Veronica Roth: Carve the Mark

First published in the US by Katherine Tegen Books in 2017

Katherine Tegen Books is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2017

Published in this edition in 2018

HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd,

HarperCollins Publishers

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

The HarperCollins website address is:

www.harpercollins.co.uk

Text copyright © Veronica Roth 2017

Map copyright © Veronica Roth 2017

Map illustrated by Virginia Allyn

Jacket art ™ & © 2017 by Veronica Roth

Jacket art by Jeff Huang

Jacket design by Joel Tippie

Veronica Roth asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of the work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780008159498

Ebook Edition © 2018 ISBN: 9780008159504

Version: 2018-01-25

ADDITIONAL PRAISE FOR

CARVE THE MARK

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

#1 INDIEBOUND YOUNG ADULT BESTSELLER

#1 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY CHILDREN’S BESTSELLER

WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER

USA TODAY BESTSELLER

“Roth skillfully weaves the careful world-building and intricate web of characters that distinguished Divergent , with settings that are rich with color, ripe for a cinematographer. Roth fans will cheer this new novel with its power to absorb the reader. Readers will be anxiously awaiting the sequel.”

— VOYA (starred review)

“Brimming with plot twists and highly likely to please Roth’s fans.”

— KIRKUS REVIEWS

“Roth offers a richly imagined, often-brutal world of political intrigue and adventure, with a slow-burning romance at its core. Roth’s fans will be happily on board for the forthcoming sequel.”

—ALA BOOKLIST

“Roth’s world-building is commendable; each nation is distinct, interacting with the current in ways that give insight into her characters’ motivations. Amid political machinations and forays into space, Roth thoughtfully addresses substantial issues, such as the power of self-determination in the face of fate. Readers will eagerly await a second installment.”

— PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“The Divergent author builds out this new world—one reminiscent of Star Wars , with its discussions of ‘the current’ and ‘currentgifts’—while still presenting the stark brutality of the circumstances both protagonists find themselves in.”

— ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“This duology offers shades of George Lucas sprawl and influence, Game of Thrones clan intrigue, and a little Romeo and Juliet –style romance. There are cliffhangers aplenty and dangling plot lines to lure us to the next book.”

— USA TODAY

To Ingrid and Karl—

because there is no version of you I don’t love

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright First published in the US by Katherine Tegen Books in 2017 Katherine Tegen Books is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2017 Published in this edition in 2018 HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF The HarperCollins website address is: www.harpercollins.co.uk Text copyright © Veronica Roth 2017 Map copyright © Veronica Roth 2017 Map illustrated by Virginia Allyn Jacket art ™ & © 2017 by Veronica Roth Jacket art by Jeff Huang Jacket design by Joel Tippie Veronica Roth asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of the work. A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins. Source ISBN: 9780008159498 Ebook Edition © 2018 ISBN: 9780008159504 Version: 2018-01-25

Praise ADDITIONAL PRAISE FOR CARVE THE MARK #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER #1 INDIEBOUND YOUNG ADULT BESTSELLER #1 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY CHILDREN’S BESTSELLER WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER USA TODAY BESTSELLER

Dedication To Ingrid and Karl— because there is no version of you I don’t love

Part 1

Chapter 1: Akos

Chapter 2: Akos

Part 2

Chapter 3: Cyra

Chapter 4: Cyra

Chapter 5: Cyra

Chapter 6: Cyra

Chapter 7: Cyra

Chapter 8: Cyra

Chapter 9: Cyra

Chapter 10: Cyra

Chapter 11: Cyra

Chapter 12: Cyra

Chapter 13: Cyra

Chapter 14: Cyra

Part 3

Chapter 15: Akos

Chapter 16: Cyra

Chapter 17: Akos

Chapter 18: Cyra

Chapter 19: Akos

Chapter 20: Cyra

Chapter 21: Akos

Chapter 22: Cyra

Chapter 23: Akos

Chapter 24: Cyra

Chapter 25: Cyra

Part 4

Chapter 26: Akos

Chapter 27: Akos

Chapter 28: Akos

Chapter 29: Cyra

Chapter 30: Akos

Chapter 31: Cyra

Chapter 32: Akos

Chapter 33: Cyra

Chapter 34: Akos

Chapter 35: Cyra

Chapter 36: Akos

Chapter 37: Cyra

Chapter 38: Akos

Chapter 39: Cyra

Chapter 40: Akos

Chapter 41: Cyra

Chapter 42: Akos

Glossary

Acknowledgments

Read on for the Divergent Epilogue: We Can Be Mended

Keep Reading …

About the Author

Books by Veronica Roth

About the Publisher

HUSHFLOWERS ALWAYS BLOOMED WHEN the night was longest. The whole city celebrated the day the bundle of petals peeled apart into rich red—partly because hushflowers were their nation’s lifeblood, and partly, Akos thought, to keep them all from going crazy in the cold.

That evening, on the day of the Blooming ritual, he was sweating into his coat as he waited for the rest of the family to be ready, so he went out to the courtyard to cool off. The Kereseth house was built in a circle around a furnace, all the outermost and innermost walls curved. For luck, supposedly.

Frozen air stung his eyes when he opened the door. He yanked his goggles down, and the heat from his skin fogged up the glass right away. He fumbled for the metal poker with his gloved hand and stuck it under the furnace hood. The burnstones under it just looked like black lumps before friction lit them, and then they sparked in different colors, depending on what they were dusted with.