From the Bookshelf of All the Books!…

Carve the Mark (Carve the Mark, #1)

Veronica Roth

Start date: March 1, 2020

Finish date: March 31, 2020

Discussion: All the Authors!

Why we're reading this: Winner of Poll
[close] Winner of Poll

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 2 topics — 70 comments total

All the Authors!

* Author Talk
By Sara , The Meme Mod! · 18 posts · 125 views

last updated Jun 14, 2025 03:02AM

Ebook Free August 23 & 24!
By Lashonda · 1 post · 3 views

last updated Aug 23, 2025 12:48PM

showing 1 of 1 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Dec 21, 2019 ˚.🎀༘⋆ Jasmine rated it liked it

I’m sorry it took so long!!

REVIEW TO COME!! 😘✌️

3 likes · Like · see review

Mar 28, 2017 Robin rated it it was ok · review of another edition

some authors i love absolutely everything they write, while others are hit-or-miss for me. there are a few authors this applies to so usually when that is the case i will still give a new book or new series a chance if i liked some of what i have read by the author. i loved divergent, insurgent, and the four books. allegiant... not so much. considering how long i had looked forward to it i couldn't believe how disappointed i was with it after reading it. so when i heard Veronica Roth had a new b some authors i love absolutely everything they write, while others are hit-or-miss for me. there are a few authors this applies to so usually when that is the case i will still give a new book or new series a chance if i liked some of what i have read by the author. i loved divergent, insurgent, and the four books. allegiant... not so much. considering how long i had looked forward to it i couldn't believe how disappointed i was with it after reading it. so when i heard Veronica Roth had a new book out it and after reading the synopsis it intrigued me enough to want to read it, but i was not trusting enough to buy it so i waited until i was able to borrow it from the library.

now when i love a book i breeze right through it or at least look forward to reading more and make time to read, etc. carve the mark took me two whole weeks to read. unless the book is really lengthy, normally that is a long time for me. this book was really slow in the beginning and i didn't find myself wanting badly to make time to read it. i was bored enough that i contemplated dropping it a couple times, but then about halfway through it, things finally started picking up somewhat and becoming interesting enough that i did finally actually want to know what was going to happen next. i definitely read the second half much quicker than the first half.

one major thing that bugged me was the way it was written in first and third person. it alternated perspectives of two of the main characters so it would have made sense for both of them to be telling it in first person OR for it to be third person the entire time no matter which perspective it was being told from. all of Cyra's chapters were first person while all of Akos's chapters were third person. that made no sense to me whatsoever.

after reading some of other reviews i am not surprised that many others felt the same way. there are some very controversial issues in this book from racial dissension to glorifying self-harm and chronic pain. if i was going to write a book about racial dissension and peaceful versus savage races of people, i think i would've chosen other skin tone colors rather than black and white / brown and white/ pale and dark. obviously people are going to view that as a negative racial thing even if it wasn't intended. being that the whole book took place in space with fictional planets she could've easily made one group's skin tone green and the other's yellow or purple and everyone wouldn't have looked at it like it was about race, but just two groups of people who were enemies. also the way the chronic pain of one of the main characters was described was peculiar, too. it was described like it was a gift, but i am pretty sure that anyone that suffers from any type of chronic pain would beg to differ. and the whole carving the mark, inflicting self-harm to represent each kill as if it is something to be proud of was a little messed up, too. i guess it is supposed to be viewed as part of their culture just like any tattoo or piercing or jewelry or anything else? i don't know there were definitely some weird issues with it.

i liked the two main characters enough. totally saw it coming that they would end up having feelings for each other. no big shocker there. both characters changed somewhat throughout the book but it seemed for the better. they were both very determined to do what they felt was right and look out for those important to them.

and then when she decided to finally end the book it left so much hanging... guess there will be a lot of questions that will hopefully be answered in the next book assuming i am still interested enough to read it being that it won't be out until sometime next year... ...more

Like · see review