Review: Carve the Mark

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I had to read this one to see what the fuss was all about! If you don't know what I'm talking about, read a few of the most commented reviews in Goodreads.

Honestly, this just wasn't a very well written book. The action of the Divergent series is present, don't get me wrong, but I was a little confused about the actions of the characters and the reasons for their actions. The book is overly long and could have used some tightening and shortening up, too.

Thanks to my recent awareness of my own white privilege, I do read books through a different lens, and the whole mention of color in this book was weird. Much of it felt like an old western novel--the us vs. them, and the objectification of anyone who is different. I found the whole concept of pain and power to be unsettling. There is rape in this book, even if there is no actual penis penetration. People use power over others to get what they want--A LOT. I found that disturbing, along with the Stockholm syndrome--they fall in love with their captors. Ick.

I did love the idea of carving the kills on your arms to mark your victories, so it will be interesting to see how all the controversy will be handled in Book #2 in the series.

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