Title: Knife Edge
OR 
Author: Malorie Blackman
Age Group: Young Adult
Publisher: Corgi
Publication Date: 30 June 2005 (this edition)
Paperback: 364 pages
Rating: 8/10
Summary (back cover):
Sephy is a Cross, one of the privileged in a society where the ruling Crosses treat the pale-skinned noughts as inferiors. But her baby daughter has a nought father. Jude is a nought. Eaten up with bitterness, he blames Sephy for the terrible losses his family has suffered. Now Jude’s life rests on a knife edge. Will Sephy be forced, once again to take sides?
Review:
This is the second novel in the Noughts & Crosses series and as with the first book it is wonderfully written with well rounded and interesting characters and a story which pulls you in from the first few pages. The voices of each character alternate between chapters, and along with Sephy a black-skinned Cross, we see the world through the eyes of Jude, a white-skinned nought and Callum’s brother, and occasionally from Sephy’s mother, Jasmine, and Jude’s mother, Meggie.
The story continues on from Noughts and Crosses and we find Sephy coping alone following Callum’s death with her new born baby, Callie Rose. Jude, Callum’s brother, is still consumed with rage and animosity for all Crosses, but most of all Sephy, who he blames for his brother’s death.
A little way into the book Jude meets Cara. I was hoping that she was his salvation, that she would be the girl to ease his mind and mend his heart, but instead the outcome was totally unexpected and I didn’t see it coming. It left me stunned. But, although Jude continues his vendetta on the Cross world with a seemingly heartless attitude, we hear his thoughts and realise that he his not a bad person but the product of a racist society that has created the cold, vengeful man he has become.
Sephy also has her hardships and when given a letter written by Callum before his death, it leaves her in doubt of what was real and what was not regarding their relationship. She climbs inside herself and finds it hard to deal with life and with Callie. The book hints at post-natal depression and ends on a cliff-hanger that will make you want to rush out and buy the next book.
Verdict:
Although this is a great book, which I thoroughly enjoyed reading, it didnt have the same impact on me as Noughts and Crosses. It doesn’t have the sweet love story behind it and as the characters have grown so has their cynicism and it leaves you with the feeling that there is no hope and this sometimes makes for bleak reading. There are several scenes where this story gives a powerful punch and I flinch at its brutality, but this is what makes the book so realistic and moving. It is still quick-paced and thought-provoking and I was in no way disappointed. It is a superb book and I urge you all to read it!
Buy Your Copy
OR If you would like to find out more about Malorie Blackman and the Noughts & Crosses series then visit her website: www.malorieblackman.co.uk
Read my review of Noughts & Crosses HERE
Reading Next: Checkmate by Malorie Blackman
5 Comments
I loved this series. Great review!
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Great review but I don't think this would be a book for me – just not my kind of thing.
Thanks!
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Thought I'd check out all your reviews for this series – I'm very interested!
Good, honest review!
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read this with my kids great book
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Seriously everyone out there has to read this novel noughts and crsses is amazing and so is knifes edge in its own right i agree with you there what i did miss was the romance and callum pov, i was at first like not my kind of thing but for some reason it wouldnt leave me and im so glad i picked it up i cant wait to read the last book in the series
btw fellow britisher here!
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