hotkoolaidpotato's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
bookshop_b's review against another edition
4.0
I feel like I'd forgotten what a great writer and storyteller Veronica Roth is after the train wreck movie series that was Divergent.
I really enjoyed this book but it took while for me to get used to the universe (I think this is because I don't read heaps of sci-fi) but when I finally did, I fell in love.
Minus all the corruption and everything Ryzek did, I really loved the Shotet culture. The whole 'carving the mark' thing was awesome!
And oracles?! (even though they're all dicks...) How cool!
But the names though.
Ugh.
I could not deal with the weird 'space' names everyone had. I swear half the time while reading this book I just made general noises in my head to distinguish the weird names.
The only name I was confident in was Akos. Legit - that was the only one!
Which is why I'm giving the book 4 stars.
But is you like strange names and a pretty hardcore, badass heroine (yaassss Cyra) you'll enjoy this book! I certainly did
I really enjoyed this book but it took while for me to get used to the universe (I think this is because I don't read heaps of sci-fi) but when I finally did, I fell in love.
Minus all the corruption and everything Ryzek did, I really loved the Shotet culture. The whole 'carving the mark' thing was awesome!
And oracles?! (even though they're all dicks...) How cool!
But the names though.
Ugh.
I could not deal with the weird 'space' names everyone had. I swear half the time while reading this book I just made general noises in my head to distinguish the weird names.
The only name I was confident in was Akos. Legit - that was the only one!
Which is why I'm giving the book 4 stars.
But is you like strange names and a pretty hardcore, badass heroine (yaassss Cyra) you'll enjoy this book! I certainly did
emilytheninth's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I enjoyed this book, but I’m not over the moon about it. I did however, really enjoy the audiobook narration with two narrators for the separate perspectives. I’m still suspicious of Ms. Veronica Roth after Divergent, but I might pick up the sequel in this duology. I am excited to have more Cyra and Akos, I enjoyed the slow burn romance.
tassiereads's review against another edition
4.0
I struggled so much to finish this book but I didn’t mind it in the end. It’s quite slow paced in my opinion and I’m someone who can’t read something unless there’s romance in it. There wasn’t much of that but when there was, it was fluffy & cute.
Even though the characters had their fates and “powers” they didn’t have much to them, it would’ve been nice to know more about them.
It’s 4 stars for me because I still enjoyed this book, it just wasn’t enough for me to read in a couple days.
Even though the characters had their fates and “powers” they didn’t have much to them, it would’ve been nice to know more about them.
It’s 4 stars for me because I still enjoyed this book, it just wasn’t enough for me to read in a couple days.
roguette's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Love, love, LOVE this duet!
taylorreadsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
If I have learned anything from my 20+ years of reading it is this: If the book is written from 2 POVs that gives the author free reign to off either one of the MCs whenever she feels like it. I learned this valuable lesson from none other then Veronica Roth..
This book is written with 2 POVs however one is written in first person and the other in third person. I'm not sure I have ever come across this format before, it was interesting, and while this book didn't hook me and draw me in like Divergent did it was still a really good read. Veronica Roth is really good at her world building. I loved the reversed gender rolls -tough warrior girl and gentle sensitive guy- but some of the made up names/words really turned me off. If I hadn't read this in one day I think it would have taken me a while to get back into the language of her world which to me as a reader is kind of annoying. I did love the MCs and the world and I am anxious for the next book.
Also I would like to thank Ms. Roth for not ending on a cliff hanger as evil as Insurgent's.
This book is written with 2 POVs however one is written in first person and the other in third person. I'm not sure I have ever come across this format before, it was interesting, and while this book didn't hook me and draw me in like Divergent did it was still a really good read. Veronica Roth is really good at her world building. I loved the reversed gender rolls -tough warrior girl and gentle sensitive guy- but some of the made up names/words really turned me off. If I hadn't read this in one day I think it would have taken me a while to get back into the language of her world which to me as a reader is kind of annoying. I did love the MCs and the world and I am anxious for the next book.
Also I would like to thank Ms. Roth for not ending on a cliff hanger as evil as Insurgent's.
jillselwyn's review against another edition
4.0
*4.75*
Veronica Roth has done it again. I've read her novels in admittedly, a bit of an odd order. I believe many that stayed reading her novels after the conclusion of the Divergent books likely then read this duology, and then moved onto her adult books. I of course started with Divergent in 2012 at eleven years old (will be doing a reread in the near future), read the whole series, and then while I owned both Carve the Mark and The Fates Divide, I didn't read either of them. The next book I read was her debut Adult novel: The Chosen Ones, then the rest of her adult books that I knew about, and now we're here.
I think that had I read this when I initially got it, at 16 years old, I would not have enjoyed it or appreciated it as much as I did. The morally grey character that Cyra is, nor the layers and political conversations and complexity. At that age I had yet to read a single space opera. Now, in 2023, I've read one adult space opera stand alone, (Some Desperate Glory) and while there are always differences between any two novels, in any given genre or sub-genre, there is a reason that space operas are their own sub-genre of the overarching Science Fiction genre. In that way, I knew a little bit of what I could expect to see, so I wasn't going in truly blind.
This novel expertly combined both first and third person perspectives, depending on the character. While I don't know why Veronica Roth chose to give Cyra a first person perspective, and Akos a third person perspective (it could be as simple as it being easier for her to write in the male perspective if writing from a distance, or there could be a deeper reason that is unknown), this felt like the perfect balance of being pulled in close to Cyra for a set amount of pages, then switching over to the more distantly written chapters in Akos' perspective. Cyra's chapters feel more personable, casual, whereas Akos' almost seem more mature and somewhat more professional and certainly closed off.
Unsurprisingly, there are a handful of witty and laugh-out-loud lines. In the Divergent series, one of my favorites was in Insurgent: "'Got that gun?' Peter says to Tobias. 'No,' says Tobias. 'I figured I would shoot the bullets out of my nostrils, so I left it upstairs,'" and again in Chosen Ones: "'Indoor voices, please,' Sloane called out. 'Slo's gonna vom.' 'And what? If we're too loud we'll miss it?' Ines said, raising an eyebrow. 'Yes,' Sloan said. 'I require an audience.'" So thankfully Carve the Mark is not an exception to the witty one liners with my favorite being:
"'Was he actually a child, or did he just sort of appear one day as a fully grown adult, full of angst?'"
With an interesting blend of fantasy-esque elements in a space opera science fiction novel, I was hooked by the immediate non-info dumping world building and stayed for everything else. I truly look forward to picking up The Fates Divide in April.
Veronica Roth has done it again. I've read her novels in admittedly, a bit of an odd order. I believe many that stayed reading her novels after the conclusion of the Divergent books likely then read this duology, and then moved onto her adult books. I of course started with Divergent in 2012 at eleven years old (will be doing a reread in the near future), read the whole series, and then while I owned both Carve the Mark and The Fates Divide, I didn't read either of them. The next book I read was her debut Adult novel: The Chosen Ones, then the rest of her adult books that I knew about, and now we're here.
I think that had I read this when I initially got it, at 16 years old, I would not have enjoyed it or appreciated it as much as I did. The morally grey character that Cyra is, nor the layers and political conversations and complexity. At that age I had yet to read a single space opera. Now, in 2023, I've read one adult space opera stand alone, (Some Desperate Glory) and while there are always differences between any two novels, in any given genre or sub-genre, there is a reason that space operas are their own sub-genre of the overarching Science Fiction genre. In that way, I knew a little bit of what I could expect to see, so I wasn't going in truly blind.
This novel expertly combined both first and third person perspectives, depending on the character. While I don't know why Veronica Roth chose to give Cyra a first person perspective, and Akos a third person perspective (it could be as simple as it being easier for her to write in the male perspective if writing from a distance, or there could be a deeper reason that is unknown), this felt like the perfect balance of being pulled in close to Cyra for a set amount of pages, then switching over to the more distantly written chapters in Akos' perspective. Cyra's chapters feel more personable, casual, whereas Akos' almost seem more mature and somewhat more professional and certainly closed off.
Unsurprisingly, there are a handful of witty and laugh-out-loud lines. In the Divergent series, one of my favorites was in Insurgent: "'Got that gun?' Peter says to Tobias. 'No,' says Tobias. 'I figured I would shoot the bullets out of my nostrils, so I left it upstairs,'" and again in Chosen Ones: "'Indoor voices, please,' Sloane called out. 'Slo's gonna vom.' 'And what? If we're too loud we'll miss it?' Ines said, raising an eyebrow. 'Yes,' Sloan said. 'I require an audience.'" So thankfully Carve the Mark is not an exception to the witty one liners with my favorite being:
"'Was he actually a child, or did he just sort of appear one day as a fully grown adult, full of angst?'"
With an interesting blend of fantasy-esque elements in a space opera science fiction novel, I was hooked by the immediate non-info dumping world building and stayed for everything else. I truly look forward to picking up The Fates Divide in April.
remingtonjill's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
dreamchronicler8's review against another edition
2.0
I don't really know how to explain how I feel about this book. It sat on my self for years; I'd bought it shortly after the release but decided I didn't want to pick it up anymore amid the accusations of racism within the book (which are completely valid) but I did sort of enjoy the story in the long run. Kind of. I listened to the audiobook and it was entertaining to listen to for sure. It had high stakes and enough violence for the world to feel dangerous, except it wasn't a world, it was a galaxy which I forgot on so many occasions. It had a nice twist, and it had a nice build up towards a romance even though it was obviously incredibly predictable. I do like how the main character portrays pain... having to power through it to function. My mother has chronic pain and it seemed to be relatable in the sense that it was unavoidable and incapacitating in every way. How people doubt you because of it felt nice and realistic. I did see and feel bouts of covert racism.. how the dark skinned people are the violent aggressors and the white people are the peaceful hopefuls... but I di notice that the lines are blurry considering families on both sides can look completely opposite from one another. that fact however doesn't change the other fact that the aggressors are primarily described as dark skinned.