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ed_moore's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Blackman also touches on issues beyond race such as sexuality, broken families and addiction. ‘Noughts and Crosses’ was full of shocks and the ending was especially impactful, however to reach such ending it was a frustrating journey. The story is told in alternating chapters narrated by both Callum and Sephy, however in places I felt this format was so forced and the book would’ve flowed better if not regimented into this strict chapter structure. There were so many switches with the chapters being somewhat short and some were only a few sentences which it felt like only existed to continue the story from one of the characters perspectives but try not to break the chapter structure. Additionally, I really did not like Sephy’s perspective. She was the privileged perspective hence was supposed to be a little out of touch, but Blackman tried to present her as understanding the issues of racism and being the ‘white saviour’ figure (or black saviour to place it literally) and I did just find her extremely insufferable and whiny. I struggled with the story through Sephy’s perspective and Callum was a really interesting character so it just feels like I lost half a book from his point of view.
While I feel like I missed out on the intricacies of Callum’s struggles and the fascinating cast of characters that make up his family due to Sephy’s perspective. The romantic focus of the book also wasn't handled the best and was so much weaker than the political elements, I feel the story could've been so much more powerful without the focus on the problematic relationship between Callum and Sephy. The sequels will likely look a bit more into the wider cast of Callum's family and extend political world-building but I do also really struggle to see how this universe and plot line can be extended into another book, let alone a subsequent five.
Graphic: Racism, Suicide, and Kidnapping
lilzoologist's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Racism, Suicide, and Alcohol
Minor: Rape and Abortion
mimapugh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Kidnapping, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Alcohol
emaxan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism and Suicide
Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Blood, Death of parent, and Abandonment
clhtdr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Violence, Abortion, Death of parent, and Classism
eveattwood's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Things I enjoyed about this book:
- The concept is the most interesting part about this book, reversing the racism & discrimination black people have experienced, and instead envisioning them as the ones with the most power & influence in society. This means white characters or 'noughts' become the people who are looked down upon, or have historically been discriminated against. I think this would definitely be a good resource for teaching kids/teens about racism & the importance of listening to other peoples' experiences & showing them empathy
- I think the portrayal of how trauma, stress & constant racism affects Callum is done well & how this impacts him/his decisions later in the book
Things I didn't love about this book/could be improved:
- I know this is a YA book so it is targeted for a younger audience, but the writing of this book often felt v childish to the point that it took me out of the story or made me cringe. The povs were so hard to get fully invested in as the characters often came out with such strange phrases
- There's a lot of telling & not showing in this book, particularly in the first 2/3s. We hear a lot from Callum & Sephy about how they feel or things that happened, but not always in the moment. A lot of it feels v summarised
- The relationship as a whole just fell pretty flat for me. I feel like there wasn't enough build up or flashbacks shown to show how close they were or why they liked each other
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
reggiereading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
he's 15, she's 13/14.
(timeskip)
he's 19, she's 17.
i have no doubt that they do care about each other and their relationship is real but i just cringe when i think about it.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
amylovesbooksandyarn's review against another edition
- 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
I listened to this on audio and it took me a while to get into in the younger years but as the characters got older it really started to enhance the story.
This is a YA book but it covers some very serious topics, the justice system, social inequality, racism, suicide, the death penalty to name a few.
The story is told from both Sephie and Callums perspective and we get their thoughts and emotions. The inner monologue is always something you can have in books but not as easily in TV format so this does create a more emotive read rather than watch.
There were bits I didn't see coming which is always great in a read. I would definitely get the next in the series
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Rape
ellie_a05's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Racism, and Suicide
taleofabibliophile's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity and Sexual content