I really enjoyed my time reading this sampler of Sword Catcher and I can't wait to read it fully once it releases. Cassandra Clare is one of my favourite authors and although the Shadowhunter chronicles are some of my all time favourite books, I'm really happy she is writing books outside of that universe.

We definitely see a clear shift into adult fantasy in Clare's writing with this book. The world-building is complex, extensive and beautifully and vividly written. This new world Clare has created is vibrant and rich in diverse cultures with an equally diverse, unique and multifaceted cast of characters. I'm excited to continue with the full book once it releases and intrigued to see where the plot takes these characters.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

5 star review!

I was so excited to receive an early copy even if it was the sampler. I cannot wait to read the full book and I am eagerly awaiting it's release!!!

I look forward to reading more books by this author.

I did not manage to read this unfortunately, due to unforeseeable issues at home but I have preordered this as I’m very interested in reading it once I get the chance.

I’ve read all the mortal instruments books so when I saw the sword catcher on NetGalley I was intrigued.

I love how Cassandra Clare paints a picture with words, her books are long but her descriptions make things come to life in your mind. It wasn’t the most action packed book but I feel like it has set the scene for future books which I will definitely read. I think the stories of Kel, Conor, Lin and Antonetta are going to be a firm favourite.

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced reading copy.

I absolutely loved this teaser and cannot wait till this is out in the next couple of weeks.

Cassandra Clare has always been one of my favourite authors for a long time, and cannot wait to see what she does outside of the Shadowhunter realm.

This review is based on early access to a sampler of the book.

I have to say, I am so excited for Clare’s new venture and this sampler has only stirred up my interest more! I love the world-building thus far, of an intricate and in-depth world and city. The characters are SUPER interesting and I honestly can’t wait to get my hands on the final thing to discover what happens to them… Definitely one I’ll be picking up once released!

I was so excited to be given the chance to read a preview of this book and it did not disappoint! I am eager to read the full story when it is released! The world of the shadow hunters had never really appealed to me so I was very excited to see that Cassandra Clare was writing an adult fantasy separate from this world and I can really see why people love her writing.

I would firstly like to say thank you for the sample of this book.

Note- I am giving this 3/3.5 stars due to it being a sample.

Having never read any of Cassandra Clares other books, I was excited to see that she had written an adult fantasy book. The prologue hooked me in and the world building was very extensive. I found this a little too much at times as there was a lot of information. The magic system is unique and you will enjoy it if you like political fantasies. The characters were interesting and I can’t wait to read more about Lin. The book picked up towards the end of the sampler so I will definitely be continuing when it comes out.

Overall a good sample which makes me want to continue the rest of the book.

I was so excited to recieve a preview of this book. I love Cassandra Clare’s writing and this did not disappoint. Lots to think about and lots to look forward to when the book is published.

This sample made me very excited to read the full book once it's published in October. Very different to shadowhunters but same great writing style and great characters.

sword catcher - cassandra clare

what's this? a cassandra clare novel that doesn't involve shadow hunters? yep! this is clare's debut adult fantasy and even if you've not been a fan of her work before, i i implore you to give this one a go - the style, the voice and just about everything else is so different from her previous books, it's a much more mature voice and wonderfully sets up what could be an exciting fantasy series.

i was instantly drawn into this world and am super excited to see how all this plays out - i'm just upset i have to wait two years to find out what happens next!

many thanks to @netgalley for the early copy. sword catcher is out next month and there are some incredible special editions available, so go forth and pre order!

I really enjoyed this exploration into adult fantasy by Cassandra Clare! I thought the plot was fun and gripping and it went by so quickly! I really loved the characters and enjoyed the politics/magic system. But it wasn't anything revolutionary, like the shadow hunters universe grabbed me by the throat and HELD ME and made me want to pick up book after book, with this one I finished it and was like oh okay! Cool maybe I will pick the next one up who knows!

Cassandra Clare is an Auto buy author for me - I can't wait for the full book and have Multiple versions reordered!

I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley, all opinions are mine.

So first things first - I'm reviewing a 285 page sampler, so of course I can't give a complete review. But here are my first impressions!

Sword Catcher is a multi-POV adult fantasy with political intrigue, mysterious magical artifacts, and potentially warring criminal organisations as well. I loved both of our main characters! Kel and Lin feel strong, fully realised, and realistically flawed. I'm already invested! In terms of the supporting cast, it's a bit of a mixed bag: I'm intrigued by the king, queen, and Mayesh, but I don't care for Conor that much. I want to like the Ragpicker King, but honestly it just feels like it's been done before? As of this point in the story, it doesn't feel like a fresh take on the archetype.

The worldbuilding is vast and intricate, sometimes beautifully so, sometimes to its own detriment. When it doesn't work, it feels clumsy and takes away from the immediacy of the scene. Inserting descriptive details about the room into a fierce argument about marriage and succession completely drains the tension. It also felt like it took about 200 pages for the story to really get going, which had me perilously close to DNFing a couple of times.

When it works, however, it's evocative, fantastical, a stunning snapshot of this world we've been invited into. The descriptions of food especially feel so vivid I genuinely got hungry! A great deal of thought and care has gone into the creation of the different kingdoms and their cultures, and it really shows.

In the end I definitely have mixed feelings about this one, but now that the plot's really kicking in, and given my attachment to Kel and Lin, I'll definitely be picking up the finished copy!

I am very behind the times and despite owning 10 Cassandra Clare books; this is the first time I’ve actually picked up a book by this author and I was completely blown away :0

The world building in this book is a whole other level – the first part of the book is a bit slow but it allows the reader to get a real picture of this vast and complex world. The writing is really descriptive and it helps you picture al the details right down to the food the characters can eat. I really liked this and it helped me to picture Castellane as I was reading the story. There has been a lot of thought and attention to detail by the author with the world building and I really appreciated this – it helped the book become a more immersive experience.

I initially found it difficult to keep on top of all the different characters but once I had mastered this and got to know them; it really added to the story (there is a helpful character guide on the author’s website if you need it).

I liked the characters and the interactions between them. As it is the start of the series I’m not yet sure who the main relationships are going to be between but I am looking forward to finding out and seeing if the ones I ship get together.

This is definitely a high fantasy read; the plot is complex but really interesting and I really enjoyed by read of this book. I look forward to seeing where the rest of the series goes.

FYI, I have gone with 3 stars for now because this is a sampler and not the full book.

I'm a massive fan of anything Cassandra Clare and I was really excited to get my hands on this! Her Shadowhunter books are some of my favourites and I was intrigued to see how she was going to enter the adult fantasy world! As expected, Sword Catcher is far from the Shadowhunter world. From descriptive world building to court politics and corruption, this book has everything I enjoy in a fantasy setting!

Always excited for new work from Cassandra Clare, this is no exception. Cannot wait for the full works, have already pre-ordered it.

*Review of Sample*
I will be updating this once the full book is released, so I’m holding back some things for this review until then! Everything here is a first impression.
Even though I had not read anything by Cassandra Clare in years, when I heard she was writing an adult fantasy, something separate from the Shadowhunters universe no less, I was *very* excited.
This high fantasy is set in an imaginary kingdom where a young boy is selected and trained to be a “Sword Catcher” - someone who acts as the Prince’s double in high risk situations where he might be injured, or killed. It’s a great premise, definitely unique and clever, and I found the characters intriguing and likeable. The dynamic between Kel and Conor, and Kel’s complicated relationship to the royal family was what really kept me returning to the story.
However, I found the beginning very difficult to get through. The world-building seems a bit lazy as there were so many things the reader is told instead of shown, and a lot of it felt really insignificant, like it was just thrown in for decoration. The magic system confused me as it seemed to only be there for convenience of the plot and didn’t affect much of the world. For example, the charm Kel wears to make himself appear more like Conor - this defeats the purpose of having to choose someone who looked exactly like the Prince. If this kind of magic is possible, surely it can be pushed further and transform someone entirely? It also takes away from the extremity of Kel’s job. It would have been more exciting if he had to train and teach himself to be absolutely perfect in his imitation, instead of having this to fall back on.
Also just an aside - as an Irish person the name choice “Conor” really bothered me. Every other character has extremely high-fantasy, meant-to-be-exotic-sounding names, and then one of the MCs is called the most basic and common Irish names that there is. Like, is it meant to sound unique and different as with the other names? Why not just give the rest of the royal family Irish names? It took me out of the story a lot.
Those are my initial thoughts. The sample has left off in a very interesting place, so while it’s not perfect I will be picking up a copy to read and continue after the publication date.

I have read and enjoyed the shadow hunters world for years, and this is a new genre and series altogether. I liked the book although I didn’t find it groundbreaking or new. I wish it was faster paced. However, I did enjoy it and would recommend it to other adult fantasy lovers.

I’ve actually never read a Cassandra Clare book (shock I know) but knowing that this book was her first outside of the Shadowhunter Universe it felt like a good place to start rather than an overhwhelming series!