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bethanymiller415 's review for:
Carve the Mark
by Veronica Roth
Grades: 9-12
Characterization: Very Good
Literary Merit: Good
Recommended
Cyra and Akos are members of two separate societies of people living on the same planet. Throughout their galaxy of planets there is a ribbon of energy called the current that can bestow a variety of different currentgitfts on people. Cyra is the sister of the sovereign of Shotet but lives a life of constant pain and misery. Her currentgift is really a curse causing her constant pain and causing pain to anyone who she touches. Her brother Ryzek, the cruel and merciless ruler of Shotet, uses Cyra to torture and kill his enemies. The Shotet kidnap Akos and his brother Eijeh from their home in Thuvhe. The sons of a sitting Oracle, Eijeh is fated to become an Oracle and Ryzek wants to use this to his advantage. Akos’s currentgift is the ability to stop the flow of the current. He can use his gift to alleviate the constant pain that Cyra feels. Ryzek assigns Akos to be Cyra’s servant not out of sympathy for the pain that she experiences but to allow her to recover more quickly so that she can be used against his enemies.
It was a refreshing change of pace to read science fiction set in a galaxy far, far away instead of a dystopian future earth. A setting like this requires extensive world building, and overall it was pretty well done. My only quibble was that many of the names of people and places were practically unpronounceable. It seemed like the author just randomly hit some keys on the keyboard and called it a name. That was a major distraction for me at first, but once I got past that minor annoyance, I really liked this book. Akos and Cyra are both fully realized main characters, who are imperfect but likable. Their relationship progresses somewhat predictably but it develops over time and is not an instalove situation. There are some intriguing secondary characters. Akos and Eijeh’s mother, for example, seems to love her children but also does not hesitate to manipulate them when it suits her purpose. The book is told in alternating perspectives with Cyra’s chapters in first person point of view and Akos’s in third person limited omniscient. I’m not sure what the purpose of this was since we know the thoughts and feelings of both characters. The plot moved along at a pretty good pace, and there were some major twists and turns in the last quarter of the book. The ending definitely sets up the plot of the second book and will leave a lot of questions in the minds of the reader. Recommended for fans of sci-fi and fantasy who are ok with a cliffhanger ending.
Characterization: Very Good
Literary Merit: Good
Recommended
Cyra and Akos are members of two separate societies of people living on the same planet. Throughout their galaxy of planets there is a ribbon of energy called the current that can bestow a variety of different currentgitfts on people. Cyra is the sister of the sovereign of Shotet but lives a life of constant pain and misery. Her currentgift is really a curse causing her constant pain and causing pain to anyone who she touches. Her brother Ryzek, the cruel and merciless ruler of Shotet, uses Cyra to torture and kill his enemies. The Shotet kidnap Akos and his brother Eijeh from their home in Thuvhe. The sons of a sitting Oracle, Eijeh is fated to become an Oracle and Ryzek wants to use this to his advantage. Akos’s currentgift is the ability to stop the flow of the current. He can use his gift to alleviate the constant pain that Cyra feels. Ryzek assigns Akos to be Cyra’s servant not out of sympathy for the pain that she experiences but to allow her to recover more quickly so that she can be used against his enemies.
It was a refreshing change of pace to read science fiction set in a galaxy far, far away instead of a dystopian future earth. A setting like this requires extensive world building, and overall it was pretty well done. My only quibble was that many of the names of people and places were practically unpronounceable. It seemed like the author just randomly hit some keys on the keyboard and called it a name. That was a major distraction for me at first, but once I got past that minor annoyance, I really liked this book. Akos and Cyra are both fully realized main characters, who are imperfect but likable. Their relationship progresses somewhat predictably but it develops over time and is not an instalove situation. There are some intriguing secondary characters. Akos and Eijeh’s mother, for example, seems to love her children but also does not hesitate to manipulate them when it suits her purpose. The book is told in alternating perspectives with Cyra’s chapters in first person point of view and Akos’s in third person limited omniscient. I’m not sure what the purpose of this was since we know the thoughts and feelings of both characters. The plot moved along at a pretty good pace, and there were some major twists and turns in the last quarter of the book. The ending definitely sets up the plot of the second book and will leave a lot of questions in the minds of the reader. Recommended for fans of sci-fi and fantasy who are ok with a cliffhanger ending.