I loved Swordcatcher but this book is just so much better. I think because in this book you already understand the magic, the world and know the characters, I just found myself becoming so much more invested than I had been in the first book.

The level of corruption and secret plotting that goes on in this book is on a whole other level and I was here for all of it.

There were so many pairings I was rooting for throughout this book. I think Kel and Lin might be my favourite characters - both a bit morally questionable but their hearts are in the right place.

I would have loved to see more of Connor and I felt like he was a bit overlooked in this book - but I think we are going to see him take centre stage in the third book which I can’t wait for.

The final 3 chapters of this book threw me through a loop but in such a good way - so much happened that completely threw me and I cannot wait for the third instalment - I need to know what happens next.

This series has me 100% addicted.

After finishing this book, I’m even more convinced that Cassandra Clare doesn’t miss with her writing. When I first read Sword Catcher, I gave it a 3.75–4-star rating, mainly because the first 30% felt slow and hard to get into. However, the second book in this series completely grabbed me from the start. I both read and listened to the audiobook, and I’m so glad I did—the narrators absolutely nailed it!

We pick up right where book one left off. Connor is still reeling from the guilt of the Massacre at his engagement party, while Kel continues to struggle with his role as a Sword Catcher and the secrets he’s keeping from Connor. Meanwhile, Lin, who has claimed to be the returned goddess, must prove herself through the trials of her people.

Every aspect of this book had me hooked, but Lin’s journey stood out the most. Her struggle to reconcile her claim as a goddess was so compelling. What really gave me chills was how down-to-earth and humble she remained, even with her immense Healing magic and power—and how she did everything to save her best friend. I also absolutely loved every interaction between Lin and Connor. The growing tension between them kept me on the edge of my seat, desperate for them to admit their feelings. Their chemistry was palpable, and I couldn’t get enough of their dynamic. The new twist with Lin healing the infamous King was a fascinating development that kept me on the edge of my seat.

The political intrigue, world-building, and expansion of the magic system were also incredible. There were moments when I found myself sitting in my car, unable to stop listening to the audiobook, even though I knew I’d be late for work. Now I’m eager to revisit the first book, as I’m sure I would rate it higher after seeing how these elements play out. I also loved seeing so many background characters take on larger roles in this book!

Kel’s struggle with keeping secrets—especially from Connor and others like Antionetta—was another page-turning element. His internal conflict and the intense conclusion in the final fifty pages had me nearly in tears. I’ve never experienced such whiplash (in the best way) from a book’s ending. I had to go back and reread parts just to make sure I didn’t miss anything. The plot twists left me craving book three, even though this one has just been released!

oh this was SOOOOO fire. SO much better than the first book! initially i was afraid that cassandra clare was never going to do manage to drag me into a different world that is not the shadowhunter chronicles, but i fear she did with this one. so excited for the next book, especially after that ending!

No spoilers for this book but as it directly follows on from book 1, there will be spoilers for that

The court is in turmoil after the massacre, and Kel is trying to do what he does best, protect Conor. Even if this means working more with the Ragpicker King

Lin, after declaring herself the Goddess, is set to take an unknown trial to prove this declaration when all she wants to do is save her friend

Lin finds herself embroiled even more with the Royal goings on when Conor asks her to help with his ailing father, but between this, a new princess and a whole lot of plotting by various parties our little crew have a lot on their plates

Can they figure out who can, and cannot be trusted.. and also what they mean to each other... before its too late....

Thank you to, NetGalley, Black Crow and PanMacmillian for the review copy of the book

Out now so you can binge this and book 1 as well, and wait for the next book with me....

What a beautiful and strong second installment of the Castellane series! I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even more than book one. The pacing is perfect and the storylines of each character so interesting, it makes you excited to get back to them. Again, great world building and in depth characters. Can’t wait for the next book (which I need.. like .. right now!)

Cassandra Clare never lets me down

There’s something about the way that Cassandra Clare writes characters that hooks me every single time.
This was such a strong sequel and thankfully didn’t suffer from the second book slump that a lot of sequels tend to fall into.
This book was a fun ride all the way through and I’m so so excited to see where the story will take us.
The main friendship in this series has my whole heart and I’m eagerly awaiting the next book in the series to see where some of those characters will end up.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

It’s SO good to be back in Castellane with Kel, Conor, and Lin! I remember absolutely loving Sword Catcher when I first read it but I reread it in preparation for The Ragpicker King and !?!? It’s SO good! Even better than I remember and MY GOD what a way to follow it up! The Ragpicker King is somehow even better!

I was nervous going into The Ragpicker King because I so desperately wanted to love it as much as I did Sword Catcher and I am overjoyed to say that everything that I loved in Sword Catcher - the characters, the political intrigue, loyalty and betrayal, tension, yearning, and of course the elusive Ragpicker King himself - has only become more refined and perfected in The Ragpicker King. I am hanging onto every line in this book and I can’t get enough.

There is no question that this is my favourite book of the year so far.

The stakes in this book have increased tenfold and I am SAT.

I cannot recommend this series enough! If you’re a fan of fantasy filled to the brim with political intrigue and complex characters that stay with you long after you finish reading, I think you’ll love Sword Catcher and The Ragpicker King.

This book was awesome and everything I wanted it to be. It is the second book in The Chronicles of Castellane series and what a wild ride it was. I am not a fan of chunky books but I just flew through the 500+ pages.

The intricate world-building, political intrigue, jaw-dropping twists, spine-tingling forbidden love, the yearning, complex characters you will love and love to hate you - everything felt more fleshed out and refined. It had me in a chokehold, made me gasp, made me cry and left me craving for more. The last 150 pages were absolutely insane. A true nail-biter until the very end.

Thank you @cassieclare1 for creating a world that provides such perfect escapism and characters that have my heart. I am eager to see what you have in store for these characters in the next book.

Thank you @panmacmillan and @netgalley for the digital ARC to read and review.

I am still reeling from the cliffhanger of this book!!!! Cassandra Clare you are so evil....but in a good way.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book and the book is better. Book 3 now please.

The book did start off a little slow but soon the story had me hooked and loving the character development.

Connor is my favourite side character (when he isn't with Lin).

I really enjoyed Swordcatcher and was so happy to be returning back to the world and characters I grew to love.
When reading a fantasy sequel, it can sometimes be difficult to remember what had happened in the previous book but we are reminded of the main parts in subtle ways through the opening chapters. There are a few instances of names being so similar that I became confused a couple of times but that may have just been me!
The four main characters really evolve in this book - moreso than I anticipated. I did guess a few things that were going to happen plot-wise but I was so stunned by other revelations! Some of the smaller characters really came into their own too.
I love this world and this was a great sequel. I can't wait for book 3.

⤷ 4.5✩

Thanks to Pan Macmillan for providing me with this E-ARC via NetGalley.

This book starts off a bit slow, but that slow build-up is definitely worth it. Everything comes together perfectly by the end, setting up something really exciting for the next book in the series. The last 100 pages, in particular, were incredibly satisfying to read.

The character development is done very well, and the world-building becomes even grander than it was in the first book. The only negatives I noticed were the romance, which takes up a large portion of the story, and the pacing. Overall, I’m really looking forward to the final book in the series!

Swordcatcher was one of my favourite reads of last year. It’s mostly setting the scene for the rest of the series, but I loved it nonetheless. The last 200 pages it was impossible to put the book down. And with that ending… I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy of the Ragpicker king.

The Ragpicker king starts slow as well. The first 55% of the story contains mostly the same elements as the first half of Swordcatcher: continuing setting the scene, putting traps into place, hiding little tidbits of useful information, getting to know the characters better (special shout-out to Merren, he is one of my favourites in this series), introducing new characters, … From there on, the pacing finally increases, stuff starts to happen, and oh boy there were a lot of plot twists! I didn’t see any of the twists coming (especially the last one, I knew something was off but I couldn’t put my finger on it), yet they fit perfectly with the rest of the story.

So even though this story starts very slow as well, I still liked it a lot. The writing style, the worldbuilding, the characters, the way the web is woven, the betrayal, the friendships, the slow burn, the feelings, the political intrigues, … these were all great (it’s not a light romantasy, it’s an epic, slow, complex story, which makes it even better in my opinion), just as we’ve come to expect from Cassandra Clare. I have been a fan since City of Bones, and I’ll keep buying and reading all other books she writes.

I can’t wait to find out where all this is going in The Bone Conjurers (because yes we have a title 👀 ). I need them all to be okay, alright? Everything has to work out in the end…

4.5/5 stars

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC!

This review is for The Ragpicker King by Cassandra Clare which released in the UK on the 4th March! Thanks so much to Netgalley and Tor for giving me an eArc copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve read and loved a lot of Cassie’s work, especially her Infernal Devices and Dark Artifices series (Will Herondale is the man of my teenage dreams) so as soon as I saw she was writing an adult novel??? Sign me up. I read the first in the series just before this one and was obsessed so was glad it was available to request.

I will say I loved the pacing of this one so much more than the first. The first had a lot of ‘first book syndrome’ where it was a lot of plot to set up for the rest of the story, but in this one we get to see so much more of the characters. And how much I love the characters!!! Antonetta is a personal fav, but I do also love Conor and Lin. I love a good yearning plotline. The romance in this is also *chefs kiss* and I loved how much more of it we got to see.

I also appreciated how every character seems to have their role in the story, and how the twists just kept coming!! I was kept on my toes so much throughout this book and I looooved it. The setting of this book was incredible as well, Castellane is such a vividly written world that you cannot help but fall into the story.

I’m trying my hardest to write this without any spoilers, you need to read this series as soon as you can!! You’ll fall in love with the characters and the world just as I have. You have slow burn, forbidden romance, court politics, criminal underworld, magic and more. What else could you need?? 5 stars from me and absolutely no notes.

I’ve been a huge Cassandra Clare fan for years, and The Ragpicker King is exactly the kind of book that reminds me why I love her writing so much. When I read Sword Catcher last year, I enjoyed it, but I also felt like it lacked some of the originality and depth I was hoping for. It was a solid introduction to Castellane, but it didn’t wow me the way I wanted it to. The Ragpicker King feels more like the Cassandra Clare that we know and love.

The biggest improvement for me was how much more fleshed out the characters, politics, and world building felt. Clare has always been at her best when writing character dynamics, and she really delivered here. I really enjoyed both Lin and Kel's POV. I really wish we had gotten POV chapters from Conor and the Ragpicker King. Both of them are such fascinating characters, and while we see them through the eyes of others, I kept wanting more—more insight into their motivations, more depth to their personal struggles. Maybe in book three? Fingers crossed.

Overall, The Ragpicker King was a massive step up from Sword Catcher for me. The characters felt more alive, the stakes were higher, and the world was more immersive. It’s an easy five-star read, and now I’m left desperately waiting for book three. Cassandra Clare, please put me out of my misery and release it soon!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I sacrificed sleep for this book, and I regret nothing!

Needs to be read in sequence but fans of the first will not be disappointed! Great character development, twisting plot machinations, and wider expansion of the created world. Can’t go wrong really - roll on the next one!

Actual Rating: 4.5⭐

After giving this series another chance, I can confidently say I’m glad I did—because the sequel DID.NOT.DISAPPOINT!

Picking up right where Sword Catcher left off, The Ragpicker King dives straight into the heart of Castellane’s mysteries and conflicts.
With the groundwork of world-building and character introductions firmly established in the first book, the sequel wastes no time getting straight into the thick of the action.

Personally, I find the Ragpicker King far more enjoyable.
The characters felt more fleshed out, and the story pulled me in deeper as betrayals unraveled, schemes unfolded, and long-hidden secrets came to light.

Conor’s character development stood out the most!
Witnessing his evolving actions, attitudes, and relationship with Lin was both captivating and heart-wrenching. Every moment involving Conor and Lin tugged at my emotions—my heart broke alongside theirs.
I’m eager (and a little nervous!) to see what the future holds for them in the next book.

The ending, with its unexpected twists and turns, especially revelations about the Ragpicker King, was truly mind-blowing!

Overall, The Ragpicker King is a fantastic sequel—an emotionally charged, well-written continuation of the series. The author has delivered another spectacular story that left me eagerly anticipating what comes next after that gut-wrenching cliffhanger!

⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: Violence, death, murder, sexual content, moderate mention of xenophobia and brief mention of torture, confinement, sexual assault.

The Ragpicker King by Cassandra Clare is the thrilling sequel to Sword Catcher, plunging readers back into the dazzling yet treacherous world of Castellane. With conspiracies brewing, forbidden love tangled in duty, and the fate of an entire kingdom at stake, Lin and Kel must navigate a world where trust is a deadly gamble.

Kel Saren, still bound by his duty as the body double to Prince Conor, is tasked with uncovering the masterminds behind a brutal massacre at the royal palace. His only lead takes him into the domain of the Ragpicker King, the ruler of Castellane’s criminal underworld. But the deeper Kel digs, the more dangerous the truth becomes, leading him back to the aristocratic Hill, where a sinister plot threatens to topple the royal family. To complicate matters, the ruthless Artal Gremont, the man engaged to Kel’s love, plays a key role in this dark conspiracy.

Meanwhile, Lin Caster must face the consequences of her greatest deception. To save a dying friend, she falsely claimed to be the Goddess Reborn, a mythical saviour of her people. Now, a formidable leader has come to test her powers, and failure means exile. To maintain her magic, Lin turns to the Ragpicker King for help, even as her path collides once more with Prince Conor. When he begs her to heal the King’s growing madness, Lin finds herself drawn to a dark and ancient power—one she may not be able to resist.

As tensions in Castellane reach a boiling point, both Lin and Kel must make impossible choices about love, power, and survival. Who can they trust when betrayal lurks in every shadow?

This book is a richly woven tale of intrigue, magic, and forbidden love. It cannot be read as a standalone, as it continues the intricate story set in Sword Catcher. Fans of political fantasy, morally complex characters, and slow-burning romance will find themselves utterly captivated.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

It’s a fantasy masterpiece. Every page was perfect, the pacing, the character dynamics, and THE REVELATIONS??? Incredible, all of them.

I screamed at the book and gasped so many times. Cassie is incredibly daring, pushing the court intrigue, with all of its blackmailing, deception, and manipulation to lengths I would’ve never expected from her. No wonder G.R.R. Martin ended up being linked to its marketing, showcasing the same type of cunningness.

Antonetta was my favourite character from SC, and I adore the developments seen here. Merren and Jerrod surprised me, I admit. Lin and Conor, my darlings, I am so weak for you both. And wow, they surely delivered in the spice department. Kel is still an exceptional lead, and I am so looking forward to more of him - especially with Antonetta.

This is was a brillaint sequel to Swordcatcher.
As per usual Cassandra Clare delivers with her outstanding character work and how she interweaves character relationships.
The relationship between the charcters in this sequel grows more complicated and intricate to match the plot.

This world is very atmospheric and I loved the concept of the King on the hill and the King in the city.
I also loved how more information was given in the reader in regards to the Ashkar, and in particular what this information meant for Lin.

I can't wait to carry on with this series as this was just a joy to read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The Ragpicker King. I absolutely loved this book. It was a really amazing sequel to The sword catcher.
This book sucked me in from the first chapter, the twist and turns had me gasping. The world building was phenomenal. The politics were just wow.
So this book is months after where the sword catcher leaves off and your back in to that political intrigue that is just so good.

Like a lot of books there were some parts that were predictable but that did not take away from the book. I still thoroughly enjoyed it.
I loved the romance, the stakes, the plot and the world building. It was all done so well. I can’t not wait to see what happens next