Review for Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

Sapphique (Incarceron #2)
By Catherine Fisher
Published by Hodder Children's Books
Source: Library
Library Challenge
480 pages

"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."- Goodreads

   A great sequel or conclusion to the Incarceron series although some threads are still hanging. This book held my interest and left me feeling relatively satisfied. If you have read Incarceron, be sure to pick up Sapphique otherwise you might miss out on some action!

   As I said it held my interest and intirgued me. Some characters annoyed me in  parts of the book though. Claudia for one. This was only in the beginning... she was so hard on Finn. I mean, I know he should be showing more Princely qualities but give him some time. And she would say things that irked me because that wasn't what she was thinking; what she was thinking was kind and if she would have said that Finn would have acted differently. That was one example. We are introduced to a couple new people and for good or bad that worked well. Finn I really liked in this book for some reason, even if he was brooding and scowling, that's just him. The POV's also change through this story so we get to see or rather read through a few secondary characters eyes. That gave dimension to the story. As well as Claudia and Finn, there is still Attia, Keiro, The Warden, The Prision, Jared and the Queen (ect.).

   The plot was definitely action packed, at times it was slower but conversations made up for that. It was a little predictable but the ending was sure not! (At least for me). I was still captured by the Prison and so interested that I lost myself in the events again. The world building/fantasy was great too. But with that beings said, I was sometimes confused. Some events didn't make sense and the descriptions weren't doing anything for me. Anyways, it was a strong finish to the Incarceron story, things wrapped up... not as expected. I don't know if there will be a third, it is fine as it is but it could continue. I would love to see more of Claudia and Finn. But can I have a little word with the editor? Yes, I know things can be over-looked I mean one letter isn't a biggie even a word but some of the phrasing is just wrong (not to mention quite a few spelling mistakes), next time can you double check? Thanks.

  I recommend this to those who have read Incarceron and enjoyed it because it does do the series justice. They are meant to be read together and you might miss out on some pretty hard core nail biting!

Excerpts:

Suddenly, without warning, the room tipped. It spoke. It said, My body...

Finn staggered, slamming against the desk. The sword clattered out of his hand as he grabbed at Claudia but she slid back with a gasp, missing her footing, crashing into the chair, falling back into its seat.

And before she could stand up, she was gone.

*********

And as he watched she re-emerged from the darkness, pixel by pixel, atom by atom, the reassembly of a fragmented being, all its thoughts and limbs and dreams and features, and it wasn't Claudia, it was someone else.

*********

The two of them raced across the snowy waste of the hall. On the walls the hangings were frozen in their folds. Claudia grabbed the nearest and tugged, dust and shards of ice crashing around her. "Rix! Help us!

The magician sat on the pedestal, all knees and elbows. He was rippling coins through his hands, muttering to himself. 'Heads they kill us. Tails we Escape.'

'Forget him.' Attia jumped up and heaved the tapestry down. 'He's crazy. They both are.'

In My Mailbox (10) EPIC :)

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where we get to post about the books we recieve each week through publishers/authors, our own purchases, contests, and libraries!

What's in My Mailbox? Lets see...



I just had to take pictures of these awesome books, I also had to make the setting as beautiful as the books with some decorations :)

When I came out of the bookstore and got in the vehicle I took out the River of Time series to take a look. I actually PETTED the covers and said in a weird soft voice to my mom "Aren't they preettty?" She gave me a look like I was crazy, sigh, no one shows interest in my love for books. Anyways, I have been waiting ages for them and they came in! Plus at the library look at the two gems I found! I couldn't believe it! That day made it to the 'best days of my life' list :) I'm so excited I could squeal with joy, no joke!

For Review:

Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck

Waterfall by Lisa Tawn Bergren

Cascade by Lisa Tawn Bergren

Torrent by Lisa Tawn Bergren

Now I'd like to hear what was in your mailbox! Leave links :) I'll visit!



Review for Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Incarceron
By Catherine Fisher
Published by Hodder Children's Books
Source: Public Library
Library Challenge
458 pages

"Incarceron -- a futuristic prison, sealed from view, where the descendants of the original prisoners live in a dark world torn by rivalry and savagery. It is a terrifying mix of high technology -- a living building which pervades the novel as an ever-watchful, ever-vengeful character, and a typical medieval torture chamber -- chains, great halls, dungeons. A young prisoner, Finn, has haunting visions of an earlier life, and cannot believe he was born here and has always been here. In the outer world, Claudia, daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, is trapped in her own form of prison -- a futuristic world constructed beautifully to look like a past era, an imminent marriage she dreads. She knows nothing of Incarceron, except that it exists. But there comes a moment when Finn, inside Incarceron, and Claudia, outside, simultaneously find a device -- a crystal key, through which they can talk to each other. And so the plan for Finn's escape is born ..." - Goodreads

Catherine Fisher took me on a crazy ride of emotions; from excited, terrified, curious, anxious, laughing, cringing to gasping... you name I probably did it. It took me until the next day to let go of my "Incarceron" brain, that story just kept rolling around in my head.

We start off with Finn who I really connected with in this book. He has a desire to find out who he was because he believes he was from the Outside. Nobody believes him besides Gildas who is a Sapienti (just ignore that part, I can't really explain it) but he really believes he was born Outside. Keiro is his oath brother who I found very annoying and haughty which I guess served his purpose. The main person to be concerned with is Finn and I found him likable because he used his brains and was not afraid to take action.

In the Outside world we have Claudia, who I liked for the most part. On the outside her personality is very confident and witty but since I could read her thoughts I knew it was all a fluke in a way. That made her more relatable. Jared is her tutor and I found his character charming. He protected her and cared about her safety. Then there was the Warden who is Claudia's father. I hated him in the beginning (as the reader should have) but by the end of the book things changed, we see his true feelings in a small way.  Regardless of Outside or Inside Incarceron, all characters added to the story.

The plot. Hmm this is a give or take situation. I found that some outcomes were predictable and you could guess where things were going. BUT on the other hand, there are major revealers in here that made me gasp. Yes, gasp. And there was so much action/tension that I found myself biting my lip (seriously, I actually hurt myself with all the anticipation) especially when Finn and Claudia started to communicate. That is why I liked the plot, it was full of action and secrets. On every page there was either something happening or interesting coversations going on. ... I also enjoyed how Catherine switched POV's with Finn and Claudia and sometimes other secondary characters.

I recommend this to those who like action packed, full of twists, mystery/fantasty, and romance books. I will definitely be picking up Sapphique if I can, I hear there is only two in this series so I am happy about that!

Excerpt:

"No! No. My name's Claudia. Who are you?"
"Quiet! They'll wake up."
"Who will?"
There was a pause. Then he said, "My friends." He sounded breathless, oddly terrified. "Who are you?" she said. "Where are you? Are you a Prisoner? Are you in Incarceron?"

He jerked his head back and stared at the Key in disbelief. There was a small blue light in the heart of it; he bent closer so that it lit his skin. "Of course I am. Do you mean... Are you... Outside?"
************
"I have to go," he said hurriedly. "I'll try and speak to you again... now we know... that is, if you want to. But you have to," he added urgently. "You have to help me."
The girls answer surprised him. "How can I help you? What can be wrong in a perfect world?"
Finn's hand tightened as the blue light faded. Desperately, he whispered. "Please. You have to help me Escape."