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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
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
adventurous
slow-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
I really enjoyed this book! The idea of unique abilities and fated destinies was fascinating, and I loved watching the characters grow—both on their own and together. One of the most compelling aspects was seeing Akos slowly unpack everything he thought he knew about Shotet. What began as fear and prejudice turned into a deeper understanding that both nations were shaped by their own stories, and by the manipulation of truth and media. The twists kept me engaged, even if none completely blew my mind. Overall, a solid and captivating read. 3.75 stars.”
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
9 out of 10 A little dark.
adventurous
mysterious
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:
No
I've been thinking for days on how to review this book, literally (not really) pulling my hair out.
Carve The Mark. I usually don't like sci-fi, but this one was quite good. It took me almost a week to read, because some parts I couldn't get over how boring it was.
Yes. I loved the action and the chemistry between Cyra and Akos, but at times I felt myself wanting to read a different book, just get it done.
One thing I loved, and I hope will be in the sequel, the gay couples. There was two and I just loved how Veronica Roth incorporated it into her novel.
I felt some characters weren't devolved properly, and she brought up a lot of characters that we meet in the beginning, but by the time they were introduced again I didn't remember who they were.
If you like Star Wars, or even Divergent, I have a strong feeling you'll get feels for this novel. I loved Divergent, and I don't think Carve The Mark made me want to keep reading as much as my beloved Divergent series.
So, I gave this book 3 stars. When I first got it I was thinking, "OMG I'm going to be such a sci-fi nerd!" But, I don't think I'll be reading much more sci-fi, sad to say. It wasn't as great as I hoped it would be, but still a book I'd recommend.
Carve The Mark. I usually don't like sci-fi, but this one was quite good. It took me almost a week to read, because some parts I couldn't get over how boring it was.
Yes. I loved the action and the chemistry between Cyra and Akos, but at times I felt myself wanting to read a different book, just get it done.
One thing I loved, and I hope will be in the sequel, the gay couples. There was two and I just loved how Veronica Roth incorporated it into her novel.
I felt some characters weren't devolved properly, and she brought up a lot of characters that we meet in the beginning, but by the time they were introduced again I didn't remember who they were.
If you like Star Wars, or even Divergent, I have a strong feeling you'll get feels for this novel. I loved Divergent, and I don't think Carve The Mark made me want to keep reading as much as my beloved Divergent series.
So, I gave this book 3 stars. When I first got it I was thinking, "OMG I'm going to be such a sci-fi nerd!" But, I don't think I'll be reading much more sci-fi, sad to say. It wasn't as great as I hoped it would be, but still a book I'd recommend.
Having heard of some of the issues with the book, I was curious to find out firsthand about the issues in the book. It's not as blatantly racist as I was expecting; if I had read it without knowing any of the controversy, I may not even have picked up on it--it was clear the two groups on the planet had enmity towards each other, so the unflattering descriptions seemed apt for what a person brought up to hate another culture would perceive. But then again, I'm a privileged white girl, so my perspective is not as attuned to racial subtext. The issue of chronic pain and her comments in an interview likewise are not something I would have caught, but understandably upsetting.
Aside from the issues, the storyline was not as compelling as I expected, the plot did seem slow and plodding and I didn't get invested in the characters as much as I had with Divergent. An okay book, but not something I'd recommend in any case.
Aside from the issues, the storyline was not as compelling as I expected, the plot did seem slow and plodding and I didn't get invested in the characters as much as I had with Divergent. An okay book, but not something I'd recommend in any case.
I read this in middle school and I have to say that for a dystopian fantasy novel it was pretty good at the time. I kind of like the idea of marking yourself for the kills you make as it’s symbolic.
The different magical elements that people have is also cool and unique.
Plus who doesn’t love a good little romance between two unlikely people ☺️
The different magical elements that people have is also cool and unique.
Plus who doesn’t love a good little romance between two unlikely people ☺️
So... I'm gonna be honest and say that while I liked Divergent and its sequel, I never read the third book in the series. But I figured to try this anyway since I wanted another audio book, and this book was available in that format.
And maybe it's because I was listening to audio, but this book was really hard for me to follow at times. There were a lot of weird-sounding names, and it was nearly impossible for me to keep track of everybody. I felt like I needed to be taking notes because these characters would come in and out of the story and I wouldn't know who they were or what their purpose in the overall plot was or what their currentgift was and what that meant, etc etc. The world-building was a little confusing to me as well. Like, the narrative skipped forward a lot and I feel like important chunks were left out, which seems pretty incredible for how long this book ended up being. Again, I will blame the audio book, but I don't think I got a full picture of what these worlds were like and why they had certain customs. Also, looking deeper into the whole Fate thing would've been amazing. There's mention that no one's tried to defy their Fate which to me sounds pretty unbelievable, but an examination on how trying to prevent it could make it come to pass or whatever would've been nice. Greek mythology, anyone?
Another failing in this book is lack of character development. I know a huge portion of this book is done in Cyra's perspective, but I really wish Akos and his family were all fleshed out a bit more to give some weight to the stakes of his brother losing memories or his mother doing what she did in the last third(?) of the story. I would've also loved more development on Cyra's family, especially her parents. Because then the big reveal her brother gave would've had more impact. As it was, I was just like "Okay...?" The family Cyra killed, the rebels, that guy who wanted Akos to kill his dad, Cyra's brother's guards... There are all these characters, but not much development. I can't even remember half their names. Largely because of the weird names I mentioned earlier.
The book probably could've ended maybe two or three times. When it finally did end, I was just like "...uhhhhhh". There was something that happened earlier that would've given the ending way more impact and would've led into the sequel nicely. But it kept going and I was actually a little upset.
And yeah, there's some definite racial and religious stereotyping going on that can be very problematic. Not to mention the horrible stuff about Cyra's gift giving her pain and the doctor saying she thinks she deserves it (she was maybe ten at the time?) and that if she'd change, so would her gift. Add the guilt she has over her mother and her abusive and controlling brother forcing her to torture/kill more people and I'm honestly surprised she doesn't have more mental issues. And how does Akos not have tons of mental issues, having been captured and taken as prisoner at a young age, watched his father die and had his brother tortured/mind-raped. How are either of these characters so calm and stable?
So it was overall very underwelming. It was confusing to follow, there were too many weirdly-named characters that I couldn't keep straight, there were lots of problematic themes that weren't addressed properly, and it ended on such a "meh" point that even without all those other problems, I wouldn't have any interest in continuing.
And maybe it's because I was listening to audio, but this book was really hard for me to follow at times. There were a lot of weird-sounding names, and it was nearly impossible for me to keep track of everybody. I felt like I needed to be taking notes because these characters would come in and out of the story and I wouldn't know who they were or what their purpose in the overall plot was or what their currentgift was and what that meant, etc etc. The world-building was a little confusing to me as well. Like, the narrative skipped forward a lot and I feel like important chunks were left out, which seems pretty incredible for how long this book ended up being. Again, I will blame the audio book, but I don't think I got a full picture of what these worlds were like and why they had certain customs. Also, looking deeper into the whole Fate thing would've been amazing. There's mention that no one's tried to defy their Fate which to me sounds pretty unbelievable, but an examination on how trying to prevent it could make it come to pass or whatever would've been nice. Greek mythology, anyone?
Another failing in this book is lack of character development. I know a huge portion of this book is done in Cyra's perspective, but I really wish Akos and his family were all fleshed out a bit more to give some weight to the stakes of his brother losing memories or his mother doing what she did in the last third(?) of the story. I would've also loved more development on Cyra's family, especially her parents. Because then the big reveal her brother gave would've had more impact. As it was, I was just like "Okay...?" The family Cyra killed, the rebels, that guy who wanted Akos to kill his dad, Cyra's brother's guards... There are all these characters, but not much development. I can't even remember half their names. Largely because of the weird names I mentioned earlier.
The book probably could've ended maybe two or three times. When it finally did end, I was just like "...uhhhhhh". There was something that happened earlier that would've given the ending way more impact and would've led into the sequel nicely. But it kept going and I was actually a little upset.
And yeah, there's some definite racial and religious stereotyping going on that can be very problematic. Not to mention the horrible stuff about Cyra's gift giving her pain and the doctor saying she thinks she deserves it (she was maybe ten at the time?) and that if she'd change, so would her gift. Add the guilt she has over her mother and her abusive and controlling brother forcing her to torture/kill more people and I'm honestly surprised she doesn't have more mental issues. And how does Akos not have tons of mental issues, having been captured and taken as prisoner at a young age, watched his father die and had his brother tortured/mind-raped. How are either of these characters so calm and stable?
So it was overall very underwelming. It was confusing to follow, there were too many weirdly-named characters that I couldn't keep straight, there were lots of problematic themes that weren't addressed properly, and it ended on such a "meh" point that even without all those other problems, I wouldn't have any interest in continuing.