“Shadowhunters” Author Cassandra Clare’s Explosive Adult Fantasy, “The Ragpicker King”

The Ragpicker King by Cassandra Clare

If you love a book with stunning worldbuilding, political intrigue, enemies-to-lovers romance, epic fantasy and tons of twists, turns and breathtaking surprises, then “The Ragpicker King” is for you!

The Ragpicker King by Cassandra Clare is an explosive return to the city of Castellane. Hot on the heels of the success of Sword Catcher, the first installment of what is rumored to be at least a four-book series, Clare once again makes her mark on the adult fantasy world with a sweeping tale of magic, power and passion.

The Ragpicker King is set in the incredibly detailed and layered world that we came to know and love in the first book. Clare has always had a way with worldbuilding, and the Sword Catcher books are no different.

Loyalty, Duty, Desire

We return to the street of Castellane; ruled by the Aurelian royal family, the city’s wealthy live on the glittering hill above and the citizens in the typically dangerous streets below. Prince Conor and his Sword Catcher, Kel, find that their world has shifted on its axis following the Shining Gallery Slaughter in which nobles were murdered, alliances destroyed and trust obliterated. There is a plot brewing against the Aurelians, and it seems that they will learn too little, too late.

Kel struggles between his loyalty and duty to his prince, and his desire to do whatever it takes to keep the prince and the city safe, and thus finds himself in the employ of the notorious Ragpicker King. While there is a King on the Hill, there is also a King in the City, and the Ragpicker King, with his eyes and ears everywhere, may be Kel’s only chance at uncovering the truth of who was behind the murders and what the dark assassin that plagues him is plotting.

Death Stalks in the Shadows

Across the city in the Sault, Lin Caster faces questions and tests following her declaration that she is the Goddess reborn. The Exliarch, prince of her people, has come to test the Goddess and to see if what Lin says is true. If she is found to be false, she faces being shunned by her community — or even worse, exile.

Racing against the clock to save her dearest friend before judgment can be passed, and not even believing in her own declaration, Lin seeks to unlock the magic that simmers just out of her reach. This forgotten system of magic could be the key to healing Miriam and perhaps her newest patient, Conor’s father, the King. Death stalks in the shadows, and soon, it will be too late for Lin, Kel or Conor to stop the plot unraveling bit by bit behind their backs and before their very eyes.

Fantasy That Has It All

The Ragpicker King takes the characters and events of Sword Catcher and turns up the tension, the suspense and the heat, leaving us wondering who will rise, who will fall, who can be trusted and who will even live to tell the tale.

The beauty of the Sword Catcher series, and particularly The Ragpicker King, is that it has it all. From intricate world building, a fascinating magic system and cleverly crafted political and societal structures, to breathtaking enemies-to-lovers romantic tension and dashes of spice, to sword fights, pirates, warrior princesses and even elephants. The Ragpicker King gives us a fantasy world of epic proportions inhabited by full, enticing characters and has you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

A Breathtaking Series

One of the things that I loved about this book was the layering of glimpses into other characters’ perspectives every few chapters. Every so often, we get a few pages that tease something happening in a different part of the city or behind closed doors that our protagonists don’t know. As a result, we as the reader can feel the noose tightening, the threads of fate linking these characters more and more as we realize they are running right toward the encounters they don’t know are coming.

I loved this choice, and it really builds the tension and suspense as the book drives towards the culmination of the story, drawing on the breadcrumbs that Clare has left us over the course of both books while also leaving us demanding more by the end — and oh, what an ending it is.

I had missed the depth and diversity of this world and the endearing characters who call it home. The Ragpicker King gives it all and more in this latest installment, and I cannot wait to see where Clare takes it next. If you love a book with stunning worldbuilding, political intrigue, enemies-to-lovers romance, epic fantasy and tons of twists, turns and breathtaking surprises, then The Ragpicker King is for you!