the fates divide

3 stars

This is the conclusion to the Carve the Mark book series. I liked this book better than the first book. The ending seemed a bit rushed, but I liked it.

The story picks up immediately after the events of the last book. Cyra, Akos and their friends and family are fleeing Shotet with Cyra’s brother Ryzek. They plan to flee to Ogra, an inhospitable planet that houses a large number of Shotet refugees. Once there, they learn that Cyra’s tyrant father, Lazmet Noavek, is alive and has declared war on Thuvhe and other planets in the Assembly. As events unfold, both Cyra and Akos realize that Lazmet must die. But how, and by whom?

Cisi, Akos’ sister, and Isae, the new leader of Thuvhe after her sister’s death, break away from the group and head to ask the Assembly help in their war against Shotet. Both women must learn to navigate the intricacies of politics as they seek help for their people.

This book is paced better than the first book and has more action. Some of the plot lines were pretty thin, and I thought the Cisi and Isae storyline was boring. The storylines around Cyra and Akos were more entertaining to read. Overall, this was better than the first book, but still not nearly as good as the Divergent books, which I loved. If your to-be-read pile is high, you can skip this book series and not worry that you’re missing out.