Carve the Mark

Written by Veronica Roth

Narrated by Austin Butler and Emily Rankin

Fans of Star Wars and Divergent will revel in internationally bestselling author Veronica Roth’s first title in a stunning new science-fiction fantasy series.

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 from the peace-loving nation of Thuvhe, and his loyalty to his family is limitless. Though protected by his unusual currentgift, 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. When Akos is thrust into Cyra’s world, 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 is Veronica Roth’s stunning portrayal of the power of friendship – and love – on a planet where violence and vengeance rule.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Release date: Jan 17, 2017
• ISBN: 9780008159511

Veronica Roth

Veronica Roth is the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant, and Four: A Divergent Collection. Ms. Roth and her husband live in Chicago. You can visit her online at www.veronicarothbooks.com

Reviews for Carve the Mark

[jilg72 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

1 word: WOW!! AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGG I FELL IN LOVE WITH EVERYONE AND I CANT WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE

[nbmars · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This beginning of a new series has many elements in common with the "Divergent" series, but in a very different universe. And in fact, Roth spends much of the book on world-building rather than on character-building. In this world, there is a ?current? circling the planetary system, and everyone comes into a ?gift? from the current when they reach puberty.Two warring nations on one particular planet are the focus of the story: Shotet and Thuvhe. You will be shocked, shocked to learn there are two attractive 16-year-olds, one from each nation - a boy, Akos, and a girl, Cyra, that are destined to get together.Cyra Noavek has an unusual ?currentgift" - more like a curse, at least at first - she has chronic pain, which she can transfer to other people by touching them. It is so intense that prolonged contact with Cyra can kill the other person. Her evil brother Ryzek, now the leader of the Shotet nation, uses Cyra as his ?scourge? to punish his enemies.Cyra?s people, the Shotet, manage to kidnap two Thuvhens, Akos and Eijeh Kereseth, from across the border and bring them to Shotet. Ryzek wanted Eijeh because Eijeh?s gift is to prophesize. Akos is useful since his gift is to disrupt the current of the gifts of others. By touching Cyra, he can control her pain enough for Ryzek to have her to appear in public with him and do his bidding (which usually involves torture).Akos is desperate to get Eijeh out of Shotet, because the gift Ryzek has is destroying Eijeh. But Ryzek has eyes everywhere, and a gang of thugs to support him. As Cyra and Akos grow closer, they both try to give each other strength and courage to stand up to injustice.Evaluation: This book has a predictable attraction between two teens from two enemy groups; very evil people trying to take over the government; a resistance group; lots of training in fighting and weaponry; family loyalty questions; heartbreaking loss; a great deal of angst; and some personal growth, even though it?s only book one.But I was not impressed with the derivative plot, the superficial characterizations - most of which lacked nuance, or the flimsy motivation for Cyra doing Ryzek?s evil bidding. While I have seen a number of reviews for this book that condemn a perceived dichotomy between evil dark people and good light people, I didn?t think the comparative characteristics of each group was that straightforward. In my view, each had a mix of good and bad people. But adding color to one side or the other didn?t seem to serve any purpose in any event.While I didn?t hate this book, I can?t see myself seeking out the next installment.

[mrnattania · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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 !!

[Megan Engela · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Once you get past the world-building, it’s awesome. Such a cool mythology to set a wonderful, big story in. I disagree with those who think this book promotes racism / self-harm / drugs. “The Hunger Games” didn’t make teens murder each other, and “Carve The Mark” won’t, either. I loved it! Beautifully performed by two wonderful voice artists. I’m excited for the next one in the series.

[cathishaw · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Veronica Roth is well known in the YA world, of course. But her new novel really intrigued me. She has created a believable world with well developed characters. Cyra is a strong character who has had to learn to be independent despite her privileged upbringing. Akos is her opposite. Having been ripped away from his close knit family and taken hostage by the Shotet after watching his father die, he has every reason to hate Cyra and all she stands for. But, almost unbelievably, a sort of friendship grows between the two of them. One has to wonder how they will remain close to each other when they are facing so much animosity from all sides. Fast paced adventure with lots of twist and turns Roth has done an great job with this book - can't wait until Book 2 comes out.

[olegalca · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm torn when it comes to this book - I liked the plot better than Divergent and I felt that the characters were more fully developed. I know some have called it slow and have given up but I felt the pace was good.

Criticisms of "Carve the Mark" focus on racism and a glorification of chronic pain. I had to go looking for the racist descriptions and yes, it's unfortunate that the cruel race was described as dark and the spiritual race pale. I don't think it was overt and Roth does develop more than 1 dimensional characters but it is problematic. Cyra's gift of pain wasn't glorified to a great extent... she hated it and it debilitated her at the beginning until Akos entered her life... I'll have to read it again.

Something I found troublesome considering this book has been put in the teen section of my store, is the characters' use of medicinal plants to change personality, provide relief from sleeplessness, pain and anxiety, poison someone else etc. etc. It was everywhere. All we need is to make drug-taking seem even more exciting to young people.

Lots of violence here too (and a glorification of self-mutilation when a person kills another). I can't give it a really high mark because of all the questionable elements but I did like the plot and will probably read book 2.

[Sarah Chalmers · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Gripping, well paced with believable character development. Hopefully just the start of an epic series

[bell7_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thuvhe and Shotet are at war. The Thuvhesites, recognized by the galaxy's governing body known as the Assembly, live on their harsh ice planet and worship the current, which goes through all things and people and gives them special gifts and abilities. The Shotet, a militant people also living on the planet known as Thuvhe, want to be recognized as a nation and have their own history and explanations for the conflict between them and Thuvhe. Akos, the Thuvhesite son of a farmer and an oracle, and Cyra, the daughter of the ruling family of Shotet, could not be more different but both their lives are changed when their fates - and those of family and friends - are revealed to all. Because while you can change the future, you can't change your fate - or can you?After the Divergent series exploded on the scene, anything Veronica Roth writes is bound to receive a lot of hype. I had a library hold on this book before I knew anything but the title. I applaud her for creating a completely different world from her first series and really enjoyed learning about the unique people groups, histories, and belief systems that populate this world. Even though there's a lot of world-building to take in, the pacing builds and keeps you turning pages faster and faster. The narrative switches back and forth between Cyra (first person) and Akos (third person). The tropes of the genre - the love story, really evil bad guys - are definitely present, so if you're sick of them you'll probably find this an "okay" read, but fans of this kind of YA fantasy/science fiction will eat it up. I enjoyed it overall, and I'm looking forward to the sequel.

[ethel55_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

While I was excited for a new Roth book to arrive, I wasn't prepared for both its' length and very sci-fi world.. I enjoyed the first section with Akos' background, but as I headed into the Cyra section, the world building was just jumping all over the place and I quite frankly wasn't a fan of the brutality or her pain. About 70 pages in, I realized there was a glossary in the back. HINT--take a look at it sooner, it may have helped a bit with the course of setting the scene. However, once I got to about 130 pages, I had to give it up. I wanted things to get better and pick up once the protagonists paths cross, but I couldn't stick it out any longer.

[Veronika Koen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A brilliant idea well executed from Veronica Roth. As with the Divergent series, she is original and she creates exciting characters. Very much looking forward to the second instalment. (Hope she avoids her earlier vast mistakes, like turning her really cool male lead into a lovesick puppy or killing off the female lead...)

[deborahjade · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Yes, I knew it was written by the same author as the Divergent series, which I gave up on in the second book. But I thought I'd give it a go.
The writing was fine.. the relationships were realistic.. I just wasn't drawn into it and didn't really care for the characters. Ended up scan-reading just to see what happened.. and found it ends on a rather annoying cliff-hanger.

[evaw-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story of Cyra and Akos from enemy countries ...

[mrnattania72 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

WTF is going on in this book, between the similar names or characters that have almost identical current gifts. Can I just say that I thought the term "current gifts" meant current as time. Like they would get new one at some other age. No, it wasn't until the end of this book "current" is as in electricity. That I'd jus far behind I am in this story.

[wagner5sarah35 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A solid continuation of Carve the Mark. Veronica Roth certainly knows how to craft a compelling tale and this story, which picks up where the previous volume left off, has plenty of twists earlier on that keep one engaged. The ending was satisfying (better than the ending of the Divergent series) and I would be happy to visit this world again but hopefully not as a continuation of this story.

[faith_murri · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Space was not a finite container, but that didn't mean it was empty. Asteroids, stars, planets, the current stream; space debris, ships, fragmented moons, undiscovered worlds; this was a place of endless possibility and unfathomable freedom. It was not nothing, it was everything.
I had some mixed feelings about the first book, but I entirely loved this one! It was so good!

The inclusion of Eijeh and Cisi's perspectives really added a lot to the story and the world. We got to see so much more through them than just through Akos and Cyra, and it was greatly appreciated. I got my more planets wish and got some awesome visuals along the way (Ogra is my dream aesthetic)

The themes were great in this, and the pacing was also great. Everything was great.

I was hesitant about the Lazmet death retcon, but it was done really well and added a lot to the story. The plot twists were all super effective and the hard-hitting moments were pretty intense.

Let me just say that I hate Isae Benesit and will never like her. The end.

(note to Veronica Roth: PLEASE do not make this a trilogy! Two is fine! An unresolved political drama is perfectly okay to leave hanging. Don't pull an Allegiant on us again!)

[sboren-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I purchased this book from @halfpricebooks to read. It was also a #buddyread with my bestie @mycornerforbooksand. All opinions are my own. ????? The Fates Divide by Veronica Roth. So I went into this book after reading Carve The Mark (Book 1) and totally thought I may have had a conclusion figured out. Ummm. I was wrong. Although all through part 1 my theories were holding strong and I was pretty sure what was coming but Part 2 blew all those theories out of the water. Cyra and Akos went in directions I didn't think possible because of the fates they were given upon birth and everyone around them seemed to pull closer inside the circle. The characters that were so soft hearted in book 1 became stronger and more outspoken in this book and even a few new characters are brought in that you are just as invested in. All in all the conclusion wraps up all of the characters and brings a closure so nicely you aren't left wondering what happened. Review also posted on Instagram @borenbooks, Library Thing, Go Read, Goodreads/StacieBoren, Amazon, and my blog at readsbystacie.com

[maxx22-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The sequel was not as good as the first. But I was still interested in the characters and how the story would unfold. I aslo wish that this wasn't the last we hear of these characters but it truely seems like the end of the story.

[herenya_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really liked Carve the Mark, although I'd not given it much thought since reading it. I zipped through the sequel. It is a bit more straightforward and a bit less dark than the first book, because the characters are dealing with all that’s already gone wrong, rather than constantly navigating new disasters. In some ways, fewer new disasters is a good thing -- otherwise it would have been difficult for the story to conclude satisfyingly. I liked the twists and revelations, and the way the characters’ foretold fates played out. I liked the way it resolved some things and made other things more complicated.However… I was expecting it to pack more of an emotional impact. In hindsight, I wanted it to focus even more on the characters’ relationships with their families. I’d have liked to see more exploration of what it means to be the child of an oracle, and more of characters either processing their feelings about, or attempting to reconcile with, family. There are different ways that could have been done and different ways it could have played out, and still fitted with the plot as it otherwise stands.… it’s suddenly dawned on me that I wanted this to have the FEELINGS of a Melina Marchetta book. Alas, it does not.“Oh, honestly,” Teka groaned. “Is it some kind of rule of the universe that at least one Noavek asshole has to be alive at any given time, or what?”Cyra swivelled to face her. “What am I, then? Not alive?”“Not an asshole,” Teka replied. “Bicker with me much more and I'll change my mind.”