Sword catcher

Cassandra Clare

Book - 2023

"A new fantasy series in which two outcasts find themselves caught in a web of forbidden love, dangerous magic, and dark secrets that could change the world forever. 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 has been raised alongside the prince, trained in every aspect of combat and statecraft. He and Conor are as close as brothers, but Kel knows that his destiny is to die for Conor. No other future is possible ... Lin Caster is one of the Ashkar, a sm...all community whose members still possess magical abilities. By law, they must live behind walls within the city, but Lin, a physician, ventures out to tend to the sick and dying of Castellane. 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 criminal ruler of Castellane's underworld. He offers them each what they want most; but as they descend into his world of intrigue and shadow, they discover a conspiracy of corruption that reaches from the darkest gutters of Castellane to the highest tower of its palaces. As long-kept secrets begin to unravel, they must ask themselves: Is knowledge worth the price of betrayal? Can forbidden love bring down a kingdom? And will their discoveries plunge their nation into war--and the world into chaos?"--

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Subjects
Genres
Fantasy fiction
Romance fiction
Bildungsromans
Novels
Published
New York : Del Rey [2023]
Language
English
Main Author
Cassandra Clare (author)
Edition
First edition
Item Description
Maps on endpapers.
Cassandra Clare presents her adult debut with book one in the Chronicles of Castellane fantasy series.
Physical Description
604 pages : map ; 25 cm
ISBN
9780525619994
9780593724477
9780593724705
9780593600146
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

At a state dinner, a boy dines on rich food, wearing rich clothes. He sits with his parents, the king and queen, and behaves just as he thinks a boy prince should. He is charming and witty and extremely hungry. No one suspects that he is not the prince. He is Kel, a 10-year-old orphan, recently picked out of a crowd of boys at an orphanage to become the prince's Sword Catcher, a bodyguard and look-alike to royalty, and the novel tells Kel's story--how he came to be what he is and how he can protect the prince when no one else is able to do so. Kel's decisions lead him to Lin Caster, a physician of an outcast people who makes her own choices and throws her people and her own life into disarray. This book is a good read-alikes for V. E. Schwab's Shades of Magic series; Sword Catcher has all the hallmarks of good fantasy: magic and crime, prophecies, political machinations, and royalty in distress. It will certainly appeal to Clare's many loyal fans.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Bestselling YA author Clare (the Shadowhunter Chronicles series) makes her adult debut with this enchanting if somewhat bloated fantasy, the first in a series. Kel is the Sword Catcher, bodyguard to Conor Aurelian, Prince of Castellane. Having sworn his undying loyalty to Conor ("I die that he might live forever"), Kel's sole job is to keep the prince safe. When the prince's reckless choices land him in hot water with slumlord Prosper Beck, Kel turns to the enigmatic Ragpicker King, criminal ruler of the underworld, for assistance. In alternating sections, readers are also introduced to Lin Caster. Lin is an Ashkar, those born with the only remaining magic left in Castellane and exiled behind the city-state's walls. As a healer, however, Lin is able to enter the city, and the two narratives intertwine when Lin is called to heal one of the royals and she and Kel meet. Clare drops readers into this ornate and unique world and plants seeds for forbidden romance, dangerous magic, and brewing war to be harvested in later installments. The book at hand, however, lacks a sense of urgency, and Kel's sections outshine Lin's, making the pacing a bit uneven. Still, this multilayered epic is sure to be a hit with Clare's many fans. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary & Media. (Oct.)

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review

After the Sundering, only a shadow of the old magic remains, and to dally with it is treacherous. The Empire is broken, with every piece vying for power, including the kingdom of Castellane. Kel is an orphan who is unexpectedly swept away to palace life, where he becomes the Sword Catcher. The Sword Catcher is taught to act, talk, and fight like the prince, to be a perfect copy, even if it means dying in the prince's place. Lin is an Ashkari physician who endures the bigotry against her magic as she desperately tries to heal her friend. Kel and Lin's struggles intersect with the Ragpicker King, the lord of the criminal underworld, who has his own plans for Castellane. The overly descriptive exposition often interrupts the flow of the story, but otherwise this is an entertaining, slow-burning fantasy romance that will appeal to the New Adult audience and longtime fans of Clare (Chain of Thorns). Kel and Lin are surrounded by beautiful scenery, beautiful people, and shadowed hearts as they're sucked into complex court intrigue. VERDICT A luscious story about fierce loyalty, powerful friendship, illusory love, and a unique brand of heroism.--Andrea Dyba

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

YA giant Clare makes her adult debut with a whirlwind epic fantasy featuring secret plots, ancient magic, and hidden identities. The nobility of Castellane know Kel only as Prince Conor's aristocratic cousin and closest confidant, but a select few know the truth: Kel is an orphan plucked from obscurity because he bears a passing resemblance to Conor and proved able to handle being trained as Conor's "Sword Catcher." A Sword Catcher has all the typical duties of a bodyguard, but Kel's responsibilities also include wearing a magical amulet that makes people think he's Conor, allowing him to take the prince's place at public events when the palace head of security deems it too risky for the prince himself. But when Conor becomes old enough to consider marriage, Kel learns that it will take more than hidden daggers to protect his charge. On the other side of Castellane society is Lin, a young woman who is a member of the Ashkar, a small community that's forbidden from living outside their walled community. The Ashkar are the only people who can still use magic, and even though using or even learning about most kinds of magic is banned, they are still feared and discriminated against by the rest of the world. Lin has worked hard to be allowed to study medicine even though she's a woman, but when her medical talents aren't enough to help heal her best friend, she wonders if the answer lies in the study of forbidden magic. The tangle of political disputes and shadowy plots that leads to Kel and Lin crossing paths is not only thick enough to make the several hundred pages fly by, it will leave readers eager for a series full of twists and turns. Clare expertly balances the needs of a satisfying plot with dropping tantalizing hints of what's to come in future installments. Her worldbuilding is instantly immersive, and the many characters are all detailed and memorable, so swapping between storylines flows easily for the reader. A wonderfully enjoyable series opener. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

There was a slight commotion at the door. Kel looked up to a swirl of Castelguards outside, like an incursion of flames. In their midst was a boy, who passed through the door and closed it firmly behind him. Bensimon straightened up; he did not seem surprised. "Prince Conor." Kel felt his stomach drop. Here was the boy he'd been imper­sonating. A boy who had clearly never been sick. He gathered, now, that it had all been a test--and that this was somehow the final part. The Crown Prince was all in steel blue, just like Kel. He was not wearing a circlet, but Kel would have known him for a prince re­gardless. He was tall for his age, with his mother's fine features, and there was a sort of leaping flame behind his eyes and laughing ex­pression on his face that made Kel want to smile at him, which was startling enough in itself. He knew the boy ought to be terrifying--he was royalty--and he was, and yet Kel wanted to smile at the Prince all the same. Though he had no more years than Kel, Conor seemed worlds older as he crossed the room with a light step and said, "How was it, then? Being me?" An unexpected ache bloomed like a flower behind Kel's rib cage. I want to be like him, Kel thought. I want to walk through the world as if it will reshape itself around my dreams and desires. I want to seem as if I could touch the stars with light fingers and pull them down to be my playthings. It was strange to want something you had never known you wanted. Kel just nodded, as if to say that it was all fine. Conor tilted his head to the side, like a curious robin. "Leave us, Mayesh," he said. "I would talk to Kel alone." Kel rather expected the Counselor to put up a fight. Instead, Mayesh Bensimon seemed to be hiding a smile. "As you wish," he said, and swirled from the room in a cloud of gray cloak. When he was gone, Kel rather missed him. Bensimon was the person he had known longest in the Palace. Prince Conor, though Kel had spent the night pretending to be him, was a stranger. "Do you like weapons?" Conor said. "I could give you a dagger, if you liked." "To do what with?" Kel asked, suspiciously. Conor smiled crookedly. "I don't know what you like, you see," he said. "I'm trying to think how to convince you to stay." "Stay? Here? In the Palace?" Conor sat down on the edge of the smaller bed. "My father fos­tered in the kingdom of Malgasi," he said. "They have a tradition there. When a prince turns ten years old, he is given a sort of--bodyguard. Királar, they call him. Sword Catcher. He is meant to stand in for the prince, to--to protect him from danger. He learns to walk and talk like him, to dress like him. He is made to look like him." "Made to look like him?" Kel echoed. "Talismans, charms. Posy-drops to change the color of his eyes." He sighed. "I am not making it sound very pleasant, but I told my­self I would be honest with you. There is no point not being. You would find out, eventually." "You want me," Kel said, slowly, "to be your Sword Catcher?" Conor nodded. "My father could order you, but I do not want someone reluctant. I want someone who wants to do it. And not someone torn from their family, either. That is why--you are from an orphanage?" Kel nodded. He was too stunned to speak. Conor relaxed minutely. "That is good. Jolivet did not lie to me, at least." He looked at Kel. "What do you think?" "I think," Kel said, "that it sounds dangerous, and probably dif­ficult. I think if you are looking for someone who wants to do it, that may also be difficult." Conor exhaled painfully. "As you say." He looked deflated, which brought home the peculiarity of the situation. Kel had not known what to expect of a meeting with the Crown Prince of Castellane, but he had certainly not expected him to be depressed. "Well, you could try to convince me," he said. "Tell me, what about it would be good?" Conor looked up, his eyes brightening. "Really?" He sat up straight. "Well, you would live in the Palace. You would have what­ever you wanted, most of the time. Within reason, but any clothes or books or--well, really anything. If you saw it in a shop window, I would get it for you. Unless it was a jade elephant or something else enormous." "That does seem impractical," Kel said gravely, fighting a grin. "We would learn together," said Conor. "Jolivet isn't the most agreeable fellow, but he's the best sword-trainer out there. You would become an expert fighter. And my tutors are teaching me everything there is to know; they would teach you, too. You would speak a dozen languages, know the history of all Dannemore, the patterns of the stars, all the Great Equations." Despite himself, something kindled inside Kel. It was small and bright, a distant signal fire. It startled him. He had not expected to feel truly tempted. "You would never be hungry," Conor said softly. "And you would never be lonely. You would sleep here, beside me, and we would always be together. And your life would be extraordinary." Kel leaned back against the table. Extraordinary. He knew the word--from lessons, mostly. Conor leaned forward in excitement. "You would meet royalty from all over, people descended from famous heroes. You would watch the greatest dancers dance, hear the best musicians. You would see things hardly anyone ever sees. You would travel the whole world." Kel thought of the White Rock near the Orfelinat; that had been the ship he sailed with Cas across imaginary oceans. He thought of the marbles they used to weight down their map in the endless game of where-do-you-want-to-go. They had both always known they would never see those distant lands. "See the world," he said. "With--you?" Conor nodded eagerly. "Most of the time you won't be pretend­ing to be me. You'll be given another identity. The name of a noble. And when I become King, you stop being the Sword Catcher. After that, you will become like Jolivet, the leader of Castellane's finest soldiers. The Arrow Squadron. And one day, you can retire in honor and wealth." Honor sounded boring; wealth less so. "But perhaps you had something else you wished to do? Like becoming a merchant, or a guildmaster?" said Conor, uncertainly. He looked tired. Kel had not thought rich boys ever looked weary like that. "I won't keep you here against your will. I told my father that." I told my father. That he meant the King was strange enough, but even stranger, Kel saw that Conor's hands, laced together as they were, were shaking. He really did need him, Kel thought in shock. He had never been needed before. Cas was his friend, but Cas didn't need him, and neither did Sister Bonafilia or the others. Parents needed their children, but he had never had parents. He had not known what it meant to be needed by someone else: that it made you want to protect them. To his own surprise, he wanted to protect this boy, the Prince of Castellane. Wanted to stand between him and a forest of bristling fléchettes. Wanted to stare down and de­molish any enemy that wished Conor Aurelian harm. It was the first thing he had wanted to do since he had come through the Palace gates. Well, besides eat. Perhaps you had something else you wished to do? Like becoming a merchant, or a guildmaster? When Kel turned sixteen, the Orfelinat would eject him, penniless, into the world. It existed to help children--and only children. Untrained, largely untutored, on the streets of Castellane, there would be nothing for him. Even sailors were trained from a young age. He could scrape by as a lamplighter, or a ship's boy if he was lucky, and would be poor as dirt. Or he could be a criminal--pick pockets or join the Crawlers, the highest he had ever dared to dream--and wind up dangling from the gal­lows of the Tully. He took a deep breath. "Extraordinary, you say?" And Conor began to smile. Excerpted from Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.