Noughts and Crosses (Noughts and Crosses, #1)

by Malorie Blackman

[Leah]

Malorie Blackman is cruel. I knew there was a big plot twist at the end of Noughts & Crosses, because I had read the back of book two Knife Edge, and yet I still cried. I was still surprised. I was still annoyed. I still wanted to put this book in the freezer, forever, because it doesn't deserve to grace my shelves because I will forever remember what this book did to me. This series is sixteen years old, and yet it doesn't feel like that at all, Dystopian fiction clearly doesn't age.

The whole concept of the races being flipped - with white people being the inferior race and the black people ruling is so eye-opening. In this past year, I have really learned and understood what black and people of colour go through on a daily basis. Understood is actually probably the wrong word, because I am white therefore I can never understand it, but I hope you know what I'm trying to say. It's amazing how blinded you are to things until you see it from someone else's eyes. I could never imagine suffering the things people suffer day in, day out simply because of skin colour so to see it flipped in Noughts and Crosses was just mind-blowing.

This story needs to be read by EVERYBODY. Every kid should have this on their school reading list. It has such an impact, it's so important and I feel devastated having finished it. I feel like I've gone through the ringer with Sephy AND Callum. It's an unimaginable world to me, but it's also so real, it happened (granted, the races were switched) and people are still treated this way to this day (which just honestly baffles me - because I just can't believe that colour can ever have anything do to with anything and I know that's naive and innocent but it's honestly how I feel).

This book was just everything. It made me angry, it made me sad, it made me happy, it put me completely though the ringer of emotions and I'm both nervous and excited to read Knife Edge. God I hope Jude survives