4.5. The Ragpicker King was promised to be an epic addition to the already fantastic Sword Catcher, and it REALLY delivers. I loved it just as much as the first book. So hear me out.

First of all, this series is a very dense political fantasy—not exactly fast-paced, though very engaging if you enjoy books like this. The Ragpicker King further thickens the intrigue compared to what we saw in Sword Catcher. I admit, I didn’t expect some of the plot developments—the last 100 pages are really twist after twist, and the final two chapters are a rollercoaster. Everything here hinges on political machinations, conspiracies, and fragile alliances.

The lore is also very well-developed. While reading the ARC, I missed having a map of the entire continent, but it will be there in the final version, and I’m sure it’ll be really helpful while reading. Unlike in the first book, I didn’t have any trouble keeping track of who’s who and what they do. The world-building in this series is really well done.

This type of fantasy won’t be for everyone—if you didn’t enjoy Sword Catcher and you're hoping Cassandra Clare will return to something closer to Shadowhunters or turn this series into a romantasy, you probably won’t like this sequel. I’d say both this and the first novel have a strong "old man fantasy" vibe, and fans of that kind of books should be satisfied with this series. There’s a reason George R. R. Martin endorsed this title.

When reviewing Sword Catcher, I mentioned the book had minimal romance. In The Ragpicker King, this changes a bit—I mean, the romance is still secondary to politics, but finally, something happens on that front. Cassandra Clare has repeatedly shown how great she is at writing yearning between characters. This book is full of it, and it really hits differently. The contrast between the characters' personal desires and emotions versus the expectations of a deeply class-based society or the political game is executed perfectly in this novel.

That being said, I do have a few quibbles about this book. The biggest one concerns Conor’s character development—unfortunately, a large part of his transformation, as a result of the events in the finale of Sword Catcher, happens off-page, and we’re told about it rather than shown. The Ragpicker King starts a few months after the events of the first book, and Conor is almost a different person in this one. It's a shame that instead of multi-POV shorts separating the chapters, we didn’t get some flashbacks from Conor’s POV, which would have helped us better understand his transformation.

After finishing the book, I also felt that some plot threads were wrapped up a bit too easily and conveniently. However, honestly, it’s hard to criticize these kinds of things—the book ends with so many twists that it’s difficult to consider anything truly final at this point.

In the end, I’m rating this book 4.5 stars, the same as I gave Sword Catcher. I truly hope this fantastic series reaches its perfection in book three! I honestly regret that the next installment doesn’t exist yet because I'd love to read it right now!

“Even Conor's pace was familiar to him. He would have known it anywhere. If I were dead and buried and those feet walked over my grave, I would know those footsteps.”



Wow!! This was my most anticipated read of 2025 and it absolutely blew me away!! I had loved Sword Catcher, but The Ragpicker King is on a whole other level: we are introduced to new, well defined characters, we get to read other povs besides Kel and Lin’s, it’s action packed and with new revelations at every turn.

Clare showed her skill for making everything come together at once, so much so that it was absolutely impossible to put down this book.

Besides the brilliant worldbuilding, this author has a way of making me love almost every character (the “good” ones at least!) even if they couldn’t each be more different from the other. The romance was also done beautifully: there is definitely more of it in this book compared to the first one and I absolutely loved *every* couple: the yearning was chef’s kiss!

As for the main characters: Lin is for sure one of my favourite heroine ever, i love her stubbornness, her patience, her resilience, the way she never lets anyone intimidate her, she’s a rock immovable while the waves crush against it. Her toe-to-toe with a certain character never failed to make me smile, but I will keep this spoiler free!

I also came to appreciate more Antonetta, since we finally have a couple of chapters from her pov as well, she’s very a very different type of character from Lin, one that is definitely more enigmatic and contradictive but fascinating at the same time.

Kel and Conor🥺: my beloved😭, no one can write a friendship/brotherhood like Clare does and I think we had enough proof of that in the Shadowhunters chronicles. Kel is a sweetheart, trusting but clever, a stubborn cinnamon roll with good intentions who always cares too much, while Conor has gone through some changes during the span of 3 months between the end of Sword Catcher and the beginning of The Ragpicker King, and I really appreciated that! He’s always the sarcastic, fashionista, tormented crown prince we got to know in book 1, but he’s more aware of his role and of his actions.

After that ending, it is needless to say that I’m super eager to get back to Castellane!

Thank you very much to the Panmacmillan team and netgalley for graciously granting me a free earc, I slept only two hours to binge read this but it was worth it! All opinions are my own.

The yearning, the world-building, the politics…. AHHHH.

Prince Conner is still reeling and feeling guilt over the attack and massacre of his engagement party but wastes no time in securing another betrothal alliance to fend off war.
Kel is balancing his role as Swordcatcher and hiding more and more secrets from Conner in his secret finding for the Ragpicker King.
Lin has claimed she is the Goddess returned and she must prove herself.

This is much stronger than the first instalment as we are more settled in the city, the manipulative charter families, and the characters.

<b>“You are a healer,” he said with a bitter laugh. “If you could cut this fascination out of me, like a cancer, oh, I would let you. For it has tortured me, Lin. I have neglected every duty, every requirement, just to steal another moment with you. I feared that if anyone ever saw me with you, they would see it on my face, that I was an addict, that I would barter my birthright just to touch you—”
</b>
The yearning in this one is threefold. Conner is still lovesick but must put duty over himself.
Lin will not let herself be drawn into Conner’s world when it is clear they have incompatible lives and paths.
Kel longs for and hides his attraction to Antonetta who is recently engaged to a truly despicable man.

<b>“The selfish among them will say in fear, ‘But these people have no home; surely they will try to take ours.’ And I tell them to remember that those people are wrong. That we do have a home, in each other. We make our homes within, and not without; that is how we are different.”
</b>
Those last 30 pages?! Absolutely whiplash in the worst and best way. This had a great reveal, twist, and cliffhanger.
Yay, hahahha *SCREAMS*.

I do think we were told Conner has changed so much instead of shown, and Conner’s development was neglected slightly to augment Lin and Kel and incorporate a whole host of perspectives which can sometimes feel overwhelming but do add a lot to the story.

I do wish we had a bit more explanation of the wider world and the magic, but we did get more on it, and I’m sure book three will expand even more.

Physical arc gifted by BookBreak Panmacmillan.