Review Detail

"Honor has no place in survival."

Carve The Mark is an deeply riveting sci-fi thriller with non-stop action, heart-breaking betrayal, and an intense survival story that will keep readers flipping pages right up until the captivating ending.

Carve The Mark is one of the most highly anticipated books of 2017.....and it without a doubt lives up to the hype! I devoured Carve The Mark and cannot wait for readers everywhere to read this fantastic book!

The first thing that drew me to Veronica Roth's Carve The Mark was it's remarkably gorgeous and intricate cover. Everything about the cover screams "AMAZING!!!" The color and the graphics are just breath-taking. I could literally stare at this gorgeous cover ALL DAY....and once the reader has finished the book and the underlying meaning behind the cover and the name of the book are discovered then everything comes together and the reality of how intense Cyra's world really is...... will stun and haunt you.

"He would die for his loved ones....
She has to kill for hers....."

Of course, like so many other YA readers out there.....I am a huge fan of Veronica Roth's and when I realized that she had written a new duology I knew that I had to read it and I was not disappointed. I love the YA Sci-Fi and Fantasy genre and Carve The Mark has all the aspects of a great story with it's unique world-building and fascinating main characters. I loved that the female main character, Cyra, is the warrior and heroine of the story. Cyra is strong, independent and yet battling some serious inner demons as well as her evil brother, Ryzek who is the ruler of their world.

Carve The Mark is told in two POVs: the two main characters, Cyra and Akos. Akos is from another nation that is also ruled by Cyra's tyrant brother, Ryzek and Akos is captured and brought to Cyra's homeland in order to use his currentgift to ease Cyra's currentgift that causes her so much pain. Cyra's currentgift causes her to be in constant pain but at the same time causes her to be incredibly powerful....she can kill anyone with a single touch. In return, Akos is able to remove her pain by a single touch as well. Akos has basically lost everyone he loves but instead of giving up...he is fighting and learning to survive amongst his enemies so that have can save his brother who was also captured and both of them can return back to their homeland.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Cyra and Akos. I like that the feelings between them were not instantaneous (also know as "insta-love") but actually they grew to like each other over time which makes their relationship so much more believable.

"Akos touched her face. When he first met her, he thought she was this fearsome thing, this monster he needed to escape. But she had unfurled bit by bit, showing him her wicked humor by waking him with a knife to his throat, talking about herself with unflinching honesty, for better or worse, and loving- so deeply- every little bit of this galaxy, even the parts she was supposed to hate....."

Overall, I just truly loved Carve The Mark! The world of Shotet and Thuvhe that Akos and Cyra live in was a refreshing new "Star Wars-esque" world that really captivated me and I cannot wait to see what happens next in this story. Kudos, Veronica....you did it again. :)