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esme_t's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, and Racism
Moderate: Suicide, Abortion, and Violence
Minor: Rape
beckyyreadss's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I decided to read this book because I brought a poster with 100 books to read in your lifetime. This is the eleventh book I've read on this poster. I knew this book was going to be brutal, but holy hell.
This book has two points of views. The first is Persephone Hadley AKA Sephy. She is a Cross with dark skin and the daughter of a wealthy senior politician. She lives a life of power and privilege. But she is lonely, and burns with injustice at the world she sees around her and she wants to make the world a better place. The second point is Callum McGregor. He is a Nought with white skin. His mother used to work for Sephy’s mother as a nanny. Callum is considered to be less than nothing – a blanker, there to serve Crosses, but he dreams of a better life. Sephy and Callum have been friends since they were children, and they both know that’s as far as it can ever go. Noughts and Crosses are fated to be bitter enemies – love is out of the question. Then, in spite of a world that is fiercely against them – these star-crossed lovers choose each other. But this is a love story that will lead both of them into terrible danger, and will have shocking repercussions for generations to come.
This book is brutal, yes, it is supposed to be a dystopian and fictional book, but it didn’t feel like it at all. This shows the way that society still is and it made my blood boil. I don’t think it helped that I was reading The Devil’s Advocate by Steve Cavanagh at the same time as that book showed small town white supremacy and racism. It just frustrates me like how can people still be like this? This book is fast-paced and the storyline moves along very quickly. This is a powerful book, I feel like everyone in high school or college should read this (I would say younger but there is a lot that happens that could trigger someone so I would suggest checking triggers first). It has a powerful message and Malorie Blackman made sure she was heard. The message with this book doesn’t even have to be about race (although it mainly is), but it can be about fighting for what you believe in, to not judge someone based on background or who their parents are/ what their parents did and to be fair and kind.
What I didn’t like was the jump in the timeline to like 3 years later and how it wasn’t much of a build up to what happened. I would have loved to seen more at how Sephy was advocating at her school and how Callum made his rank in the Liberation Militia. I would have preferred additional POVs chapters from the family as well. I just wanted to know what Lynette was thinking and feeling and how Jude was thinking and feeling as both of them had different experiences in life. I felt like Sephy and Callum had nothing else to do but be obsessed with each other and going back and forth between, “I shouldn’t like them” and “I want to see them now.” I would like more of a second-chance or a more of a distinct break so that us as readers were itching for them to be back together.
I personally believe this book should be a standalone, but seeing as there are 5 or 6 other books, I'm intrigued to see how Malorie has carried this series on especially with how this book ended, unless it’s to do with the next generation and we find out how Sephy did after the events in this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Death, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Murder, Abortion, Violence, and Suicide
Minor: Rape, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
izzyvioletgrace's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
An amazing book facing many difficult topics: racism, societal standards and mental health. I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Rape, Stalking, Violence, Alcoholism, Mass/school shootings, Bullying, Alcohol, Death, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Genocide, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Torture, Abortion, Blood, and Addiction
whitenoise's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, Kidnapping, Alcoholism, Abortion, Suicide, and Bullying
Moderate: Bullying, Grief, Hate crime, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Classism, and Violence
Minor: Rape, Police brutality, Slavery, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Vomit
fallen_leaves's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Racism, Kidnapping, Violence, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Death, and Suicide
efsimpkin's review against another edition
I am sure that this deserves all the hype it got 20 years ago. But I feel like I’m being beaten around the head with the same recurring themes and how Sephy and Callum’s POV chapters aren’t that different. Neither of them speak like teenagers. Lynette’s mental health issues are played for laughs, it’s awful. I truly commend Malorie Blackman for the idea of this book, the flipped racism, I found that so interesting, but I can’t suffer through the state of this writing to find out what happens.
UPDATE I READ THE PLOT AND???? BRO WHAT. Nah. NAH. NOPE
UPDATE I READ THE PLOT AND???? BRO WHAT. Nah. NAH. NOPE
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Racism
chuubisous's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Racism, Racial slurs, and Suicide
elisalasater's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Suicide, Racism, and Violence
karol99's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Very YA and not in the best way. I didn't really like the writing. I was very frustrated with the characters, but I think that's due to the fact that the miscommunication trope is a pet-peeve of mine. They were very young for most of te book, which reflected in the writing- I am not a teen, and therefore might have read this too late as I am not the correct demographic anymore. Concept and idea of the book is very interesting, and enjoyed the book tackling race issues that are ignored and engraved into society today, and have become deeply systemic. But what took me out of it was the YA Cons vs the pros. I think think the way the book is written is very much a product of it's time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, Bullying, Hate crime, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Slavery, Physical abuse, Suicide, Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Vomit
asourceoffiction's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is an amazing story, but at first I struggled a bit with the simplistic language and overuse of exclamation marks. From about half way through it began to really hammer home the idea that these are children whose lives are being so shaped by their circumstances, and once I understood that, it gave the language a lot more power in highlighting the first-person narrative, as if I was hearing Callum and Sephy's thoughts.
The adolescent nature of the writing also lulled me into a false sense of security, thinking that the story might gloss over some of the more unpleasant ideas explored. But it hits them head on, pulling no punches, and renders them all the more shocking as a result. But as the story went further and Sephy and Callum grew older, I started to feel the writing pulling me out of the action again. It seems like it was a really hard balance to strike.
That said, none of it takes anything from the phenomenal story and the brutal world these characters live in. What's so clever is that neither Callum nor Sephy knows the right or wrong way to behave to encourage change; and even when they try it can backfire spectacularly when prejudice is so ingrained. It's fascinating and infuriating, which you can see so well as they change with age.
After the incredibly tense ending, I'm intrigued to see where the rest of the series takes the story!
The adolescent nature of the writing also lulled me into a false sense of security, thinking that the story might gloss over some of the more unpleasant ideas explored. But it hits them head on, pulling no punches, and renders them all the more shocking as a result. But as the story went further and Sephy and Callum grew older, I started to feel the writing pulling me out of the action again. It seems like it was a really hard balance to strike.
That said, none of it takes anything from the phenomenal story and the brutal world these characters live in. What's so clever is that neither Callum nor Sephy knows the right or wrong way to behave to encourage change; and even when they try it can backfire spectacularly when prejudice is so ingrained. It's fascinating and infuriating, which you can see so well as they change with age.
After the incredibly tense ending, I'm intrigued to see where the rest of the series takes the story!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Kidnapping