Sword Catcher

By: Cassandra Clare

Narrated by: Christian Coulson, Fiona Hardingham

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Two outcasts find themselves caught in a web of dangerous magic and dark secrets that could change the world forever in the start of a riveting epic fantasy series from the author of The Shadowhunter Chronicles.

“Everything I look for in fantasy.”—George R. R. Martin

A POPSUGAR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

In the vibrant city-state of Castellane, the richest of nobles and the most debauched of criminals have one thing in common: the constant search for wealth, power, and the next hedonistic thrill.

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 and Conor are as close as brothers, but his destiny is to die for Conor. No other future is possible.

Lin Caster is a physician from a small community whose members still possess magical abilities. But despite her skills, she cannot heal her best friend without access to forbidden knowledge.

After a failed assassination attempt brings Lin and Kel together, they are drawn into the web of the mysterious Ragpicker King, the ruler of Castellane’s criminal underworld. But as long-kept secrets begin to unravel and forbidden attractions arise, they must ask themselves: Is knowledge worth the price of betrayal? And will their discoveries plunge their nation into war—and the world into chaos?

Critic reviews

“Expert worldbuilding, swordplay, and politics, a colorful cast of characters, and a story that kept me reading from the first page to the last.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author George R. R. Martin

“A gorgeously built world of decadence, betrayal, and grand adventure. From the decadent and drunken parties of the nobles, to the dens of crime lords in the Warren and Maze, to the Sault, where the devotees of a lost goddess are penned, the city of Castellane makes the perfect backdrop for a delightful cast of characters to befriend, betray, and romance one another. This is Cassandra Clare at her cleverest, twistiest and most heart-stopping—a triumph of a book.”—Holly Black, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Night

“Clare plunges us into a thrilling world built with precision and brimming with enchantment. Her spellbinding cast of outlaws, healers, royals, and rogues will have you questioning your allegiances with every delicious turn of the plot. This is fantasy at its finest.”—Leigh Bardugo, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hell Bent

“Sweeping yet intimate, rich with romance and intrigue, Sword Catcher is Cassandra Clare at her magical best. In pages packed with sumptuous descriptions, Clare gives us a kingdom’s worth of characters—including Kel the ‘sword catcher,’ trained to protect his prince at all costs, and Lin, a young physician of an outcast people—forced to navigate a web of tangled loyalties between the loved ones they cherish and the powers they serve. This book will break your heart and leave you wanting more!”—Helene Wecker, New York Times bestselling author of The Golem and the Jinni

“A sumptuous feast of a book, vivid and delicious and heady. Cassandra Clare’s trademark skills are on full display here: epic worlds, wrenching romances, heart-slamming plot twists, Dickensian characters. I can’t wait to visit Castellane again.”—Kelly Link, bestselling author of White Cat, Black Dog

“A charming return to the big fat fantasy novels of happy memory, with a modern character-driven narrative. Vivid and clever.”—Scott Lynch, bestselling author of the Gentleman Bastard sequence

I LOVED IT!

Totally new & fresh storyline, Wonderful complicated and well developed characters, completely different from anything else I’ve read in a long time!

Characters were well written

Great start to a new world! Enjoyed the characters and how the story flows together.

A fantastic new world from Cassandra!

I love this new world and cannot wait to dive deeper with the next book!

my. oh. my.

My. Oh. My.

Dang. I REALLY wanted to love this. I don't know if it simply isn't what I expected or just wasn't for me. (I'm going with the second option) I dug through this with my love for Cassie and the worlds she creates.

I missed more romance, some more magic and action. An adult fantasy, I was expecting way more! I feel like her YA book had more romance.

I loved the characters. They were all well written and amazing on their own. I did think the world was amazing.. I just I needed more. I almost don't remember much of what happened that was significant to be like OH. My gosh, no way. Or even the connections with some of the characters to each other.. again, it is a very political fantasy world, and that seemed to be the main plot.

I'm hoping and praying for the next one to have more romance, action, and magic. Again, I love Cassie and the world's she creates. Seeing where this adventure would take us, I will buy the next book in this series!

Wow!

Cassie has done it again! Starts off like a slow burn, building the world for us, laying the groundwork of complex characters. About half way through, the story picks up the pace and I was listening every possible chance I could. Intrigue, drama, action, with a dash of NA spice. When is book 2 being published?!