Sword Catcher

Product Information

Two outcasts find themselves at the centre of world-altering change in Sword Catcher, the start of a riveting epic fantasy series from the internationally bestselling author of The Shadowhunter Chronicles.

If you enjoyed The Final Strife, The Mask of Mirrors, or City of Brass, I would recommend this book!The Shadowhunter books succeed in the scaffolding that they are able to do, never really set in the fictional country of Idris aside for plot-related excursion, they are able to enjoy the fantasy tidbits while existing in very real metropolitan locations like Los Angeles, London, and originally New York. So when tasked with creating a world of her own to set the story in, it falls flat. Once again she seems to look to the Bible for some inspiration, and who can really fault her when so many fantasy authors have done the same. The titular book in Brandy Sandy's The Way of Kings is very Bible coded, Jay Kristoff's Empire of the Vampire is very much a horny fantasy Catholic France. It's a cute little tradition for the fantasy girlies. In Clare's world though things simply just don't add up. Information often contradicts, which is actually pretty par for the course given the genealogy issues she had to retcon in her most recent Shadowhunter works. So while playing with a well travelled path the ideas never really came together for me. Clare plunges us into a thrilling world built with precision and brimming with enchantment. Her spellbinding cast of outlaws, healers, royals, and rogues will have you questioning your allegiances with every delicious turn of the plot. This is fantasy at its finest.” —Leigh Bardugo, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hell Bent Cassandra Clare stated that Chain of Thorns is the first book to really be affected by the pandemic, since she was already in the editing stage of Chain of Iron when the pandemic hit. She wasn't able to do the on-location research she usually does due to travel restrictions and she wasn't able to have her assistant or companion writers around like she's used to. On top of all that, she had to help take care of some elderly relatives who couldn't safely leave the house. And like so many, the pandemic has taken its toll on Clare, as it has on so many of us. The worldbuilding was fine, but I really could have used a world map. It’s hard for me to really get a sense of the world an author is trying to build if I can’t physically see the places being talked about. That’s not really the ARC’s fault, though. If there is a map, I’m sure it’ll be included in the finished copy. If there are no plans for a world map (not a city map, I know for sure Clare posted a photo of that), then that’s a real shame. all things similar between ADSOM and SC that i couldn't stop thinking about, and that annoyed me [ spoilers for both the books ]❗️

The book really has two plots running parallel to one another with occasional moments of intersection. Kel/Conor are purely wrapped up in the events happening at the Court. It's where a lot of the city buidling is going on, it's meant to be a political intrigue situation. Conor seemingly is going to need to marry for an alliance in the very near future and there are some things that could get in the way of that. Lose yourself in a vibrant world of power, intrigue and magic in this spellbinding epic from an internationally bestselling sensation. 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. As to the question of plagiarism and ripping off Schwab, I think it is a bit unfair. Yes, there is a guy named Kel and there is a kingdom and magic involved but I just think that that is part of the genre and less of a Schwab thing. I thought that the more unique stuff was stolen like the magic system or the plot but that was not the case at all. It’s the story of an orphan whose life is stolen in service to the royal family. They must act as a body double to the crown prince, to protect him and die in his place, if need be. Kel and Prince Conor’s relationship is a tangle of love, understanding, and a hint of resentment. Sword Catcher is also the story of a singularly gifted healer whom society won’t let become a physician because of her gender. Only Lin may have the key to more than just curative remedies within her. Many other characters frame the action, from nobles to common folk to criminals, all of it taking place in a fictional city state that seems to come alive with vivid descriptions.I can definitely see influences from Martin’s own A Song of Ice and Fire series (whose editor Anne Groell also worked on Sword Catcher) in the politics of Castellane. You see it in the scheming of nobles and the indifference of the common folk. In the underworld of Castellane I found hints of Ketterdam from Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows, and even a glimpse of Rifthold from the early Throne of Glass books by Sarah J. Maas. Yet Sword Catcher feels wholly original, and while I could recognize the things I love about Clare’s writing in it, it’s completely new. For the first time in years with her novels, I truly wasn’t sure where the book would take me or how it would end. I long for its sequel, and I hope Clare continues on this road. Then there is a character named Lin who is given a strange, magical stone by someone in a manner of passing just as Kell was given one, being known for his travels between the worlds. These two storylines intersect much later in the story than I might have expected, but there’s an instant connection between the characters - hostility, animosity, and intrigue. You’ll have to read to find out who feels what, and why.

The characters were all one dimensional. I could not understand them at all. Their motives were pretty clear in the beginning but it soon tried to develop into something more and eventually got all messed up. So.. That didn't work in my favour at all. This was my first book by Cassandra Clare and it was a HUGEEE disappointment. Castellane is the beating heart of trade in the region, commerce is its lifeblood and it is controlled by the aristocracy who charter certain goods. In homage to the “super diverse” nature of Ancient Rome, Castellane is home to numerous peoples and cultures. “I didn’t want to do something monocultural,” explains Clare who, having previously set her novels in recognisable settings such as London, New York and Los Angeles, describes creating the world as “both refreshing and difficult”. She continued: “You have to remember the whole world. It has to make sense. It has to feel lived in by people and those people have to have relationships that seem realistic. They have to have jobs that make sense to you and the economy has to work in a way that makes sense to you.”If you're part of the newsletter, you've probably already seen this, but Cassandra Clare announced the release dates of her next two books. I loved learning about Kel and seeing the world through his eyes. An orphan raised in the shadow of a prince. He’s constantly being told where his loyalties should or shouldn’t lie by different factions, pulled in directions by both his past, present, and future.

The first book barely scratched the surface of the story. So much conflict has just barely been hinted at. What we see at the end of the first book is clearly just the beginning of a war that could very well bring House Aurelian to its knees.

Multibuys

This felt quite different to Cassandra Clare’s other work. Even her writing style seems changed. If you’re going in expecting her usual romantic writing and beautiful pining, you won’t get that here. Kel is taken from the orphanage to be brought up alongside Prince Conner, there to stand in, in case there is danger or risk - a Sword Catcher, so to say. Overall, I am intrigued to see where Cassandra Clare will take us on this new journey. I think it was time we left the Shadowhunter world (I write as my heart breaks), as Clare needs to expand herself as an author and explore other stories and worlds. Clare also interweaves culture and history into her story so that Lin constantly feels guilty for thinking or doing certain things whilst trying to decide whether she wants to separate herself from the old traditions or ensure her place in her ancestor’s community. I can’t say the pacing of this book was off because there wasn’t much to pace. There wasn’t much going on to really move the plot forward. Halfway through the book, I started feeling like I wanted things to wrap up so I could finish reading, which isn’t a fun way to feel while reading a book, especially one I was so excited about!