Incarceron

The Prison is alive.

Claudia is a young girl about to be forced into an arranged marriage for political reasons. She's only in that position, though, because her father is the Warden of Incarceron, a massive yet secret prison that no one has seen in centuries.

Finn is a prisoner in Incarceron, and yet he's convinced that he came from Outside. No one believes him; no one has come from Outside in years. And yet he has memories, dreams, and visions of the stars.

When both Claudia and Finn find objects in their worlds that allow them to speak to one another, they realize that they are exactly what the other one needs: a way to escape their individual confinement.

The only problem is, Finn's prison is alive and it does not want to give up what it believes is its own.

Incarceron, by Catherine Fisher, was a fun read. She did a fantastic job of worldbuilding. On the one hand, we have the interior of Incarceron, a living machine that is intent on keeping its prisoners in check. On the other hand, we have Outside, a world ruled by Protocol and trapped in an Era gone by, where high technology is forbidden (but everyone uses it anyway). The characters were memorable as well, especially Finn and Claudia.

The only downside is that Fisher telegraphed one of the reveals very early, so I had put together some of the pieces before the characters did. But that actually wasn't all that bad. The characters caught up with me quickly and the entire story was a fun, imaginative romp.

What really intrigued me was the almost Christian overtones to parts of this book, stuff that centered around the mysterious Sapphique, the only person to ever escape from Incarceron (at least, that's what the Prisoners believe). I don't know how that plotline will develop in the future, but I'm willing to read the next book to find out. I don't have it yet, but hopefully I will soon.