Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
Okay, I finished this book a few days ago. I first want to make mention of the consent issues in this book, and then the depiction of persons of colour. Following this, I am disappointed that Harper Collins contracted reviewers to review this book positively. I wish that influencers had more journalism training, because it's a pretty unethical situation.
For the actual book, I didn't find it overly slow. It certainly wasn't fast paced. Aside from one twist at the end, the plot was also fairly predictable. The world could have been built better, but I was interested in the overall concept. Due to the circumstances mentioned above, I won't be reading the sequel, but did look up the plot summary to satisfy my curiosity.
For the actual book, I didn't find it overly slow. It certainly wasn't fast paced. Aside from one twist at the end, the plot was also fairly predictable. The world could have been built better, but I was interested in the overall concept. Due to the circumstances mentioned above, I won't be reading the sequel, but did look up the plot summary to satisfy my curiosity.
Library Volunteering Review:
Carve The Mark takes place on a planet in a galaxy far, far away. The two main characters- Akos and Cyra - both live on the same planet and have special 'gifts' or powers, but otherwise, they're very different. Akos comes from a peaceful race and is close to his family. He's portrayed as kind and gentle, sometimes even made fun of for it. But Cyra is known for her strength, power, and sometimes cruelty. It's something she's had to develop because of how she's grown up. She comes from a race of people where violence and cruelty, coldheartedness, is necessary for power and survival. Her gift causes her a lot of pain, almost constantly, but she's grown to almost master it and wield it so that it makes her powerful and in control of others.
The characters are pretty much the opposite of the typical gender roles you see, so I liked that and it made for a pretty interesting read. As the two get closer, they do share some of each other's qualities, but overall have the same core characteristics that make them who they are.
When Akos and his brother are captured and become slaves by Cyra's race of people (I forgot what they call themselves), Akos must learn to survive in a very different environment without his family. The only thing that keeps him going is the fact that his power can help lessen the pain Cyra's gift causes her - and one day he might be able to use this advantage to escape and free his bother.
Because Akos's power helps lessen the pain Cyra is in, the two are around each other a lot and therefore get to know each other. This is while tensions between their races/nations rise, building suspense.
I'd say the plot is all about survival and the theme would be standing up to oppressors/colonizers. The first quarter or so of the book is interesting, but kind of slow as it sets up the plot and does world-building.
Carve The Mark takes place on a planet in a galaxy far, far away. The two main characters- Akos and Cyra - both live on the same planet and have special 'gifts' or powers, but otherwise, they're very different. Akos comes from a peaceful race and is close to his family. He's portrayed as kind and gentle, sometimes even made fun of for it. But Cyra is known for her strength, power, and sometimes cruelty. It's something she's had to develop because of how she's grown up. She comes from a race of people where violence and cruelty, coldheartedness, is necessary for power and survival. Her gift causes her a lot of pain, almost constantly, but she's grown to almost master it and wield it so that it makes her powerful and in control of others.
The characters are pretty much the opposite of the typical gender roles you see, so I liked that and it made for a pretty interesting read. As the two get closer, they do share some of each other's qualities, but overall have the same core characteristics that make them who they are.
When Akos and his brother are captured and become slaves by Cyra's race of people (I forgot what they call themselves), Akos must learn to survive in a very different environment without his family. The only thing that keeps him going is the fact that his power can help lessen the pain Cyra's gift causes her - and one day he might be able to use this advantage to escape and free his bother.
Because Akos's power helps lessen the pain Cyra is in, the two are around each other a lot and therefore get to know each other. This is while tensions between their races/nations rise, building suspense.
I'd say the plot is all about survival and the theme would be standing up to oppressors/colonizers. The first quarter or so of the book is interesting, but kind of slow as it sets up the plot and does world-building.
surprisingly, i liked it. i liked every single aspect of the universe that veronica roth created, the character are all amazing in their own way. Cyra was probably the most touching one, her story’s complicated af but she still has the strength to love even tho she doesn’t think so, she still has the strength to fight and defy what she thinks is wrong and it’s incredible.
this book is so addictive, i was always thinking about how it will end, what is the possible destiny of every character and it was extremely good.
but, (cause there’s always a but, isn’t it ?) i found some passages too long, maybe there was a lot more descriptions that it should have been and i understand that, because it’s a new world, a new universe, the author is propelling us in it and we do need to understand all the issues of this realm, but I did find it too long and too slow, so slow. plus, even with this slowness, I found the world not as developed as it should be. veronica sets us in a realm we never heard of, and she expects us to imagine it, but we can’t, i felt so lost sometimes. the author fed us with too much unnecessary details instead of the necessary ones that could have helped us being situated.
finally, I thought the ending is really good, it made me wanna read the sequel as soon as possible, the revelations are mind blowing and it really is a plus.
this book is so addictive, i was always thinking about how it will end, what is the possible destiny of every character and it was extremely good.
but, (cause there’s always a but, isn’t it ?) i found some passages too long, maybe there was a lot more descriptions that it should have been and i understand that, because it’s a new world, a new universe, the author is propelling us in it and we do need to understand all the issues of this realm, but I did find it too long and too slow, so slow. plus, even with this slowness, I found the world not as developed as it should be. veronica sets us in a realm we never heard of, and she expects us to imagine it, but we can’t, i felt so lost sometimes. the author fed us with too much unnecessary details instead of the necessary ones that could have helped us being situated.
finally, I thought the ending is really good, it made me wanna read the sequel as soon as possible, the revelations are mind blowing and it really is a plus.
I have mixed feelings about this book. On one side I enjoyed it a lot, especially the characters. On the other side I couldn't help but think about the controversy that sorrounds it. First of all I want to address that problem. Veronica Roth seems to have fallen into the dark-skinned-villain stereotype. The book mostly follows two cultures, Shotet and Thuvesit. Thuvesit culture has a smooth language whilst Shotet is harsh on the tongue. Also, we begin the book with the idea that the Shotet are barbarians and seek only violence. There also seem to be a fair amount of dark-skinned people amongst the Shotet. To be fair, I think there's a small sentence that says the Shotet culture is a mixture of many cultures. I even think Ryzek is described as a white male. Fanart even depicts him as such. What I want to say is that people may feel offended by Roth's stereotype in the book, although when I read it I felt differently about it. To me, we saw how the Shotet stereotype was, then completely shattered it when we got to see how not every Shotet followed said stereotype. I kind of saw it as a way to break the stereotype and to not judge people by their culture or their appearance. Anyways, I give a fair warning that it can be offensive to some people and you could read this to further understand the issue: http://justinaireland.com/dammit-this-is-a-blog/2016/12/4/the-continent-carve-the-mark-and-the-trope-of-the-dark-skinned-aggressor. Apart from that, I did enjoy the book. The characters were what made me really like the story. The plot was simple, as well as the writing. I would've liked a pronunciation guide to know how to say the names but after I found one on epicreads I decided that I preferred my way of pronouncing the names and stuck to it. On to the characters, Eijeh annoyed the holy hell out of me. I adored Ori, and I'm not even sure why. Akos was great, although I wanted to kick his stubborn ass constantly. I liked how Roth inverted the roles a bit and made Cyra more of the hero of the story. She even saved Akos several times. I think her way of dealing with chronic pain, bearing it and becoming stronger because of it, was amazing. I always wanted to know what would happen to the characters next. The pacing was fine, if a bit slow. The plot seemed to take ages to develop but I was so distracted with the small things that happened with Cyra and Akos to be burdened by it. In general, I really liked this book and I would've liked for it to have absolutely no reason to feel offensive to some. No one should feel attacked by literature.
I quite enjoyed the Divergent series by Veronica Roth and so it was no brainer that I would pick this book up.
Carve the Mark follows the story of Cyra, a Shotet girl and Akos, a Thuvhe boy. Cyra has the power to pour pain into the people she touches and as such she is a potent weapon wielded by her ruler brother, Ryzek. Akos has his special gist because of which he is apprehended and brought to ease the pain Cyra's gift cause her. As their paths cross and these two so different people are brought together, we see some chemistry going on. But are they enemies or are they friends?
I must say that I am quite disappointed on many levels. First the world building felt really disjointed. The pace of the book is quite slow in order to build up the world for the duology, but still some things just do not add up evenly. I expected more world building in this book given that this is going to be a duology. But it just did not happen. Secondly, there is the element of self-harm woven into the story through Cyra that really had me on the edge. I feel that the treatment of this element should have received more care and attention. On a better note, I really liked the character of Akos. He pulls the story through; the things he has seen and the people he has lost, yet he remains so pure. His relationship with Cyra was also another bright point of the book as it built up slowly.
I really must warn that there is the element of self-harm in the book and thus it is not for everyone.
Carve the Mark follows the story of Cyra, a Shotet girl and Akos, a Thuvhe boy. Cyra has the power to pour pain into the people she touches and as such she is a potent weapon wielded by her ruler brother, Ryzek. Akos has his special gist because of which he is apprehended and brought to ease the pain Cyra's gift cause her. As their paths cross and these two so different people are brought together, we see some chemistry going on. But are they enemies or are they friends?
I must say that I am quite disappointed on many levels. First the world building felt really disjointed. The pace of the book is quite slow in order to build up the world for the duology, but still some things just do not add up evenly. I expected more world building in this book given that this is going to be a duology. But it just did not happen. Secondly, there is the element of self-harm woven into the story through Cyra that really had me on the edge. I feel that the treatment of this element should have received more care and attention. On a better note, I really liked the character of Akos. He pulls the story through; the things he has seen and the people he has lost, yet he remains so pure. His relationship with Cyra was also another bright point of the book as it built up slowly.
I really must warn that there is the element of self-harm in the book and thus it is not for everyone.
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
idk what the controversy is about in the reviews for this book. maybe i’m stupid or i just had to be there like five years ago or so, but i thought this was good but a bit slow. there was so much unnecessary stuff added for no reason? I liked the idea of the kill marks, and while it is a bit like self harm, if you view it in a way where it is a part of the Shotet culture, it makes sense and does add to the characters.
But, Akos as a character was a little dry. I enjoyed his character but he was a bit boring. Honestly, his perspective probably could be taken out of the book entirely.
But, Akos as a character was a little dry. I enjoyed his character but he was a bit boring. Honestly, his perspective probably could be taken out of the book entirely.
It was very hard to get throught, liked the storybuilding, but the writing didn't do it for me. Think I will pick up the next book when it comes out though.
adventurous
slow-paced
i know what it is to become something you hate. i know how it hurts. but life is full of hurt.