Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher is about Finn, a prisoner in a unique prison, and Claudia, the prison warden's daughter.  In this future, the government has forced changelessness on the society, forcing them to live as people lived hundreds of years earlier.  One hundred years ago, Incarceron was conceived.  It was meant to be an experimental prison that most people in regular society thought was somewhat of a paradise for the prisoners.  This couldn't be further from reality.  Finn awoke in the prison when he was about 12 with only snippets of memories.  He immediately fell in with a band of thieving, murdering, partying gang and became oathbrothers with Keiro, a strong but somewhat untrustworthy boy.  When one of their raids produces a strange key, the boys set out to find escape with a healer/teacher, a Sapient, named Gildas.  Tagging along is a small slave girl who owes her life to Finn.  They are following the old stories of Sapphique, the only person (a Sapient) who has ever escaped the prison.

Claudia, while raiding her father's study with the help of her personal Sapient, Jared, finds a matching key.  There is a direct link between the keys and Finn and Claudia meet.  Claudia is promised to the younger half-brother of the former prince of their land.  The first born prince, and true heir died in an accident several years prior.  Claudia does not want to marry Caspar, but know she must follow "Protocol".  However, Claudia is also convinced that Giles, the rightful heir died under strange circumstances and is determined to learn the truth, without attracting the attention of her father and the evil queen.  Together, Finn and Claudia work to find escape from Incarceron, rid the world of the Protocol rules, and find out the truth about what happened to their kingdom.  Will they succeed?

I absolutely loved this book!  I cannot wait to read the sequel, Sapphique!  I loved the way the book alternated between Claudia's story and Finn's story, and how the two came together in the end.  I also liked the idea that the prison was its own living entity and completely in charge of the prisoners and completely unaware of what happened on the outside.  I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good science fiction, fantasy or adventure novel.