Review: Sapphique

Sapphique

By Catherine Fisher

Publication date: December 2010 (US), 2008 (UK)

Note: If you have not read Incarceron, you may wish to avoid this review as there are spoilers for Incarceron in the description.

My review:

The sequel to Incarceron takes the reader back into the world of the prison with Keiro and Attia as they search for the Glove of Sapphique, a mythical item that supposedly helped Sapphique escape Incarceron. Outside the prison, Finn is still adjusting to his freedom and his identity as Giles. He continues to have fits and he hasn't been able to remember his past. Then a newcomer arrives at court claiming to be Giles and Finn and Claudia's lives find their lives in danger. Meanwhile Incarceron has its own plans to escape...

There is a lot going on in Sapphique. I had thought that since this is a sequel there would be less confusion but that was not the case. I found that at times I had trouble figuring out what was going on in the prison. Part of the confusion revolves around the introduction of a new character, Rix, who is an enchanter/magician. Where Rix is concerned, I couldn't help but ask "Is this really happening or an illusion?" I couldn't decide if he was just insane or if he really did know things about Sapphique. If there was a film version of Sapphique, the perfect person for the role of Rix would be John Malkovich. I much preferred the parts of the story that take place outside the prison. Queen Sia is terrible and scheming as always and there is a mystery about the new claimant to the throne. Jared is trying to find out the truth and Finn wants to keep his word to rescue Keiro and Attia but doesn't know how.

Character development does not really occur although I'd hoped to gain a better understanding of Keiro. Instead, the book was action driven. While I wanted to know what would happen I still struggled at times to get through some of the sections. In the end, I found myself disappointed by the lack of explanation and the way things were wrapped up. Overall I would say this was a good book but not a great book. I liked reading about Finn and my favorite character, Jared. I also liked the mystery at court but in the end I was left with more questions than answers.

I read this book as part of an ARC tour, courtesy of Around the World Tours