Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Sword Catcher

Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare

9 reviews

whitneyleanne's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I really enjoyed this book, so don’t take the lower rating to mean I disliked this book.
It gets that rating because this book was HEAVY. I don’t mean physically, I mean the story was like if you were desperately thirsty and someone handed you heavy whipping cream, intending for that to sate your thirst.
The story itself is deeply interesting, with two incredibly different protagonists with different motivations, loyalties, and understandings. I like where the story is heading, and I really, really enjoy the Ragpicker King and his crew. They’re honestly my favorite part of this book - they reminded me a lot of the Six of Crows crew. They will undoubtedly be a big part of the next book, so I’ll be there ready and waiting when the next book drops 🫡
The writing was almost poetic, and even when I was deeply confused about what was happening in the beginning, I still enjoyed trying to figure it out. There is no doubt that Cassandra Clare is a talented author. I was also able to imagine everything happening in great detail, which I really loved. However, her world-building in the first 200 pages is…clunky? There is a lot that is introduced that is technically necessary, but it was difficult to follow. It was only once I was past the 200 pages that I was able to understand what was happening, where the story was going, etc. I’m not normally a fan of books that require me to get past the first part of a book to enjoy the rest of it… but for this one I will forgive it.

Knowing how the book ends (and with that cliffhanger), I wholeheartedly believe this book is better on a reread. I don’t plan to reread it soon, but nearing the second book’s release date, I am planning to do exactly that. The world-building seems like it would be more appreciated once the story is known.

Also, maybe a minor gripe, but I don’t like that this book is marketed as having romance. It has a pinch of it, barely even a hint. If anything, it’s setup for a setup of a romance? Which is okay, I don’t need romance to be in fantasy, but if you talk about forbidden romance in the blurb and then have no such thing, it tends to be upsetting.

ultimately, this book was good. I am looking forward to seeing how it continues.

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lilifane's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

That was surprisingly fun.
It is a little too long and info dumpy at the beginning, but I enjoyed it a lot and couldn't put it down in the end. I'm still confused by the very obvious inspirations for the nations in this world. They feel rather cliché and like lazy world building, although the other parts of the world (the history/myths/magic) are really cool and interesting. I'm definitely curious how the mystery regarding the magic and the prophecies will unfold.
I really like the main characters, I'm intrigued (but also a little frustrated) by their dynamics. Even though a few scenes felt weirdly out of character. Curious about some of the side characters, who have a lot of potential, too.
As for the plot... there was a lot of getting to know the characters and the political atmosphere first, and it felt like the plot wasn't going anywhere. But it definitely picked up towards the end and held some surprises. It's funny how I expected certain things to happen, but then they happened in a way I wasn't expecting. So that was fun.
What was not fun, was one cruel development at the end. I get why it is there and what it means to the plot. But it involves a child, and I really think it didn't need to be one. Feels like a cheap method to create shock value, tbh.

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hanamayfield's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

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wordsofclover's review against another edition

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adventurous informative mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

In the city of Castellane, Kel Saren was only 10 years old when he was plucked from an orphanage and brought to the Marivent to transform into a Swordcatcher - a special role in which Kel takes the place of Prince Conor at events that could pose a danger, and potentially die to protect his Prince and best friend if it comes to it. On the other side of the city, we follow Lin who is a physician and a member of a race of people called the Ashkar that tend to be treated badly by others. As political tensions rise within Castellane, Lin's world combines with that of Kel and Conor on several occasions and eventually they all end up in schemes that could change everything.

I really did not know what to expect going into a Cassandra Clare book that had absolutely nothing to do with Shadowhunters, and I'm so glad to report that I truly loved this and I am so impressed with the writing, the character building and the worlds building that has gone into this novel. For someone who has been reading CC books for years, I love being able to see the improvement and the strength in the writing in this book - CC still loves a multifaceted, torn orphan boy and a red-haired heroine but I'm also okay with that!

The pacing of this book is quite slow and this is also something I liked as this world is very vast and how the city is run by its royal family but also the charter houses aka noble families takes time to understand and we see how trade agreements between the charter houses and other kingdoms is a very important one for the running of well, everything. We also really get to know Lin and Kel as our main characters and through them both, we see different sides of Conor as well. They are both characters stuck in between things, people and places and hiding parts of themselves from others at almost every moment in their lives. I actually liked that the 'romance' in this book, if we can call it that as there's very little if it, was not between Kel and Lin which is what I would have guessed but moreso between Lin and Conor, and then Kel and Antonetta. I would also like to mention that I love that this is a fantasy world where being queer is not a big deal - Kel and Conor both seem to be bisexual and its mentioned that having two Kings, or two Queens instead of a hetero relationship is also a normal thing to do. So love that inclusion, and how easy it is to do!

I would have loved more storyline to do with the Ragpicker King and Prosper Beck, and the shadier sides of Castellane but I have a feeling that will all come in book 2, and I'm ready for schemes within schemes and heists. The criminal side of this book definitely gives a mature 'Six of Crows' feel which I think a lot of people will like but we really only get a teaser of it in this book.

I really enjoyed reading this, and really look forward to the next book though the only hard part now is waiting for it!

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