Book Review - Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Title: Incarceron  

Author: Catherine Fisher 

Year: 2010 

Page: 448 

Genre: Fiction - Young Adult, Fantasy, Dystopian

New to me author? Yes 

Read this author again? Probably not 

Tearjerker? No 

Where did it take place? UK
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from amazon.com):
The vast prison Incarceron, made of metal and cutting-edge technology, was designed as a grand experiment: all undesirables would be sealed inside and given everything for a model utopia. But the experiment failed as Incarceron grew self-aware and tyrannical, resources dwindled, and prisoners divided into factions. Centuries later, prisoners exist under Incarceron’s watchful eyes with one belief: no one from Outside enters, no one from Inside escapes. Finn, however, believes he’s from Outside, and after he finds a crystal key that opens any door, he embarks on a journey to escape. Outside Incarceron, Claudia, the warden’s daughter, is also looking for escape, from an arranged marriage and from her role in a plot to end Protocol, which forces inhabitants to live according to seventeenth-century norms. When she too finds a crystal key, she comes into communication with Finn, who she believes is the true prince of the Realm. This gripping futuristic fantasy has breathless pacing, an intelligent story line, and superb detail in rendering both of the stagnating environments. Fisher’s characters are emotionally resonant, flawed, determined, and plagued by metaphysical questions. With some well-timed shocking twists and a killer ending, this is a must-have.

First Sentence:
Finn had been flung on his face and chained to the stone slabs of the transitway.  

Why did I pick this book?
Learned about this book from Mel's Books and Info (check out her review!) and she gave it 5 stars! The storyline sounds original and interesting. Plus on amazon.com some reviews said those who like the Hunger Games will like this too - so how could I resist?

My thoughts:

• I was almost ready to give up after 2 (short) chapters... but decided to read a little more since it had so many great reviews... about 1/3 way through, I gave up. It was confusing, it was slow. And I didn't really care about the characters...

• I saw a trailer of the book and it looked wonderful - I think if this was ever made into a movie, I'd have liked it better. Like The Lord of the Rings, I guess - I tried reading the first page of the book and stopped... but LOVED the movies.

• I do LOVE the cover though. The title and the key are holograms. It is creepy.

 
Rating: 0 Star - Did Not Finish

 

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!