"Incarceron" by Catherine Fisher

"Incarceron," a fictional story by Catherine Fisher, is a story centering around two worlds: the "paradise gone wrong" prison, Incarceron, and the oppressed monarchy of the outside world. The former is home to Finn and his oath brother, Kiero, as well as thousands of other prisoners who are either living in small towns or are in violent and territorial gangs, one of which both Finn and Kiero belong to. In the latter setting, the story centers on a girl, Claudia, the daughter of the warden of Incarceron. The outside world is under the rule of a queen who has established a "protocol" which keeps the world in an everlasting version of 15th century England in order to avoid causing another great war, the last of which was referred to as the "Years of Rage."

Claudia is constantly trying to impress and finds that she always has to watch her back, for the outside world is full of deception through politics and murder. The biggest conflict in the outside world is Claudia's arranged marriage. She was supposed to be married to Prince Giles, the Queen's stepson, but after he falls off a horse and dies she is instead set to marry the Queen's son, a mischievous and cruel boy who is always under mummy's finger and catering to her every whim. Claudia is in a constant struggle to get out of the marriage. In the prison, Finn and Kiero are thrown into a world of extreme danger and adventure when they embark on a quest to find a way out. Along the way, they fight gangs, each other, and the prison itself. They are joined by a girl named Attia and are contacted by a stranger from the outside. Near the end of the story, you learn something very surprising about one of the main characters, an you find out that something very minor, a pocket watch mentioned on the side throughout the story, is actually something very important, for on the chain of the watch is a small blue cube, and this cube, tiny, seemingly insignificant is, in fact, the prison itself!

I found this book to be a great read, full of excitement, deception, and danger. The story gets into it right off the bat, great if you hate books that take too long to get into the story. It's full of interesting and inventive twists that will keep you well entertained. I will say, however, that the author leaves you hanging a lot. I find this makes it better because it keeps you thinking, wondering, and when you've just gotten into the next chapter and almost forgotten about what she left you hanging with in the last chapter, she throws the explanation at you, as well as another cliffhanger. All in all, I thought this book was better than most in the genre (it was certainly hard to put down) and I recommend it to readers of any age who want an epic adventure that keeps you on the edge of your seat right up to the end.

Reviewed by Jason Phillips