The Chronicles of Castellane

About The Chronicles of Castellane

Cassandra Clare's first adult fantasy series leaves the Shadowhunter Chronicles' modern-day setting behind for Castellane, a glittering, corrupt city-state ruled by a mad king and threaded through with hidden magic. Kel is the Sword Catcher: a body double trained since childhood to physically stand in for Prince Conor, taking any blade or poison meant for him and living in the shadow of a life that was never really his own. When a foreign alliance forces Conor toward a politically vital marriage, Kel is drawn deeper into court intrigue, ancient magic bound to the city's history, and a growing awareness that his own life and desires might matter after all. The Ragpicker King escalates the political stakes as Castellane's carefully balanced power structures start to fracture.

Marketed as adult rather than young adult -- a first for Clare -- the series is denser and more overtly political than her Shadowhunter work, built around court intrigue, class and identity, and a slow-burn richness closer to epic fantasy than urban paranormal romance. It shares no characters or setting with the Shadowhunter Chronicles, making it a clean entry point for readers new to Clare, as well as a change of pace for longtime fans.

How to read this series

Read in publication order, starting with Sword Catcher. This is a continuous story told across multi-book installments rather than a set of standalones, so The Ragpicker King should not be read first. The series is planned to continue beyond its first two books, though no further title or date has been confirmed.