In his resulting depression, Tobey briefly joins Nought Forever, the Liberation Militia's spiritual successor, but soon quits. Tobey pursues a career in politics and is aided and bankrolled by Dan, now a powerful gangster. He uses his growing fortune to financially support Misty and Libby, but Misty refuses to let him see their daughter and conceals his identity from Libby. She gradually spends Libby's entire trust fund, becoming an alcoholic and drug addict, and abuses Libby, who struggles with anxiety and self-harm.

Callum knows all too well. From being constantly suspected of every possible crime and assumed the worst of, to being denied an education and treated like he's not just stupid but incapable of learning the skills the Crosses have - every day he faces the fact that he's lower than second-class because of one arbitrary fact he has no control over: the colour of his skin. So. I don't know. My mind and my heart wrestled over what to rate this. On the one hand, I loved how the story had this huge emotional deal from 70% on. On the other hand, I hated many of parts of this book and I couldn't stand the overly dramatic dialogue a lot of the time-I know, me and my dialogue. But near the end I was very heavily leaning towards a four...I really was. But my heart got thrown into a wood-chipper and came out the other side a bloody pulp. I was sobbing, unexpectedly, last night and I wanted to hurl this stupid un-throwable ebook across the room and smash it against the wall. And while I am one of the only people in my close-knit group here on Goodreads who loves self-sacrifices, perilous endings where bad things happen and, hey, let's say it-deaths (sometimes), this ending was harsh beyond measure and I just...couldn't. I am strong. I love crazy, heart-stopping endings, but this book took it one step too far and I was already a little on the fence with it. He’s not always an angel, but at the core… he’s always looking to do the right thing. I hope I can live on with his sort of toughness.” Callie Rose wakes from her coma and finds out that Jude was indeed killed by the bomb. However, she also discovers that Tobey is now dating Rebecca, as she had been in a coma for so long. Noughts & Crosses is written alternately in the voices of Sephy and Callum, in short chapters that grant the two differing perspectives. There's pain and tension here, and anger - it's a mature book, and doesn't shy away from the worst of human nature. It's well written, with both Sephy and Callum growing older, more mature, more disillusioned. For a book that's not set anywhere in particular, about a world that doesn't literally exist, it's a very real story because it pokes right at the heart of so many of our problems and makes no apologies for forcing us to look at ourselves.

'Callum is someone with a lot of heart'

Sephy struggles with seeing Meggie losing the last remaining member of her family and decides to give a false alibi to Jude for Cara's death for Meggie's sake. He escapes the death penalty and only serves a few month in prison for LM membership; afterwards, he accuses Andrew of Cara's murder in addition to being a government informer; Andrew is soon shot dead by the LM. Despite Sephy saving his life, still holds a grudge against her and plots revenge. Jude takes Callie Rose to Kamal's house. After Kamal denies that she is his granddaughter, Jude, now the General of the LM, exploits her anger to groom her to become a suicide bomber. Jasmine attempts to bring Callie and Sephy closer together, but develops breast cancer and struggles with her mortality. Eventually, Jasmine traps Sephy and Callie Rose in her wine cellar where the two reconcile. The group that Callum becomes immersed in after the certain tragedies that occur in his immediate family felt plausible to me because of the motivation and conjunction of the group trying to fight against the oppression of the society. Do I believe what they did (Callum included) was right? No, I don't - it boiled my blood when I read it, and particularly how Sephy ended up becoming involved in that crossfire. Do I think it could've been portrayed a bit more even? Absolutely, it had some clear flaws in the portrayal. But at least I understood it. I understood the events that led up to that point, even if it felt like a stage drama on the level of "Romeo and Juliet", "West Side Story", "Raisin in the Sun", or something along that notation. It was dramatic, maybe even a little overmuch with the drama in measures, but it sold its point to me.

I'm not a blanker. I may be a naught but I'm worth more than nothing. I'm not a blanker. A waste of time and space. A zero. I'm not a blanker. I'M NOT A BLANKER. We all make mistakes, and as long as we all learn from them and live in a graceful way, Callum does do that. They've been friends since they were children, and they both know that's as far as it can ever go. Noughts and Crosses are fated to be bitter enemies - love is out of the question.

'Filming this show gave me a new perspective'

Then - in spite of a world that is fiercely against them - these star-crossed lovers choose each other. The story follows teenagers Sephy (a Cross) and Callum (a Nought) who struggle to understand why they have to be segregated. Edited to add: I LOVED the TV show associated with this book. The show answers all of the questions I had about the book.

One look at the Liberation Militia and their beliefs and principles gives you some sort of insight as to what goes on in the minds of the people belonging to terrorist groups. Not that I think of LM as a terrorist group but considering what they do and the way they do it - obviously they could be conceived as a terrorist organisation in one way. They are not at all bad or evil people - they just believe and understand that what they do is the right thing. They really do believe that in their heart of hearts. After all the cause really is the right one, the noble one! After all there is only so much one can take before they stand up and fight against it. But the way they choose to implement it - I believe that is not the best method. He keeps this a secret from Callie Rose, and after they consummate their relationship, Callie Rose leaves but promises to return. The next day, when Tobey and Callie Rose meet up with their friends, Callie Rose is shot by a hail of bullets from McAuley, the boss of a gang of Noughts, the rivals to the Dowds. Her surgery is successful, but she remains in a coma. Sephy is furious at Tobey for not telling the police who shot Callie Rose, but is unaware that Tobey plans on getting revenge on McAuley himself. Kamal Hadley: the main antagonist of Noughts & Crosses and a secondary antagonist in Knife Edge. A powerful, avaricious Cross Home Office Minister who will do anything to gain more power and influence. He is the father of Sephy and Minerva and the grandfather of Callie Rose, but disowns Sephy and Callie Rose. He divorces Jasmine after an unhappy marriage and remarries. A letter sent by Jasmine sent to the media ends his stint in power.The plot itself-the story arc that propels the book along-is pretty much a thin, Things That Happen, standard kind of plot that wasn't hugely appealing but kept the whole thing tied together quite nicely. There are a few surprises, but I'd wager they're nothing you can't find in half a dozen other novels that are of the dystopian nature. Much of the plot was predictable. There were few, if any, surprises. I predicted Lynette's suicide, Gabe joining the Liberation Militia, and Callum's dad's suicide quite easily. Update. This is a tv series now. I hated this book, but from an ideological and personal perspective, rather than an entertainment one which is how I suppose most people read it. I'm wondering whether to watch the tv series and take it lightly or if I will be as upset as I was reading the book? The ending was very predictable. I guessed what would happen about two thirds of the way in. But while I was about fifteen chapters from the end, the ending was spoiled for me anyway, IN THE BLURB OF THE NEXT BOOK. I feel as though this is just an obvious mistake that any publisher would look out for. So, if you don't want to be spoiled for the ending, then I recommend not reading the blurb for An Eye For An Eye.

First of all, Callum and Sephy - guys I ADORE you. I really really do. Just know that I love you two. So much. I love you both with my life. Sephy watches the case unfold on the news from home, and she knows Dad is innocent. Callum is suspended from school for no reason, but he’s somewhat hopeful about Dad’s prospects when an anonymous benefactor—presumably Sephy—pays for one of the best lawyers in the country, Kelani Adams, to represent Dad. But though Dad pleads not guilty to all the charges, and though Kelani mounts an impressive case, the jury finds Dad guilty of all the charges.

I just....there were so many moments where hate spewed from the two main characters and it broke my heart. They loved each other, but all these horrible situations kept happening where Callum's class would show and he would get this visceral feeling where he resented all the crosses (naturally and understandably), including Sephy. It's so easy to group those we are closest to with a bad situation and I found it to be very realistic-but it still broke my damn heart. Each time they'd overcome something, another obstacle catapulted itself right in their way, each situation more venomous than the last. It was a great look at the struggle between different races and the battles that can come with class and hierarchy. I felt it to the bottom of my soul, and it definitely flipped the coin-quite a bit. Enter Jude McGregor. Jude teaches Callie about her real family history, and the more she learns the more he persuades her where her loyalties really lie.