Review : INCARCERON by Catherine Fisher

 

Finn the Starseer is a Prisoner of Incarceron, a vast cell which hold thousands of criminals. He has strange dreams of the Outside, where stars shine and birds sing. Instead, he is in the wing of Comitatus, and he is forced to use his skills to hold a cart long enough for an ambush. Finn gets the empathy of  a Maestra, and holds her captive by the order of Jeromic, the leader. He gets what he wants-a crystal key he sees in his dreams, but not before he watches the Maestra and her companions fall to death. Together with Keiro, Gildas and Attia, Finn finds a way to the Outside.

       Claudia Arlexi is also a prisoner of some sort in the Realm. Although she is in the Outside, the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron is trapped in an Era, unable to advance and unable to evolve. As the date of her arranged marriage with the Earl of Casper draws near, Clausia tries to find the key to Incarceron. with the help of her tutor, Jared. When she finds it, a switch in the Key enables the Finn and Claudia to communicate with each other. Claudia is very sure that Finn is the lost Prince of Havaarna, Giles, the boy she was engaged to before he died. At what lengths will the two Prisoners do to Escape?

An entrancing tale of bravery and cruelty of man. Claudia, a haughty, false royalty in a frozen time; Finn, a kind, believing Prisoner. Both are hell bent on escaping, both are alone. Fisher's melodious language transported me to the time when Claudia and Finn live, feeling what they feel and doing what they did. It has its fair share of moving moments, when the Warden of Incarceron confessed his love to his daughter, and the love between student and teacher. The story is original, the suspense thrilling. There are also a few unexpected twists in the storyline. In the end, it is a tale about commitment, love and belief in what you do.

The cover is spectacular, even though the Key is not quite what I'd pictured.

Ratings : 5 stars (PERFECT!)

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