I'm afraid I didn't love this sequel. A lot is going on in the story, but the characters don't have much appeal. If you loved the first book, and read it recently, you'll probably also find this one satisfying. If it has been a while since you read Incarceron, you may, like me, find it a bit confusing.
Aside from the legendary Sapphique, Finn is the only prisoner ever to escape from the living prison Incarceron. He returns in the middle of court uproar: his friend Claudia, the daughter of the former Warden of Incarceron, is convinced that Finn is the lost prince, heir to the throne. Finns own doubts about his history aside, their lives become even more at stake when another young man shows up, claiming to be the lost prince.
Back in Incarceron, Finns friends Keiro and Attia search for Sapphiques glove, which may be the only remaining way out of Incarceron. Trouble is, theyre not the only ones who seek the glove: the prison itself wants it, and doesnt seem to care how many lives get destroyed in the process.
If Incarceron was a great book that shakes the foundations of your literary beliefs (quoting from my review of Incarceron), then SAPPHIQUE is a fantasy achievement of canonical proportions. It takes everything we appreciated and were in awe of in the first book and takes it to the next level, making sure that this is a two-book series we will remember for decades to come.
Whereas Incarceron took me a couple of chapters to get into, SAPPHIQUE captured my attention immediately, opening with one of Attias attempts to get the Glove. We are already fairly well aware of how Incarceron as well as the Protocol-mandated real world operates, and thus the stakes can be all the higher in this sequel. Catherine Fisher loves to write chapters with nail-biting endings that just force you to keep on reading. Its fast-paced and utterly brilliant.
Incarceron and SAPPHIQUE are part of that rare type of novel where the fast-paced expansiveness of the story excuses weaknesses in characterization. Some readers will still not like Finn, Claudia, Keiro, or Attia in this second bookbut they are not really meant to be liked. They are people stuck in life-or-death situations, and they cant afford to be nice, for to be nice is to lose.
So SAPPHIQUEs appeal lies not in its characters, but rather in the way Catherine Fisher can tell a story that keeps you glued to the pages. The ending may frustrate some readers, but personally I thought it was the perfect ending to the story, and something that had been building up for a while. SAPPHIQUE is a must-read if you were a fan of Incarceron, and I can only hope that Catherine Fisher will write more extraordinary books in the very near future!
Back in Incarceron, Finns friends Keiro and Attia search for Sapphiques glove, which may be the only remaining way out of Incarceron. Trouble is, theyre not the only ones who seek the glove: the prison itself wants it, and doesnt seem to care how many lives get destroyed in the process.
If Incarceron was a great book that shakes the foundations of your literary beliefs (quoting from my review of Incarceron), then SAPPHIQUE is a fantasy achievement of canonical proportions. It takes everything we appreciated and were in awe of in the first book and takes it to the next level, making sure that this is a two-book series we will remember for decades to come.
Whereas Incarceron took me a couple of chapters to get into, SAPPHIQUE captured my attention immediately, opening with one of Attias attempts to get the Glove. We are already fairly well aware of how Incarceron as well as the Protocol-mandated real world operates, and thus the stakes can be all the higher in this sequel. Catherine Fisher loves to write chapters with nail-biting endings that just force you to keep on reading. Its fast-paced and utterly brilliant.
Incarceron and SAPPHIQUE are part of that rare type of novel where the fast-paced expansiveness of the story excuses weaknesses in characterization. Some readers will still not like Finn, Claudia, Keiro, or Attia in this second bookbut they are not really meant to be liked. They are people stuck in life-or-death situations, and they cant afford to be nice, for to be nice is to lose.
So SAPPHIQUEs appeal lies not in its characters, but rather in the way Catherine Fisher can tell a story that keeps you glued to the pages. The ending may frustrate some readers, but personally I thought it was the perfect ending to the story, and something that had been building up for a while. SAPPHIQUE is a must-read if you were a fan of Incarceron, and I can only hope that Catherine Fisher will write more extraordinary books in the very near future!
Reviewed by Cat for TeensReadToo.com
The end of SAPPHIQUE's prequel saw Finn released from sentient prison INCARCERON, but life Outside has not brought him the peace of mind he desired. Four months after his escape finds Finn still struggling with the inherent treachery and protocol required by court life. Couple that with the overwhelming guilt he feels for leaving his oath brother, Keiko, and friend, Attia, behind Inside, Finn has sunk into despair.
So deep is his depression, he's become useless in helping the Warden's daughter, Claudia, and her beloved tutor, Jared, search for a way back into Incarceron. The situation worsens when a young man who bears a striking resemblance to him challenges Finn's claim as the long-lost throne heir, Prince Giles.
Back inside the prison, Keiko and Attia search for their own means of escape: Sapphique's legendary magical glove. But Finn's prolonged absence and the increasing desperation of their situation - plagues, scarcity of supplies, entire sections of the prison shutting down - stretches their loyalties to the breaking point. As their enemies close in, each pair is in a race against time to save their very lives.
After reading both books in Catherine Fisher's duology, SAPPHIQUE emerges most decidedly as my favorite. While INCARCERON beautifully established this rich and complex world, the sequel brings more heart to the narrative. In SAPPHIQUE, we get a deeper exploration of the characters, a maturing of their perspectives, and a resolution of plot with the possibility of more stories to be mined in the future.
The end of SAPPHIQUE's prequel saw Finn released from sentient prison INCARCERON, but life Outside has not brought him the peace of mind he desired. Four months after his escape finds Finn still struggling with the inherent treachery and protocol required by court life. Couple that with the overwhelming guilt he feels for leaving his oath brother, Keiko, and friend, Attia, behind Inside, Finn has sunk into despair.
So deep is his depression, he's become useless in helping the Warden's daughter, Claudia, and her beloved tutor, Jared, search for a way back into Incarceron. The situation worsens when a young man who bears a striking resemblance to him challenges Finn's claim as the long-lost throne heir, Prince Giles.
Back inside the prison, Keiko and Attia search for their own means of escape: Sapphique's legendary magical glove. But Finn's prolonged absence and the increasing desperation of their situation - plagues, scarcity of supplies, entire sections of the prison shutting down - stretches their loyalties to the breaking point. As their enemies close in, each pair is in a race against time to save their very lives.
After reading both books in Catherine Fisher's duology, SAPPHIQUE emerges most decidedly as my favorite. While INCARCERON beautifully established this rich and complex world, the sequel brings more heart to the narrative. In SAPPHIQUE, we get a deeper exploration of the characters, a maturing of their perspectives, and a resolution of plot with the possibility of more stories to be mined in the future.
This is the sequel to Incarceron. I got an advanced reading copy of this book through Around the World Arc Tours. I liked it a bit better than the first book, you get to learn a lot more about Incarceron and about the Realm outside of the prison.
A lot happens in this book. Finn is struggling to fit in in the Outside world. Claudia and Jared are at Finn's side and trying to help him remember his identity. Because of his birthmark Finn is the supposed Prince Giles of the realm. The Queen is not happy with this and will stop at nothing to discredit Finn's claim to the throne. Inside Incarceron things are not much better. Keiro and the slave girl are traveling together and trying to acquire Sapphique's Glove in hopes that it will lead them out of Incarceron; the Warden is also trapped in Incarceron.
Overall this was an entertaining read. A lot happens in this book and the plot moves quickly. Fischer's strength as a writer is creativity. This is a very creative story, although some aspects of Incarceron have been done before. Basically Incarceron is a prison that gains awareness; this is something I've seen before in Resident Evil (The Red Queen taking over the building) or even the movie The Cube. I am sure there are other references, but overall this is a creative book and engaging.
The place this book falls short is characterization. None of the characters are all that engaging or likable. This is no different from the first book, Incarceron, so if you liked that book than you will like this book too. Finn is kind of wishy washy and has trouble finding any confidence to do what needs to be done, that is until later in the book. Claudia is at times kind of bitchy, although I do sympathize with her character. Claudia has a lot to put up with and a lot to accomplish and, outside of Jerad's assistance, she doesn't get a lot of help. Kiero continues to be borderline evil and is in his own way intriguing.
We get to see more of the horrors inside Incareron and Incarceron continues to gain sentience. You learn a lot more about how the prison was made and how it began to think for itself. Some of the revelations that are revealed around the relationship between Incarceron and the Outside are interesting too.
Something that I liked, but I can see it pissing people off, is the ending. The ending resolves most of the story but doesn't do it in a very happy way. I did think it was a realistic way and that it matched the rest of the story well. It would have been nice to have a couple chapters to resolves what happened after. So, as I said I thought the ending was appropriate if not thrilling. But I bet that it is going to really irritate a lot of people.
Overall this was a great read. If you enjoyed the first book you will enjoy this one. If you didn't enjoy the first book I would pass on this one. This book was creative and engaging, but is weak on characterization and ends in a way that may be unsatisfying for some. I would recommend these books for middle grade or higher level readers. If you like Suzanne Collins Underland Chronicles or Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom, I think you would like this series as well
A lot happens in this book. Finn is struggling to fit in in the Outside world. Claudia and Jared are at Finn's side and trying to help him remember his identity. Because of his birthmark Finn is the supposed Prince Giles of the realm. The Queen is not happy with this and will stop at nothing to discredit Finn's claim to the throne. Inside Incarceron things are not much better. Keiro and the slave girl are traveling together and trying to acquire Sapphique's Glove in hopes that it will lead them out of Incarceron; the Warden is also trapped in Incarceron.
Overall this was an entertaining read. A lot happens in this book and the plot moves quickly. Fischer's strength as a writer is creativity. This is a very creative story, although some aspects of Incarceron have been done before. Basically Incarceron is a prison that gains awareness; this is something I've seen before in Resident Evil (The Red Queen taking over the building) or even the movie The Cube. I am sure there are other references, but overall this is a creative book and engaging.
The place this book falls short is characterization. None of the characters are all that engaging or likable. This is no different from the first book, Incarceron, so if you liked that book than you will like this book too. Finn is kind of wishy washy and has trouble finding any confidence to do what needs to be done, that is until later in the book. Claudia is at times kind of bitchy, although I do sympathize with her character. Claudia has a lot to put up with and a lot to accomplish and, outside of Jerad's assistance, she doesn't get a lot of help. Kiero continues to be borderline evil and is in his own way intriguing.
We get to see more of the horrors inside Incareron and Incarceron continues to gain sentience. You learn a lot more about how the prison was made and how it began to think for itself. Some of the revelations that are revealed around the relationship between Incarceron and the Outside are interesting too.
Something that I liked, but I can see it pissing people off, is the ending. The ending resolves most of the story but doesn't do it in a very happy way. I did think it was a realistic way and that it matched the rest of the story well. It would have been nice to have a couple chapters to resolves what happened after. So, as I said I thought the ending was appropriate if not thrilling. But I bet that it is going to really irritate a lot of people.
Overall this was a great read. If you enjoyed the first book you will enjoy this one. If you didn't enjoy the first book I would pass on this one. This book was creative and engaging, but is weak on characterization and ends in a way that may be unsatisfying for some. I would recommend these books for middle grade or higher level readers. If you like Suzanne Collins Underland Chronicles or Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom, I think you would like this series as well
I was quite excited about this one, but ended up a bit confused throughout. It jumps from character to character so often I found myself having to back track and reread. I would also advise reading it when you won't be distracted. I do enjoy her poetic writing style, but I wish she would have explained more and not left some things to the imagination. It also didn't help that it had been so long since I'd read the first book I'd forgotten many things. (And I was too lazy to reread it.) I wasn't sure about which relationship I should be rooting for either. Was Claudia in love with Jared?? Or was it Finn? Or was it no one and she was forced to be married? I wanted to root for someone but there was no support for it. I liked the characters but for me they didn't have enough depth.
