Book Review: Sapphique

By Sandy Amazeen Jan 2, 2011, 15:31 GMT

The only one who escaped . . . And the one who could destroy them all. Incarceron, the living prison, has lost one of its inmates to the outside world: Finn\'s escaped, only to find that Outside is not at all what he expected. Used to the technologically advanced, if violently harsh, conditions of the prison, Finn is now forced to obey the rules of Protocol, which require all people to live without ...more

Fisher picks up her imaginative young adult series shortly after Incarceron leaves off when Finn aided by Claudia, escaped the self aware, ever changing, formerly escape-proof prison. Claudia, daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, is convinced Finn is destined to rule by her side when she ascends to the throne. While in Incarceron, Finn vowed to free his friends Keiro and Attia but they grew tired of waiting for him and certain he has forgotten them, they begin working toward freeing themselves from Incarceron despite its many perils.

With severe penalties for using technologies that were invented years earlier, life in the realm is lodged in a setting much like jolly old England and living with its many restrictive protocols prove more difficult then Finn would have believed. The announcement by a boy claiming to be Prince Giles with the apparent documentation to back it up his claim causes Finn considerable problems. Finn must struggle with issues of self-doubt while the wicked Queen stepmother plots to deny Claudia and Finn their rightful heritage in this fast-paced adventure story that does an excellent job of finishing the series yet leaves wiggle-room for more.

Filled with the obligatory fairytale figures including a wicked stepmother, a spoiled boy and a collection of unlikely heroes, this fascinating tale will satisfy fantasy/sci-fi fans of all ages. It dishes up several elements that could have been cliché but thanks to the author’s deft touch, they all work to create a complex, fully realized world full of twists, turns and surprises that will delight readers of all ages.