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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
tense
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:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
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:
Yes
Brilliant
This is bittersweet. Can't believe my favourite series is finally over. What an ending. Well written and emotional as per usual. Covering a lot of issues. Well done Malorie and thank you for writing these books. They've impacted my life.
This is bittersweet. Can't believe my favourite series is finally over. What an ending. Well written and emotional as per usual. Covering a lot of issues. Well done Malorie and thank you for writing these books. They've impacted my life.
Oh boy... where do I begin? I admire Blackman for taking on the challenge of draw to a close such an acclaimed book series, which has seen a lot of intergenerational developments, but I must admit - I am disappointed. Hearing the narrative of the first-generation characters really made the journey full circle, seeing firsthand how their stories end after having grown up with them. As for the rest of the story, I have three contentions: firstly, I did not like the endings of the other characters, namely the second generation ones; secondly, it was a bit predictable, I guessed one of the plot twists from the beginning; thirdly, I must be among the minority to express the fact that I did not enjoy the close reference to current political and real world events. The premise of this book, a world in which race is reversed, was what initially drew me to it as it sounded like an interesting and dystopian concept. I draw attention to the notion of dystopia. I believe that the more you interweave modern concepts into the story, in an unsubtle way, it loses its dystopic nature, turning into a current affairs story with dystopic elements. I normally try to keep my reviews brief and vague so as to avoid spoilers but given how I have grown up with this book and the place it holds in my heart, I only think it is right to provide a character analysis. You've been warned - spoilers ahead!
Sephy and Callum:
Persephone Hadley and Callum McGregor - the original characters which kickstarted this whole book series. Their forbidden, but pure love, and the tragedy of Callum's death at the end of the first book is what kept me hooked. It felt right to hear Sephy's voice again, as a matured adult, navigating the world with her two children, love interests, and criminal threats from the underworld. Her death at the end, whilst utterly devastating, truly brought closure to the story, allowing her to reunite with her lover.
Having said that, I really did not understand opening up a murder mystery surrounding her husband, Nathan's, death and leaving it semi-unsolved. It seems that Sonny did it, but given that Sephy died before they could have a proper talk, no real and concrete answer was given.
I admire Sephy's unwavering spirit and courage and her willingness to do anything for her children, which led to her untimely demise.
Callie and Tobey:
Callie Rose Hadley and Tobey Durbridge - the second-generation characters, whose romance blossomed in a world, slightly more accepting than before. No, just no. They are extremely toxic together and if Callie was one of my girls in real life, I would be telling her to run a mile. Their adult relationship bears no difference to their teenage one, except for the fact that Tobey seems to be a bit more emotionally available. Callie's wavering "I love Tobey... but he's a bad guy... no I don't love him... but no we are meant to be..." was extremely irritating and Tobey's ability to go from bad to worse was astounding. I was not at all surprised that Tobey was behind the criminal enterprise this entire time. If a man, during his teenage years, can sleep with another woman (and consequently, impregnate her) to spite his girlfriend, he can do anything. Upon all the pain and suffering Tobey has inflicted on Callie over the years, I cannot believe that she would still have feelings for him.
Their marriage at the end, three months after Sephy's funeral was extremely rushed and illogical. I am a Sephy die-hard fan, but when she said, "save him" to Callie, I personally did not interpret that as "marry the man". Callie's grief as to her mother's death was not explored enough in my opinion, given their proximity, brushed over with elation at the prospect of marrying Tobey.
Callie is a character I admire and relate to. Being someone who is dual heritage, it was incredible to read a story set place in a dystopian world, where Callie is actually in a position of advantage and privilege because of her Cross (black) side, but still struggled from some prejudice from her Nought (white) side. Aside from Callie's romantic choices, her character development has been astounding - going from teen rebel involved in organised terrorist activities with her uncle Jude, to successful and hard-working barrister makes me proud of her.
As for Tobey, I have nothing much to say about him. I believe his love for Callie always was pure, but was tainted by his insecurity surrounding his Nought heritage. This insecurity manifested itself in being emotionally unavailable, some terrible choices, and ultimately losing Callie for an extended period of time, as well as contact with his daughter. Over the years, Tobey has attributed his achievements to hard work and his purpose as doing good in the world, when really, it was down to his criminal involvement in being the mastermind behind a notorious gang. Safe to say - not a fan and Callie deserves much better.
Troy and Libby:
Troy Ealing and Liberty Jackman - an amalgamation of second and third generation characters in this story. Their captivity was interesting to read about, and I enjoyed the insight gained from each character's backstory. I loved that Blackman broke the pattern of mixed-heritage romantic relationships by proving that two such characters can have a friendly, brother/sister relationship instead.
I am happy with Libby's ending, the fact that she finally got a loving and stable family to live in, much needed after her traumatic childhood. As for Troy - I really feel for him and I think I see things from his perspective. He is dealing with the loss of his mother, Sephy, whilst seeing that his older sister, Callie Rose, is marrying Tobey, the man responsible for his mother's death. Whilst Troy does not know the extent of Tobey's undesirable traits, he still makes him out and sees him for what he truly is. Having said this, it was reassuring to see Troy on the mend from the trauma of his kidnapping and losing his mother.
Spoiler
Sephy and Callum:
Persephone Hadley and Callum McGregor - the original characters which kickstarted this whole book series. Their forbidden, but pure love, and the tragedy of Callum's death at the end of the first book is what kept me hooked. It felt right to hear Sephy's voice again, as a matured adult, navigating the world with her two children, love interests, and criminal threats from the underworld. Her death at the end, whilst utterly devastating, truly brought closure to the story, allowing her to reunite with her lover.
Having said that, I really did not understand opening up a murder mystery surrounding her husband, Nathan's, death and leaving it semi-unsolved. It seems that Sonny did it, but given that Sephy died before they could have a proper talk, no real and concrete answer was given.
I admire Sephy's unwavering spirit and courage and her willingness to do anything for her children, which led to her untimely demise.
Callie and Tobey:
Callie Rose Hadley and Tobey Durbridge - the second-generation characters, whose romance blossomed in a world, slightly more accepting than before. No, just no. They are extremely toxic together and if Callie was one of my girls in real life, I would be telling her to run a mile. Their adult relationship bears no difference to their teenage one, except for the fact that Tobey seems to be a bit more emotionally available. Callie's wavering "I love Tobey... but he's a bad guy... no I don't love him... but no we are meant to be..." was extremely irritating and Tobey's ability to go from bad to worse was astounding. I was not at all surprised that Tobey was behind the criminal enterprise this entire time. If a man, during his teenage years, can sleep with another woman (and consequently, impregnate her) to spite his girlfriend, he can do anything. Upon all the pain and suffering Tobey has inflicted on Callie over the years, I cannot believe that she would still have feelings for him.
Their marriage at the end, three months after Sephy's funeral was extremely rushed and illogical. I am a Sephy die-hard fan, but when she said, "save him" to Callie, I personally did not interpret that as "marry the man". Callie's grief as to her mother's death was not explored enough in my opinion, given their proximity, brushed over with elation at the prospect of marrying Tobey.
Callie is a character I admire and relate to. Being someone who is dual heritage, it was incredible to read a story set place in a dystopian world, where Callie is actually in a position of advantage and privilege because of her Cross (black) side, but still struggled from some prejudice from her Nought (white) side. Aside from Callie's romantic choices, her character development has been astounding - going from teen rebel involved in organised terrorist activities with her uncle Jude, to successful and hard-working barrister makes me proud of her.
As for Tobey, I have nothing much to say about him. I believe his love for Callie always was pure, but was tainted by his insecurity surrounding his Nought heritage. This insecurity manifested itself in being emotionally unavailable, some terrible choices, and ultimately losing Callie for an extended period of time, as well as contact with his daughter. Over the years, Tobey has attributed his achievements to hard work and his purpose as doing good in the world, when really, it was down to his criminal involvement in being the mastermind behind a notorious gang. Safe to say - not a fan and Callie deserves much better.
Troy and Libby:
Troy Ealing and Liberty Jackman - an amalgamation of second and third generation characters in this story. Their captivity was interesting to read about, and I enjoyed the insight gained from each character's backstory. I loved that Blackman broke the pattern of mixed-heritage romantic relationships by proving that two such characters can have a friendly, brother/sister relationship instead.
I am happy with Libby's ending, the fact that she finally got a loving and stable family to live in, much needed after her traumatic childhood. As for Troy - I really feel for him and I think I see things from his perspective. He is dealing with the loss of his mother, Sephy, whilst seeing that his older sister, Callie Rose, is marrying Tobey, the man responsible for his mother's death. Whilst Troy does not know the extent of Tobey's undesirable traits, he still makes him out and sees him for what he truly is. Having said this, it was reassuring to see Troy on the mend from the trauma of his kidnapping and losing his mother.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The end to a brilliant series. Sephy's full circle moment had me tearing up.
While I feel this book and Crossfire would’ve either been better as a simpler standalone or a more developed ‘next generation’ trilogy (it felt like there were condensed plot lines in parts and I didn’t feel attached to quite a few secondary characters), this was a great end to the series. The highlight for this book for me was 100% Sephy’s POV which I was glad about since we’ve seen her grow since Book 1, and I’d say some of Malorie’s best writing to date was in these chapters. I guessed the murderer and kidnapper pretty early on but that didn’t impair my enjoyment of the book. All in all, while not the most outstanding murder mystery slash thriller I’ve read, my emotional attachment to this series and the fact that the writing truly shone in this book overrode some of the downfalls of the plot.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
When I first started this series, I wasn't so sure about seeing black people cast as the villains in a race reversal retelling of history. I understood why Malorie Blackman wrote this series that way, but I didn't think it made much sense in 2022/23. I didn't think I'd last very long, yet here I am at the end of book 6. This series is worth your while if you're looking for a female BIPOC writer and also a fan of YA dystopian fantasy/ fiction.