Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

The basics

Title: Carve the Mark

Author:

Series: Carve the Mark #1

- Carve the Mark (2017)
- The Fates Divide (2018)

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Goodreads Summary:

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?

Here’s our recap of what happened in Carve the Mark. Read on for a full plot summary to refresh your memory!

what went down

    • The Thuvhesit memorial is happening, and so Akos and his family are travelling to the temple.
    • Ori, a family friend, takes them to listen to an oracle called Sifa talk about power and currents. Sifa is also Akos’ mother.
    • Akos is fated like the rest of his family. He tells Sifa that he doesn’t like everyone staring at him.
    • Ori and her mother talk about how the fated are in trouble. Akos learns that she is also fated.
    • Akos’ father tells him that the fates have been announced. Akos and other fated are in danger.
    • Shotet soldiers are waiting for Akos at his home. Akos realises he’s able to speak Shotet, which means he is part Shotet.
    • One of the soldiers called Vas kills Akos’ father. The soldiers then take Akos and his brother.
    • We meet Cyra and Ryzek, who are siblings. Cyra’s abilities were revealed when Ryzek shared memories with her.
    • Cyra’s gift means that she is constantly in pain, although Ryzek can’t touch her. She is used for interrogations.
    • We learn that Ryzek’s fate is to fall to the Benesit family. Cyra’s is that she will cross the divide.
    • Now that their parents are dead, Ryzek is ruling.
    • Ryzek arrives with Akos and Eijeh. Ryzek says that Akos is to serve the Noavek family and that Eijeh is now the oracle. Ryzek had been searching for Eijeh – or any oracle – for years.
    • Ryzek tries to force Eijeh to prophesise for him.
  • Akos is sent for training.

Two Years Later

    • Ryzek brings Akos to Cyra. Cyra is told to take Akos’ hand. When she does, she no longer feels pain. It turns out that Akos’ gift is to stop the current that flows through people.
    • Cyra tortures a guy. He later hangs himself.
    • Akos gives Cyra a potion that acts as a painkiller. In return for teaching her how to make it, Akos wants to learn how to fight.
    • The Shotet scavenge things from other planets each year during an event called the sojourn. There’s a festival happening before this year’s sojourn, during which Cyra buys a knife for Akos.
    • The two of them visit a storyteller, who is shocked that Akos isn’t actually Shotet.
    • The storyteller says the Shotet followed the current to this planet before settling where the current was strongest. He says that back in the day, the Thuvhesit captured Shotet children and used them as slaves. This started a war, and caused the Shotet to train as soldiers.
    • Akos disappears. A guard tells Cyra that he was caught trying to escape with Eijeh.
    • The brothers are captured again.
    • Ryzek tries to share memories with Eijeh so that he can become an oracle.
    • The group board a ship. Letty brings up Ryzek’s fate, and he gets angry. He makes her fight Cyra. Cyra kills her.
    • Cyra decides to help Akos and Eijeh escape after Ryzek tries to get her to show off her strength.
    • Akos spars with Jorek. Jorek wants Akos to kill his abusive father in return for his help.
    • Masked people attack Cyra and Ryzek. Ryzek won’t allow the ship to land until they find out who did it.
    • Ryzek changes the course of the ship to a planet that apparently has secret weapons that will help him destroy the Thuvehsit.
    • Cyra finds the masked girl who attacked her. She is called Teka. Teka’s mother plans to give herself up in Teka’s place.
    • Ryzek starts to use Akos against Cyra to get her to do what he wants.
    • The Thuvehsit have a new chancellor – Ori’s sister.
    • Akos asks Cyra if she would leave with him and Eijeh, and she says she would if Ryzek was killed.
    • Jorek’s father has been provoked enough to challenge Akos in the arena. Akos kills him.
    • Cyra asks Teka to get Akos out. Teka asks that Cyra gets them into her mansion so they can kill Ryzek. The group arrives in the mansion to kill him, but Ryzek’s room is blocked. They have to fight to escape.
    • Cyra is imprisoned and Akos is starved.
    • Eijeh’s visions show that Ryzek needs to kill Ori and her twin sister, Isae (the chancellor), so that he can survive his fate.
    • Cyra manages to control her power when she is forced to touch Akos.
    • Akos wakes up in hospital. Isae visits him and wants to know if Ryzek knows about Ori. The group has to flee the hospital when the Shotet arrive. Ori is captured.
    • Isae wants Akos’ help to find Ori, and in return she’ll help him get Eijeh.
    • Ryzek tells his people that Cyra killed their mother and takes away her title. He encourages people to fight her. She’s fighting Vas when Akos and the rest of the rebels storm the arena and rescue her. Akos leaves Eijeh behind. They escape on a ship.
    • Sifa arrives and asks Akos to serve her so she can learn the Shotet culture. Akos asks his mum about her visions and whether he is able to save Eijeh. Akos grows suspicious of his mother.
    • Sifa tells Cyra that this future has potential for good and evil, and that only the fates are certain. She said that Ryzek should not rule for long.
    • Cyra goes to Yma and tells her that she knows who she is. Her surname is the same as Teka’s. Yma agrees to help the rebels fight Ryzek.
    • The group of rebels heads towards the palace. They can’t find Ori in the prison. Cyra goes and challenges Ryzek, who has been poisoned.
    • Akos kills Vas and sees Eijeh and Ori on the balcony.
  • Ryzek says Eijeh will kill Ori if Cyra doesn’t give him the antidote. Ryzek gets stabbed, so Eijeh kills Ori… but not before she touches him and does something weird.

how did it end?

Cyra spares Ryzek’s life in the hope that they can recover Eijeh’s memories. A ship arrives and the group boards, taking Eijeh, Ryzek, and Ori’s body along. Ryzek and Eijeh are imprisoned, and Ryzek tells Cyra she’s not really his sister. Also, his father is still alive. Sifa says she sees war in all the futures.

This is a full plot summary of what happened in Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth. Check out our recap list for more recaps. If you can’t find what you need, you can request a recap from us!

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