Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

This book is a sequel to Incarceron, the first book in the series. There are some mild spoilers below.

The book is said to be “darker” than the first one, as there were some dark imagery and themes in the book, which I liked. The cast of characters stayed the same as the first book, with a few new additions. I think that the characters were a lot more developed, and explained, however, I thought that some characters (Keiro and Attia) stayed the same as they were at the end of the first book despite them being among the main characters. I mostly enjoyed the book, and was generally absorbed into the book, but at around three-quarters of the book, I thought that it was dragged on a little too much so that I almost stopped reading. I think that the book was very creative and imaginative, and I especially liked the setting, since it was very original. The plot was very detailed, to the point where I would constantly get confused, but it was still very interesting. I thought that the frequent point-of-view change was a good way to keep the readers reading. There are two main (but linked) plots that take place simultaneously, but in different places, and with different characters. The point-of-view change would make mini-cliff-hangers so that the reader would have to read through the events that are happening in one place, before getting to continue with the other story, but at times, it made me a little frustrated. This also adds to the quick pacing of the book, and although it was the fast-paced events and action that kept me reading the book, it at the same time made it hard for me to keep track of everything that was going on. The ending concluded everything, but I think that there were still some things unanswered, and I felt a little unsatisfied, and that there should have been a little more to the ending.

Overall, I think that the strong points were the creativity, and the action, but it was rather confusing at times, and I thought that the ending was missing something. I would recommend this book to the readers of the first book, and people who like detailed plots, and fantasy settings.