Book Smart Kate

Book: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 💫  Audiobook: 🌟🌟🌟🌟  Spice: 🌶️

by Cassandra Clare

It took me a few weeks to psych myself up to read Sword Catcher because, like Sarah J Maas, embarking on a Cassie Clare book is acknowledging your multi-book, decade-long investment in the world and characters she creates (her Shadowhunters series is over 16 books and still going). Once I started, Sword Catcher felt like coming home to an old friend while also entirely new.

The story follows two unlikely heroes – Ķel and Lin. Kel, an orphan, plucked from poverty to become the Sword Catcher – a body double for royal heir, Prince Conor, in the city-state of Castellane. Over the years, the two become like brothers despite the knowledge that, if needed, Kel’s job is to die for Connor. Lin is one of the few members of an isolated community with magical abilities. A rarity as a female physician, Lin regularly travels to care for the sick through a combination of medical training and magic. After a failed assassination attempt on the prince, Kel and Lin are brought together into the criminal underworld of Castellane, led by the Ragpicker King, where they begin to unravel a dangerous world of corruption and betrayal that could tear apart Castellane.

This book has an incredible amount of world-building and a delightful character-driven story about power, wealth, and corruption. Clare has created a world that almost feels like, and I mean this as a huge compliment, an otherworldly Bridgerton or Gossip Girl set amongst the magic and intrigue of this new fantasy world she has created. You become equally invested in the relationships as you do the magical world and building mystery. I will say that, at over 600 pages, this book is a massive commitment that is over 75% world-building and will leave you feeling a bit like it was mostly table-setting for the rest of the series. But, if you love Clare’s work, as I do, you will be thrilled at the prospect of exploring this new world with her.

Thanks to @PRHAudio for the free audiobook! The narrators were excellent, however I did feel like the pace of the narration at normal speed felt very slow, so I ended up speeding up the audio considerably and really enjoyed it. #PRHAudioPartner