Noughts&Crosses #2, Knife Edge

Summary:

Knife Edge is set in a world with two races, the crosses, the privileged race who have access to all the things they need, from education to even being favoured by the government (dominated by noughts) in court cases, and the noughts, an oppressed, underprivileged race who rarely have access to education, and are often abused by their ‘superior’ race, the crosses. Sephy is a cross, daughter to Jasmine and Kamar, she was previously in love with Callum, a nought, who was killed after being threatened by Kamar to choose between his life, and his and Sephy’s baby. Callum’s brother, Jude, seeks revenge throughout the novel as he blames Sephy for the terrible losses his family has felt. As Jude needs a source for money, he begins to search for a partner, where he meets Cara, a cross, who he initially believes is just an ‘object’ for access to money and resources. However, as time passes on, he begins to feel emotions for Cara, and out of confusion and spite, he beats her and runs off with her money. All goes well for Jude until his fingerprints are found on the scene, and due to multipple witnesses' statements he is going to receive a death sentence. Sephy, feeling sorry for Meggy’s (Callum and Jude’s mother) losses, decides to give Jude a fake alibi to let him escape from the charge with only having to serve a few months in prison. After she does this, her life begins to crumble, all the crosses hate her as she aided Jude in escaping, and all the noughts hate her for not helping Jude sooner. Full of anguish, she hugs her and Callum’s daughter, Callie Rose, she begins to sing a song and just when she begins to feel peace she realises Callie Rose is not breathing. The book ends with Meggy screaming at Sephy, and the reader wondering if Callie will be alive.

Review:

Knife-Edge is a great, thrilling book, which keeps the reader hooked. The plot is sensational and the reader is left on a nail-biting cliff-hanger. The character development is good, with the main character, Sephy, changing from a spoilt girl with everything she could ever want to a point where she is wondering whether her child will survive! However, due to the themes of racism and violence, the appropriate age to read Knife edge would be 13+.