Carve the Mark
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ☆
Carve the Mark (Carve the Mark, Book 1) by Veronica Roth
Way better than Divergent.
It’s a relief to finally read a YA book that leans more adult than young. Carve the Mark doesn’t shy away from death or violence and can be brutal at times. The science fiction elements are also a refreshing break from the endless parade of dystopian novels.
One trend that often frustrates me in YA is the endless filler; there’s always a lot of “nothing happening.” That’s not the case here. Every chapter and scene serves a purpose, developing characters and keeping the story moving at a compelling pace.
My only complaint: The final chapter should be removed. (Don’t worry, no spoilers here.)
The penultimate chapter delivers a significant ending that would have made a perfect lead-in to the second book. Then comes the last chapter: humble, heartwarming, and emphasizing camaraderie among the characters. On its own, it’s nice, but after the punch of the previous chapter, it downplays those events, almost as if they weren’t important. It feels like a false sense of closure, which undermines the fact that this is only the first half of the story.
