Carve the Mark (Carve the Mark Series #1)

by Veronica Roth

Overview

Globally bestselling Divergent author Veronica Roth delivers a breathtaking fantasy featuring an unusual friendship, an epic love story, and a galaxy-sweeping adventure.

#1 New York Times bestseller * Wall Street Journal bestseller * USA Today bestseller * #1 IndieBound bestseller

Praise for Carve the Mark:

“Roth skillfully weaves the careful world-building and intricate web of characters that distinguished Divergent.” —VOYA (starred review)

“Roth offers a richly imagined, often brutal world of political intrigue and adventure, with a slow-burning romance at its core.” —ALA Booklist

Cyra Noavek and Akos Kereseth have grown up in enemy countries locked in a long-standing fight for dominance over their shared planet. When Akos and his brother are kidnapped by the ruling Noavek family, Akos is forced to serve Cyra, the sister of a dictator who governs with violence and fear. Cyra is known for her deadly power of transferring extraordinary pain unto others with simple touch, and her tyrant brother uses her as a weapon against those who challenge him. But as Akos fights for his own survival, he recognizes that Cyra is also fighting for hers, and that her true gift—resilience—might be what saves them both.

When Akos and Cyra are caught in the middle of a raging rebellion, everything they’ve been led to believe about their world and themselves must be called into question. But fighting for what’s right might mean betraying their countries, their families, and each other.

When the time comes, will they choose loyalty or love?

And don't miss The Fates Divide, Veronica Roth's powerful follow-up novel!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062348647
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	12/26/2017
Series:	Carve the Mark Series , #1
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	512
Sales rank:	35,013
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.80(h) x 1.40(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Veronica Roth is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant, Four: A Divergent Collection, and Carve the Mark. Ms. Roth and her husband live in Chicago. You can visit her online at www.veronicarothbooks.com.

Editorial Reviews

This duology offers shades of George Lucas sprawl and influence, Game of Thrones clan intrigue, and a little Romeo & Juliet-style romance.  There are cliffhangers aplenty and dangling plot lines to lure us to the next book.

USA Today

Roth offers a richly imagined, often-brutal world of political intrigue and adventure, with a slow-burning romance at its core. Roth’s fans will be happily on board for the forthcoming sequel.

Booklist

★ “Roth skillfully weaves the careful world-building and intricate web of characters that distinguished Divergent, with settings that are rich with color, ripe for a cinematographer. Roth fans will cheer this new novel with its power to absorb the reader. Readers will be anxiously awaiting the sequel.

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (starred review)

The Divergent author builds out this new world—one reminiscent of Star Wars, with its discussions of ‘the current’ and ‘currentgifts’—while still presenting the stark brutality of the circumstances both protagonists find themselves in.

Entertainment Weekly

Roth fans will rejoice at this new outing that focuses on themes familiar from her Divergent series: identity, individual versus social responsibilities, and ethical quandaries.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

With her talent for action-packed plots and powerful characters, Roth’s latest is sure to be much talked-about all of 2017.

Brightly

Roth offers a richly imagined, often-brutal world of political intrigue and adventure, with a slow-burning romance at its core. Roth’s fans will be happily on board for the forthcoming sequel.

Booklist

This duology offers shades of George Lucas sprawl and influence, Game of Thrones clan intrigue, and a little Romeo & Juliet-style romance.  There are cliffhangers aplenty and dangling plot lines to lure us to the next book.

USA Today

Roth fans will rejoice at this new outing that focuses on themes familiar from her Divergent series: identity, individual versus social responsibilities, and ethical quandaries.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Roth fans will rejoice at this new outing that focuses on themes familiar from her Divergent series: identity, individual versus social responsibilities, and ethical quandaries.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

With her talent for action-packed plots and powerful characters, Roth’s latest is sure to be much talked-about all of 2017.

Brightly.com

12/05/2016
Roth (the Divergent series) returns with a gripping space opera about two individuals who share a planet but come from very different worlds. Cyra belongs to the ruling family of the Shotet, a people wrestling for planetary power against the gentle, prophetic Thuvhesit. Like all people, Cyra has a “currentgift” bestowed by the galactic current that connects all living things, but hers is darker than most: she lives in debilitating pain, eased only when she unleashes it on another—a fearsome spectacle that her cruel, power-hungry brother often forces her to employ. Akos, raised among the Thuvhesit and kidnapped by the Shotet, has a similarly singular currentgift: his touch relieves Cyra of her pain. Forced together, the two become hesitant friends and unlikely allies as the simmering tension between their two nations reaches new heights. Roth’s worldbuilding is commendable; each nation is distinct, interacting with the current in ways that give insight into her characters’ motivations. Amid political machinations and forays into space, Roth thoughtfully addresses substantial issues, such as the power of self-determination in the face of fate. Readers will eagerly await a second installment. Ages 14–up. Agent: Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary & Media. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

★ “Roth skillfully weaves the careful world-building and intricate web of characters that distinguished Divergent, with settings that are rich with color, ripe for a cinematographer. Roth fans will cheer this new novel with its power to absorb the reader. Readers will be anxiously awaiting the sequel.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (starred review)

“Brimming with plot twists and highly likely to please Roth’s fans.” — Kirkus Reviews

“This duology offers shades of George Lucas sprawl and influence, Game of Thrones clan intrigue, and a little Romeo & Juliet-style romance.  There are cliffhangers aplenty and dangling plot lines to lure us to the next book.” — USA Today

“Roth fans will rejoice at this new outing that focuses on themes familiar from her Divergent series: identity, individual versus social responsibilities, and ethical quandaries.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Roth offers a richly imagined, often-brutal world of political intrigue and adventure, with a slow-burning romance at its core. Roth’s fans will be happily on board for the forthcoming sequel.” — Booklist

“The Divergent author builds out this new world—one reminiscent of Star Wars, with its discussions of ‘the current’ and ‘currentgifts’—while still presenting the stark brutality of the circumstances both protagonists find themselves in.” — Entertainment Weekly

“With her talent for action-packed plots and powerful characters, Roth’s latest is sure to be much talked-about all of 2017.” — Brightly

“Roth’s worldbuilding is commendable; each nation is distinct, interacting with the current in ways that give insight into her characters’ motivations. Readers will eagerly await a second installment.” — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

01/01/2017
Gr 9 Up—Lifegiving "current" hums throughout the planets in what Akos knows as "the galaxy." This includes Akos's nation-planet of Thuvhe along with planets Zold, Othyr, Urek, Shotet, and more. Cyra dwells on Shotet, a bitter Thuvhesit enemy. Akos and Cyra each have currentgifts, which manifest at adolescence. His gift can provide relief, while hers causes pain for herself and others. In Roth's military-styled world, battles are settled with currentblades, and victors scar their arms with kill marks, meant both to count the dead and, in some cases, to honor them. The story is told from the perspectives of both Akos and Cyra. Readers follow a third-person view of Akos, who was brought unwillingly to Shotet and harbors deep resentments, while Cyra, always at the edge of pain and ready for battle, narrates in first person. Gradually, Cyra and Akos move from grudging tolerance of each other to respect and then love. Intrigue, poisonings, and an epic battle in the final chapters set the stage for the next book in this planned duology. Roth's dark world mixes classic elements, such as oracles and gladiator-style battles, with futuristic bullies who have a thirst for power. VERDICT The author's name may catch the eye of "Divergent" trilogy fans, but they will find that this book has less romance and more violence. Consider where Marie Lu's "Young Elites" series, Eoin Colfer's "W.A.R.P." books, and Allen Zadoff's "Unknown Assassin" titles are popular.—Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX

School Library Journal

In a distant galaxy, a life force called "The Current" bestows powers upon each individual and with them, a predetermined, secret destiny. Narrator Austin Butler solemnly recounts the story of Akos, a young man from the ruling nation of Thuvhe whose quiet life changes in a flash when his fate and those of his siblings, unknown to even themselves, are made public—leaving them at the mercy of the violent Shotet nation. Cyra, sister of the Shotet leader, possesses a dangerous “currentgift” that could be the key to changing the predetermined course of all their lives. The youthful, vibrant voice that Emily Rankin gives Cyra complements Butler's darker tones, creating a well-balanced portrayal of two unlikely heroes who beat back the fates that are stacked against them. E.E. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

MAY 2017 - AudioFile

2016-12-06
Two teens fight for their freedom and their lives in Roth's new intergalactic adventure. In Roth's galaxy, a "current flow[s] through every living thing, and show[s] itself in the sky in all different colors," and the Shotet people occupy the "nation-planet" Thuvhe. Upon passing into adolescence, everyone develops a "currentgift"—sometimes for better, and sometimes for worse. Cyra Noavek, sister of cruel and tyrannical Shotet ruler Ryzek, regularly experiences extreme pain and is able to transfer that pain to others—much to the advantage of Ryzek, who blackmails her into using her currentgift as a method of torture. Akos Kereseth, the Thuvhesit son of an oracle, can stop the flow of currentgifts—making him one of the only people who can touch Cyra without experiencing pain. Both, too, are fated: Cyra to "cross the Divide" between the Shotet and the Thuvhesit, and Akos to "die in the service of the family Noavek." When Akos and his brother are kidnapped and imprisoned by Ryzek and Cyra, their fates become intimately intertwined. While the book is not without its flaws, fans of the Divergent series—especially its thought-provoking questioning of identity and ethics—will find similarly thoughtful thematic treatment here. The narration is split between the two protagonists. Cyra's first-person voice is compelling, while the third-person narrative that follows Akos feels flat and distant. Mixed-race Cyra has "medium brown, almost golden" skin, while Akos is fair-skinned. Brimming with plot twists and highly likely to please Roth's fans. (Science fiction/fantasy. 14 & up)

Kirkus Reviews