Carve the Mark

A little slow to start, but once it found its voice I enjoyed it a lot. I thought it had more complexity than the Divergent series and that it had a nuanced and interesting take on Stockholm Syndrome, trauma, chronic pain and power dynamics.

The book does need a CW for potential self-harm triggers. Probably one of the reasons it resonated for me, but. Be aware.

Now that I'm reading reviews I'm seeing folks pointing out that the story may have had some issues that I didn't catch. I'll have to read up and think about it more. I get why some would say that treating chronic pain as a “gift” or a source of power is problematic, but my take was that it was very empowering, especially read in its context, which was one of childhood trauma and abuse. It can be deeply moving to see clearly that what you have suffered has changed you, and rather than accept the narrative that you “deserved” it, write a new narrative in which that suffering gives you strength and a unique perspective. I found it very meaningful to read a story in which a protagonist lives their life with chronic pain that is realistic and informs their story without being the whole of their story. YMMV.

I won't speak to any racist subtext because, hey, I'm white, and I 100% missed it, whatever it was. POC talking about that are certainly worth listening to.