After reading the mortal instruments series and really enjoying it. I was excited to pick this one up and I’m hooked. I can’t wait for this to be released so I can read the rest. Will 100% be buying the physical copy. Love it.

Finally finished the immortal instruments series and wanted to try something else from the same author…

I wasn’t disappointed really enjoyed it and will be buying a physical copy!!



4 ⭐️

OK I'm hooked, I need to know who the Rat King really is? Who is the spy within the walls? What will happen to Kas and Lin? Set in a world where magic has been removed, how will it be returned? The story revolves around 2 outcasts who find themselves at the centre of world altering change. I can't wait to see how the story evolves and feel very lucky to have read the sampler.

Things i enjoyed
The world building, although intense, was descriptive and imaginative.
The characters were memorable, loveable and i enjoyed their relationships.
The plot was interesting and well executed

Things i struggled with
There were a lot of characters and places and a lot of names to keep in mind
Sometimes the plot slowed down a few times throughout

Overall an enjoyable read, i would recommend to those who are a fan of adult fantasies, but maybe not if you're new to fantasy as it was very intricate and some may struggle to get their head around it all.

Thank you to NetGalley for this sampler.

All of the other samplers I've read have been a few chapters, so I was not expecting nearly 300 pages! It was difficut to invest so much time into half a book when I won't be able to read the rest for at least a few months..

The worldbuilding was great but I would have liked a little more action. I do realise that the pacing of 600-page fantasy novels can be slower than that of other genres, though, so that could just be me.

I was fortunate to receive an unreleased sampler from Net Galley.
My first thought whilst reading the prologue was this is loong. It was a bit of a slog to get through it but I'm glad that I did because I was engrossed.
The world building was fantastic, although a map and a list of important families would be a great addition to the published works.
I enjoyed the characters and I'm excited to see where this story will go, especially the dynamic between Lin, Kel and Conor.
I can guess a couple of things that might happen but I'm really hoping Cassandra Clare is giving us false clues and there's some big plot twists.
Super excited to read the full book!

Firstly, I want to preface this by saying the arc I got given was a sampler, so I haven’t read the whole thing.

With that being said, this book was filled with such rich world building. As any new fantasy novel, of course it’s going to be hard to understand at first but it was done beautifully, regardless.

The characters are also a mix of loveable and annoying which helps them to feel like real people. I hope i’m the later part of this book, they become even more 3 dimensional.

The only downside to this book so far has been the lack of action. Simply put, nothing has happened yet. There was a slight bit of action towards the end, but it was resolved and now, I’m back to wondering what the plot will be for the latter part of this book. I have a feeling, the purpose of this one is to set up for the rest of the series, which isn’t a bad thing, I was just expecting more.


Thanks NetGalley for the arc!

This is a fantastic introduction to Cassie Clare's new adult fantasy. Following Kell (the eponymous sword-catcher, a title bestowed upon those who exchange their life and future for the monarchy) and Lin (an Askhari physician), it introduces us to the vibrant, if sometimes seedy, city of Castellane as this pair become embroiled in a conspiracy against the crown. Clare's latest book is a feat of daring political intrigue and stuns with its attention to the nuances of fantasy politics. Its deftness when attending both to politics and romance is fantastic and I can't wait to read the rest of the book when it comes out this October!

Cassandra Clare was a staple on my teenage bookshelf and her books will forever hold their special place in my heart. I was super excited to be given the chance to read and review a sample of her new adult book!

The first few chapters of the book are very slow, but they are packed full of world building and fabulous detail - expected of CC! I really was able to envision everything in my mind. Once I finished the prologue I was swept away into the rich world of politics, high fantasy and towards the end of the sampler it really did start to get interesting!

I'm giving this book 3 stars, based on what I have read because of the slow start. I think a three star review is very fair and once the book is published I will definitely buy a copy and who knows, maybe my three will become four or five. Another interesting book from Cassandra Clare.

An absolute thrill to read. Just like all her other books, Cassandra Clare writes fantastical creative books for us to carry round in our head when normal life becomes a little bit boring.

I received a sampler ARC from Netgalley.
There were only 11 chapters in the sampler and it felt like they went on forever. It felt as though it were one large prologue.
I have read nearly every Clare book to date but this is a high fantasy that should not be compared to her previois works.

The world building and character development was well done but i wanted more action or intrigue.

Despite all of this I must say I love that despute her fantasy writing she is able to make social commentary calling out sexism, absurd gender roles and racism. I love even more the fact that despite being set in a form of middle aged world there is a clear inclusion and acceptance of queer people, even a reference to a gay king who simply ised a surrogate tk produce an heir.

I look forward to reading the rest of the story as it was seemed like the plot was startjng to pick up in pace and entertainment.

My expectations were high when I started reading this, even though I've only read Cassandra Clare's City of Bones until now. I know how popular she is and I know she's a great author, so a new adult fantasy series from her sounds so exciting!

First things first, I really hope the finished copy comes with at least one map, although two maps would be really useful: one for the whole world and one for the city. There are many places mentioned and I had such a hard time picturing and memorizing them. And since we're talking about memorizing...

There are too many character names. I wish there was a cheat sheet with all the families, their Charters and the connections between them because it was too much. By the time that I've reached the middle of the book, I couldn't even keep track of the secondary characters and I got them mixed up. But I think most of the name dropping was unnecessary at this point in the series.

When I started reading Sword Catcher, it felt like the prologue would never end. It was finally over at 13%, which is a lot for a prologue, in my opinion. I get that we need some context for what was going on and some of the information in there was really helpful, but it could've been shorter.

This actually applies to the whole book. There's a lot of description and don't get me wrong, Cassandra Clare's descriptions are so magical and vivid; I could feel Castellane coming to life around me as I was reading about it. It's such a rich world and I love that we're exploring it bit by bit, but there was too much description and too little action. At about 60% of the book, something finally happened and I was so excited! Shortly after, the book ended so abruptly that I thought my ARC was incomplete (I'm still not sure about this and I will need to check).

I love the main characters and everything about them, I love the political intrigue, I love the fact that it's an adult fantasy with no sex (so far), I love the writing and overall it's a good book; I want to know what happens next and I can't wait for the sequel! I just wish the first half of the book had more action and less info dump.

Thank you to NetGalley for the sampler..which I did not realise it was.

This review is therefore based on approximately the first half of the book. Kel is plucked from an orphanage as a child in order to be raised alongside the prince and become his guard, or sword catcher as it were. Trained to take his place whenever the situation calls for it, by wearing a magical talisman that makes anyone who doesn’t know his true identity believe that he is the prince. You’ll have to take the word of the character that is highly trained to defend the Prince, as there is zero evidence of it during the first half.

Whilst the world building is vivid and wonderfully high fantasy, the chapters I was able to read are lacking. Only towards the end of the sampler did any of the characters begin to be of any interest to me.

The chapters also read as very long, and I all seem to try too hard to be political, ending up a mess of names and places no one really cares about enough to remember.

I’d have happily carried on to read what seemed about to become a more captivating story in the second half, but given that this book isn’t released until October and I’d probably have to start over I don’t think I will. A shame really as I’m a huge Cassandra Clare fan.

This was an absolutely gripping begging to this highly anticipated release. It was so thrilling and exciting. Im so happy CC is branching out and writing adult fantasy!

The beginnings of an epic tale, with all the right ingredients…
A Prince, a couple of orphans, limited magic, noble houses, feuding countries, political intrigue, thieves and cutthroats. And that is all beautifully set out in the first 250ish pages!

I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this book so that I can dive back into this thrilling, can’t put down novel.

A big thanks to #PanMacmillan and #NetGallery for this advanced sampler of #SwordCatcher by Cassandra Clare.

Thank you to net galley for supplying me with an ARC of this book to read!
At the beginning of this book, it was a bit hrs to follow, although after the first 2 chapters, it was easy to follow the book, the world building wasn’t as complicated as many other books and was easy to follow, especially when new characters were introduced.
The plot line was not like anything I’ve seen before, there were reveals in the book that made me shocked to read it and excited to read on! It’s one of the most amazing fantasy books I’ve read this year! It stood out from any others, with little twists that make you excited to look out for more ideas on what’s to come next!
Overall I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Cassandra Clare!

I don’t think I will ever not love a cc book

Orphan boy
Crown prince
Give me this book now

Am I shipping the, already? Yep

I read my first Cassandra Clare book when I was 13 and was instantly utterly hooked, reading the majority of her releases over the years. I was beyond excited to hear that she was writing an adult fantasy that was wholly unrelated to the Shadowhunter world and super happy when I got this arc.

Starting this book I could instantly tell that this was something really different. Even though the prose is familiar, everything else is not: a new high fantasy setting, new world building, new characters, new politics and a whole new vocabulary. All this, at first, was really fun but also really, really dense. It took me quite a while to get the hang of all the names and places, the ranks and the relationships.

That being said, the character dynamics were definitely interesting and I'm intrigued by all of the major players. That isn't at all surprising though, as I've always thought of CC as an excellent character crafter. The story definitely picked up pace towards the end of this excerpt and I'm really excited to get my hands on the full book when it comes out!

swordcatcher is cassandra clares foray into adult fantasy novels - and while im not sure I would characterise it as an adult novel, what I was given was a well written and thought out story.
This was a sampler only (not noticed when I applied for it but that's my own fault) so finishes about halfway through the novel; and seemingly just as the stakes begin to rise. this book follows Kel, a swordcatcher or body double for the prince; and how his secure life within the palace behind to dissolve as he comes into contact with the criminal known as the Ragpicker King who offers him money to report back about the goings on within the palace.

I did like this book and was invested in the characters and plot line while I was reading; but won't be rushing to preorder it to see what happens next. I'll definitely pick it up once it's out as a paperback though!

Technically proficient but something is just missing.

As an author established and recognised for Shadowhunters, Sword Catcher sets Clare apart completely. While this fantasy is completely new, it feels inspired by Shades of Magic, but something about the plot, or characters, or even writing style just doesn't stick.

It has a detailed and serious tone, and creates relationships where sex is not the sole gratification. The story is easy to follow, but lacks heart. I found the most enjoyable chapter to be the Prologue, and I lost connections to the characters as it went on.

The politics, while complex, are very dry, lacking that typical fantasy spark you'd see in Fourth Wing, A Song of Ice and Fire, or even The Mirror Visitor series. There are snippets of magic, but not enough to satisfy. I felt no urgency of action.

The book’s tags: “forbidden love,” not yet. “Dangerous magic,” not yet. “A secret that could break a kingdom,” not yet. The most interesting things happen in the last 100 pages. As if this was one very large prologue and all those things will be in book 2.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me an eARC for an unbiased review.