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. It’s the story of an orphan whose life is stolen in service to the royal family. They must act as a body double to the crown prince, to protect him and die in his place, if need be. Kel and Prince Conor’s relationship is a tangle of love, understanding, and a hint of resentment. Sword Catcher is also the story of a singularly gifted healer whom society won’t let become a physician because of her gender. Only Lin may have the key to more than just curative remedies within her. Many other characters frame the action, from nobles to common folk to criminals, all of it taking place in a fictional city state that seems to come alive with vivid descriptions. all things similar between ADSOM and SC that i couldn't stop thinking about, and that annoyed me [ spoilers for both the books ]❗️ The plot of this book is linear but unexpected; in the beginning it could feel slow to readers who may be used to a lot of action early on, but I appreciated keeping the stakes low as I learned about the world and the cast of characters in Castellane and beyond. Cassie's strength is usually her characters. In the Shadowhunter books, she almost always made me care about all the characters and it was less the situation here. Kel and Conor are good characters. Lin is even better, and it was nice to see a female doctor in a fantasy setting which was refreshing. However, the rest of the characters were not as exciting.

I can’t say the pacing of this book was off because there wasn’t much to pace. There wasn’t much going on to really move the plot forward. Halfway through the book, I started feeling like I wanted things to wrap up so I could finish reading, which isn’t a fun way to feel while reading a book, especially one I was so excited about! Lose yourself in a vibrant world of power, intrigue and magic in this spellbinding epic from an internationally bestselling sensation. Sword Catcher is the first adult novel by Cassandra Clare. After almost two decades of urban fantasy Shadowhunters novels (and other teen and young adult stories), Clare is finally trying out a new genre more akin to epic and high fantasy with Sword Catcher.The Last Hours is a Shadowhunters trilogy set in 1903 in Edwardian London. It follows the children of characters from The Infernal Devices, though you can certainly read it without knowing those books. Now is a great time to start catching up to be ready for book three! I considered doing that too, (esp. because the writing wasn't much fun) but after 27% or so into the book, things changed, became interesting and stopped irritating me.

Lin on the other hand, is brash and bullheaded, burning bridges faster than she can build them. Orphaned as a child and abandoned by her grandfather, Lin has had to fight for everything, learning medicine with significantly less resources than her male peers within the Ashkari or the malbushim (the Ashkari word for “outsider”) doctors in Castellane. Like Kel, Lin has an understandable but extremely narrow perspective: She does not immediately recognize imminent danger to one of her clients, and accepts invitations from curious people in terrifying carriages. (Kel does this as well; apparently “stranger danger” is not a commonly taught concept in Castellane.) However, also like Kel, Lin’s adolescent perspective is amusing rather than grating.

Success!

I was so excited when Cassie announced a new series that she is working on that is actually not in the Shadowverse and is adult fantasy. My pre-reading review said that I am so ready to read 20 novels in this world. The book came out and then there were accusations that she ripped of Schwab this time -who is also one of my favorite authors- and after getting my hardcover copy, I was having second thoughts, and my excitement was waning. Kel is taken from the orphanage to be brought up alongside Prince Conner, there to stand in, in case there is danger or risk - a Sword Catcher, so to say.