The Xmen-like powers are nothing we haven't seen before hundreds of times. What does Carve the Mark have to make it stand out? I honestly don't have an answer. Even those feeling underwhelmed were quick to take a faction quiz to see where they fell (Candor - thanks for asking!). Divergent had just enough quirks to make it stand out against the odds - the use of factions an exciting reminder of Hogwarts' houses for old Potterheads, and a new personality quiz for younger readers. I felt like something happened once every hundred pages.Īnd it's not so easy to mask the simplicity, the lack of creativity, in Roth's latest work. The action occasionally picks up but it's not the start of a change of pace it quickly dies down again. If I wasn't wary of the backlash I would get from writing a DNF review, I would have put it aside. The characters themselves were not interesting enough. I was more than halfway through and wondering when something was going to happen. What happens next is a very long bit of filler about Akos's time in the Shotet soldier camp, honing his fighting skills and chatting with Cyra about their countries, their powers, or just their favourite colours. Carve the Mark opens with Shotet soldiers murdering Akos's father and capturing him and his younger brother. Cyra's violent and evil brother is the ruler of the Shotet and he uses Cyra's power - the power to deliver intense pain - to further his plans and torture his enemies.Īkos, on the other hand, is one of the gentle Thuvhe people.

Most people find their gifts useful, but to some people - like Akos and Cyra - the gifts can be a burden, and a means by which others can use them for their own gains. The story is set on a distant planet where people develop unique powers known as currentgifts, bestowed by a magical current that runs through the galaxy. Why even bother setting it in space if you're not going to make the most of that? Though I guess there's a definite possibility that the second book will reveal that the characters have actually been in Brooklyn all along, tripping on acid. The world-building was lacking and the space aspect left undeveloped. It's set in space, and I've heard other reviewers talking positively about how it doesn't feel like it's in space, so maybe that will also seem like a positive for you, but I felt like this story could have been set literally anywhere. In this book, though, I spent the majority of it wondering where the actual plot was.

Sure, a lot of the world made absolutely no sense, and I still find that whole 'I'm Dauntless so I jump off moving trains' thing so ridiculously laughable, but I found it really entertaining.

Let's be honest, I actually liked Divergent for what it was - a fast-paced, exciting YA adventure that demanded very little of me.

Carve the mark characters