CYRA is the sister of the brutal tyrant who rules the Shotet people. Cyra’s currentgift gives her pain and power—something her brother exploits, using her to torture his enemies. But Cyra is much more than just a blade in her brother’s hand: she is resilient, quick on her feet, and smarter than he knows.
AKOS is the son of a farmer and an oracle from the frozen nation-planet of Thuvhe. Protected by his unusual currentgift, Akos is generous in spirit, and his loyalty to his family is limitless. Once Akos and his brother are captured by enemy Shotet soldiers, Akos is desperate to get his brother out alive—no matter what the cost.
Then Akos is thrust into Cyra’s world, and the enmity between their countries and families seems insurmountable. Will they help each other to survive, or will they destroy one another?
Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth
Published: January 17, 2017, HarperCollins
Edition: First Hardcover Editon, Katherine Tegen Books (an imprint of HarperCollins publishers)
Genres: Science Fiction, YA
Shelved: Science Fiction, YA
Pages: 468
Rating:
How I Came to Read the Novel
The book came in February Out of this World themed BookBoyfriend Box.
My Thoughts
I have read very mixed reviews on this book, but for the most part, it seems, that not many people are enjoying this book. The major complaints are that this book is too slow or boring. I very much disagree with these sentiments.
Yes, at first the book is a bit disorienting. It is a science fiction YA novel, so there is a learning curve to the culture, lifestyle, and slang of a very different universe. Aside from this small learning curve, the book is very intense. There is a ruthlessness to more than one of the characters, perhaps another reason some of my fellow book bloggers have not enjoyed the novel, but that I find to be very realistic of the setting described and the childhoods these characters are said to have lived.
The book is told in two alternating points of view, those of Akos and Cyra. When different viewpoints are used, I find that one of the characters is either a hit or miss for me. Veronica Roth wrote two very distinctive viewpoints that I enjoyed. I did enjoy Cyra a little bit more due to her blunt manner of speech, her strength of both body and mind, and the fierceness in which she loves. Akos was a wonderful opposite to Cyra’s cutthroat surroundings, though this does not mean he is a weak character himself. Akos is sensitive but very capable. Together, these two characters create a narrative that displays very different kinds of strength: from bodily strength to mental strength to emotional strength.
For those who claimed the book to be boring, I find it a shock when one considers just how much action there is in the forms of battles, specifically those that have Death as the fate of the loser and Life for the winner. Add a form of supernatural power for every character and prophecy into the mix and the story never lulls.
Speaking of prophecy, I very much enjoyed the villain of the novel, Ryzeck. While a complete manipulative and desperate mad man, I must admit that his main conflict is the ever controversial binary of Fate vs. Freewill. And perhaps, this debate of predestination and the option of choice sums up the novel very well. Being an advocate of Free Will, I found myself very much surprised by how much I was on the side of Fate during the course of this book. Ryzeck is truly an example of how far Man will go to attempt and change their Fate, their own personal being for success, and the length and costs of appearing Strong.
If you have read the book, let me know what your thoughts were. Were you bored and let down? Or appreciative and amazed as I was?
belsbookblog.wordpress.com 