Knife Edge: Book 2

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Compared to the first book, Noughts and Crosses, this one was just BORING! Not only that, but what’s up with sudden poetic, lyrical snippets that have been added? It’s airy-fairy nonsense. I highly doubt most readers read lyrics in fiction novels. In this paragraph Jude talks about the beauty industry of this society and how even the underwear in shops is designed for Cross women and their naturally curvaceous figure. Or how Nought women get implants to make their lips fuller or spend longer in sunbeds to make themselves darker. Meanwhile, Jude is in hiding following the kidnapping attempt which went awry. Sephy recognized one of the men in the Liberation Militia as working for her father, Andrew Dawn and now Jude is looking for a way to get him found out and avenge his brother. He befriends a Cross salon owner, Cara Imega with the aim of trying to gain access to her money but as his violent and hateful nature takes over, what will be the consequences and what difficult decision will Sephy have to make? Loved the rainbow colour thing going on at the beginning of each section - this was a very clever idea which was seamlessly woven into the book with great intentions.

Enter Jude McGregor. Jude teaches Callie about her real family history, and the more she learns the more he persuades her where her loyalties really lie. because this book is perfect! There was nothing I could fault and it's definitely the best book I've read in a long time. I know a lot of people say this isn't as good as the first, but I adored it and actually thought that it was maybe better because of the further development of the characters and the plot; I was hooked!Les personnages sont vrais. Et d'une complexité qui est vraiment la bienvenue. Tout le monde n'est pas noir, tout le monde n'est pas blanc (sans jeu de mot). Et tant mieux ! Bon sang, tant mieux ! Jude est tout aussi bon. Je l'ai aimé autant que je l'ai détesté. Dans sa quête de vengeance, il est fascinant.. mais aveuglé. C'est un personnage très très intéressant. Très extrême aussi, mais c'est ce qui fait son charme. Sephy is suffering from depression or something similar. It’s never explained, so she’s just down in the dumps all the time, acts like a brat, and just makes life difficult for herself. She’s up and down about whether she loves her baby or not, which could hold the promise of an interesting discussion, but her thoughts on the matter are shallow, so you don’t get to understand her thought process. Frankly, it’s hard to create a character suffering from depression interesting.

Everything about our lives, the style of clothes we were, even down to the food we eat, it’s all dictated by Cross aesthetic, by the way Crosses see the world.” She has been awarded numerous prizes for her work, including the Red House Children’s Book Award and the Fantastic Fiction Award. Malorie has also been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. In 2005 she was honoured with the Eleanor Farjeon Award in recognition of her contribution to children’s books, and in 2008 she received an OBE for her services to children’s literature. She has been described by The Times as ‘a national treasure’. Jude – Jude is possibly my biggest reason for my dislike of this. He’s not a likeable character and reading his hatred and his prejudice and his anger was exhausting and it made me feel ill. I read for enjoyment and Jude is just as racist as the Crosses that he detests so much. His actions once again have repercussions on everyone but himself. He blames others for what he’s done and I really want to hurt him. He’s disgusting and vile and has nothing at all redeemable about him and I HATED being in his head and reading his POV. He’s possibly my main issue with this book. He’s awful. Just no. He needs a lesson in feeling things. Sephy Hadley - a Cross, supposedly powerful and privileged - has bound herself forever to her nought lover Callum McGregor's family.

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The random POVs from Jasmine and Meggie were exactly that and very random. I didn't feel they were relevant at all. But Jude McGregor blames Sephy for all the tragedies his family has suffered. And he is determined to force her to take sides, and destroy her life . . . just like she destroyed his. . . I loved how the theme of racism was explored in such a unique context. I've never read anything like it before and it was breathtaking. This was not on the same level as ‘Noughts and Crosses’. The writing was good, but the story felt lost for me. It wasn’t the same. And while I get that we’re dealing with the aftermath of the conclusion of book one, I feel that this doesn’t do it justice. I found myself dragging myself through the book, when with the predecessor I was racing through the book, praying that it wouldn’t end. Jude's announcement at the end was quite clever of him putting Sephy in it as well as Andrew Dorn while clearing his name. If anything, that guy is good at dishing out his revenge.

Sephy is a Cross: she lives a life of privilege and power. But she's lonely, and burns with injustice at the world she sees around her. So happy that there were short chapters because it kept the action going without anything dragging on. It kept flashing between the two characters' perspectives but it was still kept very clear and never got confusing.I also think her newfound hatred for Callum played a part and stopped her from connecting with her baby. We witness just how damaging her hatred can be for those around her. I did like how she started to find herself. I think the first book we saw how just how wrapped up in Callum she was and consequently, it was hard to decipher who she was as a person. But away from her controlling family, Sephy started to discover herself. We witnessed her personal growth. I guess it’s why I felt so conflicted reading her narratives. I was happy for her but I was also extremely sad for her at the same time. I kept hoping that she sought the help that she needed. She qualified in Computer Science and followed a successful career in computing, before becoming a writer at the age of 28. Her first published book was Not So Stupid! (1990), a book of short stories. Since then she has written many books and scripts, and her popularity has steadily grown. Her scripts for television include several episodes of Byker Grove, Whizziwig and Pig-Heart Boy, and she has also written original dramas for CITV and BBC Education. Her stage play, The Amazing Birthday, was performed in 2002. Sephy is such an incredible character - how she thinks about everything, how she acts about everything. She dragged me into her emotions and I really felt for her. Then - in spite of a world that is fiercely against them - these star-crossed lovers choose each other. These facts are the only things that are mine and real. So I don’t mind so much that I’m leaving it all behind. There’s nothing here worth holding onto.

As with the first book, there is a rather bitty structure where short section follows short section, each in an alternating viewpoint. This time, the switching is mainly between Sephy, the young Cross woman who was pregnant at the end of book 1, and Jude, the brother of Callum, the baby's now deceased father. Unlike book 1 there are a few sections in minor viewpoints, that of Sephy's mother and Jude/Callum's mother.The Noughts & Crosses series are still my favourite books of all time and showed me just how amazing story-telling could be' STORMZY Sixteen years have passed since Sephy Hadley first met Callum McGregor. For Callie Rose, growing up mixed race in a world where bitter prejudice divides Noughts and Crosses has meant she’s an outsider wherever she turns. I also found some minor points a bit irritating: perhaps because of the book's age-group audience, but things that seemed really obvious to me are spelled out, such as Sephy and her sister reiterating to each other that the baby is Callie Rose, Meggie's granddaughter - as if they wouldn't know that. There are a few places like that where there is unnecessary info dumping though fortunately not in big chunks, just sentences thrown in which seem totally unnecessary.