I was an avid reader of YA fantasy back in the late aughts. Percy Jackson, The Hunger Games, everything Tamora Piece penned – you name it, and I’d at least skimmed the first chapter. And yet, I could somehow never get into Cassandra Clare. I was firmly in the high fantasy camp, and her more urban approach in The Mortal Instruments felt a little too emo-adjacent for High School Owlet. Which means, when I re-encountered her via her latest Adult Fantasy series, Sword Catcher, I was… skeptical.

What a lovely surprise, then to tear straight through 600 pages of detailed world-building and character interactions. I fell straight into the world of Castellane and its neighbors, soaking up the political intrigue this new fantasy city. (After months of cajoling, my partner finally picked up Sword Catcher yesterday. He instantly devoured 300 pages in a sitting.) My only regret was that the story ended on two quite large cliffhangers – and that it would take a year for the sequel.

That year is over, and The Ragpicker King is upon us. (I was so excited for this one, in fact, that I accidentally ordered extra copies from Waterstones.) But how well does it hold up to its predecessor? (Note that I’ve tried to keep the following spoiler-free – but please feel free to comment or reach out with any questions / thoughts / discussions!)

Worldbuilding through tropes…

I always think fantasy sequels have a particularly difficult job. The first entry in a series is all about introductions: a new world, a new cast, a new set of problems. But the sequel has a trickier balance – maintain that sense of wonder and exploration, while continuing with the plot and cast of its predecessor. And very frequently sequels lean too hard in one direction or the other, leading to either a meaningless plot or a diminished, nonsensical world.

Cassandra Clare accomplishes her balance in The Ragpicker King by relying pretty heavily on tropes and proxies for worldbuilding. Castellane and its surrounding countries are pretty clearly based on real-world counterparts. Castellane is French; the Ashkar seem Jewish. Sarthe is likely Italy, and we see versions of China, and Russia as well. Each of these nations carry certain stereotypes and connotations, which Clare can lean on to quickly expand her cultural storytelling without spending time on it. In Sword Catcher, this allowed her to create the perception of a big, wide world, while focusing her details on the city of Castellane and the culture of the Sault.

Clare continues this approach in The Ragpicker King, as we’re introduced to a new delegation from Kutani – aka our new Zanzibar stand-in. The court’s struggles to integrate this new delegation give us a sense of the world’s cultural diversity… At the same time, we’re treated to the machinations of the Malgasi and their complex history with the royal family. Clares relies a lot on pale skin and a general aura of evil to carry this world-building forward. The result is a sense of diversity that doesn’t exactly hold up to further interrogation.

However, whatever is lacking in the national wordlbuilding is made up for in the specificity of the Ashkar. Here, we see Clare continue to expand on specific traditions and practices. And while some of those traditions rely on the Ashkar’s real-life Jewish inspirations, the details differ in interesting ways. Not only that, we get to see how different elements of Ashkar culture and tradition come into conflict, creating moral dilemmas for our protagonists. We spend enough time with Ashkar characters that they feel like people, not stereotypes, and that makes their world feel real.

…and balancing them for plot

Upon reflection, Clare takes a similar approach to tropes through the entire plot of The Ragpicker King. Sword Catcher ended on two cliffhangers – one for Kel, and one for Lin – and the sequel sees the two trying to untangle the messes they’ve ended up in. For Kel, this requires balancing court intrigues with international politics. For Lin, this mostly focuses on Sault politics, with some forays into the upper-class court. The two threads intersect with the titular Ragpicker King, who has a mysteriously extensive set of connections throughout Castellane.

Yet despite 600-odd pages, most of the plot beats feel familiar, well-known. There are court mysteries to unravel and love triangles to sigh over. Then there are prophecies to fulfill and duties to consider and gender roles to thwart. And there are secret foes and secret missions and time bombs both literal and figurative. The result is a faced-paced mix of well-known high fantasy plot beats that feel like several Tamora Pierce novels smashed into one book.

This doesn’t necessarily sound like it should work, but it weirdly does. There’s a comfort and joy in anticipating the structure of a plot and trying to puzzle out how it will all come together. And there’s some serious fun in seeing where Clare intersects those known plot beats in unexpected ways. You may know where each arc is likely to go, but not how they will land next to each other…

This all works because Clare writes characters that are easy to like – and to hate. Kel’s continued loyalty to Conor makes his friendship with the Ragpicker King’s crew all the more tense. Lin’s relationship with Mariam expands in this installment, as do her patient interactions. Conor’s a bit less sympathetic in my view – he’s a bit too “poor little rich boy” for my taste – but redeemed by his earnest attempts to do right. And the villains – the wealthy Charter families, the mysteriously evil Malgasi – are pretty delectably detestable.

Tropes, used right

Cassandra Clare, I’m saying, is a master of writing with tropes. She layers tropes over each other, intersecting them in fun and surprising ways. She adds layers of detail that bring the tropes and characters to life. Clare uses tropes to propel the plot forward, and embellishes them in a way that makes the story matter. And that narrative comfort allows her to throw in just a few surprises that feel both satisfying and intriguing… The book ends with all the characters changed in unexpected ways, and I’m already ready for the next installment.

The Ragpicker King is an excellent book of its kind. The characters are likable; the world feels full but with room for exploration; and I care about both enough to engage with 600 pages of plot. So far, I wouldn’t say it has Much to Say – but not every fantasy story needs to. Sometimes, you just want to escape into a world with a little bit of magic. At those times, the Sword Catcher series hits just right.

Almost at the end of March! I’ve been on a bit of a reading spree, so an extensive roundup is coming soon. Until next time – stay cozy, and stay curious!

The Ragpicker King is my book with a sprayed edge for the 52 Book Club challenge.