2.78k reviews for:

Carve the Mark

Veronica Roth

3.65 AVERAGE


Oh man, how many times do I need to call somebody "poor"? I feel so sorry for all these characters. One more thing, I don't get why people are talking BS that this book is racist and/or discriminating... (Veronica Roth posted an article about her thoughts on her book and I have to say that I totally agree with her)."

Cyra is super badass and Akos is bae.
I even think that this book was way better than Divergent!!! The character development of Cyra was just INSANE, I have so much repect for her. She goes through a lot but she manages to stay strong. And Akos has also got problems (his bro e.g.), but he never loses hope. The "Romance between these 2 wonderful characters was just like a blooming flower, it eveloped just like I wanted it to.
All in all, I loved this book a lot and people should just stop being so pity and talking bullshit about this book.
adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Dacă nu citești glosarul de la final prima dată, e destul de greu să înțelegi începutul.
Personajele sunt puternice, pline de mister, planetele sunt absolut superbe...cartea aceasta are de toate! (Chiar și o hartă pentru cei cărora le plac hărțile).
Nu se citește mereu ușor fiindcă unele detalii devin plictisitoare și îți vine să sari direct la acțiune dar sunt necesare ca să înțelegi exact ce se întâmplă. Finalul e cumva sec dar și drăguț. Te face să vrei și volumul doi doar ca să te asiguri că Rizek moare

3,5

I really really enjoyed this book. The plot is engaging and the story is written well. The cultures and customs of each planet is built up with detail and throughly enjoyed exploring the world of the Thuvhe and Shotet. My favourite thing in this book is the relationship between Cyra and Akos, it is incredibly well developed and I felt an emotional connection to them. Cyra and Akos are my babies!

The only reason I give this 4 stars and not 5 is because in some places I felt it a little difficult to understand what was going on as I would read 2 conflicting points, which made it hard to visualise a scene or character attribute. However, this only happened in a few parts in the book, so I was able to come to my own conclusions. Another reason it is 4 stars, I would’ve loved to explore the important side characters a bit more. I would love to learn more about Ryzek and Teka, as well as Vas. Perhaps similar characters will be explored in the second book?

Overall, a good book 4/5

I quite enjoyed this sci-if novel even if it did get my hopes up that there would actually be an ending and a stand alone story only to smash them in the end. I liked the characters and the settings. There was no love triangle. It did have some violence that got kind of graphic.

Much much better than Divergent, which I didn't like very much. I like the setting and the characters I feel are well done. Additionally I enjoy the dual views.

It looks like I read a different book to many readers because I actually quite liked this!

Before I get into the review, I want to make a short comment about the controversy. It's under the spoiler tags for those who just want the review.

SpoilerI will agree paying readers for reviews before the title was released was super weird and a big no-no and that the kill marks the Shotet make on their skin may be triggering for some readers.

But the other controversies? I totally respect that some reviewers found some content upsetting and offensive (some without even reading the book), but I spent a good half of the book looking for the racism and ableism before I gave up and just enjoyed the story as it was meant to be enjoyed.


Now, a review of the book!

I was never a fan of 'Divergent' and only ever read the first book in that series. But this story started off with a bang and while the beginning was a little overwhelming with all the different character names and talk of "currentgifts" and sci-fi terms, it was obvious early on this was right up my alley. The world-building was great for the most part, though I did find the geography of where everything was located a little confusing and possibly lacking.

We have two POV's, the male MC, Akos (from Thuvhe) and female MC, Cyra (from Shotet), and both have enough personality and flaws to carry the story. I liked Cyra straight away; she was strong, flawed and spoke her mind, even when the stakes were high. She dealt with a currentgift that caused her pain every day and while a little coincidental, I liked that Akos's currentgift
Spoilercancelled the pain out.


And guess what? We have a slow-burn romance too, winning!

While not always a fan of the idea of people having their Fates already decided, I'm both interested and nervous to see how it all pans out, particularly for Akos.

I found the story action-packed and exciting and I stayed up way too late wanting to see what happened next. Bring on the second book!

Honestly, I feel really conflicted about this book. On the one hand, I really loved all of the characters -- Cyra in particular was compelling. But I also found the plot to be very predictable. Even what I sensed were supposed to be plot twists did not surprise me. Basically, although the book was really well written and I enjoyed the world that it took place in, I think the plot could've been more unique. That being said, I will definitely be reading the next one.
adventurous medium-paced