#50

# 50 Incarceron by Catherine Fisher (Incarceron Book 1)

What comes to mind when you hear the word "incarceration?" Prison right? Bars on the doors, no windows, prisoners, isolation. Get rid of all you know, or think you know, about prison before reading this book. This is a prison you can't imagine. It is alive, it changes, it is unpredictable, it thinks, it's a nightmare. Finn is a prisoner in Incarceron. He can't remember ever not living in the prison, but has strange, fuzzy memories of life Outside. Has Finn ever been Outside? He has a strange tattoo and a desire to find a way out. He believes in Sapphique, an enigmatic character all prisoners believe escaped Incarceron in the past. But how can he escape when the prison is always watching and listening?

Claudia lives Outside in a world of imprisonment, doomed to an arranged marriage she dreads, raised by a father she fears. She knows her father is the warden of Incarceron, but what that truly means, she doesn't understand.

Finn and Claudia both find a special key and discover a connection to one another. Finn's desire to escape becomes Claudia's quest.

I don't typically enjoy science fiction titles, but this may be the exception. There was just enough action and believable character development, but not too much weirdness to turn me off to the book or confuse me. Whey are sci-fi books so hard for me to read? Maybe it's a character flaw, but this one I'd recommend to my young readers.

Oh, and the second in the series? Sapphique! I'll be looking for it in the library this summer!