didn’t sleep last night reading this book. 🙄 let’s be honest about the author signature writing is present in this book , one of my favourite things is her ability to create richly world buildings and characters that are complex and brilliant at the same time . The author's skillful storytelling make you want to read this book on one go, my only downfall is the book start slow and keep being a slow burn for BIG part of the book and I accept this because is the first book is obvious that she need introduce us to this new world, new universe and I like it. There is drama, magic, downfalls, deceit and everything that you can enjoy in a YA book. I love Kel already and I can’t wait to see where the next books take him. The description and ambiance in this book is totally on point as always with this author. The story is tell by two Povs kel and Lin the book for a very interesting and exciting premise so go and PRE order if you are fan of the author books. Big thanks to NetGalley and Pam Macmillian for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

As is usual with a new fantasy saga there is quite a lot of world building and scene setting which makes the start feel slow, but the intrigue sets in quite early too and fans of the author will recognise the patterns of what is to come. The machinations of court and the tense, eggshell relationships of the main characters soon draw you in : the females in particular are very compelling and you want to know how their story will end. It doesn't take long for the pace to pick up with much manoevring of position and plot twists which will no doubt lead to a cliff-hanger end! (SO unfair to have a sample only!!!) My only negative observation is that there was little to distinguish this title from the author's YA list so many would want to include for that crossover market too. That said I enjoyed this and will want to read the whole come the autumn.

LOVE.

I need the rest. I really do.

I don't even know what to say. What is there to say? There's drama, and magic that's not magic, magic that is magic, deceit and discovery.

As always, I greatly enjoy Cassie's writing.

This sampler gave a great taste of Clare's new Adult novel and I cannot wait to delve fully into this new world she's created

I was so excited to read this so being able to grab a sample really made my day and it didn’t disappoint!
I felt the story was a little slow at the start but it picked up quickly and as usual, Cassandra Clare’s world building is just brilliant. I can’t wait to read the rest on release!
4.5 stars.

It's been a long time since I last read CC's book (probably 8 years) but I've always liked her writing and I'm happy she is moving away from the Shadowhunters universe. This was a quite decent sample and it encouraged me to add Sword Catcher to my TBR list!

I absolutely love Cassandras Clares shadowhunter books.
This is her first book away from that world and it's clear to me how much Cassandra Clares writing has developed and matured over her time writing.
This was a very decent sized "sample", but I can't wait to finish this book to see if I continue to love it just as much!

Title: Sword Catcher
Author: Cassandra Clare

Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare is an enjoyable book that, in my opinion, falls slightly short of the author's best works. As a part of an ongoing series, the beginning of this installment seamlessly integrates into the established universe of the story.

Clare's signature writing style shines through in Sword Catcher, with her ability to create richly detailed settings and craft engaging dialogue. The familiar elements of her world-building make it easy for fans of her previous books to immerse themselves in the story. The author's skillful storytelling draws readers in, capturing their attention and holding it throughout.

While I found the book enjoyable, I must admit that it didn't quite reach the heights of some of Clare's other works. The plot, while engaging, lacked the same level of complexity and surprises that I have come to expect from her. Additionally, the character development felt somewhat lacking, with some of the characters not receiving the depth and growth I had hoped for.

However, Sword Catcher still offers plenty of entertainment for fans of the series. It continues to explore the established lore and expand upon the existing storyline, providing satisfying moments for readers invested in the characters and their relationships. The action sequences are well-written and keep the pacing steady, ensuring that the book remains engaging.

Overall, Sword Catcher may not be Cassandra Clare's strongest work, but it remains a solid addition to the series. The seamless integration into the established universe and Clare's captivating writing style make it an enjoyable read for fans. While it may not surpass some of the author's previous accomplishments, it still delivers on the familiar elements that have made her a beloved writer in the fantasy genre.

OMG, guys, guess what?! I totally preordered this book I've been dying to read, and I'm seriously losing my mind waiting for it to arrive! Like, I can't even handle the anticipation! I keep hitting that refresh button every five freaking minutes, hoping to see that magical "shipped" status on the page. Ugh, October can't come soon enough! I'm just so hyped! Ahhh! 🤩📚

I think Cassandra Clare is on to another winning series here. There is a lot of necessary information in Sword Catcher as we've moved to a different area and a new series of characters. From the very outset, I wanted to know more about Lin and whether she would succeed in her dreams. I wanted to know more about Kel and how he really feels about his role as 'sword catcher'. Even Crown Prince Conor may not be as straight forward as he first appeared. Now throw in the elusive Ratpicker King, who appears to be quite self-serving, and the mysterious Prosper Beck and all the ingredients are there for a tale of intrigue and trying to work out who is on which side.
I am now anxiously awaiting the release of the whole book to find out what happens to these characters.
Thank you for giving me something new to lose myself in.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for allowing me to read this ARC sampler.

I love all things Cassandra Clare and when I found out she was writing an adult fantasy I was absolutely thrilled — I have always enjoyed immersing myself into the Shadowhunter chronicles so it is incredibly intriguing and refreshing to read more from her.

This sample has made me fall in love with the world of Castellane and its characters. I immediately fell in love with Kel, he is written exceptionally well and is a great character for POVs. I enjoyed the prologue being told from when he was a child as it made his character more complex and enabled me to connect to his emotions more. Kel’s friendship with Conner is great to read as well, they have such a special bond.

Lin’s POVs were also very enjoyable and interesting, especially her dynamic with Prince Conner — I am really looking forward to reading more of their interactions as the book progresses, it was very entertaining.

The Ragpicker King is also a mysterious and complex character, one which I cannot wait to unravel. His introductions to Kel and Lin were brilliantly written, adding more to his mysterious character.

As well as the intriguing characters, Sword Catcher introduces a unique world and magic system. The world building was intriguing to read and the promise of magic enticing! The political system this world offers was also interesting as well as the different hierarchies in the kingdom, I am looking forward to reading more about the Ashkar’s and their magical abilities.

This book is everything you would ever want in an adult fantasy, from the characters, world building, and political system, and I look forward to reading more of this book and series. I preordered this book immediately after finishing the sample and I wait in anticipation for October!

Book Review 📚

Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare - 4.5/5 ⭐

Let me start by saying, I have NEVER read a Cassandra Clare book - THROUGH NO FAULT OF HERS. I currently have The Dark Artifices trilogy sitting, unread, on my shelf, and The Last Hours Trilogy sitting unread on my Kindle 🤯 but let me tell you - this sample has not only made me preorder the physical book, but also move CC's books up my TBR list! Ohh I can't accentuate how badly I need to finish this book and quickly!

I LOVE Kel. I have formed such a soft spot for him and just want to cuddle him. He's bound by duty and honour and he follows it amazingly. This book is everything you want and more in a fantasy and I'm ashamed it's taken me so long to read CC's books. The writing is just beyond effortless with great description so you can easily portray the images in your head. The story itself is told from two POVs (Kel and Lin) and it's easy to grasp who they are as people with such amazing writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for allowing me to read this ARC sampler - this is an HONEST review from my own personal opinion

I was delighted when I got approved for the sampler copy of Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare! Having read and loved The Mortal Instruments, I was super excited to have the chance to read her high fantasy adult debut before its release!

Sword Catcher is the story of Kel, an orphan who is chosen to become the Prince of Castellane’s body double, and Lin, who is an Ashkar physician, trying to make her way into a world that would shun her because of her magical capabilities. The two become entangled in a mystery involving the Ragpicker King, who rules Castellane’s criminal underworld…

As I received the sampler copy, I only got to read the first 11 chapter of the book. The story had a slow start, and thus was hard to get into, but it got very interesting really quickly! The worldbuilding was amazing, with gorgeous descriptions that really brought Castellane to life. I love the friendship between Kel and Connor, it’s absolutely adorable. I enjoyed that the story was multi-POV so you got to see what was going on with both protagonists. I also love the friendship between Lin and Maryam, and am particularly fond of Lin! She’s such an interesting and complex character that I need to know more about. Hands down, the most interesting character is The Ragpicker King, who is shrouded with an air of mystique that really pulls you in and has you wanting to know more. The moment he was introduced, I immediately wanted to know more and would absolutely read a spin-off based on him🤣

Overall, the book has an exciting premise! There’s a promise of magic that is enticing, detailed worldbuilding and layered characters that pull you in and make you want to read on! There’s elements of enemies to lovers, and a real focus on politics and hierarchies which are super fun to get into! I would definitely recommend this book and can see it easily being a 4 star and above read! I can’t wait for the full release to get to read the ending! 🤍

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the opportunity to read this eARC in return for a fair and honest review🤍

This is the first Cassandra Clare book I’ve read since the City of Bones - I liked this a lot and found it a really quick wee read! Super fast paced. I did think it was very much building up a world for the rest of the series, which is fine, except that I didn’t think too much was happening. It did read a bit like YA rather than adult fantasy but again, not a complaint (I love YA!). I think the next book in the series will be excellent now that the world has been built and the characters established.

I love Cassandra Clare! She has the ability to build such in depth characters and works and it feels like home reading them. I feel so lucky to get to read a sample of this book and am so eager to read the full book.

As a fan of Cassandra Clare’s previous books I jumped on the chance to read a sampler of Sword Catcher and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the book!

This book has two different POVs and I particularly enjoyed Kel’s chapters as we follow him being Prince Conor’s “Sword Catcher”, protecting him from harm. I liked how the prologue was set years before the main story to show how it all came about and set up the dynamic between Kel and the royal family.

I thought the world-building was easy enough to follow as we’re slowly told more about the history of the world. The plot seemed very slow to start and things were only just starting to come together into a clear plot at the end of the sampler, hence the 4 star rating as I wasn’t gripped from the start. However, I found I kept thinking about the story when I wasn’t reading it so it was clear to me that I was enjoying it and liked the characters.

From what we’d been told about the world history, I know Sword Catcher could have a world that expands significantly, and the potential for lots of well-developed characters relationships and even some political intrigue between the countries. I know Casandra Clare can create some very interesting and believable characters and I definitely saw evidence of this in Sword Catcher. I am very intrigued to see where the book and the series will go next.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan for providing the arc in exchange for a review, I am very appreciative!

I was given a sampler for this as an arc so my review is only for a start of the novel.

So we have Kel, who is an orphan and his role is the Sword Catcher. He is there to protect Conor who is the Prince and royal heir to the throne. The story follows Kel as he goes through situations "pretending" to be Conor, to make sure that Conor isn't harmed or killed.
We also follow Lin who is a physician who has some other abilities that were only just introduced at the end of this sampler, so I am intrigued to see where her story goes.

The start of the book I found to be very slow, it took til about chapter 8 before I really started getting into the story. One thing that did frustrate me is that the reader jumps from the perspective of Kel to the perspective of Lin in the same chapter. I found myself having to double back sometimes to see who's story I was following. If they were separated in chapters then it would be more reader friendly. I am intrigued to see where this story goes, I do wish I had the full arc!
The world building is good and there are some developments in the relationships that I think I can predict, so it would be interesting to see if I am right. But overall I would say a 3.5 out of 5 stars, but bearing in mind this was just the start of the book and I did find that it took me till chapter 7 or 8 till I finally got into the story.

Being a huge fan of The Shadowhunters series I was really excited to read the extract of her new book Sword Catcher. This book has a lot to live up to and so far it lived up to my expectations. I have already fallen in love with Kel and so far it looks like it is going to be exciting to read. I’m really looking forward to reading the rest of this book.

I've been so excited for Sword Catcher and the sampler does not dissapoint! Cassandra Clare has a talent for crafting such interesting layered worlds and weilding stories full of mystery and magic. I loved her Internal Devices series and hoped she would move to Adult fantasy, and from the chapters i've read from Sword Catcher so far it's been a great move. The story had me interested from the prologue and continued to offer mystery and magic throughout the rest of the pages. At the end of the sampler I was itching to read more. I can't wait to read the rest of the book when it's released and see what develops in each of the storylines for Kel, Connor, Lin & Antonietta, plus to learn more about the mysterious Ragpicker King (is he bad or good... we shall see) and to see how the source stone, the sorcerer kings magical histories and Lin and Kel's dreams all link to the present. Lots of different plots that I'm sure will come together in a grand conclusion.

Admittedly  I have never read any of Cassandra Clare's work before. I tried reading The City of Bones some years ago and I just could not get into her writing and gave up in the first chapter.  But the plot and gorgeous cover of this one caught my eye, and I am so glad it did.  This sample was a really good introduction to the book and I cannot wait to get my hands on a completed version.