The Ragpicker King cover art

The Ragpicker King

The Chronicles of Castellane, Book 2

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The Ragpicker King

By: Cassandra Clare
Narrated by: Christian Coulson, Fiona Hardingham
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About this listen

The epic follow-up to the Sunday Times bestselling Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare, praised by George R. R. Martin as ‘everything I look for in fantasy.’ In The Ragpicker King, Lin and Kel must chart a perilous course between love and lies.

His life is an illusion. Her lie is a gamble. Can two outliers save a kingdom?

The royal court is in turmoil, following a massacre. So Kel, Prince Conor’s body-double, is hunting for traitors. The notorious Ragpicker King, ruler of Castellane’s criminal underworld, holds the only clues. But they lead to a dark conspiracy to destroy the royal family – headed by the man set to marry the women Kel loves.

Lin will be judged, after claiming to be the legendary Goddess Reborn. And her people’s charismatic leader is ready to test her powers. Failure will mean exile, and only further dangerous deception can save her now.

As the simmering tensions in Castellane reach fever pitch, Prince Conor demands that Lin heal his father’s madness. However, the King is tormented by an ancient magic, and Lin cannot deny its allure – any more than she can deny her growing passion for the prince. Lin and Kel must decide who they can trust. Yet any false move will mean death – or worse.

Lose yourself in a vibrant world of power, intrigue and magic in this spellbinding epic from an internationally bestselling sensation.

©2025 Cassandra Clare (P)2025 Macmillan Australia Audio
Action & Adventure Dark Fantasy Epic Fantasy Royalty Fiction

Critic Reviews

‘This is fantasy at its finest’ – Leigh Bardugo, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of Hell Bent

‘A triumph of a book’ – Holly Black, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Night

‘Vivid and clever’ – Scott Lynch, bestselling author of the Gentleman Bastard sequence

Sword Catcher was a top ten Sunday Times bestseller w/c 5th October 2024.

All stars
Most relevant  
Absolutely loved the pace of which we get to follow our favorite characters. Can’t wait for the third book.

Very entertaining

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The writing style was really unique. The character progression was a bit predictable but I found myself not minding

Complex story, beautiful writing

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Amazing story. Can’t wait for the next book. Full of energy and excitement and plot twists.

Cassandra Clare did it again!

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the plot, world development, characters are all top notch and pull you in for a riveting can't put down story. very enjoyable and can't wait for the next book

another amazing Cassandra Clare novel

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Everything in Clare’s world here is incredible! The characters are amazing! The way they evolve throughout the series…. Perfection! I can not wait for the next book, I am totally hooked by this series!!!

The voice actors are perfect, they balance each other so well! I love the continuity from the first book to this one! They bring so much life to this already phenomenal story.

These characters!!!! 🤍

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I just wanted more of something that was missing. The ending was good but it always is. They get you that way.

The story wasn’t as catching as her previous books

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If you’ve just finished the first novel and are undecided about continuing with this series; I highly recommend you do. This is a great story. It’s much better than the first novel; full of twists, turns and complex story telling. It builds really well on the foundations created in the first novel. At times it can be a bit too description heavy and repetitive but it’s defiantly worth pushing through those.
The story begins straight after the events of the first novel and the plot moves at a good pace.

A “no spoilers” review

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