*** Review*** An Eye for an Eye (Noughts and Crosses #1.5) Malorie Blackman

On the Back of the Book

In a world where the two classes are divided by colour and never treated as equals, Sephy - a Cross and daughter of a top politician - is six months pregnant. The child's father, Callum, is a Nought, but worse, he is dead and Callum's brother is out for revenge. Can two wrongs make a right?

Pre Read Thoughts

I’m choosing this because:

Well, this is in the back of my copy of ‘Noughts and Crosses’ so it makes quite a lot of sense to read it. Don’t you think? Well that and it’s an extra review for Malorie month with Amy! So I don’t really know much ahead of reading this but if it’s anything like Noughts and Crosses then I’m in for a short, sweet, awesome story.

Judging a book by its cover:

So I noticed the cover to this short story when I was looking for a synopsis on Goodreads and it’s very fitting of the title and keeps with the black and white minimalistic cover that is my ‘Noughts and Crosses’ I do like it. It’s a striking, eye-catching cover. Hahah... the cover has eyes on and I said eye-catching! (Sorry, evidently the pain in my left arm is sending me mad.)

Pricing the (possible) awesomeness:

Well this is awkward because it’s not in print anymore. It’s included in the backs of certain editions of the ‘Noughts and Crosses’ series though. So you’ll have to buy a full size novel. That’s not really a chore though is it?

Post Read Thoughts

Wow! This made an awesome scene in my head. I pictured this in my head and it was like a tense movie of hatred and rage. The writing was as phenomenal as it was in ‘Noughts and Crosses’ helping to paint the bleak scene of Noughts vs. Crosses. The emotional power is what makes this so good. I actually finished this short story with a realisation that I was sad. I was getting so invested in the characters and the situation they were in.

Jude – In this mini story we get Jude’s POV. It doesn’t make me like him any more though. I get that he’s hurting because of all that’s happened to him and his family (trying to write this without spoilers is a nightmare). I understand his actions but I don’t condone them.

Minerva – Sephy’s sister. I wasn’t a fan of her in ‘Noughts and Crosses’ and in this she failed to make me see her in any light other than a spoilt, whiny, wimp. I think that the ideals she brings to the table are so different to hose that her sister and Jude bring. She’s happy to be a Cross and to look at Noughts as something less than her.

Sephy – We don’t get her POV in this but we do get her and oh how my heart broke as her emotions became clear.  The ending of ‘Noughts and Crosses’ has taken its toll on her and I just wanted to slap everyone for making it worse! Sephy is definitely a character that I like and I find myself rooting for her and hope that things get better for her.

Overall Malorie Blackman does in one scene what many authors can’t achieve in an entire book. The emotional rollercoaster that is ‘An Eye for an Eye’ is enough to have me go from complete rage at the callousness of Jude to a mothering instinct I didn’t even know I had when Sephy’s emotions come into play. The writing is stellar, but from an author of Malorie Blackman’s calibre I wouldn’t expect any less. This is an amazing scene that makes me crave wanting to start ‘Knife Edge’.

My Rating

4 Stars – I mean you’ve just read my review; that tells you exactly why it deserves such a high rating. I’m adoring this series and I’m only on book 1.5. Imagine when this gets serious! I definitely recommend you read this if you have it in the back of one of your books. It’s so awesome!