Incarceron

Incarceron is a prison unlike any other- it is its own world full of cities, forests, and oceans.  It was created to be a perfect society, or so it was presented to the people.  Criminals, miscreants, and dangers to society were placed inside, and the prison was locked.  However, the prison quickly detiorated and it became a nightmare.  The Sapienti, the wise men trained to enlighten the criminals and reform them, created Incarceron as an experiment.  After 150 years, the experiment has failed.  Although the people living outside of the prison have no idea how terrible it has become.  Only one person has ever escaped, Sapphique.  He is a legend in Incarceron with stories and songs to praise his living in the "outside."
Finn Starseer is a prisoner inside Incarceron, but he believes he came from the "outside."  He has faint memories of stars, cake, and ringing bells.  He lives among the Comitatus, known as Scum, who kill, plunder, and steal to survive.  They are ruthless, but Finn must stay with them in order to survive.
Claudia is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron.  Her world is the exact opposite of Finn's, full of luxury.  The world she lives in is a replica of the 17th century, all modern technologies have been forbidden and everyone must follow protocol.  Claudia has been betrothed to Casper, the prince of the realm.  He is cruel, arrogant, and spoiled, the last person Claudia wants to marry.  To get out of it, Claudia, along with her trusted tutor Jared, try to figure out the secrets of Incarceron.  She believes Finn is the key and is determined to get him out.
Incarceron is very, very complex.  Incarceron is not described completely until a little later in the book, so I had a hard time figuring out what exactly was going on in the beginning. The book jumps between Incarceron and Claudia's world, telling both sides of the story.  I enjoyed Claudia's chatpers the most, she is very intelligent and works to figure out solutions to problem.  I find Finn to be a difficult character to like.  Even though he feels he must stay with the Comitatus, and feels guilty for some of the things he does, he still does them.
This book was published in  2007, so I'm a little late to the game.  I have never enjoyed fantasy that much, but I'm trying to expand my horizons, so I chose this one.  I found myself skimming towards the end, just trying to finish it.  The book ends on a cliffhanger, with the sequel Sapphique finishing out the story.  Fantasy readers will definitely enjoy this book, but it does have a depth that might be out of the league of some readers.