The Ragpicker King
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- 9,49 €
Publisher Description
In the epic follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Sword Catcher, praised by George R. R. Martin as “everything I look for in fantasy,” Lin and Kel must chart a perilous course between love and lies.
ONE OF PASTE’S MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF THE YEAR
Kel Saren, body double to Conor, crown prince of the dazzling city of Castellane, is caught between two worlds. In order to protect his beloved prince, Kel must find the culprits responsible for a massacre at the royal palace—and the only clues are held by the Ragpicker King, the notorious criminal who rules Castellane’s underworld. The trail Kel follows leads back to the Hill, where among decadent nobles and glittering parties a dark conspiracy to destroy the royal family has taken hold—a conspiracy headed up by the monstrous Artal Gremont, the man engaged to marry the woman Kel adores.
Meanwhile, Lin Caster must face the aftermath of the greatest risk she’s ever taken. To save the life of a dying friend, Lin has falsely claimed to be the Goddess Reborn, the legendary heroine destined to save her people. Now the terrifying—but strangely magnetic—leader of her people has arrived to test her powers. The price of failure is exile, and only through her alliance with the Ragpicker King can she continue to access the magic that may save her.
Then Prince Conor reappears in her life, demanding that she use her healing powers to cure the madness of his father, the King. Lin soon realizes the King is gripped by an ancient and terrible magic, one whose lure she cannot deny any more than she can deny her growing passion for Conor.
As the simmering tensions in Castellane reach a fever pitch, Lin and Kel must decide who to trust when any false move means death—or worse.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bestseller Clare delivers a dense but worthy sequel to The Sword Catcher. Conor Aurelian, the Prince of Castellane, and Kel, his Sword Catcher, a personal guard sworn to ensure no danger befalls the prince, navigate the aftermath of the Shining Gallery massacre, an attack that left many of the nobility dead, including Conor's intended bride, the young Princess of Sarthe. To make amends and pay back Castellane's debt to Sarthe, Conor now plans to betroth the beautiful Princess of Kutani. Meanwhile, Kel, on special orders from Legate Jolivet, the leader of the royal guard, goes undercover in the criminal court of the Ragpicker King to unmask the masterminds behind the massacre. Another story thread sees physician Lin Caster, Conor's secret true love, tested on her claim that she is the Goddess Returned, the one true god of the Ashkar people. Clare gracefully juggles many narrators and plotlines while expanding her detailed worldbuilding and keeping the pages turning with plenty of intrigue and action. Fans will be more than satisfied.
