It’s tough starting a new project after the previous one has been so successful. Like, best-seller-list, major-movie-franchise successful. Like … “Divergent.”
So for Veronica Roth, the 28-year-old Chicago-based author who began writing the “Divergent” series while still a student at Northwestern, the scrutiny is unenviable as she publishes “Carve the Mark,” the first in a duology, aka two-book series.
What happens?
“Carve the Mark” introduces readers to a galaxy powered by the current—a force kind of similar to the Force of “Star Wars.” The current sparks a unique currentgift in every person—kind of like in “X-Men,” where gene mutations allow some people to develop supernatural powers with varying degrees of danger and inconvenience. Some people’s currentgift is being able to see the future, and these oracles sometimes see fates, aka futures that cannot be changed, for certain people. Two such people with fates are Cyra, whose brother rules the Shotet people and whose “gift” is causing pain to anyone she touches and feeling pain herself, and Akos, who is being held captive by Cyra’s brother and can take away her pain with his touch.
What’s good?
Roth’s writing has evolved and matured since the “Divergent” days, and that’s most evident in her ability to create, outline and fill in the blanks of an entirely new universe from scratch (versus building on the ruins of a post-apocalyptic Chicago). She also resists the temptation to outline all the rules of her new universe from the start, allowing us to learn about the different planets, peoples and traditions as they naturally come up in the story.
What’s bad?
Too much time is spent on coloring in this universe, and too little time is spent on making readers care about the two main characters. Tris’ and Four’s struggles in the “Divergent” series as they try to fit themselves into social categories and find identities that don’t quite fit with what society dictates—that resonates with anyone no matter their age or location. But that kind of connection is largely missing from “Carve the Mark’s” Cyra and Akos. Part of the problem is that they have secrets of their own that the reader learns about as the characters learn more about each other, stopping any emotional investment from developing.
Final verdict
Pick it up if you’re craving a sci-fi/fantasy read without the commitment sci-fi/fantasy series usually require.
2 stars (out of 4)
@elisekdelo | ekdelossantos@redeyechicago.com
