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jennipea382's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Graphic: Physical abuse, Death, Violence, Gore, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, and Child death
Moderate: Medical content, Torture, Sexism, Gore, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Drug use, and Physical abuse
Minor: Sexual content
celery's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Terminal illness, Violence, Animal cruelty, Deportation, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Religious bigotry, Torture, Toxic friendship, Blood, Sexism, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Colonisation, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Xenophobia, Animal death, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug use, Murder, Sexual content, Abandonment, Bullying, Child death, Dementia, Genocide, Gaslighting, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Vomit, War, Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Classism, Death, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Addiction
susanatherly's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Racism, Genocide, Drug use, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Death, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Terminal illness, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Sexual content, Vomit, and Physical abuse
lilifane's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Child death, Racial slurs, Chronic illness, Toxic friendship, Classism, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Death, Misogyny, Racism, Drug use, Medical content, Murder, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Suicide and Death of parent
annamay1021's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Mental illness, Blood, Death, Terminal illness, and Misogyny
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Medical content
kassidyreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, Child death, Medical content, Child abuse, Terminal illness, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Alcoholism, and Sexism
Minor: Rape, Death of parent, Vomit, Drug use, Genocide, and Fire/Fire injury
natashaleighton_'s review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Death, Child death, and Blood
Moderate: Terminal illness, Drug use, Racism, Alcohol, Mental illness, and Genocide
Minor: Death of parent, Rape, Vomit, and Sexism
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
The first adult fantasy from Cassandra Clare, Sword Catcher is the story of Kel, a body double for the Crown Prince, and Lin, a physician and member of a diasporic race called the Ashkar—the last remaining practitioners of magic.
It’s no secret that Cassie Clare is my favorite author, so to say I was excited for this would be an understatement. Fortunately, it delivered in almost every way! My favorite thing about Cassie has always been her characters, and the characters here are INCREDIBLE—in particular, I’m obsessed with Conor, Lin, and Antonetta (honorable mentions for Mariam and Merren) and I cannot WAIT to see all of their stories develop as this series continues.
The world building here is also fantastic—everything from the politics to the lore to the setting feels so intricate and fascinating, and I’m so excited to learn even more (including more about the magic system itself!) Because this book is the first in a series there is a *lot* of world building and foundation laying here, so just be aware of that when you pick it up—but I have a feeling it is building to something absolutely incredible, so I’m already dying to see what will come next!
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: high fantasy; multi-layered characters; early-Throne of Glass meets Six of Crows vibes
CW: Lots of violence/blood/injury/death, including death of parents; mentions of terminal illness; sexism/misogyny
Graphic: Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Mental illness and Terminal illness
Minor: Rape