Book Review: Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

Sapphique by Catherine Fisher
Publisher: Dial (Penguin)
Publication date: December 2010
ISBN: 978-0803733978
Source: ARC provided by publisher

Finn is finally outside the prison, but he can't seem to be free of it, especially since he left Keiro and Attia behind.  Things aren't quite what he expected Outside either, with the queen questioning his identity and his own reservations about who he is.  Inside, Keiro and Attia are facing a dangerous journey when the prison leads them to its heart and its deepest desires - to follow its beloved prisoner Sapphique.

Things I Liked:
I absolutely love these books!  I read Incarceron last year and it was one of my favorites of 2010 (as was this one).  So, when I managed to snag a copy of Sapphique, I was thrilled.  It did not disappoint.  The book is filled with so much mind-bending and reality-questioning that sometimes I wondered just what was really happening.  Fisher has created this amazing and wild world (or two) where you wonder what is true, you question even yourself and your memories, and you can't even guess what will be coming on the next page.  I kept wondering and even gasping in surprise when things took yet another unexpected twist.  A fabulous, complex, and absolutely riveting imagining of a future world stuck in the past and the prison.  It makes me clamor for more about this world and all the back story and history of how it got that way and especially makes me wonder more about Sapphique.  Some parts I loved:

I have spent centuries longing to Escape, but who can escape themselves? p 141 of ARC

As a society we have lost the ability to tell the real from the fake.  Most of the Court, at least, don't even care which is which. p 186 of ARC

If there is no change, what will disturb our peaceful lives? p 193 of ARC

This is a prison, Master.  Whether it's Inside or Out, I've learned, is not really important.  I fear they both may be the same. p 301 of ARC

Escape is not enough; it does not answer the question.  It is not Freedom. p 303 of ARC

Reality is hard to bear, so Era was invented to shield us from it.  And yes, most of the time it was easy to forget.  After all, the world is what you see and hear.  For you that is the only reality. p 407 of ARC

Things I Didn't Like: 
These books require effort and thought and especially time.  I found that when I rushed through sections, I came out confused and wondering what happened.  When I took time to think about what was said and what was happening, then I enjoyed it more.  Definitely complex and deep enough to allow multiple readings for more meaning.
 
Read-alikes:
It actually kept reminding me of The Matrix :)
A bit like Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder
Also The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
very few, if any

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: ->->->
lots of intense parts, and definitely some fighting

Overall rating: *****

Do you like reality-questioning books or do you prefer to know precisely what is true?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage