Incarceron
By: Catherine Fisher
I tend to stay away form books in the young adult category these days, since I most definitely don’t belong to that age group anymore, but I heard good things about this book, and the cover art was fascinating, so I had to give it a try. This is one of those books that is enjoyable regardless of age, even with the main characters being around 16, and I really enjoyed it. The characters were likeable and interesting with the Warden’s daughter who doesn’t like to follow the rules, and the boy-prisoner with no memory of who he is.
The story’s setting carries some steam-punk elements, both in the outside world as well as the prison itself, making the setting of the story as interesting as the adventure itself. At the beginning of each chapter is a different italicized snippet of information that slowly informs the reader about the world and the prison and how they came to be, which I found to be far more refreshing than an introduction or character just laying it all out there in one go.
The whole story wraps up with a nifty twist of an ending that some may see coming if they are particularly observant. Over all, I think it was a great quick read for readers of nearly any age and I definitely recommend it. If you happen to read a lot of YA fiction, I suggest looking into the many other books written by this author, even if I have yet to read them myself. There is also a sequel to Incarceron out now entitled Sapphique.
Happy Reading!
notesfromthebookshelf 