Science in Fiction (#24): Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

Welcome to this month's Science in Fiction feature! Science in Fiction is a meme I created to showcase the wonderful aspects of science in Young Adult fiction novels. For more information and previous feature, check out the "Science in Fiction" tag!

This month, I'm featuring Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth!

My review of Carve the Mark

Carve the Mark is the first of a two-book series by bestselling author Veronica Roth. Amidst its problematic content and brutal world, this book is a very intriguing science fiction story. One aspect of this book is the idea of a "currentgift" - supernatural abilities that people obtain when they are blessed by the "current", a type of space energy. 

Today, I'm going to explore the idea of space energy!

I was curious to know where Roth got her inspiration for the "current", which is the source of the abilities ("currentgifts") of most characters in Carve the Mark. Akos can interrupt the current, Cyra can transmit pain, Eijeh can see the future, Cisi can influence and persuade others. Where does the current come from (besides the vague answer of "space")? Is there a scientific basis to Roth's fictional creation? A lot of things are attributed to the current, in this book.

I could not find more information as to what her inspiration was, for the current. But there is a scientific basis for space energy, which is what the current most closely resembles.

Scientists have come up with the term "dark energy" to consider the energy in empty space. There isn't much known about dark energy, but it is theorized that it makes up more than three fourths of the universe (Space.com). Dark energy is odd because every form of energy has a source - radiation, or matter - and we don't know about the source of dark energy.

Supposedly, this dark energy is what is causing the universe to expand. As more of the universe appears (because of its expansion), more dark energy appears, which causes the universe to keep expanding. It's a positive feedback loop!

Schematic of the expanding universe. Source: NASA

Dark energy is still somewhat of a new concept in the physics world, and it's possible that it might not even exist. One of my first thoughts, upon looking further into this topic, was if humans could possibly harness dark energy. But given how little we know and understand, it would be incredibly unlikely. How would we harness energy that is fueling the expansion of the universe? I imagine this would come some sort of destabilization of some sort. We wouldn't even begin to understand and predict the consequences - good or bad - of harnessing dark energy. If it exists (it probably does).

Which leads me to conclude that, while dark energy could be Roth's inspiration for the current in Carve the Mark, the two have very little in common. Dark energy has no (known) influence on human abilities or life on Earth in general. The current seems to be more fictional than scientific, which one would expect. But it would be interesting to know if Roth did indeed base the current on some sort of space energy (perhaps besides dark energy - some other type of energy that I haven't considered). 


What do YOU think of dark energy? If you found out that you would manifest a certain "currentgift" around the time of puberty, what ability would you want? 

(If anyone ever finds out or asks Roth about her inspiration for the current, please let me know! I'm trying to find out myself and would love to know.)

Review: Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

Book One of the Carve the Mark series

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Publication Date: January 17, 2017

Rating: 3 stars

Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

On a planet where violence and vengeance rule, in a galaxy where some are favored by fate, everyone develops a currentgift, a unique power meant to shape the future. While most benefit from their currentgifts, Akos and Cyra do not—their gifts make them vulnerable to others’ control. Can they reclaim their gifts, their fates, and their lives, and reset the balance of power in this world?

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 from the peace-loving nation of Thuvhe, and his loyalty to his family is limitless. Though protected by his unusual currentgift, 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. When Akos is thrust into Cyra’s world, the enmity between their countries and families seems insurmountable. They must decide to help each other to survive—or to destroy one another.

What I Liked:

Carve the Mark is absolutely worth the hype and the excitement, and it's definitely worth your time to read this book if you've been looking forward to reading it. Chances are, it won't disappoint you. In many ways, I liked this book a lot. But there were several specific things that might seem small or insignificant in the grand schemes of things, that ended up really bothering me. Hence, the three-star rating. 

This story is told by two characters - Akos, a Thuvhe, and Cyra, a Shotet. The Thuvhe are a peace-loving people living on Urek. The Shotet are more aggressive nomadic people that conquer various nations and planets. When he is fourteen, Akos is captured, along with his brother, by the Shotet, who kill his father in front of him. They are taken to the Shotet stronghold of Urek, ruled by Ryzek Noavek, a ruthless tyrant and older brother of Cyra. They are stolen for their currentgifts - Akos's brother Eijeh is the next oracle of the Thuvhe. Akos grows into his currentgift - he can interrupt the current (he can cancel it out, turn it off, that sort of thing). Several years later, Akos is shaped into a warrior, but he has lost known of his humanity. He is not a killer, though he has killed to protect himself. He is brought to help Cyra Noavek, whose currentgift is inflicting pain on others with her touch. No one can touch her without feeling pain, but Akos can, because he interrupts the current (and all currentgifts are "fueled" by the current). Akos cooperates because he wants to rescue his brother and flee. But the more he and Cyra interact, the more they learn about each other, and the more they realize that they share common interests, interests that could incite wars.

The beginning of the book was incredibly confusing (I'll talk about that in the next section), but once I (sort of) got a grasp of the world and everything going on, I started to get into the story and really sink into it. This is science fiction, though certain elements (like the currentgifts) can definitely be categorized as fantasy. This story takes place across planets of a galaxy, so it's a space-y type of science fiction. 

I must say, Roth did an excellent job with the characterization and character growth, specifically in terms of Cyra and Akos. I'll start with Akos. He is easily my favorite character of the book. He is Thuvhe, and so he is brought up to be more peaceful and somewhat passive towards violence. Even several years being trained as a Shotet soldier doesn't break him down. He is compassionate, and he is strong. I liked him a lot, especially for his unbreakable will. I was amazing and in awe of how much pain and grief and despair he bore, for years. Akos grows into a character that still hates killing, and is sick over having to kill anyone, but can do it. He becomes so strong and capable in other ways, and he's also extremely intelligent and clever. He isn't an alpha type of YA hero - he's quietly intelligent and very, very human. 

Cyra is almost the opposite of him, yet it slowly becomes apparent that she has similarities to him. She appears to be a brutal, cold, emotionless killer summoned and used by her brother, Ryzek. But Cyra does not enjoy wielding her painful power over others, and she definitely does not enjoy bending to Ryzek's will. In many ways, it is Akos who shows her mercy, what mercy is, and that she is still capable of being merciful, and better, and more. Cyra learns to turn her pain into something else. She loses none of her deadliness and her danger, but as the story goes on, she becomes stronger and more able to stand up to Ryzek.

Once I got past the first one hundred pages or so, I had little difficulty getting through the story. I was pretty engrossed and despite the book being rather long, I read it quickly. There is so much happening in this story, and I wanted to see how it would all end. There were so many moments when things could go disastrously wrong, and I held my breath as I turned the pages. No one can say that certain parts of this book weren't engrossing. A lot of the story ends up being about how to unseat Ryzek, and how to stay alive and protect each other.

There is romance! I liked seeing Akos and Cyra fall for each other. It's actually Cyra who shows her feelings first, which you wouldn't expect. Cyra is supposedly the more ruthless one, and Akos is the more emotional and merciful one. But it's Cyra that starts to fall for Akos first, and shows her hand first. I liked their dynamic a lot - they learn to trust each other before anything else. No love triangle! Thank goodness for that. I thought this romance was well-developed, and swoony towards the end.

There is also another romance which I thought was sweet. I can't say much about it because it'll spoil things, but it's between two characters that are good together. 

The ending, as insane and chaotic as it is, is not a cruel ending. There is no horrible cliffhanger, which is surprising, since this is book one of a duology. You'd expect something really terrible to have happened at the end, hurting the main character(s). Don't get me wrong, terrible (permanent) things definitely happened; but the ending isn't a cliffhanger, and I definitely appreciate that.

Now I'm going to talk about the things I didn't really enjoy. 

What I Did Not Like:

First: the initial one hundred pages or so? Very confusing, and very boring too. I had a hard time getting through the beginning of the story. There is so much information dumped into the first couple of chapters, and so many names. It also took me a while to realize that the beginning is when Akos is fourteen - and NOT the "present" time of the story. Same with Cyra's beginning - she is six when her chapter begins. The beginning has too much going on, and it isn't well-explained at first. I had to reread several of the chapters a few times to really get some sort of grasp as to what was happening.

I'm not sure I really understand the world/world-building? Currentgifts and their origin and how/why they exist still kind of elude me. What is the "current"? Where did it come from? How is it magically given people these currentgifts? The currentgifts are things like inflicting pain upon touch, or not feeling pain at all, or seeing the future, or seeing every memory of a person. 

Second: there are so many awful, brutal scenes in this book. I'm talking about torture and cruel treatment of people. I understand that this type of brutality is very real and exists in real life and has a place in this fictional world, but the brutality of a lot of it... didn't sit well with me. Usually a certain level of violence doesn't bother me too much? The violence in this book, while not exactly graphic, is horrifying. Which is probably the intent, but my stomach hurt, reading it. 

Third: Not the biggest thing I didn't like, but I wasn't a huge fan of having Akos's POV in third-person, and then Cyra's in first-person. I loved reading from both of their POVs! But it would have been nice to have a little uniformity (either both in first, or both in third). Also it already scares me, that Roth chooses to tell this story from both Akos and Cyra's POVs. We saw what happened in Allegiant...

Fourth: problematic racial content. Oh yeah, I definitely see where people are coming from, when they say that this book has some racist content. The Shotet are portrayed as "brown skinned", aggressive, nomadic people. They stole Thuvhe children years ago, and the Thuvhe retaliated and stole Shotet children, but the way the story is told, the Shotet are the "villains". I mean, given that the first chapter is about Akos's father getting brutally murdered in front of him, I get why that would be implication. But there are definitely underlying tones of something problematic here: the Thuvhe, light-skinned peaceful people, and the Shotet, darker-skinned aggressive people, are both cliches. And what's more, it seems like most of the Shotet have very violent currentgifts, whereas the Thuvhe have more passive, non-violent gifts (like Akos's, or his mother's, or his brother's). 

Do you see the problem here? Why is it that the "aggressive" people are always the brown/darker-skinned ones, and the more "peaceful" non-violent people are lighter-skinned? I have no qualms with the characters themselves (I adore Akos, and Cyra is such a fighter), but the social construct here is reflective of cliches and stereotypes. 

Read THIS peace if you want more information. I definitely do not know it all, but I recognize and understand the issue at hand here, in terms of race and culture.

Would I Recommend It:

Yes, I had issues with this book, and I firmly believe that last issue needs to be addressed. And yes, I also enjoyed the book, for the most part, regardless. It's a good story, and I was definitely swept up in the story as I was reading. I'll be reading the sequel next year. I don't know if I really should recommend this book, given the evident issues. But I did like the story too. If you've been excited to read this book, believe me, it probably won't disappoint. But... recognize issues when you see them. Talk about them. Discuss and learn.

Rating:

3 stars. Like I said, this is a good story, and of all of Roth's books, it's probably her best. I think I liked it more than I liked her other books (definitely more than I liked Insurgent and Allegiant - though I never fully read Allegiant). I want to see where the story goes. But there were some things that held me back a little, in terms of my rating. 

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Movie Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Book/Movie One of the Divergent series

Movie Release Date: March 21, 2014

Alyssa's View Date: March 21, 2014

Rating: 4 stars

Movie Trailer:

What I Liked:

Two things before I start this review: one, this is my first movie review. I'm doing it because it's the first YA book-to-movie adaptation I've seen WHILE blogging. I feel obligated to review the movie, since I read the book (a long, long time ago). Which brings me to my second thing: I read Divergent when it first came out in 2011. I didn't start reviewing until the second half of 2012, and didn't start blogging until December 2012. So I never reviewed Divergent (the book), or even Insurgent. It feels weird that I'm reviewing the movie when I haven't even reviewed the first two books, but I promise you I've read them and loved them. I haven't read Allegiant though, but when I will, I plan on reviewing it.

So. What did I think of the movie?  For starters, I think it is an EXCELLENT movie. Separate it from the book for a second - say it was just a movie, NOT based on a book. It is a terrific movie! Well made, produced, directed, cast-ed, etc. I think the acting was great and the setting was very well created. As a movie, just a movie, it is definitely a good one. 

As a book-to-movie adaptation? I'd say that it is AWESOME. While I still love the book more (shoot, I will ALWAYS love any book more than its movie adaptation), I think the movie did the book justice (at least, as much as you can expect when you are dealing with book-to-movie adaptations). I usually HATE book-to-movie adaptations - Harry Potter was probably the only ones I've enjoyed. But this one? This was good.

The casting: I think the cast is really good. When they were casting last year, I remember being super excited about Shailene Woodley playing Tris, because she seemed like a good fit for her, in terms of both looks and personality. I stand by that original judgment - Shailene did a great job of representing Tris. One thing that we need to remember is that we READ Divergent in Tris's first person point-of-view, but we can't WATCH Divergent in her first person point-of-view. All things considered, I really liked Shailene as Tris.

Theo James. I can't say enough about Theo James. I wasn't excited about him being Four when they selected him, but I wasn't angry either. I didn't like that they aged Four's character by six years, and I thought Theo was a little old for Four. But Theo James did an AMAZING job as Four. He pulled off Four's quiet, badass, scary demeanor, as well as his calm and thoughtful side. I was shocked by how well Theo seemed to be Four. Heck, Theo BECAME Four. I'd argue and say that Theo was a better Four than Shailene was Tris. They both rocked it in this movie. 

The secondary characters were well-selected as well. Maggie Q as Tori was really cool. Honestly, I don't remember the character of Tori super well, but Maggie Q made things interesting. I LOVED Christina's actress (Zoe Kravitz). I've never seen her act before, but she pulled off Christina very nicely. Kate Winslet was a very creepy awesome Jeanine - thumbs up there. And guess what - I think our very own Veronica Roth was in the movie! Check out the zip line scene REALLY CLOSELY - you'll see her (but make sure you remember what she looks like first).

Some of the scenes in this movie were SO WELL DONE, and blew me away. The Choosing Ceremony, the Dauntless train rides, the jumping. The scene at dinner with Four being "so approachable". The knife-throwing scene. Tris and Four climbing the Ferris Wheel. Love love love.

Speaking of love, I can't go through this entire review and NOT mention the romance. One thing I loved about Divergent (the book) was that Four is so much more than a love interest. In fact, I'd say that he is a male protagonist first, and a love interest second. His role in the book is much more than Tris's crush (and then boyfriend). The romance in the first book is really subtle, simple, and sweet. The movie does a great job of conveying the romance. We get hints of budding affections throughout the movie, but I LOVE that the movie doesn't just throw it in our faces. Usually, with movies, the romance must be really commercialized and obvious and it's disgusting. But this movie sticks with the progression of the romance in the book. This way, we get to know Four as a person, and Tris as a person, and THEN the two of them as a couple.

For the most part, this movie sticks to the book's plot. I totally understand that a book's manuscript and a screenplay are veryyy different. However, all and any changes that the screenplay had and the movie featured didn't bother too much. Yes, this film wasn't exactly like the book (see below for key things that were changed). However, I liked the changes (for the most part), and I think the screenplay writers did a really good job of condensing the (very long) book into a screenplay without cutting the really important scenes, and even scenes that seem like a small deal but actually matter a lot.

I can't even get over how pleased I am with this movie. Not only was it a great movie, but it was a great book-to-movie adaptation. Usually I hate book-to-movie adaptations because they're so disappointing and never anywhere close to how good the books are, but this one surprised me. Heck, I might need to see it again!

What I Did Not Like:

Well, as with all book-to-movie adaptations, there were things that were changed. And the changes are justified... mostly. There were a few that stuck out to me, that I wasn't totally happy with. For example, do you remember in the book how there was a Visiting Day, and Tris got to see Natalie (her mother)? I thought that scene was really important, because it showed Natalie's connection to Dauntless, it showed Tris's father's refusal to see his daughter, and it gave us a peak of Four's affection for Tris. The movie DOES have a short scene with Natalie and Tris (in which Natalie's connection to Dauntless is hinted), but that scene is manufactured, and NOT in the book.We don't get to see how Tris's father's absence at the Visiting Day affects her - there is no Visiting Day in the movie.

The thing that bothered me the most was the "capture the flag" scene, with the Ferris Wheel. Do you all remember how Tris LET Christina get the flag, instead of pushing Christina out of the way and capturing it herself? Well, in the movie, Christina stays behind to guard Tris's back (she offers this assistance, and says something almost exactly like that in the movie). TRIS is the one that captures the flag. This is a HUGE change, in my opinion. No longer are we seeing that Tris is selfless in victory, that she let someone else take the credit for something she thought of herself. They wouldn't have won if Tris hadn't climbed the Ferris Wheel, and come up with a plan. 

Instead, we have all attention on Tris. I understand why the writers would change this scene like that. They want to show that Tris is a competitor, a strong Dauntless Initiate, and every much a threat as she is supposed to be (as a Divergent). But we lose the selflessness of that scene. 

The ending was also not completely correct (according to the book). I honestly don't remember Jeanine being in the ending like how she is. Again, I guess I understand why writers made the ending so different - they want the audience to have a clear villain to blame (because reading books and watching movies is very different with different audiences, so we wouldn't want our different audience to be confused!), but it made the ending a little strange, in my opinion. I won't say anything specific about the ending, so you'll have to see what I mean. 

Even though the last time I read it was in 2011, I re-read Divergent ten thousand times, and I think I know this book pretty well. Like I said in the previous sections, the changes were justified (for the most part), but they were still changes. I can't love them all!

Would I Recommend It:

YES! Most definitely! You would not be wasting your time. I recommend you read the book first (that's always something I will recommend), but like any book-to-movie adaptation, it's not necessary. It's an excellent movie, and it's a fabulous book-to-movie adaptation. 

Rating:

4 stars. I'm so glad I watched this movie! It was totally worth my time over spring break, and I really want to see it again (alas, I go back to school on Monday!). Even if you're a book purist like me, who rarely enjoys book-to-movie adaptations, you will most likely enjoy this one!

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Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

Check out this article that describes the major differences between the book and the movie!

Check out this article about rape culture and Divergent!

Feature and Follow Friday (#31)

The Feature & Follow is a creative meme that allows bloggers to get to know each other, and gain more followers! It is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.

If you would like, it would be great if you followed me via Email, Linky, Bloglovin, or Google+ (all on the right). I have no idea what's going on with GFC, so I'd prefer you follow me in a new manner. Let me know in the comments if you did, leave a link to your blog, and I will comment and follow back! I always do, I promise! Thank you so much!

Q: Back to School time! Create a reading list for the imaginary English Lit class you'll be teaching this semester. 

TMI by Patty Blount - because it's all about what happens when you text someone something or post something on Facebook and things get out of hand. Students NEED to read this book

Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott - just read this one. It's about two people who suffers major losses in life, and come together. It's a story that has a personal meaning to me.

Divergent by Veronica Roth - this book is practically a classic. EVERYONE should read at least this book in the trilogy.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke - this book is GORGEOUS. And haunting. And beautiful. And amazing. I would tell people to read this book for the prose alone.

Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller - This book is another contemporary novel that tore at me. There was something about Callie, something so broken. You hated her for wanting to help her mother despite how badly her mother treated her, but you felt for Callie, because she cares so much. This is definitely a story I would want students to read, because it really digs into relationships and trust. And not in the over-commercialized New Adult contemporary romance way (this book isn't New Adult).

Why did I not take the "classics" route, like I see so many other FF hoppers do? Because, as a recently graduated high school student, I KNOW what's in the curriculum, especially for AP and GT students (the smarties). We read books like The Odyssey, The Scarlet Letter, To Kill A Mockingbird, etc., in school. Why would I list books already in schools' curriculum? I listed books that ARE NOT in schools' curriculum, that I think all students should read anyway (in school or out of school).

Waiting on Wednesday (#28): Allegiant by Veronica Roth

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, I'm featuring:

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Book Three of the Divergent trilogy

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publication Date: October 22, 2013

Summary (from Goodreads):

One choice will define you.

What if your whole world was a lie?

What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?

What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

The explosive conclusion to Veronica Roth’s #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy reveals the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

Author Blog | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Um, well, YEAH. I feel like I don't need to explain myself ;)