REVIEW: Noughts & Crosses (#1) - Malorie Blackman

Title: Noughts & Crosses (#1)
Author: Malorie Blackman
Series: Noughts & Crosses
Publisher: RHCP Digital
Format: E-Book
Pages: 410 Pages
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads Blurb

Two young people are forced to make a stand in this thought-provoking look at racism and prejudice in an alternate society.

Sephy is a Cross -- a member of the dark-skinned ruling class. Callum is a Nought -- a “colourless” member of the underclass who were once slaves to the Crosses. The two have been friends since early childhood, but that’s as far as it can go. In their world, Noughts and Crosses simply don’t mix. Against a background of prejudice and distrust, intensely highlighted by violent terrorist activity, a romance builds between Sephy and Callum -- a romance that is to lead both of them into terrible danger. Can they possibly find a way to be together? 

Thoughts

This was a re-read (I am re-reading the series ready for Crossfire coming out in May), and on my first read of the series I absolutely loved this, and after re-reading it again I still loved it, and I still wished for a different outcome at the end of the book.

I find Malorie Blackman to be a beautiful writer, and to think some of the instances of racism in this book are some that the author actually came up against, which makes you feel angry that the author had to come up against such racial hatred.

I love Sephy and Callum as characters and think their relationship is so beautiful that you really want these characters to be together.
I found that both these characters grew within the book, Sephy started as quite a naive character who didn't understand the struggles that Noughts faced in everyday life, whereas Callum had an idealistic view on the world, he wanted to go to school and university and have a good job so that he and his family could climb their way out of the poverty life they were living.

You really feel angry at some of the struggles that Callum comes up against while at school, and by the end of his school life you, the reader and Callum realise that he is not going to get the idealistic life that he is aiming for, and it does upset you.

I think that this book is just fantastic, and a book that needs to be read in schools to understand how unjust racism is and that everyone should be considered equal to everyone, not because of the colour of their skin.