When looking for a book to read, there are a few boxes that I prefer to be ticked: strong female protagonist, sassy side characters, fantasy dystopian futures with rebellions and creative interpretation of both sides being morally grey (hey, I didn’t say that the check list was realistic).
Carve the Mark, upon first glance, appears to fulfil this perfectly. There are bad guys, there are good guys. Both think they’re good, both have morally corrupt aspects. And in the middle of it all, there’s Cyra and Akos, diametrically opposed foes, bound together by fate.
My personal thoughts:
I have not read the Divergent series (gasp), and I tend to avoid authors who have copious amounts of fan service behind them, worrying that their next book will fall flat as a pancake. My initial hesitation was correct. It took more effort to get past the first fifty pages of exposition than reading all of Brisingr by Christopher Paolini.
Things happened. Characters that I was supposed to somehow be attached to died. The main character’s gift was hurting her. That’s it. You can now skip the first fifty pages and get into the actual story. You’re welcome.
Once it actually got into the story, I was pleased to find it improved. Relationships and conflicts felt real, there were a few twists that I didn’t quite expect. However, what I truly found great about this book was its main character Cyra.
My best friend from high school suffered from chronic pain, and I found the description of Cyra’s curse to be relatable and realistic, not shying away from the ever-present pain. It wasn’t something that could simply be lifted by magic. It was something that had bad days and worse days, and through therapy and self-reflection could be managed.
TL;DR 7/10, but skip the first bit
Carve the Mark
by Veronica Roth
Published by HarperCollins New Zealand
ISBN: 9780008159498
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