Carve the Mark (#1) by Veronica Roth → Start Date: April 5th, 2017

[Trisha, lives on coffee]

Gavin, Ashlyn and I
Please join us if you can!

[Matty]

I think I'll join in on this! They have it at my library

[Ashlyn]

I'm really excited about this one. I bought the ebook and audiobook when it was on sale. Thanks for making the thread Trisha.

[Trisha, lives on coffee]

I know, I'm so excited too!!

I'm starting in just a moment!! :)

[Gavin]

Just started this yesterday, and am almost done with part two.

[Trisha, lives on coffee]

I'm through Part 1

Fates(view spoiler)[ I wonder what Akos and his brother Eijeh (that I want to call Elijah lol) - I wonder what was revealed and what they have
obviously his mom - with sight- knew he would need poisoning knowledge but also knowledge to party - possibly something he will need where he's going (hide spoiler)]

interesting world building so far
and intriguing characters.....

[Gavin]

Trisha wrote: "I'm through Part 1

Fates I wonder what Akos and his brother Eijeh (that I want to call Elijah lol) - I wonder what was revealed and what they have
obviously his mom - with sight- knew he would nee..."

At first, during Akos' Part, I didn't really like the writing... I'm a big fan of the Divergent trilogy, and was use to Veronica Roth's first person povs, but I quiet enjoy Cyra's povs.
Am currently on Part 3, and the story is actually pretty entertaining.

[Robin]

i thought it was weird that she wrote cyra's point of view in first person and akos in third. i felt like it started off slow but definitely got better as ive been reading on.

[Trisha, lives on coffee]

11 chapters

I Knew(view spoiler)[ the training in potions was for a purpose, would be put to good use for Akos. I hate that we don't have his POV along with Cyra. I'd like them to go back and forth (hide spoiler)]

Akos(view spoiler)[ I feel bad for him but he's really trying to survive and if helping Cyra is the way to do it
but will she let him go, knowing how much he means to keeping her sane/with less pain (hide spoiler)]

Eijeh(view spoiler)[ I wonder how he is and if he is seeing visions or hiding it or.....hurt (hide spoiler)]

[Gavin]

Trisha wrote: "11 chapters

I Knew[spoilers removed]

Akos I feel bad for him but he's really trying to survive and if helping Cyra is the way to do it
but will she let him go, knowing how much he means to keepin..."

(view spoiler)[Yeah, it would have been nicer if Veronica Roth just kept going with first person povs... but, I guess she has to try new things. (hide spoiler)]

[Gavin]

Robin wrote: "i thought it was weird that she wrote cyra's point of view in first person and akos in third. i felt like it started off slow but definitely got better as ive been reading on."

Yeah, I also didn't like it at first, but I'm starting to come around...

[Trisha, lives on coffee]

I'm done with Part 2

Ryzek(view spoiler)[ he's a good villain. He was raised to be the way he is. I can't imagine others haven't tried to avoid their fate
his is just on such a bigger level. He's awful but at least we can understand who he is and why he is the way he is. (hide spoiler)]

Akos(view spoiler)[ I like him so much. I wish we had more from his POV because I think I'd like it and I think it would make this world come more alive. Cyra's world is so different and odd, I would have liked to have gotten to know it through Akos eyes because then we would also have learned how it was different than his world (like the hating blue and the potions) and could have easily learned both worlds without the info dumping (hide spoiler)]

Cyra(view spoiler)[ holy moly I can't believe she threatened him. He's definitely going to get revenge and get her back in line for that (hide spoiler)]

[Gavin]

Almost done with the book, am at maybe 75% of part 4

[Trisha, lives on coffee]

Gavin wrote: "Almost done with the book, am at maybe 75% of part 4"

You liking it??
I'm hoping to get through part III today!

[Ashlyn]

Part 1

I am getting really confused with the character names. They all sound so similar! I'm not sure if I missed this, (view spoiler)[but I wonder what that one girl (one of the friends I'm not going to attempt to even try to spell it) fate was, and why she had one.
(hide spoiler)]

[Trisha, lives on coffee]

Ashlyn wrote: "Part 1

I am getting really confused with the character names. They all sound so similar! I'm not sure if I missed this, [spoiler removed]..."

YES! The beginning is very confusing!! And the (view spoiler)[ fate information isn't made terribly clear

You'll get more information later....unfortunately, you never get a lot of it. (hide spoiler)]

[Gavin]

Finished! And, I have to say, it wasn't all that bad... Will definitely read book 2!

[Trisha, lives on coffee]

Done with 20 chapters
this one is just dragging for me

and if I never read the world sojourn again....

Cyra(view spoiler)[ I'm still really frustrated - she knows her brother manipulates memories. why does she think her memories would be any different
I think her mother's death in her mind has been tampered with.
Possibly the whole memory of her mother (hide spoiler)]

Akos(view spoiler)[ I still really like him. what a tough spot he's in. But making the yellow poisoning and helping Cyra are probably his best routes so far (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha, lives on coffee]

Done with Part III

I feel like I've been reading this book forever lol

Cyra(view spoiler)[ I'm so glad she is taking control of her curse/gift. It's getting old, everyone using her and her not having the ability to fight back because she doesn't want to (hide spoiler)]

Akos(view spoiler)[ I'm so sad about his brother. at least he flinched once when Akos was being hurt. I'm looking foward to the story moving from here
I wonder how Akos will make it out of this encounter with Cyra
and I like them as a couple. (hide spoiler)]

[Gavin]

Such a far cry from Divergent, right?

[Vicki]

I'm starting this one and I LOVE Veronica Roth!!! So I'm very hopeful!

[Trisha, lives on coffee]

Gavin wrote: "Such a far cry from Divergent, right?"

YES! I hope it speeds up soon..............it feels sooo slloooooow

[Vicki]

Uh-oh! S-L-O-W???

[Trisha, lives on coffee]

YES! it moves at a snail's pace....it's been hard to pick back up...

[Vicki]

I hate books like that! Hopefully it picks up. I have the book and audio so we'll see if one is better. Sometimes an audiobook can make the difference but they take longer to "read."

[Matty]

I read 6 pages of this book, then never picked it back up

[Gavin]

Heh heh, yeah, I kind of hated it at the beginning... But thing's get a bit better after Cyra's pov rolls around

[Gavin]

Trisha wrote: "Gavin wrote: "Such a far cry from Divergent, right?"

YES! I hope it speeds up soon..............it feels sooo slloooooow"

I was really looking forward to this book, having loved the Divergent trilogy... But... Guess not everything turns out the way you want it to

[Matty]

I think the pacing is what it is, even though I didn't read that much, it just felt so slow!!

[Farren]

I popped in to eavesdrop on your buddy review because I had a pretty severe dislike for this book and wanted to see what you guys think. It was so boring it was painful and I couldn't keep the characters straight after a while.

I listened to the end of the audiobook just to get it over with and the narration was even worse! You know the robotic sounding "this is audible" when you start a book? The male narrator sounds like that the whole time...

I didn't notice the POV's changed when it switched between Akos and Cyra when I read it. Maybe that's why the writing seemed so offputting. I only read the first Divergent book but I didn't remember hating the writing so much in that one.

[Trisha, lives on coffee]

oh I"M DONE!
I wasn't so sure I would get there....and I'm with you guys, by the time midway hit, I just didn't care about anyone

Akos(view spoiler)[ although i like him, I think he's one of the few people in the book with enough redeeming qualities to outweigh some of the awful things he's had to do (hide spoiler)]

Cyra(view spoiler)[ I don't know, she's okay but.....I just couldn't seem to care much about her either way (hide spoiler)]

Ryzek(view spoiler)[ I did not care one way about him. he's still alive, still there to taunt her. Sure the dad's alive but it's not Cyra's dad..... I just didn't feel the punch of this reveal like I think I was supposed to (hide spoiler)]

Ori(view spoiler)[ I'm sad she was killed but she obviously did something to Eijeh. we never learned what her ability was (hide spoiler)]

Eijeh(view spoiler)[ I found it irritating that I read all those pages and I have zero answers about this. He's....really going along with it? Or Ori helped him? he did wince that one time akos was being beat. and there were many around Ryzek that were able to hide their hate/disdain for him

but his mom is there!! Why isn't she helping? revealing things? (hide spoiler)]

I cannot imagine reading another 400 pages of a book 2 to get any of these answers(view spoiler)[ since we didn't get any in the first place (hide spoiler)]

[Ashlyn]

Finally finished Part 2. Sorry the audiobook is taking awhile. I tried to read the ebook, but I am enjoying the audio a lot more.

Cyra (view spoiler)[ I really enjoy her characters pov. It has been interesting to see how she has developed and gained a new friend. I don't feel like she has ever had a friend before or someone who excepts her for the way she is. (hide spoiler)]