In this continuation of the #chroniclesofcastellane the second book in the series following #swordcatcher by @cassieclare1, Kel, Connor, and Lin are experiencing a huge transformation of their roles in the kingdom and grappling with the new realities of these positions. Along with coming face to face with the political machinations that are at play. We get to see a lot more of The Ragpicker King and his crew and get a lot more information on his backstory. Also, we really start diving into the structure and traditions of the Ashkar through the lens of Lin’s preparation for her trial. Lastly, huge reveals about King Marcus and just who is pulling the strings in Castlelane. There are a couple of really great twists, some I didn’t even see coming! The secondary characters are continuing to steal my heart, and the found family trope is very strong now.

While the romance subplots definitely have a more prominent role in the is book than they did in Sword Catcher it’s still very much a fantasy/ political intrigue/ mystery more than a romance. The romance is incredibly well done though, slow burn with lots of angst and yearning.

I AM UNWELL. It has been a VERY long time since a book did this to me. The angst? The political intrigue? The betrayal? The spice? The drama? THE REVEALS? I am absolutely SHOOK and I don’t even know what to do with myself right now.

Cassandra Clare is a bloody genius. She has a way of putting me at the edge of my seat then violently shoving me off. This book put me through the ringer and I laughed, I cried, I gasped, I collapsed to the floor. Nothing happened like I expected it would, but it was so much BETTER.

As usual with Cassie’s books, the characters absolutely shine. Conor is my favorite (I’m a sucker for tortured souls), and watching his development in this book was so amazing. Lin stole my heart and I felt every dang feeling she felt. When Conor called her sweetheart? I about died.

Kel is amazing and his bond with Conor is unlike anything else. We love platonic soulmates. I love Andreyen, of course. Merren. Antonetta. Ji-An. Jerrod. I love them all so much.

And the TWISTS. Some I saw coming, others completely blind-sided me. I’m still recovering after the last few chapters. It physically pains me that I’ll have to wait an indefinite amount of time for the next book.

Anyway. TL;DR: if you haven’t read Sword Catcher yet, do it. It’s amazing and The Ragpicker King is even better 🙌🏻🥲

Thank you to @tandemcollectiveglobal and the publisher for a free copy of the book!

Thank you Tandem Collective for my complimentary copy of The Ragpicker King, and to NetGalley and Tor for my complimentary eARC. Thank you to PRHAUDIO for my complimentary audiobook.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Ragpicker King is a phenomenal follow up to Sword Catcher. It should not be ready as a standalone, you will be very confused!

There are so many twists and turns and I was second guessing myself throughout the read along.
I kept shaking my head while reading the last few chapters. Kel, Conor and Lin are pulled in multiple directions and their paths are not as straight and narrow as we’d like.

This is a mini Game of Thrones where no one is safe. And everyone has secrets. There were quite a few bombs dropped in the last few chapters. Did I see them coming?? Ha. Of course not. That’s why I enjoy fantasy. You never know what’s coming.

I paired the audio with my arc (while on the airplane). It really helped with name pronunciations.
Fiona Hardingham and Christian Coulson did a wonderful job.

4.75⭐️ rounded to 5⭐️

What an absolutely incredible sequel! I have been anticipating this book since Sword Catcher was released and it did not disappoint one bit! The plot, characters, and their relationships just kept me so invested and I was unable to put down the book even though I was in the midst of study for TWO exams for grad school...thanks for that Cassie xD (I think I did alright, though lol). In terms of the 0.25⭐️ deduction, my only point of contention, which I believe many other people might also have, is the lack of a Conor POV or some sort of transitional chapters between the two books that show more of Conor's growth. I also wanted a little explanation for some loose threads in Sword Catcher that I might have looked too closely into and also for some people's motivations, though this might actually be addressed quite well in the next book, now that all the cards have been laid out. Please read this review ("https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214591924-the-ragpicker-king") to see my full spoiler thoughts on everything that happens in the book and my theories for the next book! I cannot believe I have to wait 2 more years again at least for the Bone Conjurers though😭