Double Cross

Everyone assumes the bomb that killed Callie Rose's grandmother was the work of a nought terrorist. But Callie Rose knows the truth - and her fear of the past leaves her afraid for her future. Her boyfriend Tobey is worried about his own future. A nought boy at an exclusive school Tobey hopes to keep out of trouble, go to university, get a good job and leave the dangerous streets of his childhood behind.

But Tobey is discovering that he can't keep clinging to some kind of no-man's land while the neighbourhood around him is carved up by rival gangs. Then he is offered the chance to earn some ready money just making a few 'deliveries'. He doesn't want a part of that world, the world of gangs. But maybe he could get away with it, just this once ...He little realizes how his decision will bring violence down on both himself and Callie and just how far he will go in fighting back...

So I was very happy when my friend came waving this book under my nose. I just adored the three previous books, and I adored this one also.

This time, the story's point of views are Callie's and Tobbie's. At some point it starts being only Tobbie's until at the end it picks up back with Callie's. First thing first, the characters. Malorie has had no trouble creating amazing, interesting and true characters. Callie is strongheaded and emotional, Tobbie brave and wise. Their point of views are strong ad captivating. It's was a true pleasure to follow their stories.

The book covers the issues of drugs and of scholarship inaccessible to students because of lack of money. Once again, Blackman portrays every character's emotions very well and defines all of their personalities so we can see them under every angle. A powerful dramatic story that illustrates the blunt truth in a wonderfully written fictional world.

The action was great. The drama was tearful, and the ending, sublime. Perhaps the subject -drugs and money- wasn't as interesting as the concept of black against white racism featured in the previous books, but it still stays excellent. I'm really sad this is the last book. I just loved the serie so much, I don't want it to end.

I don't know how I can prolong this any further. Malorie Blackman's serie is just amazing, and practically a must-read. I recommend it to everyone who loves drama, romance, mixed with society's truths and lies.

-Beryl

Double Cross by Malorie Blackman
Rating: 9,5/10

Checkmate

Can the future ever erase the past? Rose has a Cross mother and a Nought father in a society where the pale-skinned Noughts are treated as inferiors and those with dual heritage face a life-long battle against deep-rooted prejudices. Sephy, her mother, has told Rose virtually nothing about her father, but as Rose grows up she becomes determined to find out more about her parentage. As Rose takes her first steps away from Sephy and into her father’s world, she finds herself drawn inexorably into danger.

Here's Malorie Blackman's last installment in her trilogy, the first volume being Noughts & Crosses and the second Knife Edge.

Well, I must say I enjoyed reading these books very much. In Checkmate, the story relates Callie's childhood, switching from the present to the past. It's actually concentrated on merely a few hours in the present, and most of Callie's life in between.

The book, just like all the others,has many point of views, Callie's and Sephy's mainly, but also Jude, Jasmine and Meggy. I found that it was a very interesting thing to spin the POV's around, letting the reader have a clear view of how every character was feeling and reacting. It also avoided getting the reader bored with one character.

I found Sephy annoying, though. She was being a terrible mother, making all those ridiculous mistakes and making the situation even worse. Nonetheless, I think that this kind of attitude was needed to make things unravel the way they did. The story wouldn't have held the same impact if everything had solved out too early.

What I liked about Checkmate was how Callie lived through her childhood, and how her attitude changed with everything that happened. It was interesting to see the evolution of her vision on certain things as the story progressed. Sonny was ridiculous, though. I didn't really understand his issues and why he acted as he did.

The descriptions improved once again. The writing is as always concentrated on feelings and emotions. Checkmate didn't cover striking issues, or at least not as Noughts & Crosses did. It was more subject to the power of love than discrimination and racism. Rights have actually been slightly readjusted for the Noughts at the time when the story takes place, and equality is on its way for everyone.

In any case, it was an enjoyable read. A very good serie I recommend to both boys and girls. Checkmate covers the cliffhangers of Knife Edge, so fans of the two previous books absolutely need to read it! It has such a nice ending, too. Very satisfying.

-Beryl

Checkmate by Malorie Blackman
Rating: 9,1/10

Knife Edge

Warning, this review contains spoilers regarding Noughts & Crosses, the first volume in the serie.

Persephone (Sephy) Hadley, now an 18-year-old single parent, is raising her biracial daughter in a sharply divided alternate England, where black Crosses suppress the white Noughts. She faces pressure from both her less-than-understanding Cross family and her disintegrating Naught family, and everyone in between. When her brother-in-law's violent behavior leads to murder, Sephy provides a false alibi to save Jude, but doing so irreparably damages other lives.

This time the story is told by many points of view; Sephy and Jude mainly, but also by Minerva, Meggie and Jasmine (Sephy's mother).

After Callum's death, Sephy wishes harder than ever that her daughter Callie Rose was dead and that Callum was back. Yet, she loves her daughter so much, which is the proof of her and Callum's love for each other. We see how mature she has become since the events of Noughts & Crosses, how she takes things with a cool seriousness and determination. I liked Sephy a lot in this book until depression gained over her. After she received Callum's letter - which contents you will only know if you read the book - foolishness heaved a bit too much on her actions. Seeing in what state she was and what she was going through, it's understandable, but still irritable to me.

Jude was deliciously cruel, mean, arrogant and bad-boyish than ever. His side of the story was very interesting to watch and so was his character. I really loved how he tried to be indifferent and cold to everything and how he failed against what he considers his biggest enemy. I was disappointed that he didn't succeed in seeing things properly and didn't give in his true feelings (those who read the book, you know what I mean. ;] ), but I guess that with such a story he just couldn't.

I found Jasmine and Meggie a bit too 'out-of-character', or at least I didn't see the peculiar touch that distinguished them from other characters originated from Noughts & Crosses. They were too soft. Yet again, I guess their personalities have been altered after the dramatic events of the previous volume, and just like every one else, they were trying to start from the beginning.

I found the ending strangely-described though. Not described enough, actually, which left me perplexed on the unraveling of those last moments.

This second book had its own share of drama that I enjoyed greatly. There was less romance, more doubt, fears and sadness. There were also more details this time without forgetting the evident underlining of emotions and feelings. I drank it as fast as I drank the first book, and Malorie has a talent of presenting the most atrocious things gracefully. I think fans of Noughts & Crosses will enjoy this second volume even if it wasn't as good as the first, and will be impatient about reading the follow-up.

-Beryl

Knife Edge by Malorie Blackman
Rating: 8,9/10

Noughts & Crosses

Sephy is a Cross - a member of the dark-skinned ruling class. Callum is a Nought - a “colourless” member of the underclass who were once slaves to the Crosses. The two have been friends since early childhood, but that’s as far as it can go. In their world, Noughts and Crosses simply don’t mix. Against a background of prejudice and distrust, intensely highlighted by violent terrorist activity, a romance builds between Sephy and Callum - a romance that is to lead both of them into terrible danger. Can they possibly find a way to be together?

Have you ever wondered how life where black is rich and powerful while white is despised and miserable would look like?

Sephy Hadley is the daughter of an important and successful politician who is managing his way up toward the highest point of the parliament while his wife drinks away her loneliness. Sephy doesn't really realize the discrimination the Noughts endure and of how well she lives compared to them.

Callum McGregor is just another Nought who can only clench his fists every time a Cross looks down on him. He tries hard to create a path through the prejudices attributed because of his pale skin color and wishes to receive an education that will help him become someone. Now that he has succeeded in getting accepted in Sephy's college, he hopes his chance has come.

Spehy and Callum are friends, and as they both grow older and more mature, their love grows as well.

I read the book in french, and I think its cover is very interesting too, so here it is. ->

Malorie Blackman offers an intriguing and gripping novel presenting one of our world's prejudice in a most original and spun-around way. She tried, through her novel, to show how ridiculous this old-age discrimination game is, and that skin color doesn't arbitrate one's intelligence and talent. Some people might think that Malorie is trying to present black folk as the bad guys and the white ones as those worth sympathizing for, but that's not true. After reading Noughts and Crosses, readers will see how nothing is truly good or bad.

The story is told by two different point of views; Callum's and Sephy's, and adduced by strong feelings and emotions. Sephy's foolishness and ignorance is evident and so is Callum's strong desire to become someone respected. Their friendship and love for each other is nonetheless embodied in both of their narrations, and together they shows how easily children are ready to love despite prejudices.

The writing of this books is somewhat simplistic, minimizing the details and centering on the feelings and emotions mainly. This read is quick and fluid, the chapters are sometimes hurried, and the story doesn't bother turning right and left into unnecessary details. As a reader, I prefer very descriptive texts, but I think that Malorie's writing style might be fine for younger attention spams.

I simply loved this book. It was deliciously cruel and unfair, and yes, tragic. It doesn't need to be situated in a precise world to affect the reader and realize what consequences a human's actions can create. I strongly recommend it to young adults.

-Beryl

Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman
Rating: 9,3/10

Read Knife Edge's review, the follow up to Noughts & Crosses.