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Noughts and Crosses #2
Knife Edge
This thought-provoking and often provocative look at racism is a sequel to the award-winning Noughts & Crosses .
For fourteen years, Sephy, a singer, struggles to raise her mixed-race child in an apartheid society, telling Callie Rose very little about her father, and trying to make her mark in the music business where she also has to deal with prejudice. But suddenly and dramatically, Callie discovers the truth about her parentage -- that her father, Callum, was hanged for terrorism! Can mother and daughter heal the rift that now opens between them? And can Callie ignore the pain of the past as she takes her own steps towards her future? This is a riveting and page-turning novel for ages twelve and up that will confirm Malorie Blackman’s status as one of today’s top authors for young readers.
From the Hardcover edition.
For fourteen years, Sephy, a singer, struggles to raise her mixed-race child in an apartheid society, telling Callie Rose very little about her father, and trying to make her mark in the music business where she also has to deal with prejudice. But suddenly and dramatically, Callie discovers the truth about her parentage -- that her father, Callum, was hanged for terrorism! Can mother and daughter heal the rift that now opens between them? And can Callie ignore the pain of the past as she takes her own steps towards her future? This is a riveting and page-turning novel for ages twelve and up that will confirm Malorie Blackman’s status as one of today’s top authors for young readers.
From the Hardcover edition.
364 pages, Paperback
First published August 7, 2003
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10801 people want to read
About the author
Malorie Blackman
156 books4,514 followersAn award-winning children's author, Malorie Blackman was honoured with an OBE in 2008. Her work has been adapted for TV and stage.
More information available at:
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British Council: Contemporary Authors
British Council: Encompass Culture
Channel 4 Learning: Book Box
More information available at:
Myspace
British Council: Contemporary Authors
British Council: Encompass Culture
Channel 4 Learning: Book Box
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,157 reviews
September 9, 2016
Wow.This book is amazing and I'd say it's even better than the first book.I literally flew through this book in one sitting because I didn't want to put it down till I finished it.
Malorie Blackman's writing skills are phenomenal,she manages to completely submerge you into her fictional world and continuously pull on your heart strings.The characters complexity is just fantastic and I even felt pity for the worst characters as my opinions of the characters kept altering.
I loved every narrative as you really do get a glimpse into the characters,like Jude who I even began to like for a short while.The story is completely unpredictable and highlights so much unjust that still exists in our own society and the forgotten aspects of racial inequality.
This book hooked me from the start and outlines so much about racial injustice which you'd forget about.I really loved this one and I can't wait to start Checkmate.
Malorie Blackman's writing skills are phenomenal,she manages to completely submerge you into her fictional world and continuously pull on your heart strings.The characters complexity is just fantastic and I even felt pity for the worst characters as my opinions of the characters kept altering.
I loved every narrative as you really do get a glimpse into the characters,like Jude who I even began to like for a short while.The story is completely unpredictable and highlights so much unjust that still exists in our own society and the forgotten aspects of racial inequality.
This book hooked me from the start and outlines so much about racial injustice which you'd forget about.I really loved this one and I can't wait to start Checkmate.
April 7, 2021
I’m loving this series. I read them a long time ago and so I don’t remember them much but they feel familiar.
I couldn’t stop reading knife edge, something about this story captivates me.
I wasn’t so keen on the format of this one and the song lyrics, for me it would have been better without them.
I couldn’t stop reading knife edge, something about this story captivates me.
I wasn’t so keen on the format of this one and the song lyrics, for me it would have been better without them.
August 28, 2017
Set in a dystopian 21st century near future British society – the ‘Noughts & Crosses’ award winning series of novels (initially a trilogy, subsequently extended to a quadrilogy) opens following a period of alternative history, a post slavery period where the white population (Noughts) have been enslaved by the ruling black elite. Now post emancipation, it is the non-black population who are distinctly disadvantaged and impoverished in this alternative future society which is ruled and controlled by the dominating blacks (Crosses).
The ‘Noughts & Crosses’ series provides us with an explicit flip and twist on both the history and current political and cultural demographic of British society – where racial politics is turned on its head and power structures are completely reversed.
The fundamental premise underlying this series is a vitally important one – what Malorie Blackman seems to have set out to do, is to robustly challenge (what may be many) readers’ current perceptions, presumptions, assumptions and views on race and (British) society. An attempt to provoke thought and to revisit the absurdities of a society(ies) run along lines on racial disadvantagement and the domination of one ethnic group or groups in society by another controlling ethnic (almost always white) group. The books successfully challenge and encourage particularly the non-black reader to reconsider and think again about being part of and party to, a racially privileged white society – and by extension, to consider the real life alternative in the light of the fictional world that is portrayed here in the ‘Noughts & Crosses’ series. Moreover – to consider the possibility of a third way – a society run entirely along non-racially defined power structures.
This is an original, intelligent, perceptive and though-provoking series of books – and whilst squarely aimed at the Young Adult market, it clearly transcends the restrictive boundaries of that genre.
The first installment ‘Noughts & Crosses’ is the strongest of the series, closely followed by the second and third parts of the original trilogy namely ‘Knife Edge’ and ‘Checkmate’. Whilst ‘Double Cross’ is well-written and ostensibly does add value to the series, it does feel ultimately a little superfluous and does not provide the same impact as the preceding three novels.
Moreover, apart from being politically and culturally astute, what makes the ‘Noughts & Crosses’ series of books so successful is not merely the originality and the ever-present / underlying theme of racial politics, but the fact that Blackman has created great characters who inhabit great page-turning stories which are both compelling and engaging.
These are increasingly important books to be read by all – particularly in view of the current political climate and the ever more disturbing rise in the so-called ‘alt right’ / white supremacist groups in certain parts of the world.
It is very encouraging that Blackman's series of books has been so successful and is widely read and made available in UK schools – as it quite rightly should continue to be.
Throughout the course of the ‘Noughts & Crosses’ series of novels, Malorie Blackman successfully shines a light on the absurdities of racial domination and subjugation of one group by another and the fundamental racist agenda (implicit and explicit, covert and overt – at both personal and societal levels) that underpins and perpetuates this ridiculous cultural dialectic.
In the words of Nelson Mandela (as recently quoted by Barack Obama):
“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin or his background or his religion…”
The ‘Noughts & Crosses’ series provides us with an explicit flip and twist on both the history and current political and cultural demographic of British society – where racial politics is turned on its head and power structures are completely reversed.
The fundamental premise underlying this series is a vitally important one – what Malorie Blackman seems to have set out to do, is to robustly challenge (what may be many) readers’ current perceptions, presumptions, assumptions and views on race and (British) society. An attempt to provoke thought and to revisit the absurdities of a society(ies) run along lines on racial disadvantagement and the domination of one ethnic group or groups in society by another controlling ethnic (almost always white) group. The books successfully challenge and encourage particularly the non-black reader to reconsider and think again about being part of and party to, a racially privileged white society – and by extension, to consider the real life alternative in the light of the fictional world that is portrayed here in the ‘Noughts & Crosses’ series. Moreover – to consider the possibility of a third way – a society run entirely along non-racially defined power structures.
This is an original, intelligent, perceptive and though-provoking series of books – and whilst squarely aimed at the Young Adult market, it clearly transcends the restrictive boundaries of that genre.
The first installment ‘Noughts & Crosses’ is the strongest of the series, closely followed by the second and third parts of the original trilogy namely ‘Knife Edge’ and ‘Checkmate’. Whilst ‘Double Cross’ is well-written and ostensibly does add value to the series, it does feel ultimately a little superfluous and does not provide the same impact as the preceding three novels.
Moreover, apart from being politically and culturally astute, what makes the ‘Noughts & Crosses’ series of books so successful is not merely the originality and the ever-present / underlying theme of racial politics, but the fact that Blackman has created great characters who inhabit great page-turning stories which are both compelling and engaging.
These are increasingly important books to be read by all – particularly in view of the current political climate and the ever more disturbing rise in the so-called ‘alt right’ / white supremacist groups in certain parts of the world.
It is very encouraging that Blackman's series of books has been so successful and is widely read and made available in UK schools – as it quite rightly should continue to be.
Throughout the course of the ‘Noughts & Crosses’ series of novels, Malorie Blackman successfully shines a light on the absurdities of racial domination and subjugation of one group by another and the fundamental racist agenda (implicit and explicit, covert and overt – at both personal and societal levels) that underpins and perpetuates this ridiculous cultural dialectic.
In the words of Nelson Mandela (as recently quoted by Barack Obama):
“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin or his background or his religion…”
October 19, 2020
I read this book in one sitting and honestly, still don’t know whether I’m liking the series or not – my feelings are so conflicted in regard to several aspects.
First and foremost, I still stand by the fact that the political themes in this book are brilliant and well executed. The entire idea for the series is amazing and I love the dystopian aspect too. I think it’s a very thought-provoking and bold series for young adults, and is rally daring in the dark topics it puts forward. I love the idea of the books, the execution just falls short repeatedly which makes me sad.
The chapter style in this book was an improvement on the first, the chapters were longer which made the story feel less disjointed. I’m annoyed that there were more than two points of view though, I just feel it’s unnecessary and adds nothing at all to the story. I will say I loved being in Jude’s head for this one though – it was wild. Also, little is left to the readers. Things are stated so obviously with no opportunity to read between the lines for ourselves and infer from the text – many things really didn’t need to be stated but were which grated on me after a while.
The pacing is so much better, as the book take places over a much shorter time period than the first (which kept skipping several years randomly). I still didn’t care about the characters though, and side characters kept getting randomly introduced. They had no real personality yet again; a running theme throughout this series. Though the plot twists in this book do keep you guessing and come as a surprise, some events do feel so random and out of character that it confuses me – some of it feels like its in there purely for the shock factor which takes away from the emotion of some scenes.
Still a solid three star and by no means bad, it’s definitely worth reading and I still find myself wanting to know what happens next but the writing of it is just very mid-range.
First and foremost, I still stand by the fact that the political themes in this book are brilliant and well executed. The entire idea for the series is amazing and I love the dystopian aspect too. I think it’s a very thought-provoking and bold series for young adults, and is rally daring in the dark topics it puts forward. I love the idea of the books, the execution just falls short repeatedly which makes me sad.
The chapter style in this book was an improvement on the first, the chapters were longer which made the story feel less disjointed. I’m annoyed that there were more than two points of view though, I just feel it’s unnecessary and adds nothing at all to the story. I will say I loved being in Jude’s head for this one though – it was wild. Also, little is left to the readers. Things are stated so obviously with no opportunity to read between the lines for ourselves and infer from the text – many things really didn’t need to be stated but were which grated on me after a while.
The pacing is so much better, as the book take places over a much shorter time period than the first (which kept skipping several years randomly). I still didn’t care about the characters though, and side characters kept getting randomly introduced. They had no real personality yet again; a running theme throughout this series. Though the plot twists in this book do keep you guessing and come as a surprise, some events do feel so random and out of character that it confuses me – some of it feels like its in there purely for the shock factor which takes away from the emotion of some scenes.
Still a solid three star and by no means bad, it’s definitely worth reading and I still find myself wanting to know what happens next but the writing of it is just very mid-range.
June 30, 2017
MY FEELS OH MY GOSH MY FEELS! This is absolutely the most heart wrenching, gut tearing, depressing novel I have ever been blessed to read! Literally for the first half of the novel I was just sitting here like:
AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY VISION STARTED TO GET BLURRY AND THE GATEWAY OF TEARS JUST FLOODED OUT AND NO MATTER HOW MUCH I TRIED- I COULDN'T STOP THEM! SERIOUSLY , THIS BOOK WAS THE DEATH OF ME I JUST SAT IN MY ROOM AT 4:30 IN THE MORNING WITH A BOX OF TISSUES AND UGLY CRYING AND NOT BEING ABLE TO STOP. HANDS DOWN, THIS IS THE ONLY BOOK IN MY LIFE WHERE I WASN'T JUST CRYING BUT, FULL ON SOBBING WITH TISSUES.
First off I really did enjoy this beautiful masterpiece its filled with sorrow, hate, passion, revenge, depression, pain, rage, second chances, love and so so so much more. There was so many different things going on this novel at once I don't even know where to begin. Can I just give a hand to Sephys mom though like ohmygosh all the awards to you. I seriously admired her and if anything good that came out of this novel it was her. Sephy... all I can say is Sephy is not the same little naive girl who thought she and Callum could be friends without a second glance.
Then there was that whole Jude P.O.V and ohmygosh I don't even know what to express in words of what I feel for Jude. There was so so so much potential for him to live a good life if he could just let go of all that rage and hate that was accumulating inside of him.
So if you want to look like this
---->
then this is the right book for you
Actual rating 4.5 just because i didnt like it as much as noughts and crosses but, it was still amazing
AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY VISION STARTED TO GET BLURRY AND THE GATEWAY OF TEARS JUST FLOODED OUT AND NO MATTER HOW MUCH I TRIED- I COULDN'T STOP THEM! SERIOUSLY , THIS BOOK WAS THE DEATH OF ME I JUST SAT IN MY ROOM AT 4:30 IN THE MORNING WITH A BOX OF TISSUES AND UGLY CRYING AND NOT BEING ABLE TO STOP. HANDS DOWN, THIS IS THE ONLY BOOK IN MY LIFE WHERE I WASN'T JUST CRYING BUT, FULL ON SOBBING WITH TISSUES.
First off I really did enjoy this beautiful masterpiece its filled with sorrow, hate, passion, revenge, depression, pain, rage, second chances, love and so so so much more. There was so many different things going on this novel at once I don't even know where to begin. Can I just give a hand to Sephys mom though like ohmygosh all the awards to you. I seriously admired her and if anything good that came out of this novel it was her. Sephy... all I can say is Sephy is not the same little naive girl who thought she and Callum could be friends without a second glance.
Then there was that whole Jude P.O.V and ohmygosh I don't even know what to express in words of what I feel for Jude. There was so so so much potential for him to live a good life if he could just let go of all that rage and hate that was accumulating inside of him.
So if you want to look like this
---->
then this is the right book for you
Actual rating 4.5 just because i didnt like it as much as noughts and crosses but, it was still amazing
February 25, 2019
I’ve never been so unsure whether or not to continue a series…
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.
This sequel also introduced newspaper clippings before reach section which did not add to the story, but seemed to be purely for world-building in a world that we are already familiar with because we read the first book!
Learning to see the human side of Jude was the saving grace of this book, but by the halfway point, his story was over, and I lost a reason to finish the book. In saying that, his never-ending hatred for all black people got tiring and uninteresting. He’s a two-dimensional character that has no profound thoughts of his own.
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.
Something that struck me while writing this review is that this book (and the first) are devoid of any intelligent characters. Malorie Blackman has done a good job of making us feel, amplified by the violence and heartache she’s written into the book. But there’s nothing in there to make us think.
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.
This sequel also introduced newspaper clippings before reach section which did not add to the story, but seemed to be purely for world-building in a world that we are already familiar with because we read the first book!
Learning to see the human side of Jude was the saving grace of this book, but by the halfway point, his story was over, and I lost a reason to finish the book. In saying that, his never-ending hatred for all black people got tiring and uninteresting. He’s a two-dimensional character that has no profound thoughts of his own.
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.
Something that struck me while writing this review is that this book (and the first) are devoid of any intelligent characters. Malorie Blackman has done a good job of making us feel, amplified by the violence and heartache she’s written into the book. But there’s nothing in there to make us think.
January 19, 2022
I'm beginning to develop a theory that Malorie Blackman has a twisted sense of humour leaving readers with TWO endings on a run like that. I'm sensing a theme for this series and I'm not liking the dangling...
Sephy felt completely different in this story and I guess that aligns with all she'd been through in book one. She was struggling to get with the mothering plan and all I can say is thank goodness for Meggy. I really came to dislike Sephy in this one.
Jude. Jude....where does one start with the level of hate I have for this character. I know I'm meant to but he made for vile plot and vile reading. The injustice of him roaming this world while his brother doesn't was not lost on me.
I came away from this one with something of a dissatisfied feeling but Blackman has secured my readership again with that damn cliff.
Sephy felt completely different in this story and I guess that aligns with all she'd been through in book one. She was struggling to get with the mothering plan and all I can say is thank goodness for Meggy. I really came to dislike Sephy in this one.
Jude. Jude....where does one start with the level of hate I have for this character. I know I'm meant to but he made for vile plot and vile reading. The injustice of him roaming this world while his brother doesn't was not lost on me.
I came away from this one with something of a dissatisfied feeling but Blackman has secured my readership again with that damn cliff.
July 16, 2013
5/5 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!
CHARACTERS:
+ 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.
+ Callum's story is intense and intriguing as more is revealed throughout. A lot of what he said and did was packed full of all different kinds of emotions.
+ June is so exciting to read about and so believable too!
+ The side characters are well developed which immediately told me that this book would deserve a very high rating.
PLOT:
+ So intense - right from the start it got going and I was hooked. It was so addicting and I couldn't put it down; a page-turner for sure.
+ Consistent excitement throughout between the characters and the different action scenes (because of the different perspectives.)
+ 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.
+ The ending! OMG, SO SHOCKING! What's going to happen now? How's everything going to continue? Such a cliffhanger - I have to read the next one as soon as possible!!
WRITING:
+ Easy to read with a great balance of description to dialogue; never too much of either side. This enabled me to power through it and really suited how it was a page-turner.
+ 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.
+ The two perspectives each had their own "feel" which made the characters distinctive when reading. It really showed how the characters thought in their own personal ways and because of how it felt different, it made them even more believable.
+ 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.
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:
I have to give this a 5/5 because it would be unfair not to - it was faultless and, to me, a perfect read. I seemed to power through it and I can see why I was so addicted because I couldn't get enough of the awesomeness that this book contained! I highly recommend this series to anyone and I will be continuing on with the others very soon because I'm so excited to find out what's going to happen and how the rest of the story will pan out. Please read it; you won't regret doing so :D
CHARACTERS:
+ 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.
+ Callum's story is intense and intriguing as more is revealed throughout. A lot of what he said and did was packed full of all different kinds of emotions.
+ June is so exciting to read about and so believable too!
+ The side characters are well developed which immediately told me that this book would deserve a very high rating.
PLOT:
+ So intense - right from the start it got going and I was hooked. It was so addicting and I couldn't put it down; a page-turner for sure.
+ Consistent excitement throughout between the characters and the different action scenes (because of the different perspectives.)
+ 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.
+ The ending! OMG, SO SHOCKING! What's going to happen now? How's everything going to continue? Such a cliffhanger - I have to read the next one as soon as possible!!
WRITING:
+ Easy to read with a great balance of description to dialogue; never too much of either side. This enabled me to power through it and really suited how it was a page-turner.
+ 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.
+ The two perspectives each had their own "feel" which made the characters distinctive when reading. It really showed how the characters thought in their own personal ways and because of how it felt different, it made them even more believable.
+ 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.
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:
I have to give this a 5/5 because it would be unfair not to - it was faultless and, to me, a perfect read. I seemed to power through it and I can see why I was so addicted because I couldn't get enough of the awesomeness that this book contained! I highly recommend this series to anyone and I will be continuing on with the others very soon because I'm so excited to find out what's going to happen and how the rest of the story will pan out. Please read it; you won't regret doing so :D
July 26, 2020
A book about hate and the way hate breeds hate. The story arc is perhaps not as tight as it could be, I didnt always fully believe in the dialogue of the characters but l like the thought behind it, the message of the story is solid. It shines a light on the hypocrisy in our society and shouts loud and eloquently about the racial inequalities in our world.
The end is totally gripping, the author takes her plot to the extreme. It's shocking and emotionally hard hitting and for that I applaud the story.
The end is totally gripping, the author takes her plot to the extreme. It's shocking and emotionally hard hitting and for that I applaud the story.
Read
November 3, 2024Dnf @27%
Pre read: I loved the first book, hopefully it's the same for this 💘
Pre read: I loved the first book, hopefully it's the same for this 💘
June 1, 2020
just awful. sorry, but it was. i don't think i'll continue with this series :(
the writing was shocking
the characters are all so petty and annoying and unlikeable and make wacky weird and inconsistent decisions
there was literally no plot - whereas the first book had like 12879 plots !!!
there was no fight to equality in this book. this series is about racism and the first book set up an interesting world but this book was just about singing and feeding a baby and dating and i was so boreeeeeeed the entire time
no pace
no enjoyment
cliffhanger ending that was debunked by the snippet of the 3rd book at the end of my edition
the writing was shocking
the characters are all so petty and annoying and unlikeable and make wacky weird and inconsistent decisions
there was literally no plot - whereas the first book had like 12879 plots !!!
there was no fight to equality in this book. this series is about racism and the first book set up an interesting world but this book was just about singing and feeding a baby and dating and i was so boreeeeeeed the entire time
no pace
no enjoyment
cliffhanger ending that was debunked by the snippet of the 3rd book at the end of my edition
April 13, 2021
I loved this and it's a really good sequel!
I was totally hooked this weekend as you will see by how much of this series I managed to read.
I was totally hooked this weekend as you will see by how much of this series I managed to read.
December 24, 2019
Book 2 in the dystopian series in which a 360 degree turnaround focuses light from a different angle on racism, with the setting an alternative history in which Crosses, black people, have always been the dominant civilising force, with white people as former slaves only emancipated fifty years before the timeline of the story. Noughts, as they are known, face the sort of racism that in real life is directed against black people, including the abusive term 'blanker' and its inclusion in seemingly innocuous everyday names such as 'Blanker's Delight' which is a white desert.
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.
In the short story 'An Eye for An Eye' which is included in the back of this edition and set between books 1 and 2, Sephy was about six months pregnant and resenting her unborn child for being the cause of Callum's death as she believes that if she had had the pregnancy terminated as her father, a high ranking politician demanded, he would have arranged for Callum's death sentence to be commuted to life imprisonment. At the start of 'Knife Edge', however, she is in a charity hospital where she had given birth to a baby girl and finds that, far from hating the child, she is now bonding to her with a fierce and protective love.
The child, named Callie Rose, has breathing difficulties and has to spend about ten days in intensive care. Sephy, who usually acts on emotional impulse rather than rational thought, had put an announcement of the birth in the paper to annoy her father and - oddly I thought - given the address as the hospital, so when she stays there to look after Callie Rose, various people turn up at the hospital which she had not anticipated. One is her mother, with whom she has a reconciliation now that her mother has separated from her father and has cut out the drinking. At first the plan is to live with her, but then Callum's mother visits and Sephy finds herself promising to live with her instead because she feels sorry for her. Meggie has lost her husband all her children apart from Jude who is a wanted terrorist, on the run, all related in one way or another to the prejudice against Noughts.
The rest of the story is partly about the difficulties Sephy faces while she is living with Meggie and facing increasing discrimination and hatred from the Noughts in the neighbourhood, which becomes worse after she briefly becomes the lead singer in a Nought band, through a contact made with the woman who was in the next bed in the maternity ward. Trying to help Meggie, she finds herself crossing a line to help Jude despite the fact that he terrorised her previously and has sworn vengeance on her for Callum's death.
The other thread in the book is Jude's life on the run and his mission to avenge himself on the Nought who is deputy of the terrorist network - a man he believes has been betraying agents and betrayed his group at the end of book 1. He also, due to his rabid hatred of all Crosses, finds himself engaged in more and more extreme behaviour, with a harrowing scene about halfway through the book concerning a Cross woman with whom he forms a relationship, meaning to steal from her, and for whom he starts to have feelings - which he cannot accept and which lead to tragedy. The book spirals down into a darkness, which includes a depression that by the end has swallowed up Sephy with seemingly further tragic results.
This book is rather downbeat because of the subject matter. Unlike book 1 which had the uplifting and light-hearted parts concerning the love between Sephy and Callum, here it is unrelenting bad news and very grim incidents. I understand that Callum's fate at the end of book 1 set the tone for this one, but the inclusion of rather besmirched any fond memories of the happier parts of book 1.
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.
In view of the overall downbeat tone and very grim apparent ending, I can rate this one only as a 2 star read.
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.
In the short story 'An Eye for An Eye' which is included in the back of this edition and set between books 1 and 2, Sephy was about six months pregnant and resenting her unborn child for being the cause of Callum's death as she believes that if she had had the pregnancy terminated as her father, a high ranking politician demanded, he would have arranged for Callum's death sentence to be commuted to life imprisonment. At the start of 'Knife Edge', however, she is in a charity hospital where she had given birth to a baby girl and finds that, far from hating the child, she is now bonding to her with a fierce and protective love.
The child, named Callie Rose, has breathing difficulties and has to spend about ten days in intensive care. Sephy, who usually acts on emotional impulse rather than rational thought, had put an announcement of the birth in the paper to annoy her father and - oddly I thought - given the address as the hospital, so when she stays there to look after Callie Rose, various people turn up at the hospital which she had not anticipated. One is her mother, with whom she has a reconciliation now that her mother has separated from her father and has cut out the drinking. At first the plan is to live with her, but then Callum's mother visits and Sephy finds herself promising to live with her instead because she feels sorry for her. Meggie has lost her husband all her children apart from Jude who is a wanted terrorist, on the run, all related in one way or another to the prejudice against Noughts.
The rest of the story is partly about the difficulties Sephy faces while she is living with Meggie and facing increasing discrimination and hatred from the Noughts in the neighbourhood, which becomes worse after she briefly becomes the lead singer in a Nought band, through a contact made with the woman who was in the next bed in the maternity ward. Trying to help Meggie, she finds herself crossing a line to help Jude despite the fact that he terrorised her previously and has sworn vengeance on her for Callum's death.
The other thread in the book is Jude's life on the run and his mission to avenge himself on the Nought who is deputy of the terrorist network - a man he believes has been betraying agents and betrayed his group at the end of book 1. He also, due to his rabid hatred of all Crosses, finds himself engaged in more and more extreme behaviour, with a harrowing scene about halfway through the book concerning a Cross woman with whom he forms a relationship, meaning to steal from her, and for whom he starts to have feelings - which he cannot accept and which lead to tragedy. The book spirals down into a darkness, which includes a depression that by the end has swallowed up Sephy with seemingly further tragic results.
This book is rather downbeat because of the subject matter. Unlike book 1 which had the uplifting and light-hearted parts concerning the love between Sephy and Callum, here it is unrelenting bad news and very grim incidents. I understand that Callum's fate at the end of book 1 set the tone for this one, but the inclusion of rather besmirched any fond memories of the happier parts of book 1.
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.
In view of the overall downbeat tone and very grim apparent ending, I can rate this one only as a 2 star read.
April 5, 2020
I think that this book was really good. I really enjoyed reading it because unlike the first book of the series it focused more on Callum’s brothers Jude then the love life of Callum and sephy. I would highly recommend this book for anyone looking for an amazing read. It gives you Judes point of view and how he blames sephy for his brothers death. It also shows how sephy copes after the death Of Callum and How she manages with her new baby Callie-rose.
December 10, 2015
NO TIME FOR A REVIEW. GOTTA. FINISH. THIS. SERIES.
May 4, 2021
Book 130 of 2021
Rtc
Rtc
March 9, 2025
Just as heartbreaking as the first but just as important. These books are so easy to read but have such devastating topics, Malorie is a writing magician and I’m definitely going to read the rest of the series now.
May 18, 2019
Merr fryme zemer e vogel ...
January 31, 2022
Second book syndromeRTC
February 20, 2024
Not for me - I just couldn’t relate to or like any of the characters, most of which were unrecognisable. And the darkness has become overwhelming.
I’m obviously in the minority here though, so please don’t take my word for it.
I’m obviously in the minority here though, so please don’t take my word for it.
February 20, 2025
Heartbreaking in places. I really love Malorie's writing style - and the pace of the storyline. It totally captured me from around half way and I couldn't put it down.
June 6, 2018
Leider nicht ganz so gut wie Teil 1. Es ist nicht viel passiert und ich fand Sephys Handlungen teilweise mehr als unüberlegt. Aufgeregt haben mich auch die Passagen aus Jonathans Sicht. Wenn das mal nicht das abgefuckteste Arschloch ist, über den ich je gelesen habe, dann weiß ich auch nicht. Das Ende war natürlich wieder krass und ich hoffe, dass sich die Geschichte in Teil 3 zum Positiven wendet und alles gut wird.
October 7, 2016
This one is actually better than the first book. Which is great, of course, but I found one of the characters overly disagreeable, and that kinda influenced my liking of the story as a whole. And yet, it's cruel, almost unbearable at times, and it's free of romance, Checkmate will hopefully be less sinister, although I'm aware the setting isn't meant to be pleasant.
August 28, 2019
I liked this better than the first one. In my opinion the characters gets more depth in this which makes it ugh so painful.
September 13, 2021
The first book, NOUGHTS & CROSSES, spanned a handful of years and trauma. And it had Lynette, a side character who was instantly fascinating.
KNIFE EDGE, too, includes a side character who grabs readers as soon as she steps onto the page: Cara.
In this book, however, the time period is not even a year. Which is more comfortable as a reader, as we have space to more fully explore what's going on.
It's bleak, though. Malorie Blackman warns about this in her author's note, talking about the story's theme of hate.
I feel kind of guilty for not reading this series until now, when the first book was published about twenty years ago. But it's probably better that I'm reading it now, when I'm more aware of the real world to appreciate the world-building's subversions, demonstrated in the music scenes and discussions here in KNIFE EDGE.
It's never too late to read a great series - better late than never.
KNIFE EDGE, too, includes a side character who grabs readers as soon as she steps onto the page: Cara.
In this book, however, the time period is not even a year. Which is more comfortable as a reader, as we have space to more fully explore what's going on.
It's bleak, though. Malorie Blackman warns about this in her author's note, talking about the story's theme of hate.
I feel kind of guilty for not reading this series until now, when the first book was published about twenty years ago. But it's probably better that I'm reading it now, when I'm more aware of the real world to appreciate the world-building's subversions, demonstrated in the music scenes and discussions here in KNIFE EDGE.
It's never too late to read a great series - better late than never.
July 10, 2021
2.5 stars
March 13, 2025
Such a good book, I couldn’t put it down.
I liked it as much as the first one, so emotional in places so much history to think about can’t wait to read the next one
I liked it as much as the first one, so emotional in places so much history to think about can’t wait to read the next one
March 11, 2018
I cried at the end... I cant believe it! If you haven't read this series already (I know I'm late to the party) then WHY NOT!?!
September 27, 2025
Malorie Blackman never fails to write something so beautiful. The plot twists made me audibly gasp and have to process what I just read. Just WOW! Speechless
March 14, 2013
For my pre read thoughts and reasons for rating please visit my blog: From the Shadows I Review
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 – 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 – I miss the Sephy of ‘Noughts and Crosses’ this Sephy is a shell. She’s lost what made her. I know that the ending of book 1 hit her hard (Me too Sephy, me too) but that is no excuse to lose whatever it was that made her stand up against the world and scream eff you all. She made a deal with the devil in this and doesn’t seem to realise that he’s going to come back and burn her arse off. It will happen and when it does she’ll get no sympathy from me. I want the Sephy I grew to love back!
Meggie – Meggie... hmmm... she’s a tough one to write about. She’s kind, she warm, she’s loving but she needs a reality check when it comes to Jude. I’m sorry, I know mum’s like to see the best in their kids but there’s an extent to this. I mean he’s not the nicest boy and he was always on his way to Jerktown and I want to know why she refuses to see that. However, I remember the time I got a poem published and my mum replied to my excitement with “jolly good” and I just know that Meggie is the kind of mum who’d have a full on party to celebrate that kind of thing. That’s what I like about her, her ability to love without question and do the best she can for her children and grandchild. It will be her downfall though. Trust me.
Overall this is a book dragged down by a lost story and a lead that makes you feel worse than a month long hangover. Yea... he’s that painful (Don’t drink kiddiwinks!!! It’s not nice!!) . The writing is good and I won’t knock it. Malorie Blackman knows how to write a story and I like that. There are too many wannabes that takes someone’s idea contort slightly and get it published. ‘Noughts and Crosses’ is different. It feels original even though the idea is just a what if with black and whites switched. Although I personally feel it’s not the colour of your skin that makes you, it’s what you’ve got to give the world. Keep your hatred and prejudice, we don’t want it. And this story is a prime example of why judging on skin colour should remain in the past. EQUAL RIGHTS FOR THE WIN!
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 – 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 – I miss the Sephy of ‘Noughts and Crosses’ this Sephy is a shell. She’s lost what made her. I know that the ending of book 1 hit her hard (Me too Sephy, me too) but that is no excuse to lose whatever it was that made her stand up against the world and scream eff you all. She made a deal with the devil in this and doesn’t seem to realise that he’s going to come back and burn her arse off. It will happen and when it does she’ll get no sympathy from me. I want the Sephy I grew to love back!
Meggie – Meggie... hmmm... she’s a tough one to write about. She’s kind, she warm, she’s loving but she needs a reality check when it comes to Jude. I’m sorry, I know mum’s like to see the best in their kids but there’s an extent to this. I mean he’s not the nicest boy and he was always on his way to Jerktown and I want to know why she refuses to see that. However, I remember the time I got a poem published and my mum replied to my excitement with “jolly good” and I just know that Meggie is the kind of mum who’d have a full on party to celebrate that kind of thing. That’s what I like about her, her ability to love without question and do the best she can for her children and grandchild. It will be her downfall though. Trust me.
Overall this is a book dragged down by a lost story and a lead that makes you feel worse than a month long hangover. Yea... he’s that painful (Don’t drink kiddiwinks!!! It’s not nice!!) . The writing is good and I won’t knock it. Malorie Blackman knows how to write a story and I like that. There are too many wannabes that takes someone’s idea contort slightly and get it published. ‘Noughts and Crosses’ is different. It feels original even though the idea is just a what if with black and whites switched. Although I personally feel it’s not the colour of your skin that makes you, it’s what you’ve got to give the world. Keep your hatred and prejudice, we don’t want it. And this story is a prime example of why judging on skin colour should remain in the past. EQUAL RIGHTS FOR THE WIN!
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