Feb 2011 by Firebird
Source: Library paperback
From Goodreads:
Incarceron is a prison unlike any other: It's inmates live not only in cells, but also in metal forests, dilapidated cities, and unbounded wilderness. The prison has been sealed for centuries, and only one man, legend says, has ever escaped.
Finn, a seventeen-year-old prisoner, can't remember his childhood and believes he came from Outside Incarceron. He's going to escape, even though most inmates don't believe that Outside exists. And then Finn finds a crystal key and through it, a girl names Claudia.
Claudia claims to live Outside - her father is the warden of Incarceron and shes doomed to an arranged marriage. If she helps Finn escape, she will need his help in return. But they don't realize that there is more to Incarceron than meets the eye. Escape will take their greatest courage and cost far more than they know.
Because Incarceron is alive.
My review:
As I began this book, I found myself really drawn into this world created by Catherine Fisher. It was something new and exciting for me. This was really my first experience into the Steampunk genre...other than Clockwork Angel. But it really is more than just that. It reads like an epic Fantasy. You are drawn into this elaborate world of darkness and decay. Well actually two worlds. There is Finn's world within Incarceron and Claudia's world on the Outside.
I really enjoyed Claudia for most of the book. I found her to be a good strong female character. She is a strong willed individual who is kind of stuck in this life that she does not want. She is about to be married to a dim witted, womanizing, beast of a man whom she can not stand and is being forced into becoming the future Queen. In addition there is the threat of losing her tutor, Jared. Her best friend, her confident, her sanity really. I found Jared to be an interesting character, but I do hope to learn more of Jared's back story in the next book, perhaps.
Finn on the other hand is very interesting character. I quite liked him. Finn does not remember his childhood. He just was, inside Incarceron. Finn believes he came from Outside. He sees visions and believes they are from his life on the Outside. No one else within Incarceron really believes there is an Outside. Even though there are stories, legends of the one who escaped, Sapphique. There are many characters that we meet within Incarceron that follow Finn on his journey. All of them are interesting in their own right, but I felt we did not really get within these characters and get to their core. I never felt I knew much about any of them and their stories were kept very vague. I really want to know more.
As you can tell, I am finding it hard to write a review on this one. I loved this book in the beginning and then there were scenes that kind of went a little over the top for me and lost me completely. Then I found my way and was enjoying the journey again. Although this was a very interesting read, I just found there were even more questions left unanswered than what I would have liked. I am hoping that some of these questions will be solved with the next book...although I have heard rumors that is not the case.
Even though I was not head over heals for this one, I could not put it down. If you are a lover of epic fantasy/steampunk/dystopian I would recommend it. If you are not? You might find yourself lost, confused and uninterested.
Rating: 3.5 stars
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