Language : English
Hardcover : 624 pages
ISBN-10 : 1529001382
ISBN-13 : 978-1529001389
Book Blurb
In the vibrant city-state of Castellane, a young orphan named Kel is stolen from his old life to enter a new one of luxury and peril. He’s to become Prince Conor Aurelian’s body-double, shielding the Prince from all dangers. As his ‘Sword Catcher,’ he and Conor become close as brothers – yet Kel lives for one purpose: to die for Conor.
Lin Caster is an Ashkar physician, part of a community ostracised for its rare magical abilities. But events pull her and Kel together and into the web of the mysterious Ragpicker King who rules Castellane’s criminal underworld.
Together, they’ll discover an extraordinary conspiracy. But can forbidden love bring down a kingdom? And will their discoveries plunge their nation into war and the world into chaos?
My Review
Last year I found the Shadow Hunter series and completely fell in love with the characters and the world Cassandra Clare created, even though I’m only five books in. When I learned Cassandra Clare was releasing her first adult fantasy series I was very excited but also a bit cautious as it had a lot to live up to. Sword Catcher is the first book in The Chronicles of Castelline and follows the lives of Kel, Lin, Prince Conor and the inhabitants of Castelline. Kel is taken from an orphanage to live in the palace as Prince Conor’s body double, to take his place in dangerous situations, putting his life on the line to save that of the Prince. Lin lives a very different life, a female physician and an Ashkar, a race that are discriminated against. These two very different characters paths cross as in extraordinary circumstances and find themselves caught up in a power play of the ruling families.
As I mentioned above, Sword Catcher has a lot to live up to, especially where the characters are concerned; I fell in love with Jace, Clary and their friends. It took me a while to warm up to the characters in this book, but once I did I became obsessed with their stories. Lin was my favourite character, she was breaking boundaries by becoming the first female physician and by being Ashkar. The Ashkar have a history in magic and thus are mistrusted by others, and in Castelline they are locked in their ghetto from sunset to sunrise. Lin’s grandfather however is an advisor to the Royal Family so doesn’t have to abide by these rules, and he is the one who takes Lin into the palace in her capacity as a physician. Lin is a trailblazer for women in this book, her strength and determination shining through even when obstacles are placed in her way. Kel is probably the most intriguimg character, taken from an orphanage at ten years old to the luxury of the palace because he looks similar to the prince. He has to put his life on the line to protect Prince Conor everyday, and does so without a second thought, with the boys becoming like brothers as they grow up together. The story is that Kel is a distant cousin, so treated with respect by Conors piers and the rest of the governing families, but in his heart he is just a orphan. As the book progressed I loved seeing how Kel, Lin and Conor’s lives intertwine in surprising ways. Add to this a cast of wonderful of supporting characters, including the beautiful Antonetta, and the Ragpicker King who bring their own special storylines to the plot and into Lin and Kel’s lives.
Cassandra Clare is amazing at world building and I Castelline had a Venetian feel to me; the ritual of throwing rings into the sea as a marraige between the city and the sea, the idea of twelve ruling families all of which charters of different produce, wine, paper, silk etc. Also in Venice was the ghetto for the Jewish community, like the Ashar, a community misunderstood and feared. There is plenty of political intrigue and machinations between the twelve families and the royal house of Aurelian, alliances waiting to be formed, powerplay between the different families and secrets and drama aplenty. I liked the writings from an old book of magic at the start of some of the chapters, that told the story of the Ashkar’s and how and why magic was banished, although it hasn’t totally disappeared. Cassandra Clare’s attention to detail in her world building, the streets, the different areas of Castelline, the sumptuous clothes worn by the rich against the plain clothes of the Ashkar, paints a colourful and wondrous picture that felt real by the end of the book.
Sword Catcher is an epic start to a new fantasy series and shows that Cassandra Clare has made the leap from Young Adult Fanstasy to Adult Fantasy seamlessly. She has created a wonderful new world in Castelline and it’s diverse mix of people, from Prince Conor to the elusive Ragpicker King, ruler of the darkerside of Castelline and holder of many secrets. Swordfighting heroes, a King of the underworld, magic, adventure, lies and romance weave together to make this such a compelling and fascinating read to get lost in, I can’t wait for the next instalment.
I would like to thank Tor Books for sending me my copy of this book in return for my honest review.
