Carve the Mark: Volume 1

Veronica Roth

Jan 2017 · Carve the Mark Book 1 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

Globally bestselling Divergent author Veronica Roth delivers a breathtaking fantasy featuring an unusual friendship, an epic love story, and a galaxy-sweeping adventure.

#1 New York Times bestseller * Wall Street Journal bestseller * USA Today bestseller * #1 IndieBound bestseller

Praise for Carve the Mark:

“Roth skillfully weaves the careful world-building and intricate web of characters that distinguished Divergent.” —VOYA (starred review)

“Roth offers a richly imagined, often brutal world of political intrigue and adventure, with a slow-burning romance at its core.” —ALA Booklist

Cyra Noavek and Akos Kereseth have grown up in enemy countries locked in a long-standing fight for dominance over their shared planet. When Akos and his brother are kidnapped by the ruling Noavek family, Akos is forced to serve Cyra, the sister of a dictator who governs with violence and fear. Cyra is known for her deadly power of transferring extraordinary pain unto others with simple touch, and her tyrant brother uses her as a weapon against those who challenge him. But as Akos fights for his own survival, he recognizes that Cyra is also fighting for hers, and that her true gift—resilience—might be what saves them both.

When Akos and Cyra are caught in the middle of a raging rebellion, everything they’ve been led to believe about their world and themselves must be called into question. But fighting for what’s right might mean betraying their countries, their families, and each other.

When the time comes, will they choose loyalty or love?

And don't miss The Fates Divide, Veronica Roth's powerful follow-up novel!

Ratings and reviews

I am starting to think the Google app deliberately shows positive reviews in order to make a sale. I am on page 50 and so annoyed by the inconsistencies of Cyra's character. Also, it's dramatic but slow moving. I am bored af but want to be interested! I feel like there is a super cool plot here that the author keeps missing/just can't seem to fully tap into. Instead she taps into something more tired; more forgettable. I might end up not finishing this novel, and I was so "ready for it."

“There is no honour in survival.” Before I begin, CONFESSION TIME! Carve the Mark is my first book by Veronica Roth – I didn’t read, and honestly have no intention of reading the Divergent series. A few years ago, when I started blogging, I read a spoiler about the ending of Allegiant and it made reading the whole series kind of pointless. Before I started reading Carve The Mark, or even before my copy arrived, I heard a lot of people saying that things in this book were truly offensive. I spoke to a bunch of people over the internet, and learned what it was all about. Although a large number of people WERE saying that they were boycotting the book I a) don’t engage in book hate and b) had already made a commitment to Harper Collins that I would review this book for them which I would never back out on. Truth be told, I enjoyed the book. A LOT. I will be talking about MY OPINIONS about the controversies this book contains below, but I will review it first. In a galaxy ruled by the Assembly, the planet of Thuve is on the brink of Civil War. Known mostly for their production of Hushflower, which is used for numerous medical and educational purposes, it has two warring people – the Thuveists and the Shotet. All planets have three Oracles – one Falling, one Sitting and one Rising who see the various futures for their planets and all the people in them. Over the galaxy, there are nine fate-favoured families, whose fates remain mostly the same in all possible futures. Cyra Noavek, sister to the Shotet Sovereign, and inflictor of pain with a single touch is one of the Fate Favoured Children. As is Akos Kereseth, son of a Thuveist hushflower farmer and the sitting oracle. Determined to change the fate the oracles have seen for him, Cyra’s older brother kidnaps Akos and his brother, Eijeh and nobody’s life is ever the same. I found it REALLY EASY to slip into this world. After just the first chapter, which was a little strange, it was REALLY fun to get to know more about the Galaxy and the planets in it. There were three MAJOR things that I loved about this book – 1. THE WORLD BUILDING: Although the origin of the Current itself was vague, EVERYTHING else about this world was REALLY well described. When I was in Shotet (where most of the book is set) or even in Pitha, I FELT IT ALL. The scavenged lifestyle, the savagery, the tradition. It felt like they were a real people with a real country and real beliefs that they upheld, MORE than any book in ever. 2. ISAE AND CISI: While they don’t show up until we reach the end, and we don’t even see much of them, for some reason they TOTALLY captured my heart? I love it when LGBT couples are openly accepted in a fantasy book – it make me REALLY happy. 3. CYRA AND AKOS’S ROLES: In most books, the guy is the alpha male and the girl is the clueless dainty little thing. While NEITHER of them were clueless, I felt like they didn’t follow traditional roles/ book tropes and were INDEPENDENT characters struggling with their own flaws. Some of the things I didn’t like in this book was the romance between Cyra and Akos, when it began. I thought that they were BETTER friends, but I slowly warmed up to their relationship. I’m not a shipper, but I’ve made my peace with it. Another thing that annoyed me was Sifa Kereseth, Akos’s mom. I understand duty and being ruthless, but HOW CAN YOU BE BOTH? All in all, a book I REALLY enjoyed – a fast paced, brutal fantasy with beautiful world building and characters! 4 stars. I fully acknowledge that people have been hurt by Veronica Roth's words, and I cannot apologize deeply enough for it. I'm so sorry for any injustice you have undergone or hurt you have felt. I do, however, want to tell people that if they WERE/ ARE interested in the book, they should still read it and THEN if you find it offensive, SPEAK UP because your voice MATTERS and speaking up with all your facts correct is IMPORTANT. More on A Thousand Words A Million Books

I couldn't even finish this one. It plods along and the storyline didn't pull me in. Sorry, but I won't be reading her books again.

About the author

Veronica Roth is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant, Four: A Divergent Collection, and Carve the Mark. Ms. Roth and her husband live in Chicago. You can visit her online at www.veronicarothbooks.com.