Thank you to Pac Macmillan and NetGalley for a sampler ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is Cassandra Clare's first foray into adult fantasy, and I could not wait to read it.

Firstly, in case anyone was wondering, this is not set in the Shadowhunter’s universe at all.
This book has diverged from Clare's usual style in many ways but her skills in worldbuilding and creating endearing character certainly hold true.
Even though this is set in a new fantasy world with a new magic system, details are introduced at a steady pace throughout the book so as not to overwhelm.

This is first and foremost a political fantasy and the story so far has centred around learning the details of who holds power in court, who the important players are, and what their roles are, both officially and unofficially.
For fans of more political leaning fantasy this is sure to be a hit. Or, if perhaps you would like to try and adult political fantasy for the first time this would be a great place to start.

The worldbuilding is comprehensive and easy to understand, and the vernacular of the world is drip fed to you, meaning you do not get confused and frustrated early on as can tend to happen with fantasy.

Overall, I would definitely recommend to fans or newbies to Clare alike and I cannot wait to finish the book after its release.

I am so excited to read this full book, The introduction to this world was magical and I was just getting into the characters.

I can’t wait to see where Cassandra takes this story and this world. The majority of this sample that I received was world building which was a little bit difficult to get into but the last 30% flew by. I’m dying to get my hands on the full book.

Thank you NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and Cassandra Clare for the advanced excerpt in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was given an E-book sampler of 'Sword Catcher' courtesy of Net-Galley and found this to be a riveting read. In particular I enjoyed the worldbuilding. Geumjoseon is a clear reference to the Korean Joseon Dynasty, which I liked as a fan of Korean Drama's. The Ashkar motto, 'How shall we sing our Lady's song in a strange land?' is clearly reminiscent of the Book of Exodus's more famous saying, 'I have been a stranger in a strange land.' Jewish influence is not something I've ever encountered in a fantasy book before, and Cassandra Clare's ability to include it in her novel is something I find myself impressed by.
I despised Prince Conor towards the end of my reading, showing the author's ability to evoke strong feelings in her readers, a sure sign of her talent. I read her Shadowhunter's series in my younger years and I'm impressed by the evolution in Clare's writing. I would recommend this story if you enjoy plots that involve nobility (as in the upper-classes) and adventure.

This is hard to read. Sorry, CC, I’ve liked past books, but this one just… isn’t doing it for me. DNF at 15%.

A fast paced and intriguing start to Cassandra Clare’s adult debut. I thoroughly enjoyed the sample and can’t wait to read the rest of the book!

ARC sample provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story follows Kel and Lin, our twenty-something protagonists, brought together following a failed assassination attempt.

The main setting of city-state Castellane has a Mediterranean Renaissance feel, but the world the author has created is clearly much larger and I hope we travel to some of those settings in future books.
There's a lot of scene setting, building the world and setting up the main players in the future conflicts of the story, but it doesn't feel too info-dumpy. Getting the perspective of two characters from different spheres of society helps expand the world without making it feel too heavy on the exposition - show, don't tell is definitely what the author was going for and they've largely succeeded.

If you like your novels with action from the start, this might not be for you, as the meat of the action doesn't start until a few hundred pages in, but it feels like the story will have plenty going on as it progresses. I personally enjoyed the slow immersion in the world and the lives of the main characters, and I'll definitely be reading the rest when it releases.

I recieved a taster of the 1st 11 chapters of the book so that I could post a review of what I had read so far

The world building is impressive. The history that has been created is interesting. The politics of the rich as well as the politics of the city run by the Ragpicker King thrilling.

I really love both Kel and Lin. They are wonderful characters. I can't wait to see how their stories move forward and finish.

Disclaimer: This review is based solely on the sample so I won't be able to give a complete review. My opinions is subject to change when I read the full book.

I was so excited to be given the chance to read a sample of this book. As much as I love the Shadowhunter universe, I couldn't wait for Cassandra Clare to write a book separate from that world. While the start of the book was a little slow in my opinion, it does slowly begin to pick up the pace towards the end of the sample.

So far I would have to say that Kel is my favourite character at the moment, but I'm looking forward to reading more about Conor and Lin. The world building is intense and intricate, however at times it can be quite excessive and it felt like there was a lot of information thrown in all at once.

This sample has definitely peaked my interest and I'm looking forward to picking this book up and reading more.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I wish so much I hadn’t requested this ARC because it’s just a sample and I MUST read the rest immediately. I’m hooked. I was hooked by the prologue. I am not going to survive until it is in my hand.

I’m a Shadowhunter girly through and through (I read every single book every single year) and Sword Catcher is not going to disappoint those fans. In fact, it has a Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo kinda feel - some sort of dark underbelly and snarky characters that are often present in the current as Sci-Fi/Fantasy books we all absolutely inhale. It’s got the classic Clare cleverness and implicit world-building that fans will recognise, but there is a distinctly adult feel to the small sample I was provided by NetGalley, that is like a reward for those readers who have stuck around since 2007 and will be a warm welcome for new readers.

First off this is my first Cassandra Clare book and I can't wait for publish day so I can read the rest.

What a well written and amazing world Cassandra has created. The relationships, especially that of Kel and Conor are beautiful. The sword catcher role gave such a unique perspective to the two boys.

The world and world building was so rich and I love the underground crime vibe like Six of Crows. The writing style feels adult which is great.

I can't wait for release day to see how the book develops.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read a sample of this book.

While this is only a sample of the book, I am excite to read the rest in a few days when it comes out. It says adult but sometimes I did think it felt a bit YA at a times. I have already preordered the book and can't wait to finish it!

I really really enjoyed this and I’m now super excited for the book to come out so I can read the rest of the book and find out what happens.

I love the world building and the level of detail that has gone into it as well as the history of the world. One of my favourite things is that at the start of each chapter, you get a brief passage which slowly tells you the story of how magic was banished from the world.

I really like all the characters and there’s none that I’m disliking so far. I find the whole story around the Ratpicker King super interesting.

I do have to say, there is A LOT of characters and city names to get used to but that’s expected with a fantasy book.

I do agree that there are some similarities to A Darker Shade of Magic but they’re so minimal (main character name and his background). But the plot and the story are completely different.

Overall really enjoyed the sample I got and can’t wait to read the rest of the book.

"One was raised to rule. One was trained to die. Welcome to the Chronicles of Castellane."

I'm not a Cassandra Clare girly but was intrigued by her new creation, outside of the Shadowhunter world, and decided to see if her adult writing could be for me. I loved everything I read here and am very eager to continue on with this instalment, and the rest of the series.

Whilst nothing ground-breaking occurred here, this was only the first portion of a large adult fantasy book and so I anticipated nothing more than a full immersion in a new world, to understand the central characters, and to become excited for what was to come - all of which was delivered tenfold.

This review is based solely on the sample, the first 200 or so pages.

Having read the Shadowhunter books I was keen to jump into the next world Clare created and Sword Catcher does really disappoint.

However, it also didn't immediately grab me and make it an unputdownable binge fest. I found it slow to build and filled with lore, history and culture that felt at times like it bogged the story down.

The cast of characters are great and varied. The culture offered in the story and the world is complex and richly fleshed out. I adore Kel and Connor and Lin is powerful female lead.

Of course, as expected with a sampler, it was just getting good and engrossing as the sampler ended. So, I will be picking up a copy of Sword Catcher, but it isn't jumping to the top of my to read pile just yet.

Cassandra Clare never fails in giving us an AMAZING story, and as someone who adores the shadowhunter chronicles, i had high hopes and so far i am NOT disappointed.

The world building has been amazing thus far, and the history is spectacular - i cannot wait to find out more !!!

My favourite character has to be Lin, girlbossing her way through a male-dominated field ??? I think, yes !!!! I think my favourite part has to be her interactions with Conor — and i want more of them.

The history with Kel and Antonetta is so intriguing to me, I’m curious to see how these will develop over time, especially considering we don’t know everything that happened between the two.

I loved this so much, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the book once its out !!!

I loved being able to read a sample of this book. To be able to see how the author has created this characters it’s so interesting. The way in which the story developed with what I have managed to read. I loved the character development also. I’m excited for the book to be released so that I could read the rest of the book.

Cassandra Clare is a master at creating a large cast of characters and never making it feel overwhelming.

i adored the world building in this book, the characters were flawed but so full of heart that you couldn’t help but root for them.

i was heartbroken when the sample ran out, so i will DEFINITELY be picking up the book when it comes out!

Such a good start the book and new series and I can't wait for more!!! I love Cassandra Clare's books so would love any more of her content when it is available! I'm very excited for the release of Sword Catcher!

Thankyou to pan macmillan and Netgalley for providing a sample of this book.
Character development: 5/5
Worldbuilding: 5/5
Plot: 5/5

This was such a pleasant read.
Couldn't put it down and after reading the sample I just had to preorder the full book.
The world building is immaculate. I could see it all so clearly, the descriptions were beautiful, young
Kel and his bafflement at Royal everything was hilarious
"He saw no reason to smile at a perfectly good cake being set on fire".
I like the little details scattered through, about the secrets kel keeps. It kept me engaged and wanting more!
I love the premise, the different POV from kel and lin.
I adore the little glimpses of castellanes history dotted throughout. There's a lot going on but it is really easy to follow which is fantastic.
Absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on the full copy.

I was excited to read some by CC that was Shadowhunters related. And I loved this book. It was very slow moving though, that is my one peeve about this book. For how many pages it was, I still don’t really know where it is going. The abrupt ending of the book bugged me too.

The book is told through two characters and they’re obviously connected somehow. But CC does not explain how through the entire book. I still don’t know. It has something to do Lin’s stone and magic. That’s all I know.

And the characters, I did like Kel and Lin. But especially Lin. I like her IDGAF energy around Connor. I just wish there had been more of a story around the Ragpicker king and the characters associated with him.

And again, I did enjoy what I read. And I’ll be reading the sequel 100%. I just wish it was a bit more fast paced like her other books.