I would think I would have to say that I devoured it. I'm glad I had a holiday weekend because I couldn't put it down. It went everywhere I went in case I could steal a second. I would think that it will, if it hasn't already, gain the following that The Hunger Games has acquired. In fact, they are of the same ilk - about dystopian society.
This first book is only in Young Adult at the moment, but if there was money to buy, we could almost put it in Juvenile. There is only one negative word that appeared several times - bitch. Every time it appeared, I was startled. And now I'm wondering what word could replace it ... When girls are mad at each other, what other names are there? I think "witch" could have worked just as well. Then I hesitate and confess that people say "witch" meaning the other. And I hate that about America today. You can curse in public if you dumb it down. A friend of mine was told to say "firetruck" in place of the "F-bomb." That's laughable. Keep it clean people. I cringe when I hear my girls say "darn it". I wonder if they realize what they're saying ... I remember when I got that speech ...
Back to the book. My only complaint, other than the above, was the first chapter. It was slow, painfully slow and confusing. Now I know why. The first chapter is a lie, a trap, acting, a play on emotions. And you are being introduced to the protagonist. It is also the set up for the prison Incarceron. Both are dark and grimy and untrustworthy. It is hard to care about either.
The second chapter was like the sun coming out from behind a cloud. We are introduced to Claudia, the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron. She's a modern-thinking girl trapped in Protocol. The War of Rage left Society reeling from revolution. Those in charge, members of the monarchy, decided that change was bad and caused bad things to happen. They chose an Era when things were simpler and made it illegal to use anything non-Era. No more elevators, no more automobiles, no more slacks for women. We'll just pretend that we still live in Victorian England.
But what to do with all of the criminals? The scholars decided to create a prison for them. It would be the great Experiment. Take all of the people that you don't want to be a part of your Utopian Era and put them inside a prison. Put the prison somewhere where you don't have to look at it and can even forget about it. Then send some of your best people in to create a paradise for the prisoners. Social reform abounds. Health care for everyone. Land for everyone. Jobs for everyone. No one else enters after the gate is sealed. And no one escapes.
Followed by a chapter where we revisit the protagonist, Finn. He lives within Incarceron, a member of a gang who fights, steals and kills to survive. No, Incarceron is not the Paradise that was intended. Finn wants to find the Outside. He feels this need because he believes that he used to live on the outside. He has memories brought on by seizures, where he can see a vast heaven full of stars. Within the prison, there are legends of someone who did manage to defeat Incarceron and escape. He is called Sapphique.
The chapters alternate back and forth bringing the two characters together through keys. One that is found on the Outside and one that is discovered on the Inside. Through the keys Finn and Claudia can communicate. Seeing Claudia proves to Finn that there is an Outside and it is not just a dream. Seeing Finn gives Claudia new hope. She is betrothed to the Crown Prince and seeks a way of escape herself. The closer they get to each other, the more their chapters merge into one.
This is a fabulous book. One right up my alley. Fantasy, Science-Fiction, a little bit of Steampunk. And lots of surprises. Incarceron itself is alive and has its own wishes. It wants to keep its own to itself. Why should it let anyone Out when Incarceron will never be allowed to leave itself?
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