Addicted to YA discussion

What did you think of it? Favorite or least favorite characters? Favorite or least favorite part? Will you read the next one?

Carve the Mark was really interesting. It was so hard to put down once I got into the story. I ended up loving it more than I thought I would!

The world-building is amazingly done. It's set in a different world, and it took me some time to get used to all the different aspects and terms, but once I did all I wanted to do was keep on reading. The world is just so fascinating and I feel that Roth really thought of everything. Not only do we get a solid story about how everything's going in Shotet and Thuvhe, but we also get a lot of history. I absolutely loved this!

I really love the two main characters, Cyra and Akos. I immediately loved Cyra when I read things from her point of view. Akos grew on me while I was reading.
They're both complex characters with their own motives for doing certain things. I love how Roth shows that they are flawed, but still fight for what they believe in. These two amazing characters just made this book more fun to read.

It takes some time to get into this book, especially because this is a whole new world with new rules. I still have some questions, but I hope they will be answered in the second book.

Sorry to say I wasn't impressed with this one, although I loved Cyra as a character. I think if she'd narrated the whole book it would've been better - although Akos' POV was important too, given the book's central theme of overcoming prejudice and working towards a common goal.

I didn't love this one. I felt like it was really slow paced and there wasn't enough that actually happened. I wish that there had been more to the space aspect of it because really I felt like it could've taken place anywhere.

Akos was definitely my favorite character, though I didn't necessarily love the shifts in POV. I like that he was sensitive but also very strong. It's not often that the male lead cries a few different times in the book.

I'll read the next one in hopes that it won't be sooooo slooooow.

I found it slow but it still captured my attention. It easily could have been half the size in terms of page length.

I really liked Cyra as a character. She had great character development and I loved watching her overcome whatever obstacles were thrown away. Her gaining confidence in herself was a big plus.

Akos was intriguing but the third person narration dissappointed me. I think his story would have been much stronger if it was told as a first person POV. He just seemed so distant to me and I don't know what it accomplished having him in a third person POV.

I am hoping to get this book for my birthday this month so will get back to this page then!

This book was such a weird reading experience ... I liked pretty much everything, the setting in particular, but I couldn't stand the main characters, rip me. Actually, to be honest, I liked Cyra a lot in herself, but I absolutely couldn't stand Akos, which ruined the whole romance to me - way too much insta love for my tastes. But I liked the plot in general, so I think I'll be here for the next book. This was also the first book by Roth I've read - I skipped Divergent lol, but now I want to read it, cos' I like her style.

I feel like if you go into this wanting the next Divergent then you won't enjoy it nearly as much as others will. It's just so much different in comparison to Roth's previous books. Not only in plot but to me in her style too. While a lot of authors improve their writing throughout their careers I feel like Roth somewhat worsened in this novel. There were a lot of points in the book romance-wise that I found cringey but really I enjoyed it.

However, I recently found out there is a huge controversy surrounding Carve the Mark on whether or not it's racist/ableist. I'm curious to your guys' thoughts.

I'm also struggling with this one. I stopped reading it for a few days to read 'This Is Where It Ends' and I never do that - normally I read a book in full first before moving to the next one, so that says something.

I had heard people found it slow before I started reading it, so I took that into consideration when I began the book, but I still couldn't get into it. I tried, I honestly did! I also find the world-building to be a bit off. I couldn't quite picture some of the locations described in the novel and I feel that when it comes to sci-fi, especially a space opera like Roth is trying to build, the descriptions of places, items, people etc needs to be prioritized in order to create that suspension of disbelief.

Also, the promos and advertising around the novel also seem a little off. Carve the Mark is advertised as being a mix of Star Wars and Divergent, I haven't read Divergent but I love the films, same with Star Wars, and at this point in the novel I feel as though it is more Divergent than anything else, just set in space.

Then of course there's all the controversy around this novel being ableist/racist, something which, I'll be honest, I didn't pick up on before I read the discussions around these issues. Now I find it quite obvious in the book and it's left a bad taste in my mouth.

I really wanted to love Carve the Mark. But at this rate I can't see myself finishing it. I have not only lost interest, but have also pledged to read 100 novels this year on the Goodreads Challenge and I feel as though this is holding me back.

V wrote: "I feel like if you go into this wanting the next Divergent then you won't enjoy it nearly as much as others will. It's just so much different in comparison to Roth's previous books. Not only in plo..."

It read like Allegiant to me. A lot of talking and not a lot of action until the very end.

I personally, didn't see the racist/ableist undertones. I suppose I could see why people would feel that way and interpret the story as such; but I really don't think that was Roth's intentions at all. Honestly, if you didn't tell me people perceived it that way, I wouldn't have looked at it that way.

However, if anything, I thought this story was very encouraging towards people who may suffer from a disability. To me, this story was all about Crya learning she is more than her chronic pain; that she shouldn't let it define her.

I think what people struggle with is the idea that it is labeled as a "currentGIFT" and people don't like that the word "gift" is used. (But please correct me if I'm wrong--I'd like to know what people are talking about specifically.).

I also found this slow to get into, the world-building in the beginning was crazy - like all these new words and weird names being thrown at you, and once you think you have a handle on it, you're sent into Cyra's POV. I didn't start liking the book until I got to Cyra. And I really enjoyed the book, but I agree with others than it felt too long and slow in places, and then the ending left so many questions.

I actually hadn't heard anything about the controversies until I read other people's reviews after (I didn't want spoilers!). I can definitely see what they are talking about, although as I read it I couldn't get a handle on Cyra's skin color because she's often described as pale (with the black currents in her veins) but also with brown or tan skin, and I was also confused about Akos because he's described as having light skin/hair but then it seemed like later he was described as being darker than the rest of his family? So I never put it all together about the savage/peaceful black/white thing. which seems really obvious now.

I also didn't hear anything about this book prior to reading it. Reading reviews afterwards, though, definitely makes me think of the book differently. However, despite the controversy, I liked it.
Yeah... it wasn't as action-packed as her previous books, but I don't think it was meant to be. For me, it was more focused around relationship developments, how they change with time, and how something you thought for certain was one way could be different - whether that's Cyra's relationship with her brother, the character of Yma, or even the view towards their currentgifts.
What I didn't like was the insta-love, the (what seemed to be) sudden reveal of manipulation from Akos' mom, and how little space exploration was in the book. For how long this book was, I feel like those things should be developed more and other pieces could be cut short.