“I bleed so that you will not bleed. I die so you can live forever.”

“No one lives forever, Kel.”

The Ragpicker King, Cassandra Clare

Oh hot damn.

The Ragpicker King by Cassandra Clare felt like a masterclass in fantasy. Packed with political mind games, fiery romance, pulls for power and mystical mysteries; Clare’s sequel to Sword Catcher was every bit a fantastical spectacle. 

The Ragpicker King returns readers to the kingdom of Castellane after the horror of the massacre in the Shining Gallery and Lin Caster’s claim to be the goddess returned. Kel teams up with the Ragpicker King to investigate the Shining Gallery, while Lin finds her way to the Black Mansion as she works to prove her claims justified and cure her best friend. Meanwhile, Prince Conor is drowning in the responsibility of what it means to one day be King.

I loved this book so much that I’m struggling to put it into words. My brain is the equivalent of a keyboard smash right now. 

Beware of spoilers going forward: I can’t contain myself.

First off, I really enjoyed the phenomenal character development Clare weaved into such a fantastic plot. Normally you get one or the other in a fantasy book, but Clare did both justice. However, I really thought the character development was out of this world in this sequel. 

In particular, Clare did this wonderful thing of juxtaposing Conor and Kel as they developed. As Conor gets more serious about his duty as future King, Kel loosens his reins on being a Sword Catcher. We see them both make mistakes in their duties: Kel eating the nut and then Conor acting as if he didn’t speak to someone when Kel was posing as him. 

Then we have the two big turning points for each that parallel each other: Kel canoodling with Antonetta at the Caravel and then Conor sleeping with Lin in the folly. Both have a moment where they put duty aside to get what they personally want, and it’s impossible to turn back. 

And it all leads not to that moment of betrayal, but the point where Conor puts the amulet around Kel’s neck to protect him. It’s a switching of their roles to show how far they’ve come both together and as individuals — because their lives have always been intertwined.

The themes are also so well done. Power is once again at the forefront as the Charter families shed blood to accumulate more and more; but also Conor’s attempt to balance the power he has against them. Conor’s story is defined by power because of his birthright. And he has to juggle that acceptance of power and the expectations that come with it — which also plays into the theme of identity. Identity is a pull between both Kel and Conor because Kel has never had an identity of his own, so he doesn’t see why it would bother Conor so much to have his stripped. 

The theme of identity also applies to Antonetta, whose identity is defined by societal expectations. She is clever and cunning but her mother has dampened her fire to marry her off — which takes us back to power as Antonetta looks to gain a second charter in this marriage. But she carves her own identity as Prosper Beck outside of the eyes of high society. 

Even Lin fumbles with identity as she tries to balance what it means to be the goddess along with a physician. Despite so many nonbelievers, there is still an air of expectation as her test looms to see what she can do. If she’s the goddess, what does that mean for Lin Caster to have the entire Ashkar people looking to her?

And just to touch on the plot in this mess of a review, I thought it was stunning. The twists and turns kept me on my toes just waiting for the fall. It was so full of suspense. I loved how Clare mashed political madness with magic. Almost as if the fantasy elements took a backseat until BAM! ***MAGIC*** That makes sense, right? It just read so smoothly while remaining intense, and it kept my heart racing while not being too fast of a narrative to lose the details. 

Anywho, I could literally ramble on about this book for days, so here’s all my thoughts while reading The Ragpicker King by Cassandra Care: 

• Reality has struck Conor. He will be King. And people have already died under his watch. Kel nearly died because of his negligence. No more playboy prince.
• Kel is finally scoping his own identity away from Conor … tho still tied to his duty to the Prince. However, I think the distance will be good for Kel.
• I like the parallel between Lin and Kel when it comes to the theme of duty. There’s an interesting juxtaposition with Lin choosing her duty to her patients and Kel being coerced into his. Does that change their perspective or sense of loyalty?
• I think Conor wants to see Kel more as a friend than a Sword Catcher. To think Kel protects him out of love rather than duty. He’s uncomfortable with the power imbalance. He pretends it doesn’t exist, gives Kel a choice that’s never been a choice at all. But it eases that burden of power he’s feeling the pressure of.
• pg. 212 // Can apply to both Kel and Conor. Politics override personal opinions and feelings. You must put your own wants aside for the betterment of the majority.
• the theme of trust is rampant. Especially between Kel and Conor. And every time Conor tells Kel he is the only one he can trust, it must feel like a failure as much as a betrayal. But is what Kel doing considered being disloyal? Perhaps untruthful, but he still puts Conor’s safety above all.
• Poor Antonetta … she is definitely going to kill Gremont. As she should.

• pg. 242 // Kel is preparing Anjelica for the political mind games of the Hill, letting her know she can use it to her advantage if she’s smart enough but still be wary of it. 
• Huge character turning point for Kel after he canoodles with Ana because he gets what he wants for a change. He puts himself above politics, above what would be best for the crown. How do you go back from that?
• Conor is drowning under the weight of all the expectations. He’s no longer himself but an image of what everyone wants him to be, and he’s struggling with the loss of identity.
  • but also how ironic to lay these burdens at Kel’s feet when Kel was stripped of his identity and laden with expectations AS A CHILD. No wonder Kel doesn’t relate to these woes. He’s already made peace with it.
• pg. 359 // Hope. It can’t maintain you for long. Because something will go wrong, something can easily topple that hope. And then what? Kel is sort of going through that now. He took the Sword Catcher position with the hope it would give him an extraordinary life, and he’d become palace property instead.
• LIN! AND CONOR! IN THE FOLLY! MY LORD!!
• pg. 394 // “I want a different life than the one I have.”
  • I’m loving the parallel between Conor and Kel, especially with such life/character defining moments. Because they both get tastes of something they want but can’t have, but Kel sets aside his feelings while Conor seemingly can’t. How Kel knows his place, his duty; while Conor can’t accept his because he’s never had to. Kel’s entire identity was taken as a child so he’s used to it.
    • And just the fact they hide it from the other. “I am forever changed, but I cannot explain why because I fear you cannot understand.”
• pg. 439 // Lin’s dream of fire and destruction is so similar to what Conor describes of his own nightmares. I love how Clare has made this story so interconnected. It’s one big tangled web. 
• Lin is the goddess. And she’s exiled because of it. Because the fear of the intangible being tangible. What it means to have the goddess return. And Lin is punished for that fear. The character development in this book is simply unreal.
• Oh no, the betrayal is here. It’s one thing Conor fears so much, to have no one he can trust, to be alone.
  • Kel should’ve been better prepared for this tbh. He wasn’t really being discreet.
• Jolviet is a hoe. That’s all.
• I get why Conor cannot fully forgive Kel. Kel made his own bed and now has to lie in it. The Prince’s image has been tarnished because of Kel’s decisions. He failed his duty as Sword Catcher in that way. To forgive Kel would be a weakness Conor can’t afford in the face of what is happening. The damage is already done.
  • however, based on what Conor tells Lin, I guarantee he has a plan. He won’t kill Kel. He can’t.
• pg. 530 // Kel is so aware of this world he grew up in that he can’t even be angry at Conor. He understands duty and responsibility more than anyone, and Conor is not the enemy.
• I knew Conor wouldn’t let Kel die!
  • ”You are my unbreakable armor. And you will not die.”  … genuinely made me tear up.
  • Feels like this is one last act of trust between the two. But it’s a switching of roles. Conor protecting Kel for once.
• Antonetta?!?! Is Prosper Beck?!?! I’m shook
• How Kel feels about Ana is almost identical to how Conor felt about Kel’s betrayal. Another parallel in their stories.
• I’m excited to see what Conor has planned. He must be mounting evidence against Falconet to prove Kel’s innocence or at least set things straight to get the real enemy to be held responsible. 

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