Book Reviews and Recommendations

Carve the Mark - Veronica Roth

Book Description (First Book):

In a galaxy powered by the current, everyone has a gift.

Cyra is the sister of the brutal tyrant who rules the Shotet people. Cyra's currentgift gives her pain and power—something her brother exploits, using her to torture his enemies. But Cyra is much more than just a blade in her brother's hand: she is resilient, quick on her feet, and smarter than he knows.

Akos is the son of a farmer and an oracle from the frozen nation-planet of Thuvhe. Protected by his unusual currentgift, Akos is generous in spirit, and his loyalty to his family is limitless. Once Akos and his brother are captured by enemy Shotet soldiers, Akos is desperate to get his brother out alive—no matter what the cost.

Then Akos is thrust into Cyra's world, and the enmity between their countries and families seems insurmountable. Will they help each other to survive, or will they destroy one another?

This series is 2 books long and each book is about 450-ish pages.

My thoughts:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The book was beautifully written, and the characters were very deep and complex. Each of the planets had a very unique culture, language, and climate, making it feel all the more realistic. The story was a little hard to follow at times (though that could just be me), but it wasn't hard to piece together what was happening. There were a lot of torture scenes, which aren't exactly my favorite, but it did add a another level of darkness to the story and trials for the characters to overcome. There were also a few lgbt characters, which, again, isn't exactly something I'm interested in, but I know other people really appreciate the representation. Overall, great story, and while the books are a little lengthy, the series is short, so if you're ever looking for a quick read, I would highly recommend Carve the Mark and The Fates Divide.