Reviews

This fourth instalment of the series was okay. The themes of gang violence and drugs are important to make people aware of and the book demonstrates how easy people can fall into this lifestyle when they are desperate. However it felt a little bit rushed and predictable. The writing style was very “young” which fits with the target age but as a result felt a little boring at times.
As a whole, I’m invested in the characters now, especially the ones from the first two books. But the plot didn’t have me as hooked as previous ones

Content Warnings

chronicallyhanreads's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

looouise's review against another edition

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challenging sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

beamv's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

beckyyreadss's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I wanted to read this book because I brought a poster with 100 books to read in your lifetime. I’ve been enjoying this series but struggled with the last book Check Mate and I struggled with this book, I feel like there is just a repeated storyline with the children that have been born on the way.

This book has multiple points of view, however the focus and point of view during this book is Tobey Durbridge. His best friend is Callie Rose, her mum is a Cross, and her dad was a Nought. Tobey is a Nought. Tobey wants a better life – for him and for Callie Rose. He wants nothing to do with the violent gangs that rule the world he lives in. But when he’s offered the chance to earn some extra money, how much could it hurt to just this once say ‘yes’? Callie Rose knows all about the danger of saying ‘yes.’ She knows about terrible mistakes, and violence and revenge, and the fierce divide between Noughts and Crosses. And knowing so much about the past makes her afraid for her future. Because sometimes, one little bad decision can change everything.

This book is still 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. It just frustrates how people still be like this? This book has a strong storyline. This is a powerful book. I love how we watched Tobey go from being this innocent anti-gang boy to having to process something so traumatic and then going into the gang and getting sucked in by revenge. This book shows what hate and revenge can do to a person and how secrets can rip families apart.

I would have loved to have the additional POVs from Tobey’s mother and sister and to see what triggered her to start using drugs. I felt like half of this book was repeating the actions of the first three books in this series. I felt like I was reading the same thing over again instead of Sephy and Callum it’s Callie and Tobey. I felt like this book could have been cut in half and we still would have got everything we needed to know and the story and the drama.

I feel like this has dipped a bit from the original plot of the first book. I think Malorie needs to go back to the original plot of book 1 and remember why this was written rather than going off on a tangent and making a book out of it. I think this book should have ended after the third book and just kept it as a trilogy, and I don’t know how it is going to continue with books five and six.

Content Warnings

liiaaa's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

3.75

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