BOOK REVIEW : Carve the Mark
By Veronica Roth
BY SULPHIA IQBAL
MY THOUGHTS
The best way to explain Carve the Mark would be to say if Romeo and Juliet and Star Wars had a book baby, this would be it, but only in the way that it takes place in space and there is a forbidden relationship. Honestly, I seriously didn’t know where the book was going while reading it. It was boring for the entirety of the book till the very end.
Basically, the story takes place on a planet called Thuvhe that is comprised of two people : the Shotet and the Thuvhe. These groups have been at war with each other forever ….yada yada yada….People in this world have these abilities called currengifts that are granted by the (wait for this) the current... (AMAZING). Some of these gifts are simple, like not feeling pain, but some could be extreme, like inflicting pain on others. The two main characters are Shotet and Thuvhe respectively and they form a forbidden relationship (like any other YA book in the world). Each character goes through this phase of self-actualization and begin to understand that they could be loyal to the Shotet and the Thuvhe, because no one is either completely Good or Evil in this world. Their respective people, on the other hand, don’t seem to get that.
The book focused on two characters : Cyra and Akos.
Cyra is the sister of the tyrannical leader of the Shotet. Everyone knows her as to be that girl you wouldn't dare cross. Rumors says she can kill with touch, and it’s not far from the truth. Her currentgift grants her the power to inflict pain on anyone. Unfortunately, her horrible brother uses this to his advantage to instill fear among his people, and it certainly works.
Akos was kidnapped along with his brother at somewhat of a young age by the Shotet. While his brother is taken in by Cyra's brother as a tool to see the future, Akos is sent to be Cyra’s personal….well, pain reliever. Since Cyra can inflict pain, her power is kinda painful to not only her victims, but herself as well. Akos’ currentgift is the able to not feel the power of the anyone’s currentgift. In other words, as long as Akos is touching Cyra, her power - which is very important to Cyra and her brother because her powers has serious consequences - can be kept under control.
You would think these two characters are complete opposites, and they were at first. But throughout the book, they become two strong people who are not only kind-hearted, but fierce friends who will stop at nothing to protect the ones they love.
I had a lot of expectations for the book. I mean, this is Veronica Roth’s work we’re talking about. Her world building skills were AMAZING in Divergent, so the bar was set very high, but Carve the Mark just seemed like any other YA inter-galactic story to me. Some people might be disappointed, some not so much. I fell into the former.
QUOTES
“Soft hearts make the universe worth living in.”
“You want to see people as extremes. Bad or good, trustworthy or not. I understand. It's easier that way. But that isn't how people work.”
Despite what I say in this review, read the book. It’s only fair you get to go through same experience as any other reader without any bias.
Check it out at the library and goodreads :
RATINGS: ⅖
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