Published: January 17, 2017 by: Katherine Tegan Books
Pages: 468
Rating: 4/5 stars
Cyra is a Shotet, a brutal group of people on a mysterious planet that are in constant war with the Thuvhe. In Cyra's world, people have current gifts that stay with them all their life. For Cyra, that means a constant pain that she can put unto others, and that her ruthless brother has been willing to exploit. Akos is a Thuvhe, captured by Shotet soldiers and tortured by Cyra's brother. But when Cyra and Akos start forming a connection, they put both of their lives in danger, as well as the fate of their galaxy.
DISCLAIMER: This book has been called out for being problematic, including being racist towards members of the indigenous community and to people of North African heritage. It has also been said to be abelist to people who experience chronic pain. Since I do not belong to any of these groups, I cannot comment on these issues, I can only comment on my honest opinions on the book. If you are a member of any of these communities, please be mindful when reading this book and be sure to read reviews from people who belong to these groups.
I was really surprised by this book! I went into it kind of dubious because I'm not the hugest fan of science fiction, but I was really surprised by how much I actually enjoyed it. I thought it was fast-paced and exciting, and left me wondering what would happen next.
I really liked the plot of this book. It had a lot of plot twists and turns, and I was thoroughly engaged through it all! I did not get bored one bit, which really shocked me because I usually find sci-fi quite boring. But Roth provided a lot of elements in the book that kept the plot super intriguing.
I thought the characters fell a bit flat in this book. I wanted to know a bit more about them, especially the antagonist, Cyra's brother. I didn't mind Akos and Cyra, but I really wanted a glimpse into the villain's mind to see his inner motifs and what drove him to where he was. I don't think this book's characters really struck me, despite me being fully taken by plot.
So overall, I loved the plot, but wanted a bit more on characters. But I think that this book was really enjoyable, you just need to make sure that you take its controversies into consideration. Never, ever read something that you're not comfortable with or that may offend you.
Have you read Carve the Mark? What did you think?
Emily @ Paperback Princess
You know, this is the first review I've read (from someone who liked the book) which actually bothered to point out the problems! I wish other reviewers would do the same!
ReplyDeleteI wish others would do the same as well. I think it's ok to like a book, as long as you make sure that you acknowledge the issues.
DeleteI've been so scared to read this! I want to give it a try but I feel like people might slam me for reading it because of the problems...
ReplyDeleteI was afraid to as well, but I told myself that it's ok to read whatever you want to as long as you acknowledge its problems. Give it a go :)
DeleteGreat review :) I've got a copy of this on my shelf and am really nervous to read it! Due to all the problematic elements that have been called out, etc. It's a good idea to do a disclaimer, though! I might steal that idea, lol ;)
ReplyDeleteAmy @ A Magical World Of Words
Go ahead! Putting a disclaimer is really important in my opinion because it shows that you care about the problematic elements. I didn't want to dismiss them despite really liking the book :)
DeleteHey Emily :) I'm reviewing my copy of Carve the Mark this week, and I wondered if I could copy your disclaimer word-for-word and include it in my review as well? I would definitely give you credit for writing it. Let me know :) Thanks!
DeleteHey Amy! Of course you can use my disclaimer :) It actually means a lot to me that someone would want to reference me in a blog post lol!
DeleteThanks!
DeleteLol, no problem :) I might change one or two words, but it'll mainly be yours. And I'll credit you.
Thanks again!