Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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
The story was poorly written and very hard to follow.
adventurous
2.5 stars
It took me forever to get into this book. I'm still like what did I read. I played the audio with the ebook and thought it would get better but it didn't. It's sad because I like Veronica Roth.
It took me forever to get into this book. I'm still like what did I read. I played the audio with the ebook and thought it would get better but it didn't. It's sad because I like Veronica Roth.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
fast-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:
No
adventurous
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
i know i read this at some point but unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) i don't remember any part of it
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture
**Ridiculous controversies about this book discussed in this review**
So this novel, Deus Ex Machina - whoops, I mean Carve the Mark, was a straight up mess.
I tried to like it. Really, I did, considering the exceptional world building that Roth worked so hard on, but the plot and the characters just weren't cutting it for me.
I will be discussing people's problem with the "self-harm" in this novel as well as some of the other "problematic" features and discussing why these are incorrect.
"Swirls of rich blue filled the glass. There were veins of lighter color, too, and almost-purple, and deep navy. The currentstream was huge and bright and everywhere, everywhere. Like being wrapped up in the arms of a god."
Let's begin with what worked for the story and how I gave it three stars, considering that scathing entrance. The world and what was within it.
Roth created such a fantastic and vivid world that made me want to live within it. From the currentstream which reminded me of the Northern Lights to the gifts people received from said stream. Who doesn't want to see what power our personality would give us?
"How much of my brother now pulsed inside of Eijeh Kereseth?"
The idea of being able to steal another person's memories and replacing their entire being was such a great idea! It's the topic of the very essence of what makes us human and what makes us us. If we have another person's memories, we cease to be. I wouldn't like this power, though, because it seemed pretty harsh on the bearer.
"I did carve Uzul’s mark on my arm, right before burning Lety’s message to ash. I painted the fresh wound with feathergrass root extract, which stung so badly it brought tears to my eyes, and I whispered his name, not daring to say the rest of the ritual words because they were a prayer."
Another thing that impressed me was the culture. Now, people have been having a serious issue with this topic - as it resembles self-harm and could offend some people. However, this is nothing like self-harm. Self-harm is when someone physically harms themselves with a personal intention of causing pain. In this novel, this is more akin to scarification which is a huge rite of passage for many cultures. It's a shame to see this very powerful movement for many races being brought down and insulted from those who do not understand it.
However, if someone has self-harmed and read this and got offended - I understand. I'm not saying people aren't allowed to feel this way. But I'm sick of the false reviews from people who haven't read it or people marking it down simply because they believe it will offend someone who has self-harmed. I believe in having respect for these cultural practices.
"The Shotet were a people, not a nation-planet, and they were known to be fierce, brutal. They stained lines into their arms for every life they had taken, and trained even their children in the art of war."
The Shotet was one of the most interesting races I have read about in a long time, as I continue to discuss the culture and rites of passage within this book. They are described as having dark skin, scars on their arms and very powerful. Of course, we hear that they're violent and brutal from Akos' point of view because this is what he has been told until he lives with them.
These people were just so mysterious and interesting to me and kept me reading even when I wanted to put the book away and not pick it up again. Their culture was inspiring.
"The shadows spread down my bare arms from shoulder to wrist, then wrapped around my fingers, pooling beneath my fingernails. Pain seared me wherever they went, dulled by drugs but not eliminated."
We're heading to another topic that people found difficult. The topic of having a disability within this novel. People claimed that Cyra's power of being able to make people feel pain was a disability as she was burdened with constant pain was offensive and the author had no right to write about it.
Let me tell you, from a personal level, that this is absolute crap. I have scoliosis, which means my spine is not straight. It has caused me permanent pain issues which include, and are not limited to:
- constant back pain
- difficulty with activities
- difficulty breathing
- difficulty sleeping
- issues with posture
My problem is not obvious, much like Cyra. The only reason people would know is if I told them - which she struggles with too. They don't know she's in constant pain because it's not something they can tell just by looking at a person.
So let me speak clearly in case some people are still confused. This. Is. Not. Offensive. So please, once again, stop with the false reviews or being offended on behalf of people like me.
If you do have a chronic pain/illness and you didn't like that Roth wrote about this, then that is your opinion and I welcome it. If you do not suffer from anything and are simply writing it to win brownie points, you need to stop. Our disabilities are not there for you to feel good 'defending' nor do I appreciate being spoken for by everyone else. Let me speak for myself and my conditions. Not you.
This part of the story was interesting and well-written and I enjoyed learning about her power. We are now moving towards the parts of the book I considered bad, so buckle up, the ride has just begun.
"I knew mine: There was a hunger inside me, and there always had been. That hunger was stronger than pain, stronger than horror. It gnawed even after everything else inside me had given up. It was not hope; it did not soar; it slithered, clawed, and dragged, and it would not let me stop.
And when I finally named it, I found it was something very simple: the desire to live."
The characters.
They might have been the most two dimensional creatures I have ever had the displeasure to read. Oh no, Cyra feels pain and her brother is a bit of a dick. And that's... all to her. One minute she feels bad for using her power, and the next she feels good.
Then Akos. He just... What? He was kidnapped then became one of them? He pretends to hate them for stealing him and his brother, but even when he escapes he's still fulfilling parts of their culture and accepting of it. It was just confusing and not too interesting. I was so ready for this clash of cultures and instead I got nothing.
The romance between these two characters were so forced. Yes, his power meant that hers was stopped and she no longer felt pain, but that DOES NOT MEAN THEY HAVE TO FALL IN LOVE. It was awkward and constantly forced. They had no spark. I believe they would be better with others. It would be so much more interesting if they both found other lovers and were best friends and the lovers have issues with what's happening. Imagine Cyra's love interest knowing s/he couldn't do anything to stop her feeling pain so they couldn't be intimate? Imagine Akos' partner constantly having to see Akos touch someone else to give them physical comfort? Come on Roth! Stop doing the obvious and go for something new and interesting!
Vas. Now, there was a character. A man who couldn't feel pain and had to check his body for injuries because he couldn't feel them. What an interesting power! And then it leads to questions like, if he can't feel physical pain, does it begin to encroach on emotional/mental pain if it effects how his body works?
None of the other characters are even remotely interesting or memorable so I won't even bother mentioning them.
“Give me a straight answer, just this once,” he said to her. “Do I save Eijeh or not?”
“I have seen futures where you do, and futures where you don’t,” she said. And, smiling, she added, “But you always, always try.”
The whole 'currentgift' idea was great. It meant no one was special at the same time everyone was special! Yay! But the concept of the 'oracle' confused me. So most people got their gifts from their personality or what they needed, but some were simply fated to be oracles? These oracles can't even tell the future properly, as seen by the above quote. They're basically like 'Oh it can go a million ways! Have fun!' like one of those psychics you meet at a festival that have no idea what they're saying but they're hoping you'll flip them a penny at the end.
But let's move onto the concept of 'fate'. These characters have a set 'fate' which is basically a set future. It can be anything from 'you'll have a great pet cat' to 'you'll die because of this person'. Now, I must have missed the part where it's discussed where they find out these 'fates'. Is it the oracles? They can't exactly be trusted. Does it just... appear somewhere? Just... the 'fate' part was the only thing in this world that I found ridiculous.
"I tensed as the doors opened, sure that whatever Ryzek called “entertainment” was much worse than it sounded. But it was just a woman, dressed throat to ankle in tight, dark fabric that showed every muscle, every bony joint. Her eyes and lips were traced with some kind of pale chalk, garish."
Onto the final point, a quick discussion about plot. And it has to be quick because I couldn't find much to talk about in this aspect.
The story isn't very clear with the time jumps. We find out that the book covers about a year of time, yet from my perspective it's only been about a week or two. Suddenly the novel says, 'it was a year since this or that' and I would throw my book at the wall.
The struggle with the rest of the plot was pretty much the same for me. This is pretty much what happened:
- Boy gets kidnapped by enemy race
- Can, for some reason, speak their language perfectly
- But that's not his magic power
- Magic power is stopping other people's magic power
- Doesn't seem to care that his brother and sister might be dead
- Girl gives pain and feels pain
- Oh, would you look at that? He can stop that
- Girl joins resistance against brother
- ??
Yeah, that's all I really got from the novel. It was basically either very boring, or as I stated at the beginning, had convenient plot points to solve bigger problems. Basically 'oh I'm about to die oh wait a helicopter is above me and saving me funny that'. It just hurt my intelligence to read these plot points.
'Then what about that brother of yours?' Jorek said. 'The one who inhales when Ryzek exhales?'
Anyway, despite being majorly inconvenienced by this entire novel, I did find semi-enjoyment in it when it came to the world and the descriptions. Will I be moving onto the next book? That is a definite no. I couldn't bring myself to sit through another 300+ pages of people moping about and making magic potions.
I buddy read this with this creep who didn't finish the book and the one we don't speak of because she enjoyed it
I feel pride for actually finishing this book though!
So this novel, Deus Ex Machina - whoops, I mean Carve the Mark, was a straight up mess.
I tried to like it. Really, I did, considering the exceptional world building that Roth worked so hard on, but the plot and the characters just weren't cutting it for me.
I will be discussing people's problem with the "self-harm" in this novel as well as some of the other "problematic" features and discussing why these are incorrect.
"Swirls of rich blue filled the glass. There were veins of lighter color, too, and almost-purple, and deep navy. The currentstream was huge and bright and everywhere, everywhere. Like being wrapped up in the arms of a god."
Let's begin with what worked for the story and how I gave it three stars, considering that scathing entrance. The world and what was within it.
Roth created such a fantastic and vivid world that made me want to live within it. From the currentstream which reminded me of the Northern Lights to the gifts people received from said stream. Who doesn't want to see what power our personality would give us?
"How much of my brother now pulsed inside of Eijeh Kereseth?"
The idea of being able to steal another person's memories and replacing their entire being was such a great idea! It's the topic of the very essence of what makes us human and what makes us us. If we have another person's memories, we cease to be. I wouldn't like this power, though, because it seemed pretty harsh on the bearer.
"I did carve Uzul’s mark on my arm, right before burning Lety’s message to ash. I painted the fresh wound with feathergrass root extract, which stung so badly it brought tears to my eyes, and I whispered his name, not daring to say the rest of the ritual words because they were a prayer."
Another thing that impressed me was the culture. Now, people have been having a serious issue with this topic - as it resembles self-harm and could offend some people. However, this is nothing like self-harm. Self-harm is when someone physically harms themselves with a personal intention of causing pain. In this novel, this is more akin to scarification which is a huge rite of passage for many cultures. It's a shame to see this very powerful movement for many races being brought down and insulted from those who do not understand it.
However, if someone has self-harmed and read this and got offended - I understand. I'm not saying people aren't allowed to feel this way. But I'm sick of the false reviews from people who haven't read it or people marking it down simply because they believe it will offend someone who has self-harmed. I believe in having respect for these cultural practices.
"The Shotet were a people, not a nation-planet, and they were known to be fierce, brutal. They stained lines into their arms for every life they had taken, and trained even their children in the art of war."
The Shotet was one of the most interesting races I have read about in a long time, as I continue to discuss the culture and rites of passage within this book. They are described as having dark skin, scars on their arms and very powerful. Of course, we hear that they're violent and brutal from Akos' point of view because this is what he has been told until he lives with them.
These people were just so mysterious and interesting to me and kept me reading even when I wanted to put the book away and not pick it up again. Their culture was inspiring.
"The shadows spread down my bare arms from shoulder to wrist, then wrapped around my fingers, pooling beneath my fingernails. Pain seared me wherever they went, dulled by drugs but not eliminated."
We're heading to another topic that people found difficult. The topic of having a disability within this novel. People claimed that Cyra's power of being able to make people feel pain was a disability as she was burdened with constant pain was offensive and the author had no right to write about it.
Let me tell you, from a personal level, that this is absolute crap. I have scoliosis, which means my spine is not straight. It has caused me permanent pain issues which include, and are not limited to:
- constant back pain
- difficulty with activities
- difficulty breathing
- difficulty sleeping
- issues with posture
My problem is not obvious, much like Cyra. The only reason people would know is if I told them - which she struggles with too. They don't know she's in constant pain because it's not something they can tell just by looking at a person.
So let me speak clearly in case some people are still confused. This. Is. Not. Offensive. So please, once again, stop with the false reviews or being offended on behalf of people like me.
If you do have a chronic pain/illness and you didn't like that Roth wrote about this, then that is your opinion and I welcome it. If you do not suffer from anything and are simply writing it to win brownie points, you need to stop. Our disabilities are not there for you to feel good 'defending' nor do I appreciate being spoken for by everyone else. Let me speak for myself and my conditions. Not you.
This part of the story was interesting and well-written and I enjoyed learning about her power. We are now moving towards the parts of the book I considered bad, so buckle up, the ride has just begun.
"I knew mine: There was a hunger inside me, and there always had been. That hunger was stronger than pain, stronger than horror. It gnawed even after everything else inside me had given up. It was not hope; it did not soar; it slithered, clawed, and dragged, and it would not let me stop.
And when I finally named it, I found it was something very simple: the desire to live."
The characters.
They might have been the most two dimensional creatures I have ever had the displeasure to read. Oh no, Cyra feels pain and her brother is a bit of a dick. And that's... all to her. One minute she feels bad for using her power, and the next she feels good.
Then Akos. He just... What? He was kidnapped then became one of them? He pretends to hate them for stealing him and his brother, but even when he escapes he's still fulfilling parts of their culture and accepting of it. It was just confusing and not too interesting. I was so ready for this clash of cultures and instead I got nothing.
The romance between these two characters were so forced. Yes, his power meant that hers was stopped and she no longer felt pain, but that DOES NOT MEAN THEY HAVE TO FALL IN LOVE. It was awkward and constantly forced. They had no spark. I believe they would be better with others. It would be so much more interesting if they both found other lovers and were best friends and the lovers have issues with what's happening. Imagine Cyra's love interest knowing s/he couldn't do anything to stop her feeling pain so they couldn't be intimate? Imagine Akos' partner constantly having to see Akos touch someone else to give them physical comfort? Come on Roth! Stop doing the obvious and go for something new and interesting!
Vas. Now, there was a character. A man who couldn't feel pain and had to check his body for injuries because he couldn't feel them. What an interesting power! And then it leads to questions like, if he can't feel physical pain, does it begin to encroach on emotional/mental pain if it effects how his body works?
Spoiler
Bit of course we don't get to find these things out BECAUSE ROTH KILLED THE ONLY CHARACTER I WAS INTERESTED IN!None of the other characters are even remotely interesting or memorable so I won't even bother mentioning them.
“Give me a straight answer, just this once,” he said to her. “Do I save Eijeh or not?”
“I have seen futures where you do, and futures where you don’t,” she said. And, smiling, she added, “But you always, always try.”
The whole 'currentgift' idea was great. It meant no one was special at the same time everyone was special! Yay! But the concept of the 'oracle' confused me. So most people got their gifts from their personality or what they needed, but some were simply fated to be oracles? These oracles can't even tell the future properly, as seen by the above quote. They're basically like 'Oh it can go a million ways! Have fun!' like one of those psychics you meet at a festival that have no idea what they're saying but they're hoping you'll flip them a penny at the end.
But let's move onto the concept of 'fate'. These characters have a set 'fate' which is basically a set future. It can be anything from 'you'll have a great pet cat' to 'you'll die because of this person'. Now, I must have missed the part where it's discussed where they find out these 'fates'. Is it the oracles? They can't exactly be trusted. Does it just... appear somewhere? Just... the 'fate' part was the only thing in this world that I found ridiculous.
"I tensed as the doors opened, sure that whatever Ryzek called “entertainment” was much worse than it sounded. But it was just a woman, dressed throat to ankle in tight, dark fabric that showed every muscle, every bony joint. Her eyes and lips were traced with some kind of pale chalk, garish."
Onto the final point, a quick discussion about plot. And it has to be quick because I couldn't find much to talk about in this aspect.
The story isn't very clear with the time jumps. We find out that the book covers about a year of time, yet from my perspective it's only been about a week or two. Suddenly the novel says, 'it was a year since this or that' and I would throw my book at the wall.
The struggle with the rest of the plot was pretty much the same for me. This is pretty much what happened:
- Boy gets kidnapped by enemy race
- Can, for some reason, speak their language perfectly
- But that's not his magic power
- Magic power is stopping other people's magic power
- Doesn't seem to care that his brother and sister might be dead
- Girl gives pain and feels pain
- Oh, would you look at that? He can stop that
- Girl joins resistance against brother
- ??
Yeah, that's all I really got from the novel. It was basically either very boring, or as I stated at the beginning, had convenient plot points to solve bigger problems. Basically 'oh I'm about to die oh wait a helicopter is above me and saving me funny that'. It just hurt my intelligence to read these plot points.
'Then what about that brother of yours?' Jorek said. 'The one who inhales when Ryzek exhales?'
Anyway, despite being majorly inconvenienced by this entire novel, I did find semi-enjoyment in it when it came to the world and the descriptions. Will I be moving onto the next book? That is a definite no. I couldn't bring myself to sit through another 300+ pages of people moping about and making magic potions.
I buddy read this with this creep who didn't finish the book and the one we don't speak of because she enjoyed it
I feel pride for actually finishing this book though!
This has been such a controversial book, that I was planning on not bothering to read it. But I decided, why not give it a try? That was a great decision! I thought this book was amazing! I will say, that beginning had quite a slow start, but once you push though, the book is amazing!
I know there are many underline messages in this book that people are unhappy with, including racism, self harm, chronic pain, etc, but honestly, if you stay open minded and try to cast those things aside, this book is awesome! While in real life, these things shouldn't be cast aside, and should be given full attention, this is a story, and it is important to understand that these things were essential to the creation of the characters, setting, and plot.
The one thing that had me one the verge of not giving this book a five star review was the narration. It was not my favourite, and I did not enjoy the switching between characters, though it was important for the plot to be executed perfectly. In my opinion, the whole book should have been from Cyra's point of view (as you can tell, she was my favourite!)
This book is a great sci-fi novel for those hoping to escape reality. I am usually not a fan of novels like this, but was pleasantly surprised! I can't wait for the next book to come out!
Any book recommendations? Let me know what your favourite book is! ;)
I know there are many underline messages in this book that people are unhappy with, including racism, self harm, chronic pain, etc, but honestly, if you stay open minded and try to cast those things aside, this book is awesome! While in real life, these things shouldn't be cast aside, and should be given full attention, this is a story, and it is important to understand that these things were essential to the creation of the characters, setting, and plot.
The one thing that had me one the verge of not giving this book a five star review was the narration. It was not my favourite, and I did not enjoy the switching between characters, though it was important for the plot to be executed perfectly. In my opinion, the whole book should have been from Cyra's point of view (as you can tell, she was my favourite!)
This book is a great sci-fi novel for those hoping to escape reality. I am usually not a fan of novels like this, but was pleasantly surprised! I can't wait for the next book to come out!
Any book recommendations? Let me know what your favourite book is! ;)