Malorie Blackman

'The Noughts & Crosses series are still my favourite books of all time and showed me just how amazing story-telling could be' STORMZY 'I grew up reading her. It was one of the few books about black people, so I felt seen.' CANDICE CARTY-WILLIAMS 'The most original book I've ever read' BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH 'Malorie Blackman is absolutely amazing ... [Noughts & Crosses] really spoke to me, especially as a woman of dual heritage.' ZAWE ASHTON 'Crossfire is searing, political and furious. Malorie's world building is sublime and the way the Noughts & Crosses series holds a mirror up to society is unrivalled' JUNO DAWSON _____ Years have passed since the love between Sephy - a Cross - and Callum - a Nought - destroyed their world and changed their families and society forever. Society appears to be very different now. For the first time ever, a Nought Prime Minister - Tobey Durbridge - is in power. Race and class don't divide people anymore. But things are never really that easy. Because Tobey's just been framed for murder, and the only way to free himself is to turn to his oldest friend - Callie-Rose. Their families divisions run deep, and when two young people are kidnapped, their lives and everything they've fought for are put in the firing line. And when you're playing a game as dangerous as this one, it won't be long before someone gets caught in the crossfire... Crossfire is the long-awaited new novel in legendary author Malorie Blackman's ground-breaking Noughts & Crosses series. 'Rich in moral and social issues, it is devastating about racial attitudes' THE SUNDAY TIMES, CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK 'It chillingly echoes the tempestuous taste of the world today while offering the intensity of a thriller' I NEWSPAPER

Crossfire

Mylk_siie

Crossfire is the long-awaited new novel in legendary author Malorie Blackman's ground-breaking Noughts & Crosses series - perfect for fans of The Handmaid's Tale and The Power. Thirty-four years have passed since Sephy Hadley - a Cross - first met Callum McGregor - a nought. Their love was forbidden, powerful - and deadly. Life is seemingly very different now for noughts and Crosses - including for Sephy and Callum's families. But old wounds from the past are hard to heal, and when you're playing a game as dangerous as they are, it won't be long before someone gets caught in the crossfire. Praise for Noughts & Crosses 'The Noughts & Crosses series are still my favourite books of all time and showed me just how amazing story-telling could be' - Stormzy 'The most original book I've ever read' Benjamin Zephaniah 'Blackman "gets" people . . . she "gets" humanity as a whole, too' Guardian 'Powerful' Sunday Times

Meg Ferguson

The 5th instalment in the noughts and crosses series was a book I never anticipated. I did delay in reading crossfire as I was unsure as to whether it would meet my expectations. However, once again Blackman shocked me. 
I loved how the lives of the third generation (Libby and Troy) were intwined with the lives of some of the more original characters such as Sephy Hadley. Also, the mention of self harm through the story of Libby Jackman was a powerful image, which linked very well to the story. 
I first read the series when I was 11 and enjoyed every book. Introducing politics, racism and prejudice into young adults books was something I admired and found fascinating to read about. 
I absolutely adore the series and look forward to another instalment from my favourite author 😁

Joy KBA

Pam Sartain

Crossfire by Malorie Blackman is the fifth book in the Noughts and Crosses series. I had heard of Noughts and Crosses before, and so read it, and the second book Knife Edge, before reading Crossfire.

Which does mean I haven't read books 3 and 4. I figured I would see how much I was missing out on the story in this fifth book, and it turns out I was missing quite a lot!

When asked why she wrote Noughts and Crosses Malorie Blackman has said on her website:

There wasn’t any one thing. It grew out of a lifetime of experiences. Some of the racist incidents in the book were based on real events from my own childhood. And I also wanted to play with the idea that ‘history is luck’ to a certain extent. What if Africans had invented trans-oceanic travel and colonized Europe and America? Or what if the Aztecs and Incas had ‘beaten Cortez to the punch’ and converted the Catholics in Spain and Portugal at the point of a sword? You put all that together and you have the germ of an idea which led to Noughts and Crosses.

Noughts are the minority, previous slaves of the Crosses. We are shown the every day racism of a world that is in the 21st century, and trialing integrated schools. 

Noughts and Crosses is the story of Sephy, a Cross, and Callum, a Nought, and their doomed love.

Crossfire is bringing us up to date, and is set 18 years after the 4th book. Malorie Blackman has said that she felt like she had to write it due to Brexit, and you can also find Windrush references.

In Crossfire, we have Sephy's son, Troy, and Libby, a Nought, who are kidnapped, and each thinks they know why. Callie Rose is a lawyer, and is to defend the first Nought Prime Minister from the charge of murder.

I did enjoy the story, and the characters, but I did also feel like I was missing out on quite a lot of references to things going on, so read this when you've read the previous four to get the full enjoyment out of it! The end is also a cliff hanger, just to prepare you!

Crossfire was published on 8th August 2019, and is available to buy on Amazon and on Waterstones. I've found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

You can follow Malorie Blackman on Twitter, or through her website.

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Penguin Random House (the publishers) for this book.

Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

Briony Meadows

Jess (the og)

Sam Lane

Ceyda karacan

Crossfire is the long-awaited new novel in legendary author Malorie Blackman's ground-breaking Noughts & Crosses series - perfect for fans of The Handmaid's Tale and The Power. Thirty-four years have passed since Sephy Hadley - a Cross - first met Callum McGregor - a nought. Their love was forbidden, powerful - and deadly. Life is seemingly very different now for noughts and Crosses - including for Sephy and Callum's families. But old wounds from the past are hard to heal, and when you're playing a game as dangerous as they are, it won't be long before someone gets caught in the crossfire.

Crossfire

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