Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman

16 reviews

keelan's review

challenging inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Gun violence, and Hate crime

kshertz's review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Wow this book is excellent. It would be 5 stars but it took me a minute to warm up and get into the book. But the concept of two best friends, on opposite sides, falling in love, it’s a tale as old as time. It felt like enslavement and north Ireland mixed together and a resistance was thrown in. The ending is unbelievable and excellent. Read it just for the last paragraph!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Racism, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Misogyny, and Child abuse

gracey72's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Abortion and Domestic abuse

Minor: Bullying and Vomit

izzyvioletgrace's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

An amazing book facing many difficult topics: racism, societal standards and mental health. I loved it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Rape, Stalking, Violence, Alcoholism, Mass/school shootings, Bullying, Alcohol, Death, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Genocide, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Torture, Abortion, Blood, and Addiction

feenix's review

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring relaxing sad tense fast-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, Kidnapping, Alcoholism, Abortion, Suicide, and Bullying

Moderate: Bullying, Grief, Hate crime, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Classism, and Violence

Minor: Rape, Police brutality, Slavery, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Vomit

bethtrigg's review

challenging reflective sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Abortion, Police brutality, Death, Mental illness, and Racism

epellicci's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

I can see where the praise for this book comes from. As a way to introduce a younger audience to racism, privilege and unjust societal structures, it is straight to the point. Potentially a revelation, happening among a setting with characters who still have problems a younger audience can relate to, like homework and complicated feelings for your friends. However, I did not enjoy the book. 

Every relationship was so aggressive, often times to the point of physical violence. There wasn't a single healthy, consistently loving family or friendship. Combined with a plot which never let up on anyone, it made for unlikable characters. I didn't believe in  the main couples on again/off again romance, which lacked any tenderness. Blackman consistently gave us the narrative that they hated one another, their "love" felt based entirely on guilt and familiarity. On top of this, I felt that in an attempt to make the message apparent to the young teen audience, all the nuance had been stripped from the plot. There was no subtlety, which I found killed the atmosphere. While I can totally appreciate what it was trying to do, it fell really flat for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Bullying, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Racism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, and Murder

karol99's review

emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Very YA and not in the best way. I didn't really like the writing. I was very frustrated with the characters, but I think that's due to the fact that the miscommunication trope is a pet-peeve of mine. They were very young for most of te book, which reflected in the writing- I am not a teen, and therefore might have read this too late as I am not the correct demographic anymore. Concept and idea of the book is very interesting, and enjoyed the book tackling race issues that are ignored and engraved into society today, and have become deeply systemic. But what took me out of it was the YA Cons vs the pros. I think think the way the book is written is very much a product of it's time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism

Moderate: Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, Bullying, Hate crime, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Slavery, Physical abuse, Suicide, Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Vomit

laurataylor's review

challenging emotional reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Classism, Abortion, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Racism, Suicide, and Violence

kqlon's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence