2.5 stars ( )

"I have seen war in every future."

I wish I could rave all the love for this book. I wanted to love it. But it's so slow. I mean, slogging through day to day activities slow, sorting childhood memories and sorting emotions. It honestly felt like I was never going to finish the book.

Which is a shame. I wanted to connect with Akos.I thought he was a good and interesting character. He was well developed and was full of layers and complexities that kept me wondering what he would do. Cyra was equally fascinating as was her gift, but she was a bit repetitive in her emotions & thoughts.

So I don't know what I didn't like about this other than I never enjoyed it. And once I hit the halfway point, I didn't care what happened to any of the characters. There were a few reveals at the end that I'm sure were meant to be shocking and drive me to read book 2, but I just could not imagine slogging through another 400 pages to get any answer. I don't plan to continue this series. ( )

The world building here was lacking. I don't mean this in time spent on creating it, but in an efficient narrative way. I didn't seem to get the right context at the right time. I always felt I needed something more. The plot was interesting enough to keep me reading and I liked both Akos and Cyra, but the Current and the currentgifts just seemed to be plopped on the characters. I didn't feel any real reason for them to exist.

Also I wanted more good side characters. The group that eventually forms, more than halfway through the book, doesn't gel for me. Though they seem to have a common enemy they are still too disparate and reluctant when it comes to working together. Not sure if I will seek other volumes. The ending seemed to just throw out questions and startling info to get a set up for another book. ( )

This was an interesting blend of Science Fiction and Fantasy. There's an enemies to lovers' romance. I loved it. ( )

I just love fantasy science fiction stories. I marvel at an author’s ability to create a world full of details and things that do not exist in reality. This book is a great example of that.

I loved the culturally rich world that Roth has created in this book. Each planet, each division of people, has their own unique traits and traditions. I loved how the Shotet are revered as brutal and harsh people but aren’t nearly as brutal as they are perceived. I loved the controversy between Thuvhe and Shotet, it made for great friction and conflict in the story. I loved that each planet and its inhabitants were different and unique from the others in the galaxy. I also loved how the Shotet people fit into all of that. (Sorry, no details there, I don’t want to spoil anything.) All great choices in this story.

The characters are fairly well developed. The only character I am disappointed in is Eijeh, Akos’ brother. I would have liked to get a better feel for his character to better understand why he’s so important to Akos, but I also feel like that may have been a strategic decision considering his story line thus far. (You’ll know why if you’ve read this book or will read it.) Otherwise, even the characters that don’t show up until the last 20% of the book are developed enough to add depth to the story. Since the story is told from Cyra and Akos’ POV you obviously get the most development of their characters. I love both of these characters so much. I am so, so, so glad that Roth did not make Cyra a needy, self-pitying character (think Tris turned up a notch and then add in tremendous power.) Cyra is perceived as the most brutal and powerful of the Shotet, but her character is still humble, vulnerable, and self-aware. Akos’ character is just great. He is not an alpha hero in this world but his resilience and loyalty is a great touch for this story.

The story is unique and interesting. Fair warning now, some of the scenes are very graphic and violent. I didn’t mind most of the violence, in fact I expected it, but I know some people might have an issue with it. There is a touch of romance between Cyra and Akos (expected, honestly) but it does not overtake the story or even drive it for that matter. It’s a nice “something to fight for” element that adds layers to the story as a whole. The conflict is reasonably okay. I could have used for it to be a little bit more dramatic for the sake of quickening the pace of the story up, but I’m not altogether disappointed either. Did said story pull me through this 468 page book like the wild ride that the Divergent series was? No, but that’s not a reason to hate on it like I’ve seen from some reviews. I do like what’s going on in the story and will be reading the sequel in 2018, but I do hope that the pace is a bit faster next time.

So what made me ding the star rating you ask?

First of all, I felt immense confusion for about the first 75-100 pages of this book. I get that world building sometimes requires making shi*t up, but in this book you are THROWN into this world without any idea of what’s going on. No warm up, no slow and methodical introduction to new terms or concepts. Its just BOOM, you’re in this world and scrambling to figure out what the heck “currentstream”, “hushflower”, and “currentgift” are. *scratches temple* I made it through 10 pages having no real grasp of what I was reading before I found the term explanation appendix in the back of the book. *light bulb* That helped quite a bit, but there were still instances that I felt could have been handled differently as far as how they were brought into the story and what these elements were. For example, an “Armored One”. You “learn” about the Armored Ones after the initial confusion from the first 75 pages or so (rough estimate there, I didn’t look it up specifically to really know), but you don’t really get to understand what an Armored One actually is until somewhere around 350 pages in (again, rough estimate.) I made the obvious assumptions about what it was, which proved to be fairly good, but I would have liked to understand the significance of what it was much sooner so that I could fully appreciate that element throughout the story.

Second, POV. As I mentioned, POV is from Cyra and Akos. The issue I have with it is that Cyra’s chapters are in first-person and Akos’ are in third-person. This isn’t the end of the world, but I found it disconcerting and distracting. I’d be reading along in Cyra’s chapter and then proceed in to one for Akos and get pulled out of the story as I wondered if I had really noticed the change or just thought I noticed the change. I eventually had to stop reading to confirm the wanderings of my mind and put it to rest so that I could focus on the story line again. Uniformity would have flowed better. (I personally would have preferred third-person, if you must know.)

Third, and really this one came up only after I had already finished the book; questionable racist content. I myself, did not notice this as I was reading it, but I have read reviews where it has been pointed out and can see the issue. While I didn’t notice it because I do not think in racist stereotype divisions, I can see how others might be unhappy with the defining trait choices that were made when creating the protagonist and antagonist groups. The Shotet are described as aggressive brown-skinned, nomadic people portrayed as the antagonists or villains, while the Thuvhesit are fair-skinned, peace loving people portrayed as the victims or protagonists. I honestly didn’t read these details and think anything of it; I didn’t see racial stereotypes, only identifying markers for each group. If the traits had been flipped on these two groups of people, (Shotet being brown-skinned and peaceful and Thuvhesit being fair-skinned and aggressive or however), I would have read it the same way; with no notice of racial stereotyping, only a protagonist group and an antagonist group. But, as I said, I get the fuss that some readers are making. It’s completely understandable.

Overall I enjoyed this book quite a bit, but there were times were it felt slow and confusing. I’m hoping that now that the world, it’s characters, and the conflict has been reasonably well defined that it will be a faster pace for the following book.

Full review: wanderinglectiophile.wordpress.com/2017/11/22/review-carve-the-mark-by-veronica-roth/ ( )

Actual Rating: 4.5
I will release my full review of "Carve the Mark" closer to its January 17, 2017 release day, but for now I can say this:

As far as storytelling, world building, and characterization goes, Veronica Roth has really matured as a writer. Everything fitted together and flowed much more nicely than her writing in her "Divergent" series.
I really REALLY enjoyed this book! It was a fantastic read full of space and planets, a variety of intriguing cultures and peoples, and a story that just sucked me in!
There were a few YA cliches that were very irritating, and a couple weak points, but nothing too bad.
Already can't wait for book 2!!!
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2.5 stars

I listened to the audio so spellings of names may be off: Akos and Cyra (Sirah, or likely any other number of spellings) are the main characters. They are in space, not sure if they live on different planets, maybe? They spend some time on a spaceship. Cyra’s world is quite violent, but Akos’ isn’t. Somehow they meet. Cyra and her brother are not getting along (can’t recall his name, but starts with an R); he seems to be a king or some kind of leader of his world.

This one got my interest (a little bit) about half way through, but even so, it’s fantasy, so names, places, hard to understand or remember. I don’t like trying to learn different fantastical worlds (it takes way too long to get to the story as one tries to puzzle out all those weird names). Oh, yeah, I hated that they referred to ages by various numbers of “seasons” – when I hear “season”, I think four seasons in a year, so divide that number by 4 and you’ve got years (but then, maybe this isn’t the case on the planets these kids live on). I don’t think that’s what the author meant (four seasons in a year), but it bothered me. The book did get the extra ½ star for catching my attention at least through some/part/more of the second half. ( )

first in a series ( )

Couldn't finish this one; too many good books and not enough time for those that can't hold my interest. Perhaps I've been reading too much of this genre (teenage sci fi with an organic touch?). ( )

DID NOT FINISH AT CHAPTER 4.

Just not my sort of book,
sounded like it had a promising concept, but futuristic ships travelling through time blah blah blah. You lost me.

It was like reading through quicksand for the first 4 chapters for me anyway. It is now back in the library waiting for its next victim. ;)

Unfortunately I put this down to pick up Obsidian instead. -sigh-

Full Review on my blog!

Wow!!! Veronica Roth is back with a bang. And better than ever.

“Honor has no place in survival.”

Carve The Mark is an deeply riveting sci-fi thriller with non-stop action, heart-breaking betrayal, and an intense survival story that will keep readers flipping pages right up until the captivating ending. Carve The Mark is one of the most highly anticipated books of 2017…..and it without a doubt lives up to the hype! I devoured Carve The Mark and cannot wait for readers everywhere to read this fantastic book!

“You’re a Noavek,” he said stubbornly, folding his arms. “Brutality is in your blood.”

The pace was perfect, the world-building, which was CRUCIAL in this book, was flawlessly done. The visuals, as in Divergent, are very vivid in this book too. The point where I found out the reason for the name of this book; I think my parents thought I was going crazy the way I was jumping and squealing.

“He would die for his loved ones….
She has to kill for hers…..”

Veronica Roth also has a wonderful way of developing side characters without boring the reader. I love the complexity of the characters in this book. Each character has there issues/flaws and neither is all good or all bad. I want to keep this spoiler free, so that’s all I’ll say about this. Let’s just say, there is a lot of character growth throughout the whole book. This is the type of book that swoops in and steals your attention from the first page.

“Akos touched her face. When he first met her, he thought she was this fearsome thing, this monster he needed to escape. But she had unfurled bit by bit, showing him her wicked humor by waking him with a knife to his throat, talking about herself with unflinching honesty, for better or worse, and loving- so deeply- every little bit of this galaxy, even the parts she was supposed to hate…..”

Overall, I think this is a book you should DEFINITELY read if you are into YA. There’s romance, friendship, family bonding, and a whole new galaxy waiting for you. I’m excited about this novel and where it’s going and I can’t wait to jump on the next Sojourn ship she puts out for this series. I highly recommend it!

*Quotes were taken from the book*

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Jag tror att jag förstår vad författaren velat göra, men inte lyckats med. Det här är en problematisk bok, som har fått mycket negativa reaktioner på både rasistiska tendenser och hur kronisk smärta skildras. Jag har inget till övers för self help-bullshit i stil med att kunna bota sin cancer med positivt tänkande, så jag tillhör de som blev provocerad av boken. Känns inte så fräscht med victim blaming i en ungdomsbok 2017. ( )

Teen-Young Adult. From author of Divergent series, comes a new series! I didn't even know this existed, so while shopping in Sam's I am sure I squealed a bit too loudly upon finding this. Oh well.

I enjoy Veronica's style of writing. It is so easy to ready and get caught up in the story and characters. I enjoyed it alot and would give 4.5 stars if that was ever a possibility on goodreads.com. I am excited to see where this series goes. I am very curious about Akos' mother's story. Cyra and Akos take turns telling their parts and I enjoyed them both; Cyra is tough, really tough. Akos is too but also empathetic, he cares about the deaths he causes.

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Quite interesting world building with complicated characters. Eager to see where it goes though I have been disappointed by authors' books in the past ( )

Ok, I really liked Divergent, so I was interested in this new series. And I like the science fiction aspect of it -- new worlds, new cultures, imaginative settings. And, honestly, it started out well and I was getting into the Kereseth family. And then.

Well, it all fell apart, and it never really came back together again. That fleeting first couple of chapters was the only real stab at character development. The plot kinda plods along, but I was ok with that -- at least portions of it were pretty. I had a hard time buying most of the Noavek/Shotet motivations, and I really couldn't reconcile the debilitating portion of Cyra's currentgift with her status as an elite warrior. It just seemed to be so random -- most of the time, she's incapacitated with pain, but not when she's practicing? Incapacitated with pain is incapacitated with pain. Pain isn't a thing you power through when it's at an incapacitating level. Or at least, that's my opinion and nothing in this book managed to convince me otherwise.

The love story seemed flat, the plot twist was visible from pretty far off, the darn thing is unresolved at the end and I honestly don't care enough to pick up a sequel. Disappointed. It felt like watching a bad movie that never resolved into the truly terrible trainwreck that would make it a cult classic. ( )

I'm not sure how I feel about this book, so my rating may change. I definitely wanted to keep reading, but whether that was because I found it compelling or because I was waiting for something to actually happen is undecided. ( )

I will not be reading this because in real life I already encounter enough harmful stereotypes as it is. I do not need to see it in my stories.

Not every trope bothers me. Some tropes I love. Some I don't. This is one of them.

Somebody way better with words explained why this book can bother you: The Continent, Carve the Mark, and the Trope of the Dark Skinned Aggressor

This was definitely one of those all-too-common cases where an author has a spectacular first series and then the follow up just doesn't dazzle. I had a really hard time getting into this, engaging with the characters or the narration. And when you take the character-driven story approach, the characters have to be engaging, relatable, sympathetic--something--and early on. That just doesn't happen hear and it makes the book a tough read. ( )

Carve the Mark is set in a universe where the "current" flows through all worlds, and people develop special powers depending on their personalities. Akos and his brother are kidnapped from their family home and taken to another country that is at war with theirs. There, he meets Cyra, assassin, and sister to the leader of Shotet. Her current gift is pain, both for her and anyone she touches. Akos' current gift neutralizes the gifts of others. Sounds like a match made in heaven right? Well, except for the kidnapping thing, the slave thing, the evil brother, the hostage brother, and the fates. The fates...some people in this universe are "fate favored" meaning in every version of the future the oracles see a particular thing happens. Of course, Cyra and Akos have fates.

I'm pretty sure I've figured out where this series will end up. I'm not sure I'll like it. Especially given the history of this author and her characters. It was hard to follow at times since many of the character names seem to be similar. But, I did enjoy this one and liked the differing cultures. I listened to this one and I am glad after seeing it in print. I definitely would not have those names in my head like they are spelled. ( )

This was S-L-O-W but eventually had sparks of HUGE action. I'm not comparing to Divergent, that's not fair. I liked the concept and enjoyed the mental anguish within the characters. However, that ending is about as bad as The Sopranos ending. I mean we know there's a sequel, it's YA for God's Sake, but to end it that way really chapped my ass !! ( )

I really enjoyed this considering it's a book set in space and I don't generally like those. I think it helped that the inhabitants were more human and it focused on them more than space travel. I felt some similarities to her other Divergent series, but I'm looking forward to book 2. ( )

I really wanted to like this, but I just didn't. The writing felt so forced. The relationships were boring, the action was lackluster and the verbiage was repetitive. It was just boring. The worldbuilding was sort of interesting at first, but I honestly just don't care about any of these characters. ( )

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.

This book is just Divergent with a face lift and some eyeshadow; it's just Divergent with better worldbuilding and better characters, and set in space this time. New and improved. Divergent 2.0

This is told in two perspectives, which only started working about halfway through the book, once Cyra actually started doing things. The first perspective, Akos', is told in third person, and was very well done. Honestly, if someone told me that Cyra's first person was written by a different author, I would believe them. Akos immediately hooked me, and Cyra immediately bored me. I cannot fathom why Roth felt the need to write in two different styles. I thought, perhaps, that the reason was Cyra's isolated and sensation-themed nature, and that the first person was to better show her introspection as a result of her life, but instead it was so unbelievably dull most of the time. She doesn't describe her pain, just says where on her body the currentshadows are now, which tells me absolutely nothing. Akos, however, was sufficiently introspective even in third person. It's utterly baffling.

Also, the first third (after Akos' initial scenes) were SO BORING and they're supposed to be the basis of the romance between the two leads (hint: they failed).

The world was awesome though! I really enjoyed it, and the worldbuilding was done super well. I'm a big fan of space opera, science fantasy stuff. Please explore more planets in the sequel! I also really liked the themes for the most part, and found that many of tropes taken straight out of Divergent fit better here, adding more meaning to the story instead of making it convoluted.

Maybe I could change. Maybe I was changing, just by believing I could.

( )

Noping out around 60 pages in because there is just no fun here. Ouch.

Not quite the same thrill as reading Divergent for the first time. Unique storyline, but felt like it took forever to finish, and want to finish, this book. Not bad, just not enough interest for me to continue the series. ( )