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Read Knife Edge (2005)

Knife Edge (2005)

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Rating
3.37 of 5 Votes: 6
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ISBN
0552548928 (ISBN13: 9780552548922)
Language
English
Publisher
corgi childrens

Knife Edge (2005) - Plot & Excerpts

've only dipped my toe so as to speak into Malorie Blackman's excellent young adult reads so far, starting with the brilliant Noughts And Crosses (read my review HERE) and now with the follow up Knife Edge. Well, I might be a bit of a latecomer to the party but blow me down with a feather she is a superb writer! I always worry with a series that it might suffer from "second book syndrome," or tail off and lose my interest but I enjoyed the sequel just as much as I did the first. I'm going to try my hardest not to spoil things for those of you that haven't begun the series yet but it might be better if you go off and read the first book then come back and read my review!Okay, so where the first novel focuses on two Romeo and Juliet-esque characters who are fated never to be together purely because of the difference in their skin colours, the second tends to focus and hone in on a couple of these characters - Persephone (Sephy to her friends) and Jude. After the nail-biting and shocking ending of Noughts & Crosses, Sephy has a hell of a lot more to be worried about then just relationships. She now has a whole new life to be responsible for in the form of Callie Rose, a daughter named for her father and more precious to her than anything else. Life never runs smoothly for Sephy sadly and she ends up moving in with Callum's mother Meggie who is not completely delighted to have her there but begins to dote on her little grand-child. Poor Sephy is also suffering from what happened in the last novel along with a bout of post natal depression which begins to threaten her relationship with her daughter.As well as Sephy's viewpoint, we also get one from another familiar character - Jude, Callum's brother who is on the run after being wanted as a member of the Liberation Militia, a violent organisation seeking equal rights for Noughts in a world ruled by inequality. He is absolutely furious with Sephy (and with all Crosses in general) for what he believes she has put his family through and when something happens to him that shakes his whole belief system, their paths cross again. Will she help him or will it be daggers at dawn?I've got to admit I had no idea about which way Malorie Blackman was going to take this story after the ending of the first novel (which was pure fireworks for me, by the way) and I'm really pleased she dug down a bit deeper into her characters mindsets. We have suffered with Sephy from the very beginning of the series but in Knife Edge we see her becoming a mother, overcoming obstacles and really growing as a person. But Jude - what can I say? He is a vile, disgraceful and embarrassing piece of humanity but by the author exploring his character in more depth and allowing for a tiny glimmer of good that he might possess, I even started feeling a bit sorry for him! Only a bit, mind you. Once again, I also loved the way in which the author presented this dystopian world not too far removed from our own, where skin colour can mean everything in life is granted or taken away from you. And the ending? Oh dear Lord, she's done it again....it's one terrific cliffhanger that will have you grabbing for the third book in this four book series Checkmate immediately!For my full review please see my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com

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

What do You think about Knife Edge (2005)?

It pains me to say this but it wasn't as good as the first book. This book was extremely depressing and I felt my happiness draining as I turned every page. I didn't expect Sephy to be a bundle of joy after the ending to the first book but it was inhumane of her not to respond the way any normal person would at the end of this book. So many complications entwined this book together, and it was stressful reading all feeling all of Sephy's emotions, meh.
—Beth

This is the third book in the Noughts and Crosses series, and it's every bit as good as the first ones. In the first section, the short chapters alternate between Jude, a nought, and Sephy, a Cross, with each telling their own separate but sometimes overlapping story. Jude is Callum's brother, and he blames Sephy for his brother's death by hanging. After planning to kill her in An Eye for An Eye, he's realized that he can get better revenge against her in the future, through her daughter, who was fathered by Callum. In the meantime, he also wants revenge against Andrew Dorn. When Jude and Callum and some other members of the Liberation Militia kidnapped Sephy in the first book, things went terribly wrong and Jude and Callum were the only LM members who came out of it alive. And then Callum was hanged. Jude has learned that Andrew Dorn actually worked for Sephy's father, and was a traitor to the LM cause. Now Jude wants Dorn dead. But he needs money. In a chance meeting with Cara, a Cross woman who runs a very successful hair salon, Jude finds his chance and despite his contempt for her, begins to woo her. I won't say anymore about that plot line, but I thought I saw that it was going, and the author gave me quite a shock when it suddenly went a different direction. Sephy has given birth to a daughter, who she names Callie Rose. While in hospital, she is visited by first her sister, and then her mother, and a tentative reconciliation with them begins. But then Callum's mother, Meggie, also comes to see her, and begs her to consider moving in with her. Deciding that Meggie needs her more than her own mother does, she agrees. Soon Meggie's voice joins in the narrative, as she begins contributing her version of events to the story. She loves Jude, and she loves Sephy and Callie Rose. When a shocking letter to Sephy arrives posthumously from Callum, it crumbles Sephy's already tottering world, and drives a wedge between her and everyone around her, including her daughter and Meggie. All of the characters are richly drawn, with distinctive voices. I liked the alternating narrative, especially with Meggie added to the mix, as she helped give us a more defined picture of Sephy and her actions. Later Sephy's mother also contributes, and the pain and regret that everyone feels comes across heartbreakingly. The book ends on a cliffhanger. Unfortunately, in this edition of the book anyway, if you turn the page there is a sneak peek at the next book, Checkmate, and if you allow yourself to even glance at it, the cliffhanger is immediately resolved for you. So good going, publisher. Now I've got to get my hands on Checkmate!
—October Woman

Okay, oh god. This series of book is now one of my favourites thanks to the fabulous writing of Malorie Blackman. Her writing style is impossible to flaw and even without loving any of the characters you can still feel for them and get as emotionally attached to them as in any other books. This book was neither too descriptive nor all about the romance. In fact I'm not sure you could even say this one had romance in it..So I totally fell in love with Jude in this book. I loved all his character development and hearing things from his POV. I honestly didn't ever expect to feel for Jude but this book was crafted so beautifully I couldn't help it. His relationship with all the characters in the book fascinated me and especially his one with Cara. But just as quickly as Malorie made me love him, she then turned this all around as Jude started revert back to the one we knew from the first book. After that happened I felt completely conflicted.Finally THE END OF THIS BOOK holy shit does Malorie know how to write a cliffhanger.I dare anyone not to love this book...
—Freya Dudding

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