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A review by daizie
Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Better than I expected from Clare, but still wasn't amazing.
The worldbuilding was pretty clumsy most of the time. Pretty much all we learned about the surrounding countries/places were their main exports. And Clare reminded us of those exports every time the place was brought up. Along these lines, a lot of the worldbuilding is just told through dialogue that didn't need to be said. For example, (not a spoiler but just some background info about the Ashkar): "We--the Ashkar alone--have magic. We have gematry. We have talismans. They are what we are allowed to use, and they assist us greatly. Lin, you know that." and then Lin says, "I do know that." Ok, why did anyone even say anything?
And this telling instead of showing is constant. "Lin, this is the most important festival of the year." "Lin, this guy is bad because he does bad things A, B, and C in places X, Y, and Z." "Conor, you have to do these duties that you've already been doing for a decade." It felt like Clare's audience was media-illiterate thirteen year olds rather than an mature high-fantasy reader... Maybe the Shadowhunters writing style is subconscious, or something.
That said, it was a really interesting and unique read. None of the shitty writing made me frustrated enough to stop reading. The prologue was ridiculously long and unnecessary, and it took a long time for the story to get going even after that. However, once stuff actually started happening, it was pretty engaging. As a bi person, I don't think the bisexuality of some of the characters (if we could call it that) was handled well, but it was literally so minor that I can barely call that a problem.
I don't know. I'll probably pick up the next book, but I'll keep my expectations measured. If Clare actually dives into the interesting world she created and trusts the reader with that information, I would definitely be more interested.
The worldbuilding was pretty clumsy most of the time. Pretty much all we learned about the surrounding countries/places were their main exports. And Clare reminded us of those exports every time the place was brought up. Along these lines, a lot of the worldbuilding is just told through dialogue that didn't need to be said. For example, (not a spoiler but just some background info about the Ashkar): "
And this telling instead of showing is constant. "Lin, this is the most important festival of the year." "Lin, this guy is bad because he does bad things A, B, and C in places X, Y, and Z." "Conor, you have to do these duties that you've already been doing for a decade." It felt like Clare's audience was media-illiterate thirteen year olds rather than an mature high-fantasy reader... Maybe the Shadowhunters writing style is subconscious, or something.
That said, it was a really interesting and unique read. None of the shitty writing made me frustrated enough to stop reading. The prologue was ridiculously long and unnecessary, and it took a long time for the story to get going even after that. However, once stuff actually started happening, it was pretty engaging. As a bi person, I don't think the bisexuality of some of the characters (if we could call it that) was handled well, but it was literally so minor that I can barely call that a problem.
I don't know. I'll probably pick up the next book, but I'll keep my expectations measured. If Clare actually dives into the interesting world she created and trusts the reader with that information, I would definitely be more interested.