Veronica Roth

Carve the Mark

Fans of Star Wars and Divergent will revel in internationally bestselling author Veronica Roth’s stunning new science-fiction fantasy series. On a planet where violence and vengeance rule, in a galaxy where some are favored by fate, everyone develops a currentgift, a unique power meant to shape the future. While most benefit from their currentgifts, Akos and Cyra do not—their gifts make them vulnerable to others’ control. Can they reclaim their gifts, their fates, and their lives, and reset the balance of power in this world? 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. They must decide to help each other to survive—or to destroy one another.

Leen

“I didn't choose the blood that runs in my veins, any more than you chose your fate. You and I, we've become what we were made to become”

Anna 

Vítejte ve světě, kde vládne násilí a právo silnějšího, a kde mnozí trpí. V této galaxii má každý člověk zvláštní dar. Většina ze svého daru dokážou vytěžit to nejlepší, ale někteří jsou kvůli daru zneužíváni. Jako Akos a Cyra. Cyra je sestrou tyrana, který vládne celému válečnickému národu, a využívá svou sestru pro mučení svých nepřátel. Cyra ale chce být víc než jen nástrojem v bratrových rukách. Akos pochází z mírumilovného národa. Když ho společně s bratrem zatknou vojáci vysláni Cyrinou rodinou, snaží se jen o jediné- zachránit bratra na úkor vlastního bezpečí. Pomůžou si Akos a Cyra navzájem, a nebo si přinesou jeden druhému zkázu?
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Zezačátku jsem se velice bála, že to bude další nudná knížka. Prvních cca 100 stránek se tam nic moc nedělo, ale pak se to hezky rozjelo. Je to originální knížka, postavy jsou také originální, každá má svoje mouchy, a to se mi na tom líbilo. Zajímavé mi přišlo i  jejich dospívání v průběhu čtení. Celá kniha má takovou vesmírnou atmosféru, protože se odehrává v jiné galaxii, a je i o cestování mezi planetami té galaxie. Hodně se tam řeší politika, ale je tam tak dobře vysvětlená, že jsem se v dané situaci bez problémů vyznala. Knížce proto dávám 4*/5*

nina 

2.5 stars 
AND I'M FINALLY DONE! Don't get me wrong, I love Veronica Roth's writing. But for some reason I was indifferent and couldn't get into the story. I didn't love it or hate it, something just didn't click. I agree with the Goodreads scale of 2 stars 'it was ok', but it was. There was a point after halfway that things got really interesting, but I still wasn't really attached. Doubt I will read the second book, but I do want to find out what happens, since the next book is the finale.

Linn jäverfelt 

I think it was boring at first but when I got into the book it was actually really good.

Fans of Star Wars and Divergent will revel in internationally bestselling author Veronica Roth's stunning new science-fiction fantasy series. On a planet where violence and vengeance rule, in a galaxy where some are favoured by fate, everyone develops a currentgift, a unique power meant to shape the future. While most benefit from their currentgifts, Akos and Cyra do not - their gifts make them vulnerable to others' control. Can they reclaim their gifts, their fates, and their lives, and reset the balance of power in this world?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. They must decide to help each other to survive - or to destroy one another.

Nessa Luna

Actual rating: 3,5. When it was first announced Veronica Roth, the author of one of my favourite book series ever, was writing another book, I was 100% going to buy it on publication date. I had no idea what the book would be about, or if it would even be 'up my alley', but I was going to buy it. As more got announced about the book, I got even more excited, because this was definitely up my alley.

Carve the Mark tells the story of two people from different cultures. We have Cyra, a Shotet, whose currentgift not only brings other people pain but herself as well. Then, there's Akos, a Thuvesit, who is most loyal to his family and has an unusual currentgift which may be exactly what Cyra needs.

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding this book, and I am not going to address that, other than say that I didn't experience the book the way these people did. I did however not love this book, not as much as I did with Divergent, at least.

CtM was a great science fiction book with lots of world-building, but to be honest the first half if not the first two/thirds of the book were rather boring. There was mostly world-building going on, getting to know the characters and the planets the story took place on, but not a lot of action. I was used to the action-packed Divergent trilogy Veronica wrote, and I think I was expecting this book to be exactly that, but in space. Yet, I found myself putting the book down more often than actually read it, and that made me sad.

It kind of felt a bit like Star Wars, which I had been expecting because the book had been pitched as 'for fans of Star Wars' I believe. But the whole currentgift and currentblade thing made me think of a combination of Mutants and Jedi. (Jedi Mutants? How about that). I'm not saying it's a bad thing, though, because I did really enjoy this aspect of the story, but the moment currentblades were described I was like 'lol lightsabers'.

Character-wise, this book was really good. I loved Cyra, and I loved Akos almost right from the start. There were some characters I'd rather throw off a large wall, and there were characters I didn't like at first but who grew on me in the end. The names were very difficult to remember and pronounce though, so I think maybe it would have been good to add a pronunciation guide in the book itself. I also didn't find it as difficult to imagine what the characters looked like, because Veronica had (re)posted some fanart on Instagram a while back (of Cyra, Akos and Ryzek check it out, it's amazing!)

The writing also felt a bit different from Divergent, as I kind of said before, but it was still enjoyable and I did really love the fact I was reading another Veronica Roth book. Still, I do think some parts of this book could have been scrapped, and I think the fighting parts should have been more extended. (view spoiler)[There were some arena fights, that were over in less than a page, and those were the parts that could have really made it worthwhile for me (hide spoiler)]

In the end, I enjoyed Carve the Mark but I can't say it's a new favourite. I will probably pick up the second (and final?) book in this series, but I'm not sure I'll be first in line to pick it up so to say.

My opinion in one gif:

I suppose I expected more. The beginning was dragging then it got a but more interesting but they kinda lost me throughout the book so I probably won't read the second one. I had to push myself to even finish this one multiple times.

Anežka Knorrová

Lacy W

Wow! I loved this book! Everything from the world to the lore to the characters to even the descriptions of the plants. I just really enjoyed this book. It kept me intrigued the entire time even though I couldn't pronounce half the words or names. But I should probably talk about the elephant in the room before I get to far into me raving about this book. 

I realize that there is a lot of controversy surrounding this book. I did keep that in mind while reading it but it didn't pull away from the story for me. I do understand why people got upset. I get that. Roth probably should have addressed the concerns. Her editor maybe should have said something. I am just one of those people that takes books for what they are, controversy and all. However, while reading this book, I just had this strong feeling that Veronica Roth had done research on different types of tribes and took her inspiration from there and not realizing she took the skin color and all. Maybe she didn't realize that, while writing, that it would come off as racist. 

Alright, onto the review. First off, I have to rave about the characters. I loved the characters! Akos was so strong and resilient. I really liked how even though he was living with the "enemy", he still remembered who he was and tried to not forget it. He was kind to Cyra, even when she snapped at him constantly. His father clearly taught him well, when it came to the sympathy of others. 

Speaking of Cyra. I really liked her too! To me, she had the most amount of growth in a character that I've ever seen. She went from hating everything and judging based on what planet they lived on to accepting others. That is some serious growth right there. I felt so bad for her, that she struggled with constant pain. I can't even begin to imagine what that is like. I have chronic back pain but to have that type of pain ALL over my body? No thank you! Kudos to those that can live with that and still be functional. Y'all are stronger than me. It made my heart melt knowing that she found relief through Akos' currentgift.

I loved the idea of the currentgift. I think that is a cool concept, even though it's been used a lot with different names. I liked the way Roth described it. How it comes to you and how other people use theirs. I like how it can be a super subtle gift like Cisi's or a very prominent gift like Cyra's. 

Look, I know that there is controversy surrounding this book. I know that there have been people who refuse to read it because of it. I hope that because I read this book, I won't get looked down upon. If you disagree with me loving this book, then fine. I'm okay with that. I have friends who hate Harry Potter. I still love them. Just don't get all trollish and start attacking me. Me liking this book doesn't define me as a person. I support love and equality. Just remember, I'm just a bookworm who wanted to give this book a try.

Rachel Kanyid

I am so freaking ready for a another book by Veronica Roth! /Excited

Julia Lotz

Bevor ich mit der Besprechung des Buches beginne, halte ich es für wichtig zu erwähnen, dass ich von all den Vorwürfen wusste, die um Veronica Roth‘ neues Buch aufgekommen sind und dass ich dennoch losgelöst von diesen ans Lesen gegangen bin. Ich möchte auf diese Vorwürfe im folgenden Text nicht mehr eingehen, ich werde jedoch einen weiteren Post darüber verfassen, der unter diese Rezension verlinkt sein wird, solltet ihr sie auf meinem Blog lesen. Fakt ist jedoch, ich sehe diese Vorwürfe nicht, ich kann weder Rassismus erkennen, noch eine Verherrlichung von chronischen Schmerzen und folglich fällt nichts davon in meine Bewertung des Buches.

Veronica Roth konnte mich schon mit ihrer Bestimmung-Trilogie überzeugen und so war klar, dass ich Rat der Neun lesen musste. Ich mag die starken Figuren, die sie entwirft und das, was sie uns über das Leben beibringt. Direkt im ersten Kapitel habe ich festgestellt, dass ich Rat der Neun wahrscheinlich mehr lieben werde, als die Bestimmung, denn es ist eine Mischung aus Sci-Fi und Fantasy und dieser Mix gehört zu den Genres, die ich am liebsten lese. Dieses Genre zieht sich konstant durch das Buch, es schweift weder zu einer Liebesgeschichte ab, noch zu etwas anderem und das macht das Buch besonders für alle jene sehr lesbar, die wirklich gerne gute Fantasy lesen.

Was mich besonders begeistert hat, das ist das gesamte Worldbuilding. Es ist zwar sehr komplex aber so auch sehr einzigartig und gut durchdacht. Wir befinden uns in einem Sonnensystem mit neun Planeten auf denen jeweils ein Volk lebt, das ein Mitglied für den Rat der Neun stellt. Diese Planeten umschließt der Strom der zum Gegenstand der Religion dieses Sonnensystems geworden ist. Das Volk der Shotet ist ein Nomadenvolk, das auf Thuve sässig geworden ist und seitdem in Konflikt mit den ursprünglichen Bewohnern Thuves steht. Aus beiden Völkern treffen zwei junge Menschen aus einem besonderen Grund zusammen und müssen fortan miteinander auskommen.

Cyra und Akos mochte ich beide sehr gerne. Bei Akos hat es zwar etwas länger gedauert, Cyra habe ich jedoch sofort ins Herz geschlossen, denn sie ist ein sehr liebenswürdiger Charakter. Wir begleiten die beiden vor ihrem Aufeinandertreffen in Situationen, die ihr Leben verändern sollten und zum größten Teil in ihrer Zeit nach dem Aufeinandertreffen. Wir lernen viel über die Ansichten, die die beiden Völker von der Welt und voneinander haben und lernen beide Völker lieben und schätzen. Bei mir führte das jedoch mehr dazu, dass ich die Shotet Seite für Seite mehr zu schätzen lernte und die Thuve immer mehr verachtete. Ich bin gespannt, wie diese Entwicklung in Band 2 weitergeht. Das Ende ist auf jeden Fall sehr spannend und macht direkt Lust auf mehr. Ich hoffe, wir müssen nicht mehr lange auf das Finale warten und Gezeichnet bekommt mit diesem einen würdigen Abschluss.


Veronica Roth konnte mich mit Rat der Neun: Gezeichnet noch mehr begeistern, als mir der Bestimmung-Trilogie. Die gelungene Mischung aus Science Fiction und Fantasy und das epische Worldbuilding machten die Geschichte für mich absolut lesenswert und auch mit den Charakteren hat mich Veronica Roth nicht enttäuscht. Ich freue mich schon auf das Finale der Dilogie und hoffe, wir müssen nicht mehr allzu lange warten.

Zara Saleem

should not be as good as it is!! objectively this is a very standard ya/fantasy/scifi novel but the vibes it gives me are just immaculate!

Greta 

** spoiler alert **
           Loved both books so much. Cyra’s character development is amazing and do not let me start about just how badass she is. I have read some reviews about the book beeing racist since Cyra has a darker skin and her nation is seen as the bad guys but first SPOILERS SO DO NOT READ FURTHER she is not from there originaly and Ryzek is Noavek and he is pale and Akos is originaly from Shotet and as mentioned MANY times he is pale. If there is something I missed sorry and please let me know but I did not find any problems with the books. 
I really reccomed reading them and I promise you will binge. I loved their love and I also loved that they were still their own personas without each other.

Sonja H

Akos und Cyra leben in einer Galaxie, die jedem eine besondere Gabe schenkt und Auserwählte dazu bestimmt, die Zukunft zu beeinflussen.
Cyras Geschenk bringt anderen große schmerzen bis hin zum Tod, was sie für ihren tyrannischen Bruder zu einer gefährlichen Waffe macht. 
Als Akos, der von einem friedliebenden Planeten stammt, in seine Fänge gerät und er die bekanntschaft von Cyra macht, nimmt das Schicksal seinen Lauf...

Veronica Roth, bekannt geworden mit ihrer Serie "Divergent", hat in ihrem neuen Roman eine faszinierende und komplexe Welt erschaffen. Vielfältige Kulturen, Religionen und Lebensräume formen die Lebensumstände der Protagonisten und machen es ihnen schwer, sich mit den ihnen verliehenen eigenwilligen Fähigkeiten in ihrer Welt zurechtzufinden. Doch sie lernen, ihre Gaben zu kombinieren, eine Allianz zu bilden und sich so der Tyrannei zu widersetzen. 

So ungewöhnlich wie die Umgebung so ungewöhnlich sind auch die Erzählperspektiven, die die Autorin gewählt hat. Sie wechselt zwischen Akos, dessen Teil der Geschichte aus Sicht eines Dritten geschildert wird und Cyra, die als Icherzählerin auftritt. Dieses Stilmittel passt sehr gut zu den Persönlichkeiten und erleichtert es dem Leser, den Überblick über das Geschehen zu behalten. 

Ich bin ohne Erwartungen an diesem Roman herangegangen und wurde von einer Story überrascht, die sich nicht mit "Divergent" vergleichen lässt. Während bei diesen Büchern die Ereignisse im Vordergrund stehen und man atemlos von Seite zu Seite blättert, muss man sich für "Carve the Mark" mehr Zeit lassen, um alle Verwicklungen zu verstehen und die Charaktere besser kennenzulernen.
Ich kann mir vorstellen, dass dies einige Fans von Veronica Roth enttäuschen wird. Mir persönlich hat das Universum, das sie erschaffen hat, unglaublich gut gefallen, allerdings hätte ich mir auch hin und wieder etwas mehr "Action" gewünscht.

Elizabeth Neill

I did enjoy the start of the book but soon it went down hill. I didn't really understand the book and I had to reread parts just to understand others. I had the same feeling for this book as I did with the last book in Divergent Series but unlike Allegiant I did finish this book. 

The characters were okay but not the best I have seen. I didn't like any of them but maybe Akos a little more than the others.

I will not be reading the rest of the series.

Grace Elizabeth

For me personally, this was not it. I only made it about 10 pages in before stopping. I really wanted to like this book, but I simply could not envision anything. Not a single character or the world. None of it was coherent in my mind. And the world building was confusing to me as well. The story had potential I guess, but I read to escape reality for a time and it was hard to do that while constantly rereading a passage to try and picture it in my head. 

Elaine

This gave my the same vibe as red queen, and I really like red queen. Although I can see the criticism this book gets, I really enjoyed the story and the characters. This was really addicting and I can't wai  to continue  

mag_book_

After many mixed reviews I decided to check it by myself. Good story with interesting concept of the world but 500 pages is too much for this plot.

Tamara Al-Qaisi-Coleman

3.5 it reminded me of Shatter Me and Divergent and every other YA Dystopian/Fantasy. It was good

Makayla Woolfolk

I loved this book so much more than the Divergent trilogy. The characters were so diverse and complex, truly enjoyable to read and easy to sympathize with. Cyra was my favorite because her brutality and other emotions were so real. 
I'd heard previous comments about racism in this book, but honestly I didn't see anything. It's a work of fiction. I think people were just looking for some excuse to criticize Veronica's work. I can't wait to see what more comes from her new work!

Courtney 

I thought this book and a really slow start. I liked Akos's character, Cyra I didn't really care for. It seemed like she didn't really have any personality besides being Ryzek's sister. I thought the idea of the powers was cool as well as the current. I think it was also neat to learn how they develop their gifts and how they can adapt. I think the characters just needed a little more for me to fully enjoy the story but it was still an interesting enough read.

Megan Williams

Carve the Mark tells the story of a people who have become tyrants in the eyes of the rest of the world. They are seen as overly vicious and a war bringing people. This story specifically follows the life of two important characters on the opposite sides of a deep rooted war. Cyra Noavek is the second child of the ruling family and is ruled by her deliberating pain of her gift and her brother. Akos is the third child of an oracle who has seen the breakdown and rebellion that arises out of Akos and Cyra’s actions. 

I’m not going to lie, I was hesitant to buy and read this novel after the “controversy” about Carve the Mark was released and discussed. There were a lot of people upset with how the author set up some of the main characters and felt like there was a clear trend of racism present within this novel. There have been videos and reviews and articles written about Carve the Mark and whether or not racism and other sensitive topics. 

Controversies:
Racism
The first controversy that erupted was about racism. I read through the novel and to be honest didn’t look for any specific instances of racism that might have been present in the novel. And after finishing the novel I have to say that I didn’t see anything that striked me as racist. The characters are briefly described in small snippets and to be honest, I don’t usually pay too much attention to character descriptions anyways. But no where in the novel did I see an instance where there were a group of similar looking people being characterized a certain way that was different from everyone else.

Instead I don’t think the author differentiated people from each other, every society was described as a range of different colors and descriptions. No characters were set apart because of how they looked and I think several of the families that were actually described with any particular detail has siblings that had different types of hair and skin tones. 

Conclusion: At least to my understanding of Carve the Mark, there isn’t any racism present in this novel and to say that there were, would be a huge stretch and generalization of characters. You would have to really assume a lot of things that aren’t depicted in this novel to make it about racism and that’s just not how it is read. 

Chronic Pain
One of the other controversies mentioned in this novel was how Veronica Roth depicted chronic pain in Carve the Mark. 

I personally don’t have experience with chronic pain but when I read the novel I didn’t see the pain Cyra was in as a representation of this thing that affects a lot of people. Instead I took it at it’s value within the novel, which was part of Cyra’s currentgift. While it could definitely be related and start a great healthy conversation on the importance of realizing and understanding chronic pain, I didn’t see it as the author trying to represent people who do deal with this disease in a negative way. 

Conclusion: From how I read Carve the Mark, there can definitely be a link to how Cyra’s currentgift affects her with those who deal with chronic pain. The parallels aren’t so direct that I could say that this was the author’s intention and people deal with pain in completely unique ways. To say how pain was represented in the novel was wrong would be misleading because I felt like Cyra became stronger throughout the novel through the pain she was in which is a common theme in young adult fantasy.

Self-Harm
The final controversy that came with the publication of Carve the Mark was the topic of self-harm. Cyra’s society has this tradition of marking oneself for every kill or loss that they experience. Once again I think this aspect has to be taken with the concept of the novel in mind. This is not some ostracized practice that leads to suicide or is used in an unhealthy way to deal with pain. Instead this is a custom that society follows and therefore has to be examined within that context. There are many societies who do similar things within our own world so to say that this novel is a pathway to saying it is okay to self harm, or misrepresents cutting is just very outside the scope of the novel. 

Conclusion: This novel does not endorse self-harm but instead could open an avenue for a healthy discussion about self-harm as well as traditions of other societies. Keeping the scope of these issues to that of the novel becomes important because of how the action is described as a tradition of one’s society instead of an unhealthy way to relieve pain. 

In Other Words
I know most of this review revolved around the controversies of Carve the Mark, but I felt like it was important because these things made me hesitant to start a great novel by an even better author. I loved these characters and their story and I know Roth will create a follow up book that will change everything in this series and knock me for a loop as she has done in all of her other series. Don’t miss out on a great read because of what other people found. Take opinions with a grain of salt and find your own truth because this novel is worth it.

Kelsi Proulx

I feel very disappointed by this book. I know it's a bit unfair to judge a book based on my expectations, but I definitely expected more from this author after the Divergent series. The characters in this one just didn't grab me so I found myself not really caring what happened to them. I didn't care much about the story line and honestly felt like there was absolutely no need to make this a series. It could have easily been a standalone and only really gave indication that it was going to be a series in the last 20 pages or so. Not sure if I feel the need to continue.

Christian Huss

Greta Simokaityte

Maria Brogueira

Okay I really liked the of the gifts and the fates! It makes everything really interesting! as does the subtle reference to Star Wars and the force with the current!

I really hope the second book doesn't disappoint, because even though the romance portion of the book was a bit more than what I would've liked...I really like Cyra's and Akos' personality and traits. I like the fact that Cyra's trying to beat her fear of letting people in and I really like that behind all of the mask of though guy in Akos there is a really curious and caring person.

And I think I would've liked to see more of the space travel and more of Akos and Cyra on their "rooms" in the spaceship, I really loved the description of the room that Cyra decorated, which represented her curious nature and what she could actually have been, with her more warm mother and without her monster of father and more lately her brother.

Let's hope I don't get too disappointed 😅

Carve the Mark

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