Review of Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

Release Date: Dec. 28, 2010
Publisher: Dial
Pages: 450 pages
Genre: Dystopia, Science Fiction
Rating: 3.5 stars
Source: Library

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:  Review contains spoilers to Incarceron.

If you have read Incarceron, you know of the fantastical world of the living Prison inside and the Realm outside that Catherine Fisher created. Incarceron was action packed, with Finn, Attia and Keiro racing to find a way out of the vast prison. At the end of the book, Finn escapes the horrible prison and is declared the lost crown prince of the Realm. That’s a great thing, right? You would think Sapphique would be off to a happy start, right? Not so much.

In Sapphique, Finn is not adjusting to life as prince very well. He is not polished, having grown up in a prison and hates the cutthroat politics of court. He is consumed with guilt over leaving his oath brother Keiro in the prison and is obsessed with Jared finding an escape. Claudia and Jared are his only allies in court, but even they don’t believe he is truly the lost crown prince. Claudia, who was once the prince’s betrothed, is so mean! She worked so hard to get him out of the prison in the first book, I was looking forward to their relationship growing. Instead, she is disappointed in him, constantly annoyed and snappish. The only other character more unlikable than her is Keiro, and even he somewhat redeems himself in the end (Claudia never does). I was surprised that the characters were so unlikable because I did not feel this way about them in Incarceron.

Sapphique is just as action packed and fast paced as Incarceron which is great. Unfortunately, it leaves more questions than it answers. The legend of Sapphique is explored in greater depth and this legend was one of my greatest sources of confusion. This series needs a third book, and to my knowledge, there are no more planned. If you liked Incarceron, you will probably like Sapphique as well, warts and all.

Content: Violence.