REVIEW: Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

Sapphique (Incarceron #2)
by Catherine Fisher
Published September 18th 2008 by Hodder Children's Books
Genre: YA, Steampunk
BUY: Amazon / B&N / Book Depository
My Copy: Library Audio Book
RATING:

Goodreads Summary:

Finn has escaped from the terrible living Prison of Incarceron, but its memory torments him, because his brother Keiro is still inside. Outside, Claudia insists he must be king, but Finn doubts even his own identity. Is he the lost prince Giles? Or are his memories no more than another construct of his imprisonment? And can you be free if your friends are still captive? Can you be free if your world is frozen in time? Can you be free if you don't even know who you are? Inside Incarceron, has the crazy sorcerer Rix really found the Glove of Sapphique, the only man the Prison ever loved. Sapphique, whose image fires Incarceron with the desire to escape its own nature. If Keiro steals the glove, will he bring destruction to the world? Inside. Outside. All seeking freedom. Like Sapphique.



REVIEW:

I really enjoyed listening to Incarceron and after its cliffhanger ending, I knew my next audio book would be Sapphique.

Sapphique picks up a few months after Incarceron ends. We get to see what happens to Finn after he escapes Incarceron; but is the grass really greener on the other side? I believe that is the main theme throughout series.

While Incarceron is told through Finn and Claudia’s point of view, Sapphique is told through multiple points of views. Which makes sense since half of the characters are on the inside of and the other half on the outside of Incareron.

Sapphique and Incarceron are not light reads and I would recommend that you read them and not do the audio book if you had a hard time focusing on audios. The subject matter is a little confusing at times and I think I wouldn’t have felt so lost if I was reading the book. I listened to them both at work and was tuning in and out from time to time so I had to listen to some of the chapters twice.

Sapphique does not have an ending that you can put a bow on it and say done. It leaves you hanging a little with the wonder of the future of the characters and the world they live in but I was satisfied with the ending and enjoyed both books.

I thought that the Incarceron Series by Catherine Fisher was a trilogy but after looking at her website it’s only a two book series. Which I think is a really smart move; yeah she could have dragged it out into three books but I think I would have lost interest if she had.