Quote of the Week

"I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! -- When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library."
Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice)

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Sapphique

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  Sapphique is a sequel to the book Incarceron.  After my last post you're probably wondering if I'll ever read fantasy again.  This one has a decent cover though, don't you think?  Well, This just happens to be a fantasy book, but it's not high fantasy (which still moderately frightens me).  There are no elves, dwarves, trolls, or anything like that.  This one actually teeters more on the edge of steampunk.  If you don't know what steampunk is let me know and I'll do a post on the genre.  It's actually kind of neat!

**SPOILER ALERT**

Finn is now living outside of Incarceron, the largest prison in the world.  He realizes it may not be anything he thought it would be.  The blackouts and fits are getting worse and his memories still haven't come back.  Claudia expected that once Finn was released from Incarceron, he would remember he's the rightful heir to the throne and claim his kingdom.  She still doubts that he is the real Prince Giles and her betrothed.  He's different, a prison rat.  Queen Sia, his stepmother and the person who ordered him sent to Incarceron, memories erased, still doesn't want Finn to be crowned.

Meanwhile, Keiro and Attia are still trapped in Incarceron, and the prison grows steadily angrier that one of it's inmates escaped.  Finn promised them he would find a way to release them, but he hasn't yet and they don't know how much longer they can wait for him.

Will Finn and Claudia be able to take their kingdom in spite of the Queen's death threats?  Will Keiro and Attia ever escape the prison and stop Incarceron from getting Out?

All right, so, that was kind of a long synopsis and it really only spoiled bits of the first book, and not so much this sequel.  As I said before, this book was rather enjoyable.  The characters were well used and thought out and it was a perfect end to the story.  Each of the characters uses their wit to conquer the problems that arise.  The war is won by the ones who aren't afraid to think, and take risks.  Catherine Fisher does a really excellent job of showing that Finn in the rightful prince.  As he adjusts to the world a little more, I was able to see how he truly was the perfect prince and how he will make the kingdom great again.

There were times when I had to go back and re-read because I couldn't quite figure out what was going on or who's point of view I had just dived into, but it wasn't too much of a hindrance.  Had the first book still been fresh in my mind I think it would have been easier.

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