The Ragpicker King by Cassandra Clare

The Ragpicker King by Cassandra Clare

The second book in Cassandra Clare's Chronicles of Castellane series, The Ragpicker King is one of Paste's (and my own) most anticipated books of the year. Cassandra Clare is best known for her wildly popular Shadowhunter books - which I thoroughly enjoy - but the Chronicles of Castellane is her first foray into the world of high fantasy. I read the first book in the series, Sword Catcher, when it first came out and I have been eagerly awaiting the sequel, which was published at the beginning of March. It deals with animal cruelty and death, bullying, references to sexual violence, blood, murder, fire injury, toxic friendship, classism, and death. This is a review of The Ragpicker King, but if you're looking for a study guide or summary of what happened in the first book, check out our Chronicles of Castellane page.

We pick up this book right where we left off: Kel is working with the Ragpicker King to discover who was behind the Shining Gallery massacre, Lin has announced that she is the Goddess reborn, and King Markus continues his gradual cognitive decline. Except it might not be so gradual anymore, and it might not be so cognitive either. Prince Conor asks Lin to treat his father in secret, discovering what it is that is in his "medicine", throwing Lin into a precarious situation between the Prince of Castellane and the Prince of the Ashkar people, which is not helped by the growing tensions between Conor and Lin. Meanwhile, Kel begins to wonder if he matters to anyone other than Conor, since no one really knows him, or if they just keep him around until he is no longer of any use to them. And in his investigation into the Shining Gallery massacre, Artal Gremont, and the nobles of the Hill, even is relationship with Conor will be jeopardized.

Cassandra Clare is so good at creating loveable characters. They are so well fleshed out, with their own motivations and qualities both good and bad, you cannot help but love them and want the best for them. This book started off a little on the slow side, it took me a moment to get back into the universe but I did feel that way with Sword Catcher as well. But it was well worth it. We are introduced to a few new characters, a couple that I'm really excited about, and by the end our heroes are really setting out on their journeys. As the book that is set in the middle of a series, I feel like The Ragpicker King could have felt boring and sluggish like so many mid books do as the author sets up the plot for what's coming next, but I should not have been concerned. The entire story kept us moving, and the ending was very exciting. We get a couple of twists, we discover a couple identities. In short, I can't wait for the next book. Which is upsetting, because it doesn't have a date set for release yet so it will probably be a while.

I'm giving The Ragpicker King by Cassandra Clare 4.5 stars out of 5. Spice level was a 1.5. Can't wait for the next one. If you are a fan of high fantasy, well developed worlds, or characters who will charm your socks off, give this book a try. If you want to know more about the Chronicles of Castellane series, take a look at our series page here.

For more from Cassandra Clare, take a look at her website at https://cassandraclare.com/

Pairs well with sweet bread with raisins and a giant necklace that everyone notices.