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Loading... Double Cross (original 2008; edition 2008)by Malorie Blackman
Work InformationDouble Cross by Malorie Blackman (2008)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Tobey wants out of Meadowview but when a friend drags him into some shady dealings and Callie ends up hurt, he comes up with a plan to take his revenge. I've found the violence and the lack of futures in the whole series hard to deal with and Double Cross wasn't any different. You have to admire Tobey's determination to put his plan into motion and stick with it. Now that I am finally finished...I am not totally sure what to say about this book or series..... I really did enjoy the series as a whole...The characters are amazing... Malorie Blackman makes you want to continue on in the series.... But.... I struggled reading this series.....but I did love them....Contradiction right? Nought & Crosses (Black & White) was wonderful and I went that book quickly... Knife Edge...I wasn't crazy about and it almost had me stop the series and took me about 2 weeks or so to read.... It took me at least a month to get back into the books....And the novella Callum got me back into the books... Checkmate I adored, but still, it took me a little over 2 weeks to finish it This one, Double Cross, it took me a month to finish...I'd read it, put it down, read it again, put it down, and so on....But, I liked this book...A lot... I think one of the reasons why it took so long for me is I didn't give myself time to actually miss the books or characters like I have to do with other series because other series I am on, haven't come out with all of their books and have had to wait in between each one... But I think another reason is, when many authors do books, I personally believe that they write some books as if they are ready to get it over with and that sometimes shows in the writing...The books still may be good, but something is just missing... Now, on to the actual review of this particular book? Finally! Well.... Double Cross is good....And I enjoyed finding out about what happened with Callie Rose & Tobey...And as I went on in the book, I kept debating whether or not it should have been done or not...Was it really necessary? Well now...Yes, I think so....I'm glad she did... This book does get a strong 4/5 Stars. This book, like the others, were really intense! (Another reason I think it was hard for me to read it...For anyone that likes dystopia type of stories (not the kind many are used to), or books that talk about Civil Rights type of [racial] issues but reversed, then this book would be wonderful to read! These books are about Noughts (Whites) fighting for their Civil Rights against the Crosses (Blacks)..but it surrounds two different families in the first three books...And in Double Cross, its still the two families, but one added to it...But one of the young people in Double Cross, was also in Checkmate. I will close it up by saying that this is one of the best series I've read in a while, even if I struggled many times. It really is good...And the series as a whole, I give a strong 4.5/5 Now that I am finally finished...I am not totally sure what to say about this book or series..... I really did enjoy the series as a whole...The characters are amazing... Malorie Blackman makes you want to continue on in the series.... But.... I struggled reading this series.....but I did love them....Contradiction right? Nought & Crosses (Black & White) was wonderful and I went that book quickly... Knife Edge...I wasn't crazy about and it almost had me stop the series and took me about 2 weeks or so to read.... It took me at least a month to get back into the books....And the novella Callum got me back into the books... Checkmate I adored, but still, it took me a little over 2 weeks to finish it This one, Double Cross, it took me a month to finish...I'd read it, put it down, read it again, put it down, and so on....But, I liked this book...A lot... I think one of the reasons why it took so long for me is I didn't give myself time to actually miss the books or characters like I have to do with other series because other series I am on, haven't come out with all of their books and have had to wait in between each one... But I think another reason is, when many authors do books, I personally believe that they write some books as if they are ready to get it over with and that sometimes shows in the writing...The books still may be good, but something is just missing... Now, on to the actual review of this particular book? Finally! Well.... Double Cross is good....And I enjoyed finding out about what happened with Callie Rose & Tobey...And as I went on in the book, I kept debating whether or not it should have been done or not...Was it really necessary? Well now...Yes, I think so....I'm glad she did... This book does get a strong 4/5 Stars. This book, like the others, were really intense! (Another reason I think it was hard for me to read it...For anyone that likes dystopia type of stories (not the kind many are used to), or books that talk about Civil Rights type of [racial] issues but reversed, then this book would be wonderful to read! These books are about Noughts (Whites) fighting for their Civil Rights against the Crosses (Blacks)..but it surrounds two different families in the first three books...And in Double Cross, its still the two families, but one added to it...But one of the young people in Double Cross, was also in Checkmate. I will close it up by saying that this is one of the best series I've read in a while, even if I struggled many times. It really is good...And the series as a whole, I give a strong 4.5/5 Now that I am finally finished...I am not totally sure what to say about this book or series..... I really did enjoy the series as a whole...The characters are amazing... Malorie Blackman makes you want to continue on in the series.... But.... I struggled reading this series.....but I did love them....Contradiction right? Nought & Crosses (Black & White) was wonderful and I went that book quickly... Knife Edge...I wasn't crazy about and it almost had me stop the series and took me about 2 weeks or so to read.... It took me at least a month to get back into the books....And the novella Callum got me back into the books... Checkmate I adored, but still, it took me a little over 2 weeks to finish it This one, Double Cross, it took me a month to finish...I'd read it, put it down, read it again, put it down, and so on....But, I liked this book...A lot... I think one of the reasons why it took so long for me is I didn't give myself time to actually miss the books or characters like I have to do with other series because other series I am on, haven't come out with all of their books and have had to wait in between each one... But I think another reason is, when many authors do books, I personally believe that they write some books as if they are ready to get it over with and that sometimes shows in the writing...The books still may be good, but something is just missing... Now, on to the actual review of this particular book? Finally! Well.... Double Cross is good....And I enjoyed finding out about what happened with Callie Rose & Tobey...And as I went on in the book, I kept debating whether or not it should have been done or not...Was it really necessary? Well now...Yes, I think so....I'm glad she did... This book does get a strong 4/5 Stars. This book, like the others, were really intense! (Another reason I think it was hard for me to read it...For anyone that likes dystopia type of stories (not the kind many are used to), or books that talk about Civil Rights type of [racial] issues but reversed, then this book would be wonderful to read! These books are about Noughts (Whites) fighting for their Civil Rights against the Crosses (Blacks)..but it surrounds two different families in the first three books...And in Double Cross, its still the two families, but one added to it...But one of the young people in Double Cross, was also in Checkmate. I will close it up by saying that this is one of the best series I've read in a while, even if I struggled many times. It really is good...And the series as a whole, I give a strong 4.5/5
Blackman "gets" people, especially young adults, in all their tentativeness, determination and energy. She "gets" humanity as a whole, too. Most of all, she writes a stonking good story. Belongs to Series
Everyone assumes the bomb that killed Callie Rose's grandmother was the work of a nought terrorist. But Callie Rose knows the truth - and her fear of the past leaves her afraid for her future. Her boyfriend Tobey is worried about his own future. A nought boy at an exclusive school, Tobey hopes to keep out of trouble, go to university, get a good job and leave the dangerous streets of his childhood behind. But Tobey is discovering that he can't keep clinging to some kind of no-man's land while the neighbourhood around him is carved up by rival gangs. Then he is offered the chance to earn some ready money just making a few 'deliveries'. He doesn't want a part of that world, the world of gangs. But maybe he could get away with it, just this once . . . He little realizes how his decison will bring violence down on both himself and Callie and just how far he will go in fighting back.... No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.914Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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In this final volume, the focus is on Tobey, the best friend and would-be boyfriend of Callie Rose. Most of the story is from his viewpoint, due to the circumstances which beset Callie, so it returns to the original structure of alternating viewpoints for much of it then a big chunk in the middle by Tobey. I found it made for a tighter story in some ways. However, the racial angle, so key to the earlier books, isn't so much of a main issue this time. Instead, the story focuses on the two rival crime gangs which rule the area where the two young people live, and how they impact on their lives and on the community. Tobey becomes pulled into criminal activity, despite knowing it is against his best interests, drawn by his long-term friendship with Dan who has become a "delivery boy" for one of the criminals, and who tempts Tobey to help him and to share the payment.
Callie Rose is dealing with her guilt over the death of her grandmother, Jasmine, her mother Sephy's mother, blown up by the bomb which Callie had been persuaded to make by her terrorist uncle in book 3 of the series. She also fears that he escaped the blast given that the person killed with Jasmine is finally identified as someone she has never heard of and she blames herself for killing an innocent man. And when something happens to her, Tobey goes all out to get revenge and nullify the threats hanging over her and his family. Despite the eventual happy ending, there is still the unintended consequence that
One good aspect is that Callie Rose is nowhere near as irritating as in the previous book. The story is also quite a page turner with tension rising as Tobey becomes more and more enveloped in danger from all sides and it is unclear how he can ever prevail. The fate of one 'good' character was also quite a shock. I did however find the resolution of that plot line rather unbelievable given the sudden conscience it required one character to develop, and perhaps the actual ending is a bit too perfect. But on the whole, a solid 4-star read.
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