It’s so interesting to read something outside of the shadow hunter world from Cassandra and I was sceptical at first but this was great, a little development needed but exciting for the sequel

-3.5 stars-

As an avid Cassie Clare fan for much of my early teen years, her branching out from her shadowhunters niche was not entirely unexpected, but still appreciated.

And from this excerpt, i think her writing skill has been carried over the change from YA to NA and from paranormal to fantasy. While this is only a small section of the overall book, it is interesting enough to make me want to read the entire novel.
While not having an entirely unique plot so far, i will very happily eat up any sort of fantasy, so it’s hard to find a flaw.

I love Cassandra Clare and I loved this book. It was riveting and I could not put it down. A 10/10 from me.

I love Cassandra Clare and this new series doesn't disappoint. I love all of her books and this one was no different. Highly recommend and eagerly await the next instalment. I love the size of her books. Always something to get your teeth into. A nice big read with plenty going on. My kind of perfect read.

All I can say is how utterly obsessed I am with this book. I didn’t think I’d like it as much as the Shadowhunters books but I loved it so much. I am very excited for book 2.

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.

I was super intrigued by this book due to it being by Cassandra Clare and although I’ve loved her previous work this one just wasn’t a hit for me. Granted this is sampler and I didn’t read the whole story but from what I read it’s not one I’ll pick up to continue.

I will say this book definitely left the YA age range reading more adult. From what I read the world is entirely new and fresh which felt nice but the pacing was slow. I can’t comment much about plot due to not having read the whole book but from what I did read it seems like it could be something that ends up being great but unfortunately I have to many books and not enough time so this one will be left at the sampler stage for now.

as someone who grew up with the shadowhunter books, i was equal parts excited to read this but nervous in case i was disappointed. there was quite a bit of world building so it took me a minute to get into, but once i did i couldn’t put it down - definitely a must read for any fantasy lovers!

As a previous fan of the author I was very excited to see her adult debut. The way the author describes the world itself and the language she uses for it all was so enjoyable, and it's lovely when you can see how much an author actually truly loved creating it just through the writing alone. Although the world-building is impressive, sometimes the amount of information feels a bit too much to be able to fully wrap your head around, almost to the point of it feeling like adding extra things solely for the purpose of being able to, rather than it actually benefitting your understanding as a reader. The characters themselves were more interesting to me than the story at large, which usually isn't a dealbreaker for me, but considering this book is over 600 pages, it felt like a letdown..

Definitely an interesting concept for a story, but the execution just wasn't good enough to pull me in to continue the series.

A great start to the book. A lot of world building and getting to know the characters which I loved! I’ll definitely be picking up the book to finish it.

Thank you to Netgalley, Cassandra Clare, and Pan Macmillan for providing me with early access to an excerpt of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have read a few of Clare's books in the past and loved them, and I loved the design of the cover and maps on the end pages. It is well written, and the characters are incredibly interesting. The plot she has set up has so much potential, especially with the amount of effort she has given the worldbuilding in this book.

It took me a while to get through this one (and I still have not gotten that much farther than the excerpt provided on Netgalley despite buying the book when it came out). It came across as though she was trying to fit in as much worldbuilding and information as she could into this book to set up the main plot points in book 2.

Overall, I enjoyed the premise of the book and intend to finish it and read book 2, however it is unlikely I will re-read it in the future.

When Kel meets Prince Conor of Castellane, he is offered a choice that has the potential to turn his whole world is turned upside down. He can either remain in the city's orphanage, or he can be raised and trained alongside the prince to become his Sword-Catcher.
Lin is the only female physician in Castellane. Time and time again she finds herself having to prove that she is worthy of such a title, but she is no stranger to judgement. She is an Ashkar, meaning she still has the ability to perform magic, which is generally frowned upon.
When Kel and Lin's paths collide they soon realise that Castellane is not only ruled by one King. And the King of the Criminal underworld has business to pick, with both of them.

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So I recently received my first ARC and it was by one of my favourite authors ever Cassandra Clare (best known for her shadowhunters books)! Needless to say I was absolutely over the moon and shrieked all day long when I received this ARC 😶 I felt thoroughly blessed.

With my ARC, I was able to read the first 50% of Sword Catcher and I cannot wait until October 10th so I can finish it! This book is Cassandra Clare's first adult novel. At first, I was nervous to read it in case it didn't live up to the extremely high standards of the shadowhunters series's however I eventually got over myself with the realisation that Cassandra could never write a bad book and I'm glad that I did because Sword Catcher is absolutely amazing.
If you like fantasy, drama, forbidden romances, and sassy royals this is a MUST read for you. Can't wait until I have the full book sitting on my shelf.

4.25/5 stars! First off, the cover of this book was stunning. It drew me in and made me move it up in my reading list. Cassandra Clare did what she does best: create a YA world with magic and characters desperate to improve their lives. It was long but didn't feel weighty to get through. I am looking forward to when the sequel "THe Ragpicker King" releases.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I think I have read every book Cassandra Clare has written and this one did not disappoint. I hope this new world turns into a new universe, as I am really looking forward to learning more about it and its inhabitants.

Thankyou Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to review Sword Catcher

This was a sampler only and ended just before chapter 12.

With only having read up to chapter 12 its currently at 3 stars, there’s a lot of information to take in to begin with but the world is well developed along with the different cultures, religions and people. It feels like it’s slow paced and hoping it’s just because it’s the first in a series.
Overall it’s good so far and I can’t wait to finish the rest!

After reading The Mortal Instruments, I was so excited to read Sword Catcher. Unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations but realising this wasn’t written for me as a fan base in mind.

I was hoping that this would break what I call my Cassandra Clare curse. I have never been able to get into the Shadowhunter books, nor her other books she wrote with Holly Black, and I thought that this ticking many of my favourite fantasy tropes that this would change that. But no. I just don't mesh with her work. DNF at 15%.

It is very different to what I'm used to see from this author, but I loved that.

I was provided part of the book through NetGalley for a review and it hooked me on. I just had to purchase the book, have the full story in my hands and I plan to finish reading it as soon as possible.

I found the world building unique and beautiful, characters versatile and intriguing. I feel, like I won't be disappointed once I finish this book!

Since reading this brilliant teaser I’ve read the book. As Cassandra Clare’s adult debut, it feels incredibly different to her previous ya works but just as good. My favourite characters were definitely Kel and Antonetta. And now I’m eagerly waiting for book 2! 5 stars for this sampler and the book!

I read a sample of Sword Catcher, having never read Cassandra Clare previously. I was curious and not having read much teen or fantasy thought this would be a good opportunity to make a start.
Firstly, I was drawn to the cover, because of its design, vibrancy and symmetry.
I was pleasantly surprised at the writing, which was compelling and which didn't jar for me as it can sometimes for me with fantasy. I am looking forward to reading this in it's entirety and for reading other works by Clare.

I've never read any Cassandra Clare before but I thought this was great! An orphaned boy, Kel is recruited to be the "Sword Catcher" for Prince Connor, so basically a bodyguard slash public decoy to attract any unwated attention meant for royalty. After the boys have grown into young men the story follows the political movements of a kingdom filled with people all desperate to make themselves richer/more powerful or to be involved with more secrets. A whole race of people, the Ashkar, are confined to a section of the city, only being allowed to wear certain colours so that they are easily identified. A female Ashkar healer, Lin, saves the life of Kel following an attack meant for Connor and becomes further woven into their story. MY only complaint about this book is that it was only a "sampler" so it's only half of the full Sword Catcher book and I need to finish it IMMEDIATELY! I'll add a full review to Goodreads once I've made it through the remaining 300 pages!