Review: Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

*WARNING - SPOILERS FOR INCARCERON*

Finn has escaped from the terrible living Prison of Incarceron, but its memory torments him, because his brother Keiro is still inside. Outside, Claudia insists he must be king, but Finn doubts even his own identity. Is he the lost prince Giles? Or are his memories no more than another construct of his imprisonment? And can you be free if your friends are still captive? Can you be free if your world is frozen in time? Can you be free if you don't even know who you are? Inside Incarceron, has the crazy sorcerer Rix really found the Glove of Sapphique, the only man the Prison ever loved. Sapphique, whose image fires Incarceron with the desire to escape its own nature. If Keiro steals the glove, will he bring destruction to the world? Inside. Outside. All seeking freedom. Like Sapphique.

I got a chance to read this thanks to Pam from Bookalicio.us. She's awesome, so check her blog out. 

Sapphique picks up right where Incarceron left off, and the story doesn't slow down at all until it's over. I loved seeing more of the prison. The worlds Fisher created are fascinating, and I didn't want to leave. I'm not going to say too much about the plot because there are so many twists, and I don't want to spoil them. 

Finn is still struggling with the new responsibility of being the rightful heir of the throne, while worrying about his oathbrother Keiro being left in Incarceron. Of course Queen Sia doesn't want any competition to her throne, and will stop at nothing to make sure Finn doesn't take control. Claudia and Jared are working to restore power to the portal to Incarceron, to free the Warden and the prisoners.  

Meanwhile, Attia and Keiro think Finn has abandoned them, so they are trying to find the exit used by Sapphique long ago. 

The prison wants it's freedom too, and has become even more ruthless toward it's inmates...

I loved this book. I literally couldn't put it down. The writing was superb, and I had no idea where the story was going to go next. Due to the complexity of the story, it does get a bit confusing toward the end, so when you do read this, make sure you read carefully as not to miss anything.

As far as I know, this is not a trilogy, so this is the last book. The ending is left kind of open, but I felt that the story was done, so it didn't bother me. 

If you liked Incarceron, you will love Sapphique. It comes out in the US in December, so preorder your copy now!

Contest!

Shanon is having an AWESOME contest over at her blog to celebrate 500 followers. Check it out!

Review: Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Scarlet March lives to hunt the Fenris--the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts ferociously alongside her. But even as more girls' bodies pile up in the city and the Fenris seem to be gaining power, Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves. She finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax and Scarlett's only friend--but does loving him mean betraying her sister and all that they've worked for?

Sisters Red is one of those books that sounded cool, but I was wary about. First, it's a "retelling" of Little Red Riding Hood, and the majority of retellings I've read/watched weren't so great.
Second, most books with a synopsis like this can have the trouble of falling into one of two categories: too boring, or so much going on that the characters' voices suffer.
I'm VERY happy to say that Sisters Red broke all of the stereotypes I had in my head.

For some reason I wasn't expecting this book to be set in modern times, but I loved that it was. Scarlett and Rosie are completely fleshed out, and their relationship is completely believable. Scarlett is passionate about hunting the Fenris, almost to the point of obsession. Rosie hunts with Scarlett mainly out of obligation to her sister, although she feels that she may want more out of life.
Another thing I liked was the fact that I could sympathize with both girls. Neither of them seemed out of line with their wants and desires.

I love the cover! The black, red, and white definitely stands out, and it's perfectly representative of the story. It's currently the background on my cell phone.

Sisters Red is a great read for anyone. It has romance, action, humor, and a little more gore that I expected (go Jackson!). Definitely pick this one up when it comes out in June.

Also, Jackson has two companion books in the works. Sweetly, based on Hansel and Gretel, and Fathomless, based on The Little Mermaid. I can't wait!

Preorder from Amazon here

FTC: This book was provided free from the publisher for review. I made no money whatsoever on this review.

Contest!

Alexandra Bracken is giving away signed copies of her novel Brightly Woven and Leah Cypress's Mistwood! Go here to enter. Or don't, because I REALLY want these. Hehehe.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Deadly Sister by Eliot Schrefer

Abby Goodwin is sure her sister Maya isn't a murderer. But her parents don't agree. Her friends don't agree. And the cops definitely don't agree. Maya is a drop-out, a stoner, a girl who's obsessed with her tutor, Jefferson Andrews...until he ends up dead. Maya runs away, and leaves Abby following the trail of clues. Each piece of evidence points to Maya, but it also appears that Jefferson had secrets of his own. And enemies. Like his brother, who Abby becomes involved with...until he falls under suspicion.

Is Abby getting closer to finding the true murderer? Or is someone leading her down a twisted false path?

This book sounds VERY good, but I haven't heard much about it. It comes out May 1, so that's not too long of a wait.

I'm not a big fan of the cover... The title is what got my attention in the first place.

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser is from Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce, page 69:

"I stretch, tightening and releasing the muscles in my legs and arms, flipping my hatchet from hand to hand. Despite the fact that I'm still angry, I can't help but be excited. Hunting isn't fun, per se, but it's right."

OMG!

So, the Bartimaeus trilogy by Jonathan Stroud is one of my favorite book series ever, and I just found out that another Bartimaeus book is coming out in November! I have no idea where the book is going to fit in with the trilogy, but I'm excited no matter how it goes!