … oops!) so I’m going to leave this here and return to it after I’ve read the book again most likely as I’d like to write further about the religious and political aspects in this novel!
I gave Sword Catcher 4.5 stars!
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