Sapphique (ARC Review)

Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

Synopsis (Product Description):
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:
Riddle me this. What is the Key that unlocks the heart?

Sapphique, the squeal to Incarceron, is as equally daunting to read as it’s predecessor. The dark and desolate world of the prison continued to confuse me in its elaborate, overdrawn scenes, yet I found myself enjoying this book better than the first.

Trying to adjust to living on the Outside and abiding by Protocol, Finn is angry that he still doesn’t truly know who he is. He is also desperate to find a way to get the Portal that freed him from Incarceron to work again so that he can rescue this oathbrother, Keiro, and his friend, Attia, from the depths of the prison. And as if Finn didn’t have enough to worry about, a boy has come forward, claiming to be Giles Alexander Ferdinand of the Havaarna, Lord of the Southern Isles, Count of Marly, Crown Prince of the Realm. But isn’t that who Finn is supposed to be? (I just had to include Giles’s full name because I loved it. LOL) 

Claudia’s father, the Warden of Incarceron, retreated into the prison to escape the Queen, and now she is now just as determined as Finn to find a way to open the Portal to help bring him back. Assisting Claudia and Finn is their faithful tutor, Jarad. Meanwhile, in the prison, Attia and Keiro have teamed up to seek their own way out, relying on the stories and legend of Sapphique, the only prisoner who knows the answer to the riddle that helped him escape from Incarceron.

But Keiro and Attia are not the only ones that long for freedom, for a glimpse at the stars; the prison wants release, too.

As the half-man, Keiro, and dog-slave, Attia, battle their enimies on the Inside and fight for survival inside the prison, the would be Crowned Prince, Finn, and his betrothed, Claudia, struggle to play the Queen’s game long enough to ensure the survival of the world.

Since I read the books back to back (review of Incarceron), I felt very invested in the characters. I really cared about them and hoped they would be able to find some peace and happiness. The POVs shifts were interesting since we got them from main characters and the secondary characters alike. There was a lot of exciting action, and it felt like a wild race against time. I will say that I was surprised by some of the events that happened towards the end, but some felt too contrived and muddled and left me asking myself, “What was the point?”

Favorite Quote:

People will love you if you tell them of your fears. -The Mirror of Dreams to Sapphique

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Posted at 3:39 pm  •  Labels: 2010, 3 stars, ARC, Book it Forward, Book Review, Dystopian Fiction, fantasy, The Penguin Five, trailers, YA