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boastybooks's review
challenging
dark
informative
tense
medium-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
3.0
pam_sartain's review against another edition
4.0
Crossfire by Malorie Blackman is the fifth book in the Noughts and Crosses series. I had heard of Noughts and Crosses before, and so read it, and the second book Knife Edge, before reading Crossfire.
Which does mean I haven't read books 3 and 4. I figured I would see how much I was missing out on the story in this fifth book, and it turns out I was missing quite a lot!
When asked why she wrote Noughts and Crosses Malorie Blackman has said on her website:
There wasn’t any one thing. It grew out of a lifetime of experiences. Some of the racist incidents in the book were based on real events from my own childhood. And I also wanted to play with the idea that ‘history is luck’ to a certain extent. What if Africans had invented trans-oceanic travel and colonized Europe and America? Or what if the Aztecs and Incas had ‘beaten Cortez to the punch’ and converted the Catholics in Spain and Portugal at the point of a sword? You put all that together and you have the germ of an idea which led to Noughts and Crosses.
Noughts are the minority, previous slaves of the Crosses. We are shown the every day racism of a world that is in the 21st century, and trialing integrated schools.
Noughts and Crosses is the story of Sephy, a Cross, and Callum, a Nought, and their doomed love.
Crossfire is bringing us up to date, and is set 18 years after the 4th book. Malorie Blackman has said that she felt like she had to write it due to Brexit, and you can also find Windrush references.
In Crossfire, we have Sephy's son, Troy, and Libby, a Nought, who are kidnapped, and each thinks they know why. Callie Rose is a lawyer, and is to defend the first Nought Prime Minister from the charge of murder.
I did enjoy the story, and the characters, but I did also feel like I was missing out on quite a lot of references to things going on, so read this when you've read the previous four to get the full enjoyment out of it! The end is also a cliff hanger, just to prepare you!
Crossfire was published on 8th August 2019, and is available to buy on Amazon and on Waterstones. I've found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!
You can follow Malorie Blackman on Twitter, or through her website.
I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Penguin Random House (the publishers) for this book.
Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!
Which does mean I haven't read books 3 and 4. I figured I would see how much I was missing out on the story in this fifth book, and it turns out I was missing quite a lot!
When asked why she wrote Noughts and Crosses Malorie Blackman has said on her website:
There wasn’t any one thing. It grew out of a lifetime of experiences. Some of the racist incidents in the book were based on real events from my own childhood. And I also wanted to play with the idea that ‘history is luck’ to a certain extent. What if Africans had invented trans-oceanic travel and colonized Europe and America? Or what if the Aztecs and Incas had ‘beaten Cortez to the punch’ and converted the Catholics in Spain and Portugal at the point of a sword? You put all that together and you have the germ of an idea which led to Noughts and Crosses.
Noughts are the minority, previous slaves of the Crosses. We are shown the every day racism of a world that is in the 21st century, and trialing integrated schools.
Noughts and Crosses is the story of Sephy, a Cross, and Callum, a Nought, and their doomed love.
Crossfire is bringing us up to date, and is set 18 years after the 4th book. Malorie Blackman has said that she felt like she had to write it due to Brexit, and you can also find Windrush references.
In Crossfire, we have Sephy's son, Troy, and Libby, a Nought, who are kidnapped, and each thinks they know why. Callie Rose is a lawyer, and is to defend the first Nought Prime Minister from the charge of murder.
I did enjoy the story, and the characters, but I did also feel like I was missing out on quite a lot of references to things going on, so read this when you've read the previous four to get the full enjoyment out of it! The end is also a cliff hanger, just to prepare you!
Crossfire was published on 8th August 2019, and is available to buy on Amazon and on Waterstones. I've found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!
You can follow Malorie Blackman on Twitter, or through her website.
I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Penguin Random House (the publishers) for this book.
Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!
sammibirdyy's review against another edition
4.25
I hope the next one ends the series well, it could be a make or break situation
geeky_zebra's review
challenging
tense
medium-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? Yes
5.0
eyeries09's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
5.0
rachelhartharnevans's review against another edition
3.0
Seemed immaturely written and quite messy. Not as good as the other books
italiananchovy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
adele89's review
dark
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
4.25
booksofjj's review
2.0
I have loved the Noughts and Crosses series so far and this was confirmed with my re-reading of the series ready to read the "latest" installment of this amazing series. However, I wasn't as impressed with Crossfire.
It lacked the emotional rawness of the first four books and I believe that some of this, at least from my part, was having to remember where everyone fits in with the "family tree". I know the family tree is in the first of the book, and I can see why with how easy it is to remember the relations compared to the original storyline, but it means I am taken away from the story.
Unlike the previous books, it isn't as smooth a transition into the new characters and it just doesn't feel like the next book in a series. More so a standalone book that should flourish in its own right. I believe you could give this book to someone who has never read the series before and they would get more enjoyment out of it as they wouldn't probably enjoy the plot more.
Only a short review for this book as I don't really have much to say about this book as it got to the point where I read it just to finish it.
It lacked the emotional rawness of the first four books and I believe that some of this, at least from my part, was having to remember where everyone fits in with the "family tree". I know the family tree is in the first of the book, and I can see why with how easy it is to remember the relations compared to the original storyline, but it means I am taken away from the story.
Unlike the previous books, it isn't as smooth a transition into the new characters and it just doesn't feel like the next book in a series. More so a standalone book that should flourish in its own right. I believe you could give this book to someone who has never read the series before and they would get more enjoyment out of it as they wouldn't probably enjoy the plot more.
Only a short review for this book as I don't really have much to say about this book as it got to the point where I read it just to finish it.
livdasnapper3's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75