Sword Catcher

July 24, 2023
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.

August 1, 2023
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(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 1, 2023
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.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2023

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

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