It’s a story of survival and overcoming the odds, of standing up to oppressors and doing what’s right.Īdmittedly, the first quarter or so of the novel starts out a bit slow, but, once you read further, it becomes clear that the pace was necessary in order to really set up the stakes for rest of the novel. There are a few juicy mysteries woven in here and there, but the general story arc is pretty straightforward and doesn’t rely on a huge twist to make it compelling. In terms of plot, Carve the Mark doesn’t disappoint. It’s small details like this that make us feel comfortable with the world she’s built so that we can freely explore the other facets of it. That sort of familiarity comes from the galaxy dealing with similar issues we’ve experienced in our own world, such as media bias and rising tensions between countries. Though multiple planets and peoples are introduced, the galaxy somehow feels intimate. The galaxy itself feels a bit like a cross between the vibrant aesthetics of The Guardians of the Galaxy (with bright hues of color, especially blues, dominating the palette) and the cultural and spiritual complexities of Star Wars. But all of the pieces, once they’re introduced, fit together perfectly and create a galaxy quite unlike anything you’ve experienced. Because the richness and different aspects of the world unfold as the novel goes along, the world-building can sometimes feel a little slow or incomplete.

Only this time she really outdid herself, creating the world of Carve the Mark (or, well, galaxy) completely from scratch. Until then, he has to aid Cyra by using his currentgift to dampen hers.īut the more Akos and Cyra’s lives intertwine (and the more the tensions between their nations rise), the more they’re confronted with having to decide between banding together for survival or destroying each other.Īs she demonstrated in the Divergent series, Veronica Roth is an excellent world builder. The only thing that keeps him going is his drive to free both himself and his brother. When Akos and his brother are cruelly captured and enslaved by the Shotet (on Cyra’s tyrant brother’s orders, no less), Akos must live and survive among the people who tore his family apart. Though her currentgift causes her pain every moment she’s awake, it also gives her power over others. Cyra, on the other hand, is from the nation of Shotet where vengeance and violence are essential for survival. Akos comes from a nation of peaceful people and has a close-knit relationship with his family. Akos and Cyra both live on the same planet and have currentgifts that make them vulnerable to others, but that’s pretty much where their similarities end.

Carve the mark characters