Sapphique

Aside from the legendary Sapphique, Finn is the only prisoner ever to escape from the living prison Incarceron. He returns in the middle of court uproar: his friend Claudia, the daughter of the former Warden of Incarceron, is convinced that Finn is the lost prince, heir to the throne. Finn’s own doubts about his history aside, their lives become even more at stake when another young man shows up, claiming to be the lost prince.

Back in Incarceron, Finn’s friends Keiro and Attia search for Sapphique’s glove, which may be the only remaining way out of Incarceron. Trouble is, they’re not the only ones who seek the glove: the prison itself wants it, and doesn’t seem to care how many lives get destroyed in the process.

If Incarceron show more was a great book that “shakes the foundations of your literary beliefs” (quoting from my review of Incarceron), then SAPPHIQUE is a fantasy achievement of canonical proportions. It takes everything we appreciated and were in awe of in the first book and takes it to the next level, making sure that this is a two-book series we will remember for decades to come.

Whereas Incarceron took me a couple of chapters to get into, SAPPHIQUE captured my attention immediately, opening with one of Attia’s attempts to get the Glove. We are already fairly well aware of how Incarceron as well as the Protocol-mandated “real world” operates, and thus the stakes can be all the higher in this sequel. Catherine Fisher loves to write chapters with nail-biting endings that just force you to keep on reading. It’s fast-paced and utterly brilliant.

Incarceron and SAPPHIQUE are part of that rare type of novel where the fast-paced expansiveness of the story excuses weaknesses in characterization. Some readers will still not like Finn, Claudia, Keiro, or Attia in this second book—but they are not really meant to be liked. They are people stuck in life-or-death situations, and they can’t afford to be nice, for to be nice is to lose.

So SAPPHIQUE’s appeal lies not in its characters, but rather in the way Catherine Fisher can tell a story that keeps you glued to the pages. The ending may frustrate some readers, but personally I thought it was the perfect ending to the story, and something that had been building up for a while. SAPPHIQUE is a must-read if you were a fan of Incarceron, and I can only hope that Catherine Fisher will write more extraordinary books in the very near future! show less

Sapphique was a spectacular ending to Incarceron. Although I'm so sad this series is done, the ending was just great. Their was action, excitement, and THANK GOD the writer didn't drown this book in romance. I mean, I'm not against love or anything, but too much teenage hormones would have taken away from the story.

So this glorious adventure continues with Claudia and Finn, who has escaped from Incarceron and is now trying to adjust to life as a prince. Easier said than done. Claudia is dying to get Sia off the throne, Finn to be king, searching for her father, the warden in Incarceron and of course, finding the prison to release Keiro and Attia. Finn is haunted by memories of his old life, trying to assure himself he is king when he show more honestly has no memories of his past and dying to find Keiro. Meanwhile, Keiro and Attia might know a way of escape...but so does the prison. And Jared fights against the disease that will eventually kill him, so can he help the prisoners escape before that time comes?

Well, first things first, what I love about this series is that everything started off as a mystery and even though it wrapped up pretty nicely, there were still some things left up to the imagination. There was not one moment when I wasn't dying with excitement and wanting more.

Although Claudia got really annoying at times and I honetly just wanted to smack her around, I pretty much liked everybody. Yes, even Keiro. He may be vain and selfish and uncaring, but that's just the way he is. If you lived in a sadistic plague-ridden prison and had to survive by stealing and even killing, then yes, its understandable. At least to me. And you know, he does care for his friends, he just shows it in strange ways. I bet if I lived in a prison like that, I'd do the same thing for survival, especially if I'd never been outside. Seriously, he is my favorite character. I liked Attia so much more in this book than the other for some reason. Her and Keiro were very cute together...and Finn was just precious.

Basically I loved this book. Catherine Fisher really knows how to keep you on your toes and the mystery of Sapphique really left me amazed. I can't wait to read more of her books. :)

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars show less

normally, if I finished a book and it didn't answer all my questions, I'd be frustrated and feel cheated.
But this one leaves you with just enough questions unanswered that I'm left with hope and satisfaction that it ended and everyone is just where I want them to be.

what an amazing end. I'd love another book, but I'm okay if this is it.

Finn/Giles, Claudia, Attia and Keiro. We get to know them so much more. All of their sides - their flaws their fears - their hopes and dreams. Even the Warden and Jared - we see their many sides as well. Casper and Sia, the queen - all are puzzle pieces to this story and all seamless come to the big tragic happy surprising end.

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After the revelation of what Incarceron was at the end of Book 1, I was eager and curious to read this book. Unfortunately, like so many 'end of the series' books, this one leaves quite a few questions unanswered. I accepted that at the end of Incarceron, there would be questions, but I hoped that this volume would answer them.

Alas. There's still plenty of plot holes/unexplained things that left this world somewhat murky.

Don't get me wrong - I applaud the creativity of the premise of this story, and think that Incarceron would make a fun Netflix series with some adaptations, but I really wish that Incarceron (the prison/entity) had been explained more. The power of the glove is never really explained, and I would not be opposed to a show more continuation of this series with a third book exploring Incarceron and Jared/Sapphique more and their relationship and the consequences of the ending of Sapphique.

All in all, this book gets 3.25/5 stars. show less

The third-person perspective skitters around quite a bit, which makes it difficult to tell sometimes whose eyes we're seeing the story through, but that's my only quibble, really, for Sapphique. In this volume, Catherine Fisher continues the tale begun in Incarceron with the same clear, vivid prose and, in my opinion, a stronger plot. I knew more or less exactly what would happen in the first book, but Sapphique kept me guessing to the very end and concludes with a bittersweet touch perfectly suited to the world Fisher has created.

First of all, let me just say that I despised each and every character in this book. With the exception of Jared, maybe. Every character is so wrapped up in his/her own problems, he/she can't see past the end of his/her own nose. Claudia-stuck up, snotty, self-involved (I didn't really see a single redeemable characteristic in her, but I dislike any hint of superiority based on class, so it could be my own biases coloring this aspect of the book); Finn-morose, impatient, self-involved; Keiro-cruel, heartless, self-involved-I get the idea that his moral fiber hasn't had the opportunity to show itself, but I'm not sure I care at this point. Keiro is simply MEAN and I can't stand him. I guess Attia isn't all that bad, but for some reason I show more never feel much about her.

So much for the characterization. I guess she did this well, since I had such an emotional response to them. For some odd reason, I couldn't put the book down even though I couldn't stand the characters. I have to admit, that might be a first. Finn has escaped Incarceron, and is supposedly the heir to the throne. Claudia can't stand the idea that Finn can't instantly reconcile himself to losing his oathbrother and Attia in the prison, and doesn't understand his difficulties in being Outside. I really can't stand Claudia. I was sort of hoping she'd disappear. In any case, the story is pretty compelling, if you can get past the characters. show less

Finn has Escaped from Incarceron, but is now living in another prison. The gaudy clothes, the lights, the fake people who don’t really believe he’s Giles… Even Claudia seems to be doubting him. While he wants her to believe in his identity, he doesn’t even believe it himself. The fits still come, and he rants and rages about the smallest things. Jared is dying; the medication only helps for a while, and then the pain comes back - worse. The Queen is just as vicioius as before; even more so now. She has tricks and schemes up her sleeves – Finn knows it, even if no one else does.

On the other side of reality, Attia and Keiro are still in the prison, fighting for their lives. But now there’s Rix involved, an insane man who show more believes he’s the Dark Enchanter. He is said to have possession of the Glove, Sapphique’s Glove, the Prison’s Glove. The Glove that can get them out of here. But how long can they follow Rix without being killed? And the Prison itself… It’s acting strangely. It seems to be pulling away, focusing hard…

How can these two worlds connect? Will there be a new way to travel between the worlds, now that the keys have disappeared with the Warden? Can Finn remember his supposed past, and prove to everyone he is Giles? And will Attia and Keiro find the Door that freed Sapphique from the Prison?

_____________________________

Oh. My goodness. Where to begin…

I loved everything about this book. Literally, everything. I can’t think of one thing that I would even say was remotely uninteresting or slow or bad or confusing. Everything was perfect, set into place. That’s my one word description: perfect. Ridiculously so.

Let me start with Jared. Oh, how I love him. I loved him in Incarceron, and my love grew in Sapphique. He is my favorite in every way: who he is, his part in the story, everything he says and does and the way he thinks about things. The way he feels for everyone around him, especially Claudia. Gosh.

Claudia and Finn are another matter – both are feisty in their own manner, and yet both have the same vision against protocol for the kingdom. The way they interacted together was just wonderful. Their characters are absolutely complimentary for the purpose of the story. Even if you can’t picture them getting along well, Fisher makes it work in a way that is undeniably genius. You know that if they live through this war with the Queen, they will be great rulers together.

One thing that I noticed in Sapphique that wasn’t very prominent in Incarceron was Caspar’s character: Idiot. Dunce. Total follower and complainer. Weak. Vulnerable. Pitiful. (All of these in a slightly…humorous manner.) While I knew he was some of these, his character was much more developed and delved into in Sapphique. And I liked what I saw. I laughed out loud at some of the things he said and did, and his character added so much more to the story. He was a useful tool, one that added depth and life to the story.

And the writing… I mean – who writes like Catherine Fisher? She has the right phrases, the right dialogue, the right word choices. It’s all perfect, and it fits in a glorious, powerful pattern that creates an story that would, to anyone else, be hard to write. A lot of other reviewers talk about how hard it was to write a review for Incarceron…can you imagine how hard it would be to write the actual book? But Fisher has it down.

Combine the writing with the story line, and you get something that you don’t see every day. These books are full of raw, penetrating power. Every sentence reflects this; and the story is real. When I read it, it came alive. I felt as though I lived there, that the Realm was real – that Incarceron really was alive. That it existed somewhere, and I was a part of it. The characters became my friends, and my enemies. Their struggles became mine. I fought alongside them. And on top of that…. (Yes, there’s even more!) Catherine Fisher is the QUEEN of twists and cliff-hangers. Wanna know how many I counted? Ok, nevermind, I lost count… But, if I’m being hoenst, there was at least one cliffhanger every chapter, and usually there was a twist, too. Fisher manages to build up a whole world in only a few pages, where what you believe about it is so certain and firm and you think it can never be changed – and then with one sentence, one word, you discover that you were completely and utterly wrong.

Sound fascinating? I think yes.

After this rollercoaster of a story, what did I think? What did I feel? What did I do? When it was over, I felt whole. It was incredibly perfect, how she finished off these powerful books. The climax surpassed even my highest expectations (which, because of my love for Incarceron, were really high). I had NO idea what she had planned for the end. I actually cried during the last 20 pages. I couldn’t believe what had happened, and it was so emotional (for me, as I was totally attached to the characters) and just wonderful. (And let’s just say…….Jared.) The last few pages just make your heart melt. I was very pleased. And I know I’ll read it again – I’ll probably read it many times. It’s one of those that you’ll never get enough of. At least, I know I won’t.

Highly recommended, ages 15 to 100.

(“B**ch” is repeated twice. Other than that, it’s only intense action and some violence that is something to look out for for younger readers.) show less