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Sapphique

(Incarceron #2)

Catherine Fisher

3.70 · Rating details · 21,553 ratings · 1,885 reviews

Finn has escaped Incarceron only to find that he must defend his right to the throne from another challenger. His life and Claudia's hang on Finn convincing the Court that he is the lost prince, even though he has his own doubts about being the true heir. ...more

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Hardcover, 462 pages

Published December 28th 2010 by Dial (first published September 18th 2008)

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Dec 16, 2016 Charlotte May rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: magical-realism, childrens, dystopia, middle-grade

When rereading an old fave doesn't go to plan and you actually end up disappointed! :(

"He'd never wept in a cell with his mind torn away, never laid awake at night hearing the screams of children. He's not me. He's never been taunted by the prison."

I loved Incarceron, I thought it was clever, and I found the plot engaging and addicting. I couldn't wait to jump into book 2.

********SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU HAVEN'T READ INCARCERON!!!!!*************

Claudia and Finn are outside, attempting to reinstat When rereading an old fave doesn't go to plan and you actually end up disappointed! :(

"He'd never wept in a cell with his mind torn away, never laid awake at night hearing the screams of children. He's not me. He's never been taunted by the prison."

I loved Incarceron, I thought it was clever, and I found the plot engaging and addicting. I couldn't wait to jump into book 2.

********SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU HAVEN'T READ INCARCERON!!!!!*************

Claudia and Finn are outside, attempting to reinstate Finn as Prince Giles; when a pretender turns up claiming to be the real Prince Giles - and that Finn is a fake. Meanwhile Jared's illness is getting worse, and Queen Sia is simply out for herself and her son Caspar, whatever it takes.

Alternately, inside Incarceron Attia and Keiro have been left behind. They've heard stories of Sapphique's Glove, that it has the power to help them escape, which is their only hope right now. They meet up with a mysterious magician Rix who supposedly has this glove in his possession.

I loved following the two storylines both inside and outside of the prison. I think I found Kerio and Attia's plot more enjoyable as I frankly could not stand Claudia whatsoever.

My disappointment came with the ending. There are so many questions, what actually is Incarceron and where is it? How can people get in and out? Who is Sapphique? But when we get to the end, at least for me, none of these questions are answered. Everything seemed to be left deliberately vague, and it seemed rushed.

Jared somehow enters the prison in the body of Sapphique, but we never know for sure if Sapphique was actually a person; a prisoner who really did escape, or if it was actually just a myth that grew out of the emergency exit named Sapphique. For some reason right at the end all the realm's era is destroyed and goes back to how it should be, again we don't know why, apparently the prison did it because it was angry. But how?

There was just loads that did not add up for me, and spoiled my enjoyment right at the end :( ...more

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Feb 08, 2010 Amelia, free market Puritan rated it liked it

Shelves: series-books, dystopian, ya-kids-teen, 2010, annoying-characters, point-of-view-guy

I give this about a B/B- - somewhere in between "Pretty good" and "Very nice".

This book was pretty good. I think I enjoyed it more than Incarceron, pretty much because I was familiar enough with the basic storyline and didn’t have to spend so much time figuring everything out. The pacing was pretty good, but the last 100 pages really, REALLY dragged…and it got to the point where I came dangerously close to not caring anymore…that’s not usually a good sign.

And yet…

I don’t want to make it sound I give this about a B/B- - somewhere in between "Pretty good" and "Very nice".

This book was pretty good. I think I enjoyed it more than Incarceron, pretty much because I was familiar enough with the basic storyline and didn’t have to spend so much time figuring everything out. The pacing was pretty good, but the last 100 pages really, REALLY dragged…and it got to the point where I came dangerously close to not caring anymore…that’s not usually a good sign.

And yet…

I don’t want to make it sound like I didn’t like the book, because I did…but Catherine Fisher is not the greatest author on the planet, and her writing style actually aggravated me. You know the phrase “show, don’t tell”? Well, she pretty much tells how characters feel/act, she doesn’t show. Characterization is definitely not her strong suit in this series – everybody was pretty wooden and it was hard for me to relate to them because they didn’t seem very real. There was just this hollow, shell-like feel to her characters and that was a major distraction. Claudia, in particular, was just incredibly frustrating. She was easier to relate to in Incarceron because you understood *why* she acted like such a conceited brat. In Sapphique, pretty much all of her conflicts have been resolved, so why is she still so MEAN?! It was stuff like this that made reading Sapphique a bit cumbersome. I didn’t really like Keiro, either, because to me he seems like the embodiment of Evil: he’s an individual with pretty much no conscience – he doesn’t know compassion or humility, and according some of my teachers (and the Harry Potter series), true evil is that which is excessively vain and devoid of compassion or consideration for others. I’ll admit it: I like it when characters “get their comeuppance” and he didn’t get any comeuppance!

Also, the ending…very mediocre and a bit bizarre. I don’t want to spoil anything, but the ending just really didn’t make sense if you take into account the overall story. It seems like Catherine Fisher spent so much time creating this really intense situation, and then the ending comes and it’s “ta da! We’re finished now! The end!” I think the first thing I said when I finished Sapphique was, “ohhhkay…I’m hungry.”
Let’s compare that to another book…oh, say…The Last Olympian. I finished that book and was like, “OMG!!! WHAT AM I GOING TO READ NOW?!?!?!” *hyperventilates*

It was a pretty engrossing read, most of the way through. Catherine’s exceptionally imaginative, and the Incarceron series is one of the most thoroughly original books I’ve ever read in my life. However, her books aren’t the best books I’ve ever read. Strengths: creativity and action. Weaknesses: very wooden and shallow characters and a spiraling last 100 pages…and a lackluster ending.

...more

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Feb 01, 2011 Jessica rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, ya, fantasy, sci-fi, dark-and-creepy, theres-a-prince-yall, fierce-ladies, dystopian, reviewed-books, pretty-prose

I swear that people simply must not get this series (I say “series” hopefully, because for right now it looks like there will only be the two books). I don’t mean that in some kind of pretentious, exclusive way, it’s just my only rationalization for why both books are only thisclose to being 4 stars. Are the wrong people reading them? Are people going in with certain, um, expectations and not feeling that they’re met? Do people just not want to do any real thinking?

I really need to stop sounding ...more

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Feb 27, 2011 rachel rated it it was ok

Shelves: own, 2011, sci-fi-fantasy, ya

Sometimes when I'm sitting on the couch at night reading, loopy with exhaustion, I look over at my cats and start thinking about how weird it is that they're sentient beings who have feelings and communicate in ways that I will never understand. Then I pass out with my book on my face. But if you are like me and have a hard enough time grasping animal consciousness, then you will probably also have a hard time taking seriously the idea that a prison is not only a sentient being but wants to buil Sometimes when I'm sitting on the couch at night reading, loopy with exhaustion, I look over at my cats and start thinking about how weird it is that they're sentient beings who have feelings and communicate in ways that I will never understand. Then I pass out with my book on my face. But if you are like me and have a hard enough time grasping animal consciousness, then you will probably also have a hard time taking seriously the idea that a prison is not only a sentient being but wants to build a human body to escape -- from itself.

That is one of the story lines in Sapphique, which I hadn't planned to read upon finishing Incarceron until my YA book club's fabulous discussion of that book. We were all curious: Would Keiro and Attia ever escape the prison too? Is Finn Giles? Is the Sapphique mythology just a myth or a true story? Would anything ever come of Jared and Claudia's father/brother/lover relationship (as we had all taken to calling it)? Emphasis on lover, because that's what about half of us wanted to happen and half of us thought was icky. I'll let you guess which camp I fall into. If you know my thoughts regarding smart older men, it shouldn't be too tough.

I want to be nice because the last chapter of this book is really fabulous and moving and tricky; after reading it, I wanted immediately to rate the book higher than it deserves. Some of the images are executed very well -- I loved the dark carnival feel of the opening scenes featuring Rix and Attia, previewed at the end of Incarceron -- and Fisher's prose continues to be rich and poetic, compared to the blander norms of YA writing.

But, in the interest of honesty, the book is a mess. Fisher has got so much mad genius subterfuge going on here that I had to keep flipping back through the pages, wondering if I had missed something or if a twist really had come out of nowhere. There's bouncing back and forth many times per chapter, from Keiro and Attia in the prison trying to find the portal to escape, to Finn and Claudia trying to prove to both the Realm and themselves that Finn is the rightful Heir to the throne, to Jared researching the portal himself, to Incarceron (hilariously) wanting to escape itself. I tired quickly of how much action was happening, but how little these subsequent plots were being furthered as the pages piled up, how little the characters I'd grown to like by the end of the first book were developed. To reference a metaphor from the book: yeah, I guess they were all just pawns after all.

Pawns to what purpose? I couldn't even tell you. I can't imagine how others have digested this book amidst the convoluted layers. Is it a noble cause to want to stop Incarceron from abandoning itself, leaving its prisoners to die without food and warmth, as Attia wants? Sure. And once you get past the silliness of a prison wanting to escape itself, it's cool to think about the idea of artificial intelligence becoming so intelligent that it wants its own freedom. I would read another book about that -- one that gives the idea more space and me more breathing time to think it through before sending me into some inconsequential sword fight with a (regrettably, not ass-to-mouth) human centipede or a climb up or down yet another chain-link ladder for what seems like 50 pages or whatever. ...more

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Nov 13, 2008 R.J. rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 16, 2010 Heather rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, my-scifi-pics

I was so interested to read the follow-up to Incarceron that I ordered the UK version of Sapphique so I wouldn't have to wait until December to find out what happened to Finn and Claudia (and c'mon, having a UK edition is pretty cool, too).

MILD SPOILERS:

In Fisher's sequel, Finn's been sprung out of one prison and into another -- as future king of the Realm, he's trapped in all the usual politicking. He still can't remember his past life as Prince Giles, and he's plagued by memories (Keiro, trap I was so interested to read the follow-up to Incarceron that I ordered the UK version of Sapphique so I wouldn't have to wait until December to find out what happened to Finn and Claudia (and c'mon, having a UK edition is pretty cool, too).

MILD SPOILERS:

In Fisher's sequel, Finn's been sprung out of one prison and into another -- as future king of the Realm, he's trapped in all the usual politicking. He still can't remember his past life as Prince Giles, and he's plagued by memories (Keiro, trapped in Incarceron; the Maestra's death) and the lack thereof; he's got nothing but strange seizures and blackouts to back his claims of tampered memory, and a second Prince Giles has showed up to challenge Finn's claims. While Claudia handles the court intrigue, Jared tries to figure out a way to open the Portal, and what to do about the illness that is out to kill him sooner rather than later.

Meanwhile, back at the ~~ranch~~hell that is Incarceron, Keiro and Attia are chasing after the eluse Sapphique's glove as their emergency exit out of the prison, and mixing it up with run-ins with the Warden and a strange magician named Rix. Throw in some strange Sapphique apparitions, a disintegrating Realm, and a war, and you've got another action-packed story.

But there were some cons: 1. Many narrative changes, and it's not always smooth or pretty. Everything's in second person, but even within a page the author switches between perspectives so much that it's a little distracting. I kept asking myself, wait, who thinks this? Finn or Claudia? Jared? 2. Not enough Incarceron. After that whole dark, horrible, awesome world was established in book one, there just wasn't enough of it in book two. We see it in Keiro and Attia's adventures, but they always seem to be on the fringe or on the borders, in these strange exceptions-to-the-rule kind of places. 3. Not enough Finn, Claudia, and Attia. Poor Finn -- this guy takes a beating and has to keep going, over and over again. Book one built up so much anticipation for his reunion with Claudia, but in the end, it was a let-down. She's cold and frustrated, and doubts his identity. He's desperate for affirmation and gets none. Meanwhile, Attia is desperate to see Finn again, but he barely gives her a thought -- he's too worried about Keiro. The author points this out to us repeatedly, which set me up for some kind of story there, but then left all those threads hanging when the book finished (and to my knowledge, this is only a set of two -- no trilogy planned). I would have loved to see Claudia and Finn's relationship deepen to the point that she's forced to make choices about who she believes Finn really is, independent of facts and proof, and that never really happened.

Nevertheless, there are some major pluses here that kept the sequel from completely falling flat: 1. lots of action, as stated above. I never sighed with boredom or had to plod through long, dry conversations. Fisher really moves the pace. 2. More Jared and Keiro. I loved those guys in the first book, and there's so much more to them in the second. I guarantee, you'll like Keiro better once you're done reading. 3. no simple answers. Incarceron is small and big, Inside and Out. The mystery of who Sapphique is gets more convoluted, and although the questions of what makes reality, imprisonment and freedom are sort of Matrix-y, there's a fair degree of originality here, too. Sapphique somehow manages to span all cultures in the book, Out and In, and multiple histories and narratives. Everything about his story that Fisher eludes to (I love those little quotes at the beginning of the chapter) just ups the mystery factor.

...more

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Sep 09, 2010 Leigh Hecking rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2010

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. There was just too much going on in this book. The first book, Incarceron, created an intriguing world, but it also set the stage - for an escape from prison, for Finn's rise to King, for a romantic relationship between Finn and Claudia. And while these things do happen in Sapphique, they come about in the most unsatisfying way possible. We go from one dizzying plot turn to another, with little explanation of the character's motivations. And while every page seems to bring some new action, the r There was just too much going on in this book. The first book, Incarceron, created an intriguing world, but it also set the stage - for an escape from prison, for Finn's rise to King, for a romantic relationship between Finn and Claudia. And while these things do happen in Sapphique, they come about in the most unsatisfying way possible. We go from one dizzying plot turn to another, with little explanation of the character's motivations. And while every page seems to bring some new action, the real action that the pages promise never comes to fruition. A duel ends with the Pretender being shot in the hand and Finn fleeing, Jared easily escapes assassination when his would-be-killer is electrocuted, the great Battle between Finn and the Queen ends before a real shot is even fired. The real opportunities for confrontation and understanding fall limp and lifeless under Fisher's hand.

None of the questions that Incarceron posed are ever answered in Sapphique. In the end, the reader has no idea who Sapphique is and if he really existed or escaped, we don't know what illness Jared suffers from, we don't know if Rix is a madman or a true magician, we don't know if Finn is really Giles, we don't know if the cube on the watch was really the prison or not, the fate of both the Kingdom and the Prison are tenuous and there's no hint that either Finn or Claudia care about each other though they briefly talk about a wedding at the end.

It would almost be excusable to fail on some of the major plot points, as Fisher has woven herself such a complicated scenario, if only the relationships shone. But in Sapphique, the interpersonal relationships fizzle - Claudia doesn't even seem to like Finn (a far cry from the girl who went to lengths to release him from prison), Keiro is at one moment untrustworthy and the next Finn's steadfast brother, Jared's strange relationship with Claudia is never explained, the Warden is cold and remote. Attia, the dog-slave who has scraped her way through Incarceron, is the only remotely likable character, but we never get to understand much about her.

None of the characters' actions were ever explained, scenes that were built up deflated in the end and the whole book sank like a overcooked turd soufflé. Do not want. ...more

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Jan 31, 2014 Megan Baxter rated it liked it · review of another edition

I gave the first book in this series a bit of a light ride, because I was intrigued by the ideas, and thank goodness, it was something different in a mass of fantasy books that were decidedly running together. So although there were things left unexplained, relationships that seemed strained, I hoped those would be delved into in greater depth in later volumes, and let it pass. Unfortunately, the second book doesn't resolve any of the problems, and seems to be the end of the series, so, where am ...more

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Aug 16, 2020 Amber J rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020-reading-challenge

I try to express only my most honest opinion in a spoiler-free way. Unfortunately, there is still always a risk of slight spoilers despite my best efforts. If you feel something in my review is a spoiler please let me know. Thank you.

So I don't feel this book was really any better than the first. It sums everything up, which is always nice, but in the end, I feel this whole series was decent but not exactly good. I'm glad I finished it though. I went with the audio for this book and I'm glad I d ...more

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Sep 07, 2016 Ashley Daviau rated it liked it · review of another edition

I'm a little unsure how I feel about this book. I did enjoy some parts, especially the steam punk element. But a lot of it had me feeling very meh. I still did enjoy the concept and the twists and turns that kept me guessing just like with the first book. But the ending left me feeling very unsatisfied. In a way I feel like instead of wrapping up the series, this book left me with more questions than it answered. ...more

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May 27, 2016 Nora rated it it was amazing

Shelves: absent-parent-syndrome, discombobulated-my-brain, evil-government, reviewed, badass-heroines, orphan-mc, be-my-husband, war-torn-world, did-not-see-that-coming, the-power-of-dreams

This was one of the most amazing books I have read in a long time. Let me start by saying that Fisher is a true wordsmith. Her prose is always lyrical and just so so lovely. It's been a long time since I've read such quotable and enjoyable writing.

The plot moved much more quickly in this book than it did in the first, and I was grateful for that. At the same time, there were parts with no real plot, but not one of these scenes felt unnecessary or boring or out of place. Each of them contributed This was one of the most amazing books I have read in a long time. Let me start by saying that Fisher is a true wordsmith. Her prose is always lyrical and just so so lovely. It's been a long time since I've read such quotable and enjoyable writing.

The plot moved much more quickly in this book than it did in the first, and I was grateful for that. At the same time, there were parts with no real plot, but not one of these scenes felt unnecessary or boring or out of place. Each of them contributed to my understanding of the characters, plot, and world of the novel, and I really appreciated that.

Besides the writing, I think the other strongest point of this book are the characters. Each has his or her own distinct personality, backstory, and narration. I've come to really love so many of them. What I also appreciate is how nuanced they are. Not one character is entirely good or completely horrible. Even the best characters made some mistakes and bad decisions, and even the worst characters were sympathetic at some points. Let's take Keiro, for instance. Yeah, he's an asshole and he's by no means a noble hero, but I love him anyway and I think he's such a well-developed and complex character. Attia grows so much in this book too, and she makes a bunch of difficult decisions that she wouldn't have in the first book. The relationships between all the characters in this novel also were awesome. (Btw there's little to no romance at all in here, unless you squint. Normally I like at least some romance, but in this case I think it worked out really well.) Not one relationship is perfect. Connections between characters grow and shift and change, for better and worse.

The worldbuilding in this one truly knocked my socks off too. We get to know the Realm and Incarceron very well, and yet the more information Fisher gives us, the more mysterious and incomprehensible the world of the novel seems. What struck me the most while reading is how basically impossible it is to discern reality from illusion in the novel. Very few things are set in stone, and the novel seems to ask us to accept varying and even contradictory versions of reality. Truth and facts are relative, and this may be frustrating for some readers. I was a little annoyed by this at first, but by the end I think this toying with the real and unreal is what really wowed me. The ending ties up all major loose ends and is pretty satisfying, while ironically still leaving basically every question unanswered and positing that maybe the truth isn't really as important as we think it is in the grand scheme of things and that a lot of times it's better not to know some things. Still, I wish there was a third book. Overall i definitely recommend you pick up this series. The first novel wasn't that special, but I promise this one more than makes up for it. ...more

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Aug 09, 2010 Bry rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2011, fantasy, young-adult, series, dnf, dystopian, disappointing

So yeah - I gave up. This book was a complete let down after how amazing the first book Incarceron was. But sadly my copy was due back at the library and considering I hadn't picked it back up in over a week and a half I figured I would rather spend my time reading books I am still interested in.

This book's worst problem (just as in the first book) was characterization. All of the characters were like cardboard cutouts. They told you a story but I didn't get any feeling from it. Not to mention F ...more

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Nov 29, 2011 Mel (Epic Reading) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: own-print

I found this series, starting with Incarceron to have so many great themes. There are English and psych papers abound to be written on this series.
It's mysterious, dark, sweet and bittersweet all at the same time.
If you came away not liking this series then I'd say you likely missed out on the point:
A prison can be made up of so many things. It doesn't necessarily have to have walls nor an exit.
...more

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Mar 26, 2010 Sarah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Anyone who liked Incarceron

Shelves: ya, books-i-own, sci-fi

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. WHAT?! It's over! And the ending was maddening!!! Absolutely maddening! But, let me backtrack a bit.

Plot: Slow in parts. But overall, I liked the way it moved along. This book was full of action and suspense, like Incarceron. I liked how there were many plot lines running at once, with many different characters. I actually liked how the point of view changed around a lot, because it gave me a look in everyone's motives. It was fairy unpredictable, which was cool in parts and aggravating in othe WHAT?! It's over! And the ending was maddening!!! Absolutely maddening! But, let me backtrack a bit.

Plot: Slow in parts. But overall, I liked the way it moved along. This book was full of action and suspense, like Incarceron. I liked how there were many plot lines running at once, with many different characters. I actually liked how the point of view changed around a lot, because it gave me a look in everyone's motives. It was fairy unpredictable, which was cool in parts and aggravating in others.

Characters: I actually like these characters. The characters are the reason that I ordered this book from the U.K. so I wouldn't have to wait for it to be released in the U.S. The characters in this one were still the characters I loved (well, I loved most of them). I'm still rooting for Jared/Claudia, even though I've finished the book. Jared is still my favorite character, and the relationship between him and Claudia was great. There were more Jared/Claudia moments in this book, which I loved. But, they're totally separated in the end, and that's maddening. They love each other, so why do they have to be separated? I wasn't a huge Attia fan in the last book, but I really liked her in this one. Maybe that's the result of seeing more from her point of view. Although, I really wish she'd been able to teach Keiro a lesson. In fact, he's the one character I didn't like. There were times where I did, and then didn't again. I guess the reason I didn't like him more was because he didn't learn anything or change at all. I kept waiting for karma to come and beat him over the head, and it never happened. I still loved to hate Sia and her son, and the Warden. Finn however, bothered me a bit in this book. He got mopey and annoying. And I really don't think Finn and Claudia should get married. For one, I want her to be with Jared, and two, I just plain don't see that.

Ending: Maddening. Just. Plain. Maddening. Jared's fate wasn't unpredictable, but the fate of the Outside Realm was. I also really don't want Claudia to marry Finn. Anyways, it was maddening because there's not another sequel. It's maddening because it's the end of the road.

Writing: I don't mean to say anything bad about the writing (because Catherine Fisher is brilliant), although I do have a few complaints here. Catherine Fisher is brilliant for her ideas and characters, but sometimes she's not as good at going into her character's emotions. There were so many points where she could have had the relationships between characters grow or become more complicated, and make the story even more interesting, and she didn't. Which kind of bothered me. But, I have to give her credit for the brilliant idea of Incarceron, Sapphique, and for creating good characters (even if I don't like Keiro, I do think Attia could bring out a better side of him). I am keeping my fingers crossed for another sequel, if only to delve deeper into the emotions and motives of the characters and tie up the loose ends.

Overall: It was good, but not as good as Incarceron. I had high hopes for a sequel with more emotion, and just as much action, and I got some of that. Incarceron was better, but I did really like Sapphique. If you liked Incarceron, you should read this one. It goes deeper into the backgrounds of some characters, it brings minor characters into the limelight, and it explains more in Incarceron, the Outer Realm, Jared's illness, and Sapphique. Despite my complaints, I really, really liked this book. ...more

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Nov 13, 2010 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it did not like it

I reviewed Incarceron a few weeks back and, although I didn't like it, I already had a copy of the ARC. Sapphique was not better than the first book in the series, but it was easier for me to get through, perhaps because I had much lower expectations. All of my problems with the first book still remain here.

The characters, all of them, are pretty much entirely unlikeable. Jared, Claudia's tutor, is the character I most liked, but the reader has known since the beginning of book one that he has a ...more

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Feb 03, 2016 Lucijaa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I enjoyed this book more than the first one, but it was hard for me to get into the story in the beginning. But once when I got into the story, I couldn't stop reading.

Keiro was my top character again, his personality and his atitudes were the best part of the book. I have to congratulate Catherine for getting him out of the prison. But Attia could've stayed in the prison, because I dislike her a lot.

The whole perfect world everyone was living in started falling apart, and I liked that. We final ...more

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Sep 29, 2015 Kira Simion marked it as to-read · review of another edition

~~Someone want to buy this for me?~~ 0-0

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Jun 26, 2020 M.M. Strawberry Library & Reviews rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopian, science-fiction, young-adult

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, ...more

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Feb 08, 2010 Krista (Miura Haruma-san, I will always miss you) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own, ya, heroine-ice-queen, cfmf

This just wasn't as good as the first.

I liked how Keiro and Attia were still trapped in the prison, so we weren't cut off from its awesomeness entirely, but somehow it didn't feel as interesting in this one. The character of Rix was pretty annoying and he thorougly grossed me out. I did like how Keiro and Attia stayed together, even though he claimed not to like her, you can tell he does.

What annoyed me was the lack of character development. Keiro, Attia, Claudia, and Finn all stay exactly the This just wasn't as good as the first.

I liked how Keiro and Attia were still trapped in the prison, so we weren't cut off from its awesomeness entirely, but somehow it didn't feel as interesting in this one. The character of Rix was pretty annoying and he thorougly grossed me out. I did like how Keiro and Attia stayed together, even though he claimed not to like her, you can tell he does.

What annoyed me was the lack of character development. Keiro, Attia, Claudia, and Finn all stay exactly the same and we really don't learn anything new about them. Also, there wasn't enough of Finn. It was mostly a book switching between Attia and Claudia's POV, which I didn't like. Especially since I don't like Claudia, and she gets considerably more selfish and annoying and cold in this book; you'd think she'd grow as a person, but...not really. We get Finn's POV only a handfull of times, and for maybe one or two pages at a time, and I just felt kind of cheated, because the first book was so clearly HIS, and then he sort of drops off the radar and just becomes this pathetic character feeling sorry for himself. Though, he still wasn't as annoying as Claudia ;)

Also, the revelation about Outside and what it is really like...was extremely depressing--and in a bad way. And the ending...is basically where the book just...ends...and the characters are all like, "Well, we'll probably all die soon." It just felt like nothing was resolved, except for a couple of small things. It also made me really angry that we never find out any of the mysterious about whether Finn really is Giles, or why he has those seizures, or why he continues to have them after he supposedly gets all his memories back, or if Sapphique is real, or if he's alive etc... Sure, there are little hints, but most of them are just misleading.

There was really only one scene in the entire book that I actually enjoyed...which is weird since I gave this four stars...The book kept me interested and was hard to put down because there was so much action, but I tend to prefer character depth over simple action, and there wasn't much of that.

What happens with Jared is also kind of depressing and entirely creepy.
Also, I wanted to strangle Claudia for being all, "Oh, we have to get my poor daddy out of the prison. He matters more than Keiro and Attia." She didn't say those exact words, but close enough. I mean, it was HIS choice to lock himself in there!

And I don't like the idea of Finn and Claudia getting married. I really do NOT see that. There were one or two hints about Keiro and Attia maybe liking each other, despite all of their denials, but, like I said, the end leaves you hanging. And I also thought the "end" was too easy. What happened with the queen was ridiculous; I just couldn't see it. I mean, it makes sense, but it's kind of dissappointing. It feels like Fisher only wanted to write one book, but then realized the one wasn't enough to even come close to finishing the story, so she was forced to write a second one. It's like I could tell she wasn't enjoying herself writing it as much as the first.

So, it was an entertaining yet annoying read, and while I'd like to read the first book over again, I don't think I ever want to split the covers of this one apart ever again. Not because it was bad, but because it just isn't something I ever want to return to... ...more

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Jun 07, 2011 Terry Brooks rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This month I am going to recommend another young adult fantasy contained in a two book set - INCARCERON and SAPPHIQUE by Catherine Fisher. In these stories, we follow the efforts of three prisoners held captive in a prison as large as an entire world to find a way out. Only one man has ever escaped, and he has become a legend to the prison populace. On the outside of the prison, the daughter of the Warden - who tends to the prison and its population - attempts to discover the secret of Incarcero ...more

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Feb 25, 2010 Beth rated it liked it

Shelves: teen, series, star_reviewed-2010, sci-fi, post-apocalyptic

I still don't love these books. I think the story line is very interesting but the characters just aren't "something" enough - there is no one to really hate or love or pull for, so i don't have the connection. I also don't think there is enough back story. Why are they in this artificial time and what was the war about? It is mentioned but no real details. ...more

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Jul 04, 2010 Emilie rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I had such high hopes for this book. I had mixed feelings after reading Incarceron and thought maybe one needed to read the conclusion of this series in order to really get it. So, I special ordered Sapphique from the UK, since it won't be published in the US for another few months. What a huge let down this installment was!! This book made me feel like I must be some kind of idiot, because I just didn't get it! I am usually very quick to pick up on what's happening in the plots of books. I stil I had such high hopes for this book. I had mixed feelings after reading Incarceron and thought maybe one needed to read the conclusion of this series in order to really get it. So, I special ordered Sapphique from the UK, since it won't be published in the US for another few months. What a huge let down this installment was!! This book made me feel like I must be some kind of idiot, because I just didn't get it! I am usually very quick to pick up on what's happening in the plots of books. I still have no idea what was going on throughout Sapphique!! This story was frustratingly confusing and just all over the place. There were so many sub arcs going on and never any explanations as the plots advanced, no explanations to the various actions being taken by characters, no journey through their thought process or understanding as to why they've made this decision or that. I'm left feeling like what was the point here? On top of the overall story being way out there in terms of being strange, the character development was severely lacking. I did not grow to care about any of the characters, and it was even unclear as to their relations or feelings for one another. I wanted to care about Attia and Kiero, and probably even could have gotten there, but I felt the author came up short with those two especially. They had the makings for a fantastic relationship, romantic or simply platonic, but the relationship just never advanced. The main characters, Finn and Claudia, were nothing more than self-concerned brats throughout. The Warden had the possibility of being a complicated and fascinating character, but we were never provided with an understanding behind his thoughts and actions and therefore left falling flat. Jared also had the makings of someone memorable, but again the author did not advance his personal story or even ever clarify his relationship with Claudia. Was he a father-figure or a love-interest? Was he to be both?? In one word, this book was simply Odd. This series received such incredible reviews throughout the UK, I can’t help feel I must have missed something. I feel I should reread the series and see if I develop a better understanding. And yet, I just can’t bring myself to suffer through it again. Maybe sometime down the road. Too many others are calling me for now. ...more

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Jun 24, 2014 Catarina Miranda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: have-it

4.5 stars, I must say.
Okay, so... I'm still in shock... I'm still trying to figure this all out...
Well, I'm not going to write a review about this book, because I barely remember anything, since it took so long for me to finish it. However, if I were to write something, I would say something like this...
First of all, WHAT AN AMAZING (although not exactly satisfying) ENDING! Incredible! Since that moment when "the truth about the both worlds was revealed", I just loved this book! It showed so ma 4.5 stars, I must say.
Okay, so... I'm still in shock... I'm still trying to figure this all out...
Well, I'm not going to write a review about this book, because I barely remember anything, since it took so long for me to finish it. However, if I were to write something, I would say something like this...
First of all, WHAT AN AMAZING (although not exactly satisfying) ENDING! Incredible! Since that moment when "the truth about the both worlds was revealed", I just loved this book! It showed so many important things and there were so many metaphors ugh... amazing!
I would say that there was some character development... in all of the characters! I really liked how Finn's attitude changed since the beginning of the series until now... it was quite impressive! But, even though Finn's character was great, I've come to the conclusion that I have, indeed, two favorite characters (which doesn't happen very often, because I usually love a lot of characters): Attia and Jared, for sure! I can't really explain my decision, but... I just love them! Another fun fact about me: normally, I ship my favorite characters as a couple, you know? And that did not happen this time, so... I'm happy! Anyways, we're not here to talk about that... Now, I am sure that I like Keiro... I understand him a little bit better and that made me like him! About Claudia... she was really bitchy in the first half of the book, I guess? But then she started to act more rationally and everything was good!
Moving on... that not-so-big-plot-twist in the last couple of pages? Wow, not cool, Catherine Fisher. Not cool. But I was suspecting that something unexpected was going to happen to Jared, so... I was not THAT surprised! Still... wow... that was messed up!
I guess that's all I could say about this book...
As for other things... I think this series would be MARVELOUS as movie adaptations, if the producers and the director did a good job, of course...
That is it! I think I'm going to prepare myself for The Chamber of Secrets and, hopefully, I'll finish it in a week or so! ...more

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Apr 11, 2014 I'jaaz (The Magician of Mirrex) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Well...that was quite a ride. After 3 bathroom breaks, 2 snacks, 300 breaths, 10 pages and 7,504 catnaps, I have devoured a quite delicious wonder called "Sapphique" The things I liked about it...hm. Well, lets see. There's the steam-punk element, the dystopian drama, the royal intrigue, and the drool-worthy futuristic gadgets that is the pipe dream of any good CIA agent on the planet....or under it. ;P

What I didn't like about it.... do you really want to spoil the good feeling of a good book w ...more

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Jun 29, 2010 Laura rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mt-bookpile-2010, old-reads

I loved Incarceron, and perhaps had too high hopes for Sapphique... it's a good sequel, but not a great sequel. Part of that may have been my hope that it would be more like Fire was to Graceling than an addition to the original story - there's no reason for me to have thought that just wishing.

Anyway, Sapphique picks up shortly after Finn Escapes to Outside, with Claudia and Jared trying to figure out how to work the Portal and Sia trying to prove that Finn is not Prince Giles; Inside, Keiko an ...more

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Feb 17, 2011 Sarah Heartburn rated it liked it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 05, 2013 ♠ TABI⁷ ♠ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, to-re-read

Whoa. I wish this series was a trilogy instead of a duology, but *sigh* I guess I shall have to make do with these two books. Just, seriously...wow. I loved it. This book ramps up from where Incarceron left off, with just as much intrigue, twisting plot, and phenomenal characters. And then, oh, that ending! Wow. Took me a few times of "Wait...what???" to get it, but when I did, I had this stupid grin and a feeling of something close to dizziness. What a plot twist!

So yes, I am most absolutely i ...more

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Nov 27, 2019 Devin Willson rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance-free, read-2019

A very solid sequel. I enjoyed it a lot and I grew to like some of the characters even more than i did in the first one.
Like Keiro.
He's great.
The ending tho... i didn't dislike it... but it was... really strange? idk what to think o.O

overall a solid 4/5 and just as good as, if not a bit better than, the first book. ...more

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Feb 02, 2013 Whisper rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Careful readers, who read to embrace every nuance of every word.

Shelves: young-adult-high-epic-fantasy, killer-writing, thrilling

A five star rating? It deserves far more.

Sapphique has seen the stars. Outside, they shine perfect and bright on the Realm. Far away, Incarceron hungers for them, and its Prisoners know stars only as red pinpricks in the dark that watch with malevolent knowing.

Five stars, Goodreads says?

I think not.

The story of Sapphique, of Claudia and Finn, Jared Saipiens and the Steel Wolves -- The riveting account of Keiro and Attia, and Rix the Dark Enchanter and his Art Magicke -- The unfolding of John Arl ...more

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Apr 15, 2012 Francine rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, dystopian-world, modern-lit, young-adult, fantasy, sci-fi, speculative, steam-punk

I wanted to wait until I'd read both Incarceron and Sapphique before I wrote my review. While each book stands on its own, I had to see where the story went (after finishing Incarceron) and how I felt about it.

Let me preface this by saying I didn't not like the book. If Goodreads allowed half stars for rating, I would've rated both as 2.5s. Personally, I thought Catherine Fisher was quite innovative in creating a Matrix-steam-punk-YA mash-up: in some future time, because of all the wars and rebe ...more

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Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Were you disappointed with the point that nobody 'ended up together' in Sapphique? Which pair do you support and why?	19	228	Jan 02, 2019 09:44PM
bugs	1	7	Dec 04, 2016 05:44AM
Jared... at the end? And is Sapphique...	3	40	Mar 05, 2015 02:57PM
Attia and Keiro?	6	70	Jan 10, 2015 12:34AM
so sapphique was.....?	3	44	Oct 05, 2014 08:38PM
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. MG steampunk? NYTimes recent bestseller? [s]	6	41	May 28, 2014 08:27PM

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About Catherine Fisher

Catherine Fisher

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Catherine Fisher was born in Newport, Wales. She graduated from the University of Wales with a degree in English and a fascination for myth and history. She has worked in education and archaeology and as a lecturer in creative writing at the University of Glamorgan. She is a Fellow of the Welsh Academy.

Catherine is an acclaimed poet and novelist, regularly lecturing and giving readings to groups o ...more

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Incarceron (2 books)

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Quotes from Sapphique

“Once Incarceron became a dragon, and a Prisoner crawled into his lair. They made a wager. They would ask each other riddles, and the one who could not answer would lose. It it was the man, he would give his life. The Prison offered a secret way of Escape. But even as the man agreed, he felt its hidden laughter.
They played for a year and a day. The lights stayed dark. The dead were not removed. Food was not provided. The Prison ignored the cries of its inmates.
Sapphique was the man. He had one riddle left. He said, "What is the Key that unlocks the heart?"
For a day Incarceron thought. For two days. For three. Then it said, "If I ever knew the answer, I have forgotten it."
--Sapphique in the Tunnels of Madness” — 33 likes

“The Stars.
Jared slept beneath them, uneasy in the rustling leaves.

From the battlements Finn gazed up at them, seeing the impossible distances between galaxies and nebulae, and thinking they were not as wide as the distances between people.

In the study Claudia sensed them, in the sparks and crackles on the screen.

In the prison, Attia dreamt of them, She sat curled on the hard chair, Rix repacking his hidden pockets obsessively with coins and glass discs and hidden handkerchiefs.

A single spark flickered deep in the coin Keiro spun and caught, spun and caught.” — 31 likes

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