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
