by Catherine Fisher
ages: 13+
First sentence: “The alleyway was so narrow that Attia could lean against one wall and kick the other.”
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If you haven’t read Incarceron, you’ll probably want to skip this review, because there’s no way to talk about Sapphique without giving away the ending of the first one. That also begs the question: WHY haven’t you read Incarceron?

Finn has made it out of Incarceron, discovering that Outside isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. He’s got endless Protocol, and after the relative freedom of the prison (ironic, yes), it’s driving him batty. He thought he could remember his past once he got outside, but is finding even that isn’t what he’d hoped. Claudia, who was banking on the belief that Finn was the lost prince, is even having second guesses. On top of that, Finn’s oathbrother Kiero and their friend (such as it is) Attia are still stuck in Incarceron, still looking for a way out. That knowledge haunts Finn, because he feels it’s his fault that they couldn’t escape with them. And to add insult to injury, there’s another claimant for the throne, one that Finn and Claudia are sure has been put up by the current, not so nice, queen. Finn has to prove something he doesn’t quite believe in himself, both his and Claudia’s lives are forfeit.

On the inside, Kiero and Attia are looking for the Glove of Sapphique, a magical item that legends say helped Sapphique escape from the prison. Is the glove real? Can they find it? And more than that, will they be able to stop the prison from escaping itself.

This book is much like Incarceron: complex, intricate, yet held together with brilliant writing and plotting. It’s not a romance: everyone in the book is working to save their life and/or the world that they know, to just survive. And yet there are moments of tenderness, of reflection, and insight as well. It’s a good follow-up book, wrapping things up quite nicely, yet leaving room for another book, if Fisher so chooses (I have no idea if she will or not). And while Finn is meandering aimlessly, and Kiero is his still-annoying self, the girls carry the book: Attia is amazing, finding hidden resources and connections that otherwise would have gone missing. And Claudia, even with her doubting, handles the scheming and plotting of the court quite admirably. The unsung hero award, however, goes to Master Jared: Claudia’s tutor and father-figure, he’s the one who finds most of the answers to the questions, as well as ultimately saving the day. He’s remarkable.

At the very least, Fisher is an author to keep an eye out for.